I am not the best at keeping up with my house. There are so many things that factor into it… First, I have spent a lot of my life fighting for my health and fighting through really debilitating fatigue. Having struggled this way was a total eye-opener for me in so many ways on what things truly matter! Though I am recovering and doing much better, sometimes, I still have so little energy that I don’t even know how to start cleaning when I feel overwhelmed!
I also care very much about taking care of the things God has blessed us with, and definitely believe in basic and routine maintenance, but if something is messy, it doesn’t really bother me. In fact, it’s more difficult for me when everything is very clean because I get frustrated when my children don’t keep it that way! So, nine times out of ten, our house is pretty messy! But how do you even start cleaning when you feel overwhelmed or simply too tired to care?
Enter: Big Impact Cleaning.
It takes a lot for me to get overwhelmed by my home, which is totally unfair to my husband because it doesn’t take as long for him! I know he would love it if things were tidier, he is very patient!
Now, before you think that we’re over here living in squalor, no. It’s not like that. I’m not talking about living in a dirty house, but a messy house. It’s pretty embarrassing when people drop in…actually, more accurately,…mortifying!
I am caught between two worlds—nature vs. nurture. Nature: a messy, creative person with lots of vision for rescued junk and a mom who loves making messes with her kids. Nurture: raised by a meticulous perfectionist who taught me to be organized and very fussy about cleaning (we’re talking floors scrubbed on hands and knees weekly, of course, spending extra time eeking out every crumb in every corner; walls and ceilings washed regularly; and seriously, not washing boy and girl white clothes together!)
Thankfully, my mother is not at all critical of my housekeeping methods because I was not raised like this!
In any case, I have learned the value of Big-Impact Cleaning. And it took me far too long…so if you don’t know about this secret, keep reading!
There are areas of your home that are impactful—good or bad. The same areas, when clean, leave a good impression on people as the ones that are not clean. When I either can’t get it all done, or frankly, don’t want to, I try to focus on the big-impact areas.
5 Big-Impact Areas of Your Home to Start Cleaning When You Feel Overwhelmed:
- Entry—
We have a very narrow entry-way that is quite difficult to maneuver if it is cluttered with shoes or other junk. We also have a mud-room entrance in our garage that gets pretty crazy and overrun with shoes, boots, coats, and whatever other stuff we need for the season!
Yes, sometimes, you have to get out there and deep clean, but if you just keep the shoes out of the way and a nice, easy, clean pathway into your home, the first impression will be that of a clean and tidy home.
- Floors—
I read once, a long time ago, that keeping your kitchen floor clean helps everything to look tidier. Wow! This is not only true of appearance, but it also makes a huge difference on my mood! I cannot stand walking through my kitchen, only to have to stop and pick soggy Cheerios off my socks, or step in something sticky!
Think about this scenario that we’ve all been in—if you walk into a public bathroom and the floor is sticky, what are your first thoughts? G-ROSS! It definitely leaves you with a bad impression!
If you don’t have time or energy for anything else, just sweep your kitchen floor. Trust me! It helps!
- Dishes and Countertops—
Surfaces like countertops, dining room table, buffets, etc. can all become cluttered quickly. To make a big impact quickly, at least pile things up neatly instead of strewn all over. If you can see most of your table, or most of your buffet cupboard, it’s much better than if stuff is covering the entire thing! Piles give the illusion of “organized” or “sorted,” whereas a mess just looks like a mess!
If you have time to wash the dishes, or shove them into a dishwasher, definitely do it! Dirty dishes make your kitchen look cluttered and unclean. If you’re overwhelmed, and don’t know where to begin, put your dishes into piles of like dishes. You’ll be amazed at how much tidier it looks just by doing that! Then, take 5 minutes and see how many of those dishes you can get washed! I’m serious! Challenging yourself can be a great motivator! You might feel like seeing how big of a dent you can make in 10 minutes!
- Bathroom—
If guests are over, having a clean toilet and bathroom floor will make the biggest impact. Most people would be understanding if you had some clutter on the bathroom countertop if they dropped in. I wouldn’t think twice about it if I were at someone else’s house!
Our main problem is dirty laundry on the bathroom floor…RIGHT NEXT TO THE HAMPER!! Aargh. The bottom line is that I try to keep my home bathroom at least a notch above a public bathroom…well, more if you’re talking about a Walmart bathroom! This is a general rule. Right now, my hoarder child keeps hiding items on top of or behind the toilet, so I work hard to make sure I get rid of that clutter and clean back there regularly too!
- One Room—
When the mess gets overwhelming, I start with one room. I like to start with the living room, personally, because it’s fairly quick, easy, and makes the biggest impact if someone drops in. We can invite them to sit down in the living room (something I don’t always think of doing, but making a mental note right now!)
I do most of my laundry folding in the living room, which can look messy sometimes, but I really need to convince myself that other people have to do their laundry somewhere too. They’ve probably seen a few piles of folded laundry in their lifetimes!
Having one tidy room that does not mortify me, can motivate, calm, or both. Having one room to go to without the mess swallowing me, makes me a much happier, and more patient mom!
If you feel overwhelmed and you don’t know where to start, I highly recommend setting a timer for just 10 minutes. Work on one task for 10 minutes, then move onto the next task, whether you finished or not. In less than an hour, your home will already be in far better shape than it was and might not be so overwhelming!
With that, I’m off to set my timer! I need to do this!
RElated: How to Be More Productive At Home
