10 Ways to Get Motivated to Clean and Declutter

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When it comes to cleaning and decluttering your home, how motivated are you? Are you like some who will jump at the task when it’s needed or do you need the motivation or willpower to get you started? If you’re the second one, I got you. I need motivation (or a kick in the butt) to get most of my cleaning jobs done. Otherwise, I’d waste a ton of time thinking up way too many reasons why I don’t want to clean.

But what’s the end result when we waste all this time? Unfortunately, nothing is cleaned and our home is messier. And when nothing gets cleaned, we’re pushed to clean out of necessity. And when this happens, since we’ve gone so long before our last cleaning, everything will be much dirtier and it will take us much longer to clean.

So why do we do this? Well, cleaning isn’t typically fun for most people. And it’s clearly not fun for you and me. Sure, some do love it but unfortunately, I didn’t get those genes. I’d rather procrastinate and do anything else than clean. I’d rather organize my pantry than clean a bathroom. But having a clean bathroom is nice, right? We all love how it looks after it’s cleaned but it’s getting us into the act of cleaning the bathroom is the biggest struggle. But how is that serving us? Since things will take longer for us to clean when we procrastinate, it’s essentially taking more time than it should.

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When it comes to actually cleaning your home, you need the motivation to push you and urge you to clean. You aren’t driven to clean when you see something is dirty. This is a very common problem. Most of us don’t have the drive to clean something unless there’s something else pushing us to do the work.

Knowing that no one else in my home was going to clean the bathrooms and scrub the floors, I had to figure out ways to motivate myself to clean my home and keep it cleaned on a regular basis. Now, I’m going to share with you ten ways that can motivate you to care for your home but realize, you may not like every idea I mention. See if there is at least one of these ideas you can use to strike up motivation within you.

10 Ways to Strike Up Motivation

Picture the end result

This is one of my favorite ways to motivate myself to clean. I just snap up some pictures of a room after it’s all cleaned up and clutter-free. Then, when I need a boost of motivation to get into cleaning, I’ll either look at a picture I have of the room that needs some TLC or picture in my mind how it will look when it’s all cleaned up and decluttered.

If you’re lucky and already have pictures like this or are able to get a picture of a room that’s all cleaned up, use it to your advantage. Just look at that photo when you need to get that room back to how it looked before.

Otherwise, if a picture isn’t possible, get a visual in your mind of how you envision your room to look when it’s all cleaned and organized, and use that to fuel your way into cleaning.

Do it for someone else in your home

When it comes to the other people in your home, are they constantly asking you to find something? Or is your spouse always complaining about the condition of your home? Or maybe you’re seeing your family fighting about things with your home.

If you answered yes to any of these questions, possibly you’ll consider cleaning your home for your family. Maybe helping them will give you the motivation to get your home under control. If you’re a people-pleaser like me, maybe you can use this to get your home clean and manageable.

Invite people over

This is my favorite way to motivate myself to clean. If I know that someone is coming over, I will go as quickly as I need to, to get my home in the best shape possible with the time I have. Now, I know it depends on the type of guests I have coming over. This will dictate how clean my home needs to be. For example, if my guests are only coming for dinner, then the main living areas will need cleaning but if I have overnight guests, that’s when my entire house will need a good scrub.

I understand the more you have to do with your home will mean the more tired you’ll feel when your guests do arrive but think of the shape your home will be in. And if you have the motivation to keep up with maintaining the cleanliness of your home after all the hard work you just did, you’d have a home that was clean and manageable. Wouldn’t that be nice?

If this motivates you, think of who you can invite over in the next week or so and get to cleaning.

Get into a rhythm

Because of the routines I’ve set up for my home, my home stays clean and organized. It all has to do with my morning and evening routines that keep my home manageable. In the mornings, I wipe up the bathrooms after we use them to keep them clean longer. In the evenings, I do a 15-minute clean-up around my home to move things back to where they need to be.

