When cleaning the house feels akin to going to the dentist or filing your taxes, you're bound to come up with every excuse in the book not to do it. Unfortunately, a messy house begets a messy house until the task at hand grows out of hand. To help tame your hatred of home cleaning, we've gathered up the best nonstarters and provided you with solutions to get past them. Keep reading to find out how even the biggest house-cleaning hater can come to have a spick-and-span home.
Solution: Make the undertaking more manageable by setting a timer for 15 minutes and only working until the timer goes off. You have to start somewhere!
Solution: Put your clothes away every night after you take them off and wash a load of clothes every day so you're never left with a daunting pile of laundry.
Solution: Keep the essential cleaning supplies in the bathroom and do regular mini cleanings so stains and grime don't have a chance to accumulate.
Solution: Divide mail into "keep," "toss," and "respond" piles as soon as it enters your home.
Solution: Deal with dirty dishes right away by either loading them in the dishwasher or hand-washing them right after a meal. If you can't bring yourself to fully clean them, at least scrape off any remaining food under running water. It will make it infinitely easier to clean later.
Solution: Use baskets, shelves, and hooks to create a home for everything essential — and toss everything you don't need.
Solution: Take a few minutes to wipe away dust in one part of the house during your nightly tidying-up sessions so it never has a chance to accumulate and take on a life of its own, and be sure to change air vent filters regularly.
Solution: Stash bins and baskets all over the playroom and put a couple of hidden storage containers in the other living areas so there's always a place to easily and quickly toss toys.
Solution: Clean as you go while you're cooking and never go to bed with a dirty kitchen.
Solution: Get in the habit of making your bed as soon as you get out of it. A made bed brings a sense of calm to your entire room and doing it first thing will set the tone for the entire day — even if you're just unmaking it again that night.
Solution: Consider vacuuming part of your exercise for the day and revel in all the calories you're burning while getting your floor clean.
Solution: Spend 15 minutes tidying up each day so your house never looks so far from pinnable that you give up altogether.