January 8, 2021
Gently updated April 2022
Too overwhelmed to clean house? I know! It’s awful. But there’s good news. Join the ladies who were exactly where you are, and made it all the way to tidy.
MESSY HOUSE DRIVING YOU CRAZY?
Ladies, we’ve all been here. Too overwhelmed to clean house. This place of discouragement when the housework has become unmanageable.
(“Housework” — that word even sounds unpleasant)
It’s hard.
Hard to look at it, hard to imagine conquering it. Everything you need to do is hampered by clutter, unfinished cleaning, or even dust and dirt.
In a world that always shows us shiny-clean million-dollar homes (with no visible evidence of actual residents), it’s easy to start feeling like a failure.
Even if no one sees our situation, we feel judged.
And not only do we feel judged, we can’t seem to get anything done.
Can’t get dressed, because the clothes aren’t clean. Can’t eat, because the dishes aren’t clean. Can’t clean the dishes, because we’re out of dishwashing soap. And so it goes.
Listen, my friend, whether feeling discouraged led to a messy house, or a messy house led to feeling discouraged, we’re feeling sad. And that feeling? It’s real.
You feel like you’ve reached rock-bottom. But since there’s no “fix” in sight, you wonder if it could get worse. 😧
When does this crazy train reach the next station? You want to get off!
HERE’S WHAT YOU GET TODAY:
Facts, personal stories, and an organized chore list to help you set up your own system.
Listen to three important truths right now:
- You aren’t the first one.
- There is a way out.
- You can start right away.
(I have proof. )
I’m sharing links below to moms who have faced this monster and won. 💪🏻
Some of their insights are raw and even sad, but they’re real and that’s what we need.
I’m also sharing a housecleaning task list.
It’s a housework chore list that I designed for myself some time ago, to have a “maintenance mode” for housecleaning.
And yes, at the time I was too overwhelmed to clean house.
But let’s don’t get ahead of ourselves.
Today is about you, finding out that you don’t have to remain in the wreckage.
That’s right. We’re on the way to clean!
You’re About To Be Rescued From Being Too Overwhelmed To Clean House
That’s right!
You’re going to find three ladies who were there first. They will grab your hand and pull you out of that wreckage.
I’ll tell you who they are, and I’ll say a little more.
Please don’t miss this: The value today is in what these ladies have to say.
I’ll give you one quick peek here for each, but there is so much more.
Jamie, from Simple Living Mommy, has a great idea: Set a timer. Give it 5 minutes, or 15 minutes, and do what you can. It’s a great start.
Christina, from Troubleshooting Motherhood, suggests some good music and taking a “before” picture.
Allie, from Allie Cazazza, has a very direct message about that “rock-bottom” place, and tells it beautifully.
(Links appear again below.)
HOW IT STARTS
Every single topic that truly addresses this issue has the same beginning: small. You start with one thing.
- Maybe it’s laundry. Throw a load of clothes in.
- Maybe it’s the kitchen. Wash a load of dishes, or tidy up a counter.
- Maybe it’s the bathroom. Pick up everything, and put a shine on the things that don’t move. 😉
Then you do one more thing. Pick up all the shoes and put them away. Or you vacuum one rug. Maybe you gather one trash bag full of debris and send it to the outside trash can.
You start small. And you know your first step and your second.
Once you’re on your second step, you know the second and the third.
That’s the ticket out of the mess. A little bit today, a little bit tomorrow.
Small steps, and a glimpse of the vision.
This is an important investment:
- in your own mental health,
- in the well-being of your family,
- and in the effect you have on others outside your home.
Worthy stuff.
Not just surviving, not just serving.
You’re doing more: Nurture.
That’s such a powerful word. So cozy and positive, I just want to wrap you up in it right now!
MAKE YOUR PLAN
Take a look at how these ladies found their way out. Either use a playbook from them, or create your own.
It doesn’t matter where you start. It matters that you start.
Whatever sequence you decide, just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Achieve small goals and move on again. And allow yourself to feel happy about your accomplishments.
Are you time conscious?
I am. Terribly so, sometimes. I feel like I need to hurry through everything. Like it’s a race. Seeing the day in time segments, it can be discouraging mentally to try to fit everything in.
And yet, I found a way to manage my chores in a surprising system. It was strangely pleasing to come up with this.
You want to know what it is?
MY WELL-TIMED PLAN
I timed my chores. Yep. And there was a very happy result — things took waaay less time than I had imagined.
I timed different tasks as I did them, and jotted down the results. My daily routine was really quick, not nearly as time-consuming as I had felt like it was.
I guess that’s the best part — that I discovered I wasn’t really overwhelmed. I just thought I was.
Over the course of a few weeks (and reviewing a lot of online advice), I defined daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. And found some brilliant systems to arrange them. Making my own was easy.
It’s not even complicated. Here’s how it turned out:
I have daily chores (like making the bed, doing a load of laundry, preparing supper, etc.) that really do need to be done daily.
Then there are weekly chores (mopping, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, changing sheets, etc.) that can be done once a week.
I didn’t forget occasional tasks, like blowing leaves, cleaning fans, or dusting baseboards. Those are listed also.
And finally, there are monthly chores. This part is pretty simple: There is one room in the house that gets a deep cleaning each month. That’s a top-to-bottom cleaning for every corner. If I keep up my daily and weekly tasks, the deep clean is actually not that bad. And by the end of the year, each room has been done.
