The holidays are over, and you’re experiencing letdown now that the parties have all ended and you are back to work. The decorations are still up, and you let your household chores slide a bit over the holidays, but now all you want to do is cozy up and watch TV — after all, it’s still the middle of winter.
If your motivation to clean is at an all-time low, and you’re still looking for a good New Year’s resolution, set a goal to get better at keeping the house clean! These 10 tips should help you get up and take steps toward a cleaner home.
- Buy a fun new cleaning product you’ve been eyeing: If Santa missed something on your wish list, treat yourself to it in the new year. Much like a new pair of running shoes can motivate you to exercise, a brand-new vacuum or electrostatic duster will make you eager to clean.
- Imagine what the house will look like when it’s tidy: There’s nothing like relaxing in a clean, living room without being surrounded by clutter or dust. Sometimes, envisioning the result is just what you need to get motivated to clean.
- Start small: The easiest way to fail a New Year’s resolution is to go from zero to 60 in a single day. You’ll burn yourself out this way! Instead, try to be mindful about keeping the house clean as you go about your business. See a dirty cup on the coffee table? Take it to the sink. Have a few minutes while your coffee brews in the morning? Wipe down the counters. Completing small tasks here and there prevents a full-blown mess from ever building up.
- Set a timer: Be it 10 minutes or an hour, commit to cleaning for the timeframe you set. Then, when the timer goes off, you have complete permission to stop what you’re doing and relax.
- Pump up the jam: Play your favorite music and sing along as you clean. The time will go by in a flash.
- Spread out the work: Instead of saving all your chores for the weekend, do one small task each day. Then, you only need to tackle the bigger things about once a month.
- Team up with a friend: Do you know someone else who wants to work on their cleaning motivation in 2019? Set the same New Year’s resolution, and then report to one another to hold each other accountable.
- Get the whole family involved: No one should be responsible for all the housework. Make chore charts for the kids and ask your partner to pull their weight. Remember, many hands make light work.
- Host a party: Nothing creates motivation to clean the house like having people over! Just make sure you clean up after the party as well.
- Reward yourself: Have the self-control to delay that mani-pedi, lunch with friends, or favorite dessert until you complete the chores on your daily to-do list.
Sometimes, motivation has nothing to do with keeping the house clean — sometimes, there simply isn’t enough time in the day to sweep, mop, clean the bathroom, do the laundry, pick up after the kids, and complete everything else on your chore list. When that happens, rely on the trusted housekeepers at Molly Maid. We offer customizable cleaning plans so you can receive as much or as little assistance as you need.
When your cleaning motivation runs out, contact your local Molly Maid to request a free in-home estimate for professional house cleaning services.
