Help Me Find The Motivation To Clean!

[nerdrock]

I don't mind cleaning, I actually like it if it isn't too overwhelming, however, right now it is. 

Let me back up a bit. I have three jobs. I end up working almost every day of the week, sometimes (rarely) I only work 4 hours at one job on a day, others I'm at two of them and end up working 12-14 hours or more. The pay cheques are nice, lol, but the state of my apartment is not. I used to do all of my major cleaning (laundry, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, etc) on my day off. I can get the bare minimum done (dishes, etc) done after work most days but I don't have the motivation to do anything else after that. The last thing I want to do when I get home from work is more work, lol. The litter box does get cleaned twice a day no matter how I'm feeling, once in the morning, once when I get home from work and sometimes just before bed, depending on when I got home from work was, lol. 

Today I worked until 3, I want to clean but I don't, if that makes sense. I have two loads of laundry downstairs in the washer, I'll probably put another two loads (bedding and towels) in after those are done. I still have to go through my closet and dresser and get rid of some clothes. I have to reorganize both closets and the pet's bedroom (large closet) to put some stuff away that I haven't unpacked yet (I moved here in January, lol). That was my goal for today and I'm not sure if I'm going to get that far.

The tasks that I would like to do and get finished asap:

Reorganize all three closets and put away the boxes in the bedroom

Go through all clothes and donate the ones I don't need/wear anymore

Sweep, mop and vacuum the apartment

Wash the balcony (I have to wait until it's raining to do this, I don't want the water dripping off to bother the neighbours)

Reorganize kitchen cupboards and pantry

Clean the bathroom and reorganize under the sink/over the toilet cabinets (part of this falls in with the closets because there are cleaners and first aid stuff in them)

Lower priority tasks that I still want done soon;

Rearrange bedroom and fit cat tree in there (hopefully)

Get frames/mats for photos, get frames for mirrors, hang all of them

Tackle the wiry mess behind the tv

Make a schedule for cleaning and (hopefully) stick to it. 

Any pointers for tackling large things at once? I can delegate some of it to Mike, but nothing major because he never ends up doing it how I want it. He's willing to do a lot of things, the only thing he HATES is dishes, which is fine. 

I also need to get a carpet cleaner soon... I gave the dogs a couple of smoked bones the other day and forgot to put towels down for them to chew them on, now I have some stains on the carpet which doesn't help anything. I end up with quite a bit of anxiety when I feel like things are getting out of hand or like I don't have enough time to do things here because it ends up reminding me a lot of our old apartment that was nasty - almost everything in there was broken and needed to be replaced but the company kept refusing to do it until we moved. As a result, the place always looked like a mess, no matter how much we cleaned and we both hated it there. 

Monday is a holiday so I can hopefully get a lot done then, but I would like to try to get the majority of it done after work on Sunday. 

 

[denice]

The thing that always gets me going is to watch one of the hoarder shows. I don't think either one of them is on right now but I think one of them has some complete episodes online.  One is on the Learning Channel and the other one on A&E.  Watching one of those shows always puts me in the mood to do a really thorough cleaning.

 

[nerdrock]

See, I watch those and think, "Meh, my place isn't bad at all compared to that!" lol. In truth, it really isn't bad, I just need to reorganize my storage and get rid of stuff that's in storage that I never use. 

I think my problem with the big things (laundry, etc) is that I let it pile up until it's overwhelming. I have so many clothes that I could probably go a month, maybe more, without doing laundry and still be wearing clean clothes. That's why I need to get rid of some of them. I have dressy clothes that I have to wear for work, more casual ones to wear for work, dog show clothes, dresses for summer, sweaters for winter, more pajamas that one person will ever need, then a ton of just regular wear clothes. 

When I moved, I got rid of 2 big boxes full of dishes, pots/pans, some clothes, etc that I didn't use. I just need to purge more. I have a ton of cleaning supplies, I had more storage where I was living before for that kind of thing so I would buy a lot at once while it was on sale and the just store it until I needed it. I'm thinking of just making a big box of that kind of thing and then posting an ad so someone can just come and get it that can actually use it. I can probably do that with clothes too... I think I'd rather do it on Kijiji because then someone will actually come get it rather than me having to take it to Goodwill or Value Village, which never ends up happening. 

I'm going to pick up some boxes from work tomorrow and hopefully over the weekend I can purge. 

 

[catsallaround]

We are enabling Nerdrock by replying so everyone ignore any posts until we have pictures of a packed car of donations and everything else on the list

Just think how worse it is going to be on your half day off instead of doing a little now and having plenty of time left over to relax some.

Request and apartment change-nothing makes people purge more then the thought of moving it all, especially if steps are invovled!
 