You do your daily tasks always, and add one weekly/occasional task each day. That monthly task takes 1-3 hours once a month.
I’ll link my chart. It’s an Excel sheet, so you can save and edit it, if that works for you.
Another Great Resource
Actually a lot of the wisdom came from Flylady.net. That’s a very organized system that has been around a while, and once you look around there, you’ll see why.
If you like her system, you can sign up and actually receive instructions daily for your cleaning assignments. She says it so well, and it’s so logical, I want you to take a look.
To get the chart, all you have to do is click on this image.
And keep reading for more tips on getting it all together!
PRODUCTS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED
I wouldn’t be a friend if I didn’t clue you in on some amazing cleaning products. (I’ll link them below.)
For instance, did you know you can clean your bathtub with Dawn Dishwashing Liquid? It dissolves soap scum. If you need to use something for mildew first, do that. I discovered Zep spray for indoor and outdoor cleaning. Amazing results. When you’re finished, shine up the fixtures with Windex. And don’t throw away your spray bottle! You can buy Windex as refill concentrate.
If you’re cleaning your stainless steel kitchen sink, use Bon Ami or Bar Keeper’s Friend mixed with a little Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. Use a wet cloth or paper towel to give it a quick scrub. You’ll be amazed at the shiny results.
I love a bag vacuum cleaner. I never got the hang of emptying and cleaning a bagless without releasing all kinds of debris.
I love the power, the attachments, and the bag of dirt that I can throw away (evidence of progress, right?). I don’t see my exact model, but the one below is similar.
And once I started using a lobby dustpan, I wondered what took me so long. What a time saver. Sweeping is now a breeze. And you don’t even need a lobby! It’s just a dustpan with a long handle, but it lays down and stands up exactly when you tell it to. (Does anything else in your life do that?)
I love the Bona floor care products. Safe for kids to crawl on, and gleaming clean.
Swiffer dusters in all forms are lifesavers. And a ball duster is great for corners and frames. And cobwebs. (Do you have cobs? I’ve never seen one. But I see their webs. 😄)
A lint roller is an amazing thing. Use it on your lampshades. (Not the pleated ones, sorry.)
Last thing: For almost everything, microfiber cloths.
PRODUCT LINKS
NO LONGER TOO OVERWHELMED TO CLEAN HOUSE
Today, picture yourself here:
You’ve conquered the mess, the clutter, the dirt, and the systems. You can sit down with your family and relax in a tidy room that smells fresh. Reading a book is a pleasure, because your work is done.
Once you regain control, have a plan for your reaction to any “mess” that starts up again.
Instead of feeling discouraged or helpless, remember that you’re in charge.
Use your new cleaning system to stay in control. Once you’re tidy, clean is a much easier task.
Get your family on board. Remind them lovingly to put their things away. Explain “24-hour Toy Jail” to little ones, and help them avoid “toy arrest” for their belongings that weren’t put away when requested. 😏
24-Hour Toy Jail will get the attention of those little ones.
Get a sturdy box and tape a sign on it. Explain that all toys must be picked up by bedtime. Suggest spending 5 minutes at different times of day picking up toys.
The threat is much more effective when the box is present.
(If you’re brave, you can do shoe jail and dirty-clothes jail, but those do get into some practical challenges.)
Offer an initial grace period, when you help, or gently remind. Then, make it real.
Just click on the image below for your printable sign, and fill in the date!
LOOKING AROUND FOR MORE HELP
Here are the sites again that I mentioned today.
Written by brutally honest moms who had to turn this corner, the following blog topics may “hit home” for you.
There’s a lot of honesty here, and a little sadness. If a deeper struggle shares the heart space with your “housework overwhelm” you may find more help than you were seeking.
Below are the links again, to the really helpful topics mentioned above. Thank you to these sweet moms, for making it okay to talk about all of this.
How To Get A Disgusting House Under Control
And SO much help at Flylady.net.
I’ve got a couple of posts you might enjoy on organizing. One is about closet organization. There are several regarding toy organization.
See my related topics here on the blog for more on organizing, on storage, and on fighting overwhelm.
You’re still here. Thank you for staying a few minutes. I hope some of the information here was an encouragement to you!
Do something:
Figure out what you can do that gives you more time to nurture. Nurture your family, yourself, and others around you. By nurturing your home, you can do that.
You know what else?
Say something:
Tell other readers what worked for you, to overcome being overwhelmed as a homemaker, or a mom.
Thank you for visiting! At GFP company is always welcome!
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Are you on Pinterest? That is a crazy fun place! You can find so many helpful things. Take a look at what I’ve saved for you! A lot of things that never make it to the blog. Here are my Pinterest pins, and I have lots of categories/boards if you’re looking for something specific.
-Grammye
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Hey — You remembered to look for the weekly tip!
Those microfiber cleaning cloths above? Use them on your electronics screens. Television, computer monitor, cell phone. Here’s what to do: Scrunch them under running water for a really quick second, so that they’re barely wet, with dry areas remaining. Just the idea of being wet, right?
(Don’t think about any kind of cleaner, and don’t use enough water to make the screens wet.)
Then lightly wipe those screens. All the dust and fingerprints will be gone! Try it on your stainless refrigerator, too! Mirrors, windows, all shiny.
(I know, right? 💡 Thanks, secret person, for telling me this!)