I also have my daily tasks like dishes and laundry that keep my home managed well. What routines or structures can you put into your home so it runs more smoothly? The more often you do a routine, it will eventually become a habit. And with any habit you build, the easier those tasks will be. You’ll end up doing them without any thought.

Know how it affects you

Whether you realize this or not, having clutter and uncleanliness around you affects you and your family. Do you snap at one another when you can’t find something? Are you more irritable in your home? Do you and your spouse argue more than you should?

Now, did you ever think why that could be? It’s because clutter affects us visually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. And it’s because of this is why we feel the way we do in our homes. We can’t feel settled and at peace in our homes when it’s a disaster. If you want to feel peaceful in your home, you’ve got to get rid of the clutter and keep your home manageable.

Bucket of cleaners and rags on table outside

Add some fun to it

Do you have family or friends who could come over to help you clean? When you have the support and help of someone you’re close with, it will make the mundane task of cleaning and decluttering so much more enjoyable. Another way to add in some fun is with music. Playing some upbeat music will make the time go by quicker.

I like the music idea personally. It gives me something to listen to and most of the time, I love singing along which changes my mood.

Enlist other resources

If you truly get stuck and nothing seems to work to motivate you, can you consider enlisting the help of someone who’s offering their expertise? What I mean by this is to not get the help of an outside source to clean for you (although that is always an option), but rather I’m thinking of websites that offer tips and tricks to motivate you. My favorites are Fly Lady and A Slob Comes Clean. These both offer helpful ideas and tips to give you that needed push to get you into cleaning and decluttering. I know when I’m struggling to manage my home, I’ll subscribe to one or both of them to give me that push I desperately need.

Change things up

Ever notice when something changes in your home, you suddenly have the motivation to clean? It happens to me every time we rearrange a room. I then have to clean everything in sight. It’s incredibly motivating for me. It can also happen when you bring in a “new to you” piece of furniture. Whether that’s buying it at a store or off of Craigslist, it should bring you the motivation to clean the area or a room where the piece of furniture is going.

Another way that could spark some cleaning is by buying some new cleaners. Maybe it has a nice scent or just something different you want to try out. Either way, there’s a good chance it will spur you into action.

Give yourself deadlines

This also works for me if I’m really procrastinating on cleaning. I either set a date in the near future for having a certain amount of tasks cleaned or I’ll set a timer and sprint against it to get as much cleaned in that little window of time. Setting timers or deadlines can be so powerful to get us working since we know we can’t procrastinate or we won’t get it done. Use this method if you deal with procrastination slowing you down.

Let fear or embarrassment whip you into action

When I was almost 20 years old, my mom, grandmom, and I stumbled upon quite a discovery. My uncle (who isn’t that much older than me), had an apartment that he had moved out of to move in with his new wife. Well, my grandmom was left to take care of the final details with closing out his lease but what we discovered was his deplorable living conditions. I quickly realized my uncle didn’t know anything when it came to cleaning and managing a home at all. There was stuff everywhere, dirty dishes all over the place, and it was just filthy. It was the worst thing I had ever seen and since then, made it a mission to never let my home get away from me.

I realized I never want to be in that situation and have someone find my home in a deplorable state. I don’t ever want to feel embarrassed about the condition of my home. So, I’m constantly purging and decluttering as I don’t ever want to accumulate that much stuff. Our clutter, if we don’t manage it, will overrun our lives. We have to make an effort to get rid of things we no longer need and want. If you need the inspiration to get your home decluttered, can you let fear or embarrassment lead you into it?

I hope at least one of these ideas (and hopefully many more) will inspire you to take action in your home when it needs it. Whether that’s getting it all cleaned up or decluttered or lots of both, using these motivational tips can push you to act. And most times, that’s all we really need, just to get started.

Here’s to you and your cleaning and decluttering journey! Start with one idea to motivate you and see how it works for you. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!