 

[natalie_ca]

My solution was to move!  lol  Well, not really. I was forced to move because of building rennovations, but moving helped me get rid of the clutter and got me into a cleaner space.

I was in my previous apartment, a 1 bedroom for about 16 years.  I'm not one to hoard and I do throw and give away things regularly. However, I had just out grown my one bedroom space.  All of my walls were lined with furniture or appliances, and it was very difficult to clean because of the amount of furniture and appliances I did have.

In my L-Shaped dining room/living room/entrance way;  I had a portable washer and dryer, a small pantry for food, my table and chairs, a love seat, coffee and end table, TV stand with a TV, a bookcase, desk, office chair, printer and deep freezer. It looked junky. Nothing like the showroom look that I like. Even when the place was clean, it still looked messy.

Moving forced me to go through everything I own and take stock of it. I was also forced to either clean things as I packed it, or unpacked it.

 

[nerdrock]

We are enabling Nerdrock by replying so everyone ignore any posts until we have pictures of a packed car of donations and everything else on the list

Just think how worse it is going to be on your half day off instead of doing a little now and having plenty of time left over to relax some.

Request and apartment change-nothing makes people purge more then the thought of moving it all, especially if steps are invovled!
 

Hehe! I actually got quite a bit done just now. I did 4 loads of laundry (two loads of clothes, a load of towels and a load of bedding), rearranged part of the kitchen cabinets and got a good start on the bedroom. Mike came over about halfway through and tidied up the living room for me. I'm just taking a short break now and then I'm going to do the rest of the dishes and make a loaf of bread, then do those dishes right away. 

My solution was to move!  lol  Well, not really. I was forced to move because of building rennovations, but moving helped me get rid of the clutter and got me into a cleaner space.

I was in my previous apartment, a 1 bedroom for about 16 years.  I'm not one to hoard and I do throw and give away things regularly. However, I had just out grown my one bedroom space.  All of my walls were lined with furniture or appliances, and it was very difficult to clean because of the amount of furniture and appliances I did have.

In my L-Shaped dining room/living room/entrance way;  I had a portable washer and dryer, a small pantry for food, my table and chairs, a love seat, coffee and end table, TV stand with a TV, a bookcase, desk, office chair, printer and deep freezer. It looked junky. Nothing like the showroom look that I like. Even when the place was clean, it still looked messy.

 
Moving forced me to go through everything I own and take stock of it. I was also forced to either clean things as I packed it, or unpacked it.

I just moved almost 6 months ago, still have 6 months left on the lease although I'm starting to suspect I'll be moving again shortly after my lease is up. I previously had a 2 bedroom apartment and went down to a 1 bedroom. I did get rid of a bunch of stuff but I think I seriously underestimated how much space I need when I took this place. It doesn't help that at my old place I had a storage locker (I kept my dog grooming stuff in there, and my off season clothing) and now I don't have that. Saturday evening I'm going to go through my clothes and I'll set Mike on rearranging the rest of the cupboards, he cooks more than I do anyways. Sunday I'm going to tackle the pet's bedroom (big closet) and hallway closet while Mike cleans the bathroom, then I'll sweep and mop floors while he vacuums. Then Monday we'll have all day to relax!

 

[catlover19]

I usually just spend a day cleaning. I say that day is going to be for cleaning and that is what it is for. I had the day off school yesterday and I spent the day cleaning my whole house. I vacuumed, swept, mopped, dusted, did dishes, cleaned the kitchen, organized cupboards, washed blankets, cleaned the bathroom, brushed the dogs, cleaned up any random messes around the house, went through the fridge/freezer and got rid of any old food. It was a lot in one day and my back hurt after but at least it was all done.

I wish I had as much clothes as you. I have barely any. I hate clothes shopping. I had to buy some stuff a couple weeks ago because I am 5 weeks from finishing college and I had a couple of interviews and I am going to be doing an internship where I need dressier clothes.

 

[nerdrock]

I usually just spend a day cleaning. I say that day is going to be for cleaning and that is what it is for. I had the day off school yesterday and I spent the day cleaning my whole house. I vacuumed, swept, mopped, dusted, did dishes, cleaned the kitchen, organized cupboards, washed blankets, cleaned the bathroom, brushed the dogs, cleaned up any random messes around the house, went through the fridge/freezer and got rid of any old food. It was a lot in one day and my back hurt after but at least it was all done.

I wish I had as much clothes as you. I have barely any. I hate clothes shopping. I had to buy some stuff a couple weeks ago because I am 5 weeks from finishing college and I had a couple of interviews and I am going to be doing an internship where I need dressier clothes.

