Cleaning can be an absolute nightmare, living with an impossible husband and two children makes things tough at times. Here are five great tips on how to clean up a very messy room without letting it beat you.
1: There is only so much mess
No matter what the size of your room is or how intimidating the mess can be, the most important thing to remember is that there is a limit to the amount of mess that can build up in any space. Even with an exceptionally daunting task when you have a room that is absolutely piled high with rubbish, there is only a finite amount of rubbish there, and if you chip away at it bit by bit without adding to it, eventually the room will be clean.
From a psychological standpoint it can be an absolute nightmare when faced with a seemingly impossible room full of junk, toys and empty crisp packets. The most important thing is to just take things out piece by piece and eventually, at some point, the job will be done.
2: Create an opening
let’s say you are dealing with a huge collection of articles that need to be cleaned up, a combination of clothes cans and plastic bottles piled high. The best way to start is by creating an opening in the mess itself. A square foot would work out as an excellent base of operations, make sure that this area is completely clear of any rubbish, even if you are just moving the rubbish out of the way. Think of this new area as your territory and every time you expand your territory by cleaning, the area is growing larger and more powerful.
The psychology of this is that you have one part of the room which is clear and that no mess can enter. As it constantly expands the task becomes easier and it feels like you are progressing and constantly taking more space back. A lot of people, especially those with a close personal attachment to items, such as people with hoarding issues find themselves keeping items within this space that they want to keep. This is problematic as it makes your zone of cleanliness cluttered and it can result in you giving up a lot quicker if the cleaning job is an overwhelming one. No matter what happens, we cannot allow this to happen!
3: Keep items that you want in a distant location
It can be really tempting to keep the items you want to keep just outside the room that you are currently tidying up. Maybe putting them next door to be sorted out later could feel like an easy solution, but it is only ultimately adding mess to another area, and if you are not focusing your attention there, things can quickly get out of control. What’s more, that area is near you which can pose as a distraction. It’s better to keep items a few rooms away where they will not interfere with your work.
The danger of putting items that you see as valuable directly outside, say in a corridor, is that they will inevitably build up as you take more and more things out, leading to you feeling trapped and surrounded within the space and putting you in a situation where you have to climb over items to get places. This can prove to be a dangerous hazard and is best avoided under all circumstances.
4: Enter with a goal
Goal setting is incredibly important when it comes to the psychology of cleaning, especially if it’s a job you simply do not wish to do. If you are a fan of recycling like me, a good place to start is with plastics. Go into the zone with a plastic bag and pick out all the bits of plastics you can see, bottles, coat hangers and whatever else you don’t need. Once your bag is full, take it outside of the house and put it in the recycling bin.
By goal setting in this way, you are putting yourself in a position where you can accomplish easy goals and you will find that the accomplishment of finishing these tasks again and again will be a motivator that will help you get the job done. You will be able to get more work done and the time will fly by a lot faster if you pick good goals to work on.
5: Never overdo it
I have fallen into the trap many times of overdoing cleaning when it comes to getting things done. If you do too much and run out of steam, you might find yourself completely overwhelmed just looking at the few items that remain on the floor of the room. There have been times when I have almost finished cleaning a horrible environment up and I’ve gone in, looked at a few wires and items on the floor and thought: I can’t do this.
In this circumstance there appear to be only two choices to be made. 1: Finish it up as fast as possible, or it will inevitably remain there indefinitely – or 2: Leave it and come back tomorrow. My advice is to gather all of the remaining rubbish into one spot in the room, so it’s easier to handle later. If you can do this, then you can finish it up and get all of the rubbish out so you don’t need to leave it anymore.
Finally…
When you are done, reward yourself. Whether it’s an ice lolly, a chocolate bar or a nice hot bath, take the time out for you to relax. This will help you associate the cleaning you have gone through with a positive reward at the end. If you always reward yourself, then you will find you can get through seemingly impossible cleaning tasks a lot quicker and easier and you may begin to enjoy them a lot more.
I hope these tips have been helpful to you, thank you so much for reading!
