Is there such thing as "fun" cleaning?

crissy89

Hello Ladies! I have an issue... really it's one I swear I've had since birth... I really dislike cleaning. It's not that I don't enjoy a clean house.... in fact, I LOVE having a clean house because I like to entertain people. For some reason I can't seem to keep my apartment clean. It's mainly papers related to work, school, and finances that are in piles all over the house. I also have an issue with unpack after vacation ( I HATE unpacking). DH and I frequently get into arguments about it (and I always know when it's coming). So, my question for you ladies is this: What do you do to make cleaning more bearable? 

TIA!  

summersweethearts2010

Wow, I didn't know that I typed this up!  

I'm sure the ladies on here will have some great tips, but I like putting on music and cleaning and dancing at the same time. It makes it a little more fun and sometimes I can even get DH involved and it makes time fly! 

pombride

I put on a tv show I like and every time a commercial comes on, I clean frantically during the commercial.   As a kind of cheat, we have a dvr, so if I am in the middle of a cleaning session and I hear the show come back on, I will just rewind after I finish.    For some reason, this method for me, helps me get things done, without it seeming so painful.

c4162

summersweethearts2010:

Wow, I didn't know that I typed this up!  

I'm sure the ladies on here will have some great tips, but I like putting on music and cleaning and dancing at the same time. It makes it a little more fun and sometimes I can even get DH involved and it makes time fly! 

No, no. *I* wrote it! :P

The only fun cleaning for me is when someone else does it for me! By contrast, everyone else in my saide of the family is a total neat freak, and they are always cleaning. What happened to me?!?

The only thing that helped a little is when I bribe myself into cleaning by buying cleaning products I enjoy using. Like the Magic Eraser (I think it is soooo cool) so I scrub everything with it. And I just *adore* the smell of Mrs. Meyers Verbena cleaner, so I love cleaning the counters now. That's it, though. 

CollegeGrrl219

Turn some music on and make it loud.

Buy products that smell good.

Trick someone else into doing it for you.

If you MUST do it for yourself, start a timer for only 15 minutes. Just do as much as you can in those 15 minutes and then at that point either give up, or you'll notice that it wasn't as bad as you realized. Just spend 15 minutes each day, and you can at least keep things from getting worse.

MrsLele

I love cleaning and organizing, but I always have, since I was young.  I love to clean with music on, though! It always puts me in a good mood

dizzykates

I generally like cleaning, but if I am in a funk or just tired, I find it helps to set a timer and agree to clean for a certain period of time.  Usually I aim for 30 minutes, that's enough to get the bathrooms clean and the kitchen wiped down really well.  If DH is helping me we can almost do the whole house in that time, but we move fast.

Life&Gwen

Definitely the 20 minutes a day, get a cheesy or tacky cookie timer from a thrift store to add some humor to the chore.

kharrima

I think you either like cleaning or you don't. My mother loathes it... I love it. I am a person that thrives off of immediate satisfactory. I don't like tanning, teeth whitening, working out, cause I don't see immediate results. When I want a clean kitchen... I can go clean it and it shows me immediate results! no waiting! haha. I love having company and not having to rush around before they come over to hurry and "clean". I love knowing where everything is too! I know it's weird, but I also love buying cleaning supplies!

Tygress_Luv111908

Any one of you that actually "likes" cleaning can come right on over to my apartment and clean the junk heap up for me! I HATE cleaning but i hate living in a mess! I hate it even more that i get absolutely NO HELP WHAT SO EVER from my hubby to clean! His idea of cleaning is putting his stuff in a pile in the corner of the bedroom on his side of the bed and putting anything that is mine or my daughters in a pile and letting me sort through it all! UMMM HEELLOOOO why can't you just do something with it?!?! If it looks like trash throw it away!!! Is it really that freaking hard to do!?!?!?!?!

doeie04

I dislike cleaning too. I find that if I stay on top of it, it is way easier. If I get busy or lazy, it gets worse and I avoid it. Once it is clean, I try to pick stuff up regularly so it doesn't get bad.

Magdala9

I put together a mix of my favorite songs, put them on loud, and dance my way through cleaning a couple of times of week.  As PPs have said, this is a time limit Mine is 17 1/2 mins LOL.  Our place is so packed that if things are not instantly put in their home, they are not found for months.  Convincing my DH that everything needs a home has been a challenge.  

calico32

Tygress_Luv111908:

His idea of cleaning is putting his stuff in a pile in the corner of the bedroom on his side of the bed and putting anything that is mine or my daughters in a pile and letting me sort through it all! UMMM HEELLOOOO why can't you just do something with it?!?! If it looks like trash throw it away!!! Is it really that freaking hard to do!?!?!?!?!

We seem to be married to the same man.  We went to a few marriage counseling sessions and I really enjoyed hearing our counselor tell him to stop acting like a child and clean up after himself.

pammieface

i like cleaning because not only do i love a clean house, but organizing and straightening things up makes me feel calm.  

i would chime in with everyone who has said to set a timer and clean for short periods, but i would also add that if something needs to be done, do it immediately.  when i get home from a trip, the last thing i feel like doing is unpacking.  but i do it right away, because the last thing i'm going to want to do later is to unpack a suitcase that i've been stepping around to get out of bed or out the door.  and i don't want to wash dirty clothes that have been sitting in there for a week and a half, either.  and i certainly don't want to have to unpack that dang suitcase AND do other chores.  so if you do each thing as it comes up, things will rarely pile up on you. 

crissy89

Thank-you Ladies for all of your advice! Now on to a cleaner house!