What size are you? If we're the same size (or close to it) I can give you some of my old stuff if you'd like. I'm going to be going by your area in the next few weeks I think, I could drop them off or we could meet somewhere. 

 

[margecat]

Somebody suggested one of the hoarder shows; I was going to post a pic of one of the houses! LOL

Really, though, I don't think you'll ever be of one those--you seem to be keeping on top of the crucial things, despite your harried schedule. (I don't know how you manage to do it all!).  All I can suggest:

1.  Perhaps schedule a time block for the not-so-immediate chores, such as the closet cleaning.   It doesn't have to be now; all I'm suggesting is that you mark it on your calendar so many times per year.  That way, you can plan your schedule in advance, and feel more in control, too (and not so guilty about not doing it now).

2.  Do a little at a time for the crucial stuff on an everyday basis.  I do this when I'm sick. I don't try to do my weekly cleaning all in 1 night.  I would still do the cat's needs as you're doing them now, though.

3.  Maybe you could ask for the gift of a cleaning service for your birthday, etc.--even just once a month would help.  Also, it may not be all that expensive--I've know co-workers that had cleaning ladies who came in every 2 weeks, and was surprised by how reasonable it was. Bear in mind that they charge their fees on an individual basis, and the cat stuff may incur a higher fee (or not).

4.  Similar to #3: could you pay or ask as a gift, for a family member or friend to clean for you periodically?

 

[Winchester]

I usually just spend a day cleaning. I say that day is going to be for cleaning and that is what it is for. I had the day off school yesterday and I spent the day cleaning my whole house. I vacuumed, swept, mopped, dusted, did dishes, cleaned the kitchen, organized cupboards, washed blankets, cleaned the bathroom, brushed the dogs, cleaned up any random messes around the house, went through the fridge/freezer and got rid of any old food. It was a lot in one day and my back hurt after but at least it was all done.

That's pretty much what I do....take one a day of the weekend and clean. The cats have me up around 4:00 anyway, so I start out with laundry. Clean litterboxes, vacuum, dust, wash the kitchen and bathroom floors. And just generally pick-up the clutter. I try to vacuum a couple of times at night throughout the week, too, just to try to keep ahead of the cat hair. And do a quick Swiffer throughout the kitchen and living room. Most of the time, I can rip through the house in about 3 hours or so, including folding loads of laundry and such. It doesn't take long, once I get moving....it's the getting moving that can be difficult. And I find that doing a little something every night after dinner, whether it's a couple loads of laundry or a quick vacuuming and Swiffering, makes a big difference in the overall appearance of the house come the weekend.

When I'm doing a major cleaning throughout the house, for the holidays, for example, or my spring cleaning. I find it easier to make a list about a week or so prior to my cleaning day. Every single task is on that list, from vacuuming and dusting to washing the electrical switch/plug covers, cleaning windows and mirrors, washing down walls, washing ceiling lights, washing drapes, shower curtains, everything that I want to do. That's why I start with the list about a week ahead of my big cleaning day. As I finish a task, I cross it off with a red marker. It may take awhile, but at the end of the day, my list is all crossed off and the house is sparkling. Without my list, I'll forget to clean the registers or something....I know I will. (I now keep a major cleaning list in the computer and print it out when I need it.) Anal? Perhaps. But it's what works for me, especially for those big cleaning days.

Rick usually does the really hard stuff; he'll help me move the furniture and he does the Bissell cleaning for the furniture and carpet 2-3 times a year.

 

[otto]

When you never have two days in a row off, taking "one day of the weekend to clean" leaves you with no rest day at all. I understand your dilemma nerdock. I work 6 or 7 days a week. I never ever get two days in a row off. I'm tired all the time and I've gone from keeping my house cluttered but sparkling to groaning when I walk in the door because there is always something needing to be done that I am too tired to do.

I vacuum, and dump and scrub the litter boxes, and clean my own bathroom, and change the bedding, all once a week, usually on Sunday morning. But dusting, organizing, filing, clearing out piles of papers and clutter....it just looms over me.

I do "steam" shampoo the carpets once a month. It has to be done so frequently now because the carpets are very old, have been cat-puked on so many times, I just can't get the smell out permanently. So even though the shampooing of carpet and carpeted stairs is a major chore, that is one thing I do force myself to do.

Laundry is not a problem. I wear the same clothes practically every day, I don't have very many clothes, so I do laundry almost nightly.

I have today off. It is my only day off in the past 16 days and I am so tired I can't even bring myself to go to the store. I just want to lie on the couch and read, and that is probably what I will do. Before today I had one day of rest in the past 32 days.

I can't stand the clutter, but I am just so darn tired I can't seem to make myself do anything about it. I just don't know where to start.

Hiring someone is not an option.

