4 tips to declutter and clean when you’re overwhelmed
Most people have a desire for a clean, easy-to-maintain, comfortable, and cozy home. I know I do!
But why do so many find it hard to attain that clean and clutter-free space we all long for?
Where Do I Start?
When there is dirt and clutter all around us we tend to get overwhelmed, giving way to anxiety, which sometimes leads to depression. Many ask “Where do I even start?”
It’s been said that it doesn’t matter where you start, what matters is that you start. Even just 15-minutes will make a difference!
Here are a few suggestions:
- start with your kitchen sink (FlyLady method)
- start with your room (your retreat/calm space)
- start with your entrance (the area first seen when guests first enter your home, usually the living or family room)
- start with your bathroom (clean bathroom, clean body, clean state-of-mind)
FlyLady’s FlyBaby Task #1: clean sink
I, personally, started my journey with the FlyLady method many years ago. Whenever I have strayed, I always return to the 1st FlyBaby task: shine your sink.
It’s a simple step that ends and begins each day on a positive note.
Before bed, make sure all the dishes are washed and wipe down the sink (and counters while you’re at it!). This accomplishes 2 things:
- you end the day with a win having accomplished this simple task.
- you begin the next day with a clean, empty sink – which, I find, is both relaxing and motivating.
It makes me feel so good and in the morning I feel I can peacefully enjoy a cup of coffee while I look at my calendar and verify my plans for the day (and take a few minutes to catch up with friends and social media without feeling guilty).
Your Bedroom: your retreat/calm space
Your bedroom is the last thing you see at night and the first thing you see in the morning. For some, it’s also where you unwind at the end of a long, busy day.
I don’t know about you, but I feel a made bed just brings a room together. It is the 1st thing I do in the morning (well, after using the bathroom, LOL), before getting dressed.
Some will tell you to just close the door – out of sight, out of mind. If that works for you, great.
For me, I like to leave doors open.
If your bedroom is where you want to start, here are a few quick and simple tips:
- make the bed – even just straightening the sheets/comforter will do, you don’t have to tuck and get detailed for it to look “made up”. And if your significant other sleeps later than you, just pull up and straighten your side (maybe that’ll give them the hint to finish it when they get up!).
- pick up and put all dirty clothes that didn’t make it to the laundry basket IN the laundry basket. I know it’s annoying when your better half throws his (or her) unmentionables next to the basket instead of in it, but for your peace of mind, (until they’re better trained 🤭) just do it.
- clean off your bedside table/flat surfaces – put things away where they belong in drawers, gather anything that belongs in another room to deposit in that room, straighten any books or things you keep on the bedside table for easy access.
When my room is made up and tidy, I always find that I don’t get stressed out or anxious when I have to walk in there for anything. I’ve even been known to sit in bed with my lap desk and work on my blog, my budget or browse social media while my dogs lay beside me or my grandson naps next to me (he usually likes to have company at naptime, haha).
The Entrance: usually the living or family room
It’s been argued that the living room is the most important room in the house as this is the room you entertain guests and where families spend the majority of their time together. For those that have both a living room and a family room, it can be a toss up as to which is more important. The living room where you entertain guests or the family room where you relax and enjoy time together.
It stands to reason that you want this(these) room(s) free of clutter and picked up for company, or just to feel relaxed when spending time with family and friends.
All the homes I have lived in have only had a living room. No family room. No entryway.
If this is the room you choose to start, here are some quick and simple tips for an enjoyable gathering space:
- start by picking up things that belong in other rooms and put them in a box/basket to be distributed to said rooms.
- straighten chair and/or couch cushions that are out of place (for me it’s either the dogs knock them over or Sebastian uses them as forts)
- lay throw blankets neatly over the back of the couch or fold them into blanket pillows (I just learned this trick recently!).
- a quick vacuum really brings the room together!
The Bathroom: or washroom – where clean begins
A clean bathroom not only looks and smells nice, it also prevents bacteria from spreading to other areas of your home.
When your bathroom is clean, you want to spend time in there. Really, who wants to shower or bathe in a dirty stall or tub? And most everyone knows that droplets and particles of feces (yeah, poop) can spray up to 6 feet when you flush the toilet. Eew!
Just a few minutes is all it takes to keep your powder room fresh and sparkling:
- Swish & Swipe (another FlyLady tip): swish the toilet with a toilet bowl brush and wipe down the outside of the toilet with a rag (or Clorox wipe), using a different rag (or disinfectant wipe) wipe off the countertops.
- when done showering (or bathing) spray 50/50 mix of water and vinegar (you can add 5-10 drops of an essential oil like lavender for a nice smell), let it sit a little while, then rinse.
- if you’ve got pets that shed (like me), you’ll also want to sweep (or dry vac) – I swear their hair ends up everywhere.
Still having a hard time choosing where to start?
My suggestion: start with the dishes.
You may not realize it, but those piles of dishes are costing you more than you realize.
Have you chosen to order out or go out to eat because you didn’t have clean cookware to make dinner? Have you bought paper plates and plastic silverware because you didn’t have clean dishes to eat off of? I’ve been guilty of this in the past. I mean, face it, who wants to cook in a dirty kitchen? Not me!
It’s the domino effect. Dirty dishes, lead to dirty countertops, lead to overflowing trash, lead to dirty floors, lead to overwhelm and anxiety, lead to other housework being neglected.
So, let’s do this!
Go wash the dishes. Start with 1 load.
If there’s more, do another load when the first load is dry. Or just spend 15 minutes and wash as much as you can. After a break, do another 15 minutes.
21 days to a habit
Keep doing your dishes.
If you’ve got a dishwasher, empty it first thing in the morning so you can just rinse your dishes as you use them and start it at night. If you’ve got a large family you may need to run the wash twice a day or after each meal. But once it’s done, take that 15 minutes and put them away. Or assign someone to do it.
If you don’t have a dishwasher (like me), just wash your dishes after each use and pile them in the drainer. Each evening (again, more often if you’ve got more people in the home), empty the drainer so it’s ready for tomorrow. Or first thing in the morning. I prefer to do it in the evening so that no one that comes home after me or gets up for that mid-night snack can say, “there wasn’t room”. (insert eye roll here)
Then lastly, shine that sink! Just scrub it lightly and rinse it down, then take a clean rag to wipe it down.
You’re done. A tidy kitchen and shiny sink to wake up to in the morning. And that feeling of accomplishment?! You feel that? Yeah, it feels good.
Now keep that up for 21 days and it will become a habit.
Did you start? Comment below and tell me if you started and where you started? Let me know how you’re feeling or if you have any more questions!
