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Here Are 3 Reasons Why Cleaning a Dirty House is Challenging and 6 Things You Can Do About It
Imagine this - you wake up on Saturday morning absolutely motivated and bursting with energy to get some house cleaning done. Hours later you collapse on the sofa and survey your handy work, but...
You're not happy 😕.
In fact - you're confused as to why the room you've just finished cleaning does not reflect the work you and your now sore back put in. It still looks dirty somehow.
If that's the case then you may have at least one of the following issues...
3 Reasons Your Home Still Looks Dirty
- Clutter: You're a stuff manager. I'm talking about dust collectors (a.k.a. knick-knacks), which can be difficult and time consuming to clean. Consider this - if you only spend 10 minutes a week cleaning dust collectors - that's almost 9 hours per year - 9 HOURS. There are so many other things you could do with that kind of time.
And it's not just dust collectors - it's also those just in case items clogging up your cupboards, closets and occupying junk draws. What if just in case never comes - then you've spent time and energy year after year cleaning and organizing things you don't ever use or enjoy. Or in the case of clothes - no longer fits your personal style. - Not cleaning overlooked areas: The overlooked areas in a home are the baseboards, corners, walls, switches, stove knobs etc. It's all in the details - these overlooked areas make a big difference to having a sense of a clean space.
You may not notice it - but anyone entering your space for the first time will. These dirty areas can be amplified for strangers - especially when efforts have been made to clean everywhere else. These areas are your blind spots. It's like those Febreeze ads which talk about nose blindness. Well if you live in it you don't see it. - Flat surfaces are unseen: - Most of the flat surfaces in your home are covered in clutter. So there is no rest for the eyes in the space you're in. Yes these tables and countertops are meant to hold things but not permanently and not everything - see how Jean X reclaimed her kitchen table over one holiday during our house cleaning challenge.
Keep It Clean!
In the ebook, How to Keep it Clean! An Action Guide for Cleaning and Organizing Your Home, you will find comprehensive house cleaning checklists to help you avoid missing those overlook areas that need cleaning.
What Can You Do To Really Clean a Dirty House
- Pretend like you're someone who wants to purchase your home. Do a walk thorough with fresh eyes. Let your eyes wonder from top to bottom of each room. Can you now see those overlooked areas. Make a list of these areas in your home and plan to clean them regularly. If you still don't see it - here's an example of a massive bedroom cleaning checklist for inspiration.
- Find out what is the best way to complete a cleaning task. For instance, what is the best/affordable product of unclogging your drains. For me now - its baking soda. Find out what works for you? What are the techniques for dealing with different types of stains (blood, grease, grass, coffee, urine etc). Each type of stain has a different chemical/or biological makeup and so there are do's and don'ts to help you protect your fabrics and get them stain free again.
- Get rid of unused, unwanted excess stuff. You know, the usual suspects - clothes, plastic contains that your takeout comes in or even excess furniture.
- Be on the lookout for items that need repairs. For example - furniture, walls, floors and carpet. Any cracks or dried stains can make your home look dirty. Try to cleanup and fix these as soon as your can before they get worse and more difficult to deal with.
- Use your cleaning checklists and schedule to help you form cleaning habits and not forget about those overlooked areas in your home.
- Try different types of cleaning at different times in the day. For example, the author of, "A Monk's Guide to A Clean House and Mind", recommends cleaning early in the mornings and tiding in the evenings. This is my favorite way to get things done. As part of your evening tidy up routine you can make sure to clear flat surfaces and put all items back in their rightful place.
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