 

[feralvr]

I used to set aside one day a week for cleaning. For some reason, I got away from that and now it seems I am doing a little bit of cleaning each day. Dusting one day, vacuuming another, bathrooms another, floors this day I don't like that because then the house doesn't feel "fully" clean ever. I think I will get back to the "all in one day" cleaning. It does get screwed up though when other things come up and then that throws off your cleaning schedule. I also tell myself that it is like working out :lol3: Makes it a bit easier -getting cleaning and a workout all in one

 

[Willowy]

I'm no good at cleaning. . .literally, I have no idea what to do. My mom grew up with a maid so she doesn't know how to clean and so she couldn't teach me. I read some Don Aslett books but it's like learning another language or something :dk:. I'm pretty good at scrubbing litterboxes, though .

I think I keep the house reasonably clean unless I'm working too much (I have a variable schedule so some weeks it's 50 hours and some weeks much less). But there are a lot of things that don't occur to me or I don't know how to do (reading Winchester's post. . .walls need washing? How do you wash a wall?). Meh, I get by, I guess. I won't win any Better Homes and Gardens awards. At least the house isn't cluttered because the cats would wreck anything I leave lying around :lol3:.

I thought about hiring somebody but I'm not sure it's fair to subject them to the cats :tongue2:. And I wouldn't want anybody in my house when I'm not there and it's awkward having them clean when you are there.

 

[izzybees]

My place always looks trashed. I'm out of work and I know I should be cleaning, but I just don't feel like it.
Being pregnant with a 3yo who at the moment is literally covered from head to toe in flea bites (no more sleepovers with grandma) isn't helping with my motivation either.

 

[otto]

I should clarify that I do keep my kitchen clean.

Dusting and decluttering events are few and far between. But laundry, bathroom, cats' toilet area are done weekly and I can't stand dirty dishes in the sink or piled on the counter. I keep the counters washed several times a day and whenever I prepare food, mine or theirs. I use either the hot soapy water in the dish pan, or a spray down of Clorox Anywhere(tm).

My apartment is tiny though, and like someone else mentioned, there is no wall space, and living has kind of spilled out into the center of the apartment.

It takes me 5 or 10 minutes to pick up all the cat toys and scratchers, move the coffee table and tuck up the throws, before I can commence vacuuming. This is what I mean by clutter. Who has the energy to do that more than once a week? :lol3: I don't. You know, I did when I was younger, but I am not a spry 40 year old any more. Vacuuming once a week is enough. I use the upright for the carpet and the hand held canister with hose to get the baseboards and edges, under the couch cushions, and stuff like that.

I do make a little effort to gather up the shreds of cardboard from scratching or chewing and brown paper bag shreds from playing and chewing, if not every day, every other day.

Every now and then I do manage to do things like clean out and reorganize the big closet but not very often. The cats LOVE Clean Out The Big Closet Day.

 

[binkyhoo]

Actually a hundred bucks would take care of this. Hire a maid.
 

 

[denice]

Actually a hundred bucks would take care of this. Hire a maid.
 

A number of years ago I worked with a guy who gave his wife a weekly cleaning service for a year as part of her Christmas present, he also bought her a nice leather jacket.  They both worked full time and had a small child.  She started cleaning the evening before the cleaning service was scheduled each week because she didn't want anyone seeing her house dirty.

 

[catlover19]

What size are you? If we're the same size (or close to it) I can give you some of my old stuff if you'd like. I'm going to be going by your area in the next few weeks I think, I could drop them off or we could meet somewhere. 

Usually a large or extra large. 

 

[otto]

I cleaned private houses professionally for years (on my own), and still do a little cleaning, but commercial, not residential. I do not have extra money to spend on a cleaning person, and even if I did, I am much too private to ever desire someone else to clean it.

It's the clutter that is the problem, not dirt, as I keep the basics clean. I would not want anyone else trying to arrange my clutter.

As for dusting..eh. I dust when someone comes over, which is once every three or four months at the most. :lol3:

 

[swampwitch]

I suggest you recruit some help, if possible, from the other person or people who live with you! After my sister died, I was just not able to keep up with the housework and cooking, I have been so down, just couldn't do it all anymore... my daughter started helping by cleaning the bathroom every week; every Sunday my husband vacuums the sofas (for the cat hair) and the carpets, and dusts the house, and that has given me a chance to feel like I'm on top of things again, and not so overwhelmed!

We are minimalists and don't have a lot of "stuff" so clutter's never been a problem, but I'm able to sweep and mop, do laundry, and cook again plus have some much needed down-time. You have a boyfriend, right? Get him to help out, even if it's moving stuff for you or taking out trash/donations - it will go LOTS faster and easier!