How To Get Motivated to Clean And Declutter

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Sometimes just finding the energy to get out of bed in the morning is tough when you’re a mom. So time and energy to clean and declutter are two things that moms (including myself) have an extra hard time finding.  Even though we know that a clean, decluttered, and organized home is important, we would rather be sleeping or relaxing in some other way.

So how do you get the motivation to clean and declutter?

Since you are here seeking answers, I feel like you are already on the right track and ready to start as soon as possible.  So to answer your question right away, I have made a list of 13 ways you can find motivation to clean and declutter your home. Here they are…

1//  Find Inspiration

2//  Find Energy

3//  Have A Gathering

4//  Get Mad

5//  Find a Reason For It

6//  Make It A Challenge

7//  Reward Yourself 

8//  Find The Time

9//  Get a Quick Win

10// Find an Accountability Partner

11// Take Pictures

12// Tackle The Worst First

13//  Change the Way You See It

In order to explore these motivation options more, keep reading or click on a link in the table of contents to be taken straight to that section to learn more.

 

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Intro

I am not a clean and clutter free person by nature.  There are so many other things in life that I feel are more worth my time than cleaning and decluttering.  

Though I have found that since becoming a mom, I need to find the motivation to clean and declutter because I now have a family that I want to keep healthy.

But cleaning and decluttering does more than just keep us healthy in our homes.  It also makes way for us to get organized and actually find more time in our days than we had before. 

I mean it!  Now that I have found the motivation to clean and declutter, I can actually get organized!  And that saves me so much time everyday… especially with kids!

What do I mean by that?  Well, for a lot of years, I was hanging on by a thread trying to find things in a disorganized home, and get to appointments on time just by trying to “remember” when the appointments were.  

And I found out the hard way, that those things just don’t work.  So the side of me that wanted to stop getting cancellation charges from the doctor’s office and actually find things in less than 30 minutes in my own home, decided it was time to put some organization in place.

But before I could organize, I had to clean and declutter.  And that took a lot of motivation when I had two kids, no energy and no time.  But I did it, and my life is so much easier now that I have dedicated my blog to helping other moms have a happier life at home.

Related Post: How To Clean A Filthy House When You Don’t Know Where To Start: 9 Tips To Get You Started

get motivated to clean and delcutter fb

Get Motivated To Clean and Declutter Your Home

1//  Find Inspiration

Inspiration is not hard to find if you have a TV, a nearby store to buy a magazine, or the internet.  I find that seeing ways other homes and rooms look, helps me find the motivation to make my own home and rooms in my own home look the same.  

A show like Tidy Up with Marie Kondo can help you visualize a home that is clean and organized so you strive to have a similar situation in your own home.  

A show like Hoarders can help you realize how much you don’t want to be like the people on that show.  So then you start throwing things out. 🙂

A vision board can be a great way to help you keep your motivation right out in front of you.  Print out or cut out pictures of the way you want your home to look.  Then paste them to a poster board with words of inspiration.  

-Place your vision board somewhere you will see it every day and feel inspired to clean and declutter your messy house.

A mantra you say each day that motivates and inspires you is a great way to find inspiration and motivation to clean up.  I personally like to say “Touch It Once” so I do not leave things out, but instead remember to put them away.

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2//  Find Energy 

What things in life give you energy?  Use those energy sources to find the energy you need to clean and declutter.  For instance…

Caffeine is an easy way to gain some energy.  Whether you are a tea or coffee drinker, a little bit of caffeine in the morning can go a long way to finding the energy and motivation to declutter and clean.

Listening to a motivational podcast or audiobook can create energy you never even knew you had.

Watch people clean and organize on You Tube.

Music can be a great motivator and energizer.  Put on some upbeat tunes and clean to the beat.

Make it a game to get the whole family involved in the decluttering process. 

You may not want your kids touching the chemicals you use to clean, but they can definitely help with the declutter part.  Have races to put things away or clear a room.  

Use the music and see who can collect the most items on the floor before the song stops.  Games can definitely lend some energy to your cleaning endeavors, making them more fun than work!

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3//  Have A Gathering

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like having anyone in my house if it is not clean and decluttered.  And I have found over the years that inviting people to my house is a HUGE motivator for me to clean.    

I have often said to myself, if I could just bring myself to invite people over every weekend, my house would be spotless!

4//  Get Mad

I seem to always clean when I get mad.  So, I started using that as cleaning and decluttering motivation.  Here is how it works…

Can’t find things?  Kids leaving things everywhere?  Stop being calm for one day and get mad. . . at the mess of course!  Then take that anger and tackle as many messes as you can in your house.  

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5//  Find A Reason For It

Doing something for yourself or your family can be a highly motivating reason to do just about anything.  You want your family to be safe and healthy above all else, because you are a mom, right!  

Well, part of safety and health is cleaning up.  Items on the ground can be a tripping hazard for people in your home.  

If you have items all over your countertops and floors, odds are, you are not disinfecting those places in your house.  Which could lead to illness and health problems.

Not to mention, clutter can cause stress in your life, just from looking at it every single day.

Make the decision to be healthier as a family by cleaning and decluttering your home.

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6//  Make it a Challenge

I don’t know about you, but I love a good challenge.  A way to wade my way through the mess one step at a time and also have some accountability.  

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7//  Reward Yourself

Whatever you decide to use as your motivation to clean and declutter be sure that you reward yourself for all your hard work when you finish.  

And the best way to be motivated by a reward, is to know exactly what that reward is going to be.  So write it down somewhere you will see it everyday.  Or put a picture of your reward on your refrigerator.  

Then visualize yourself getting that reward every day and bust your butt to get there!

Get Motivated to clean and declutter

8//  Make the Time

One of the best ways to clean and declutter is to actually find the time to do it.  

And not only find the time, but SCHEDULE IT INTO YOUR DAY!

When you schedule the time to clean and declutter you can prepare yourself to reach your goal of a clean house!

You can…

  • get in the right mindset
  • acknowledge your reasons and inspiration for cleaning and decluttering
  • make sure you find a sitter for the kids (or at least a way to occupy them for a while)
  • make sure you have everything you need to get started and a plan of action
  • know what has to be done each day of the week to keep things tidy

Creating a schedule and sticking to it is one of the best ways to stay motivated and accomplish your goals for a clean and clutter free home.

Don’t want to create one yourself?  Use my cleaning and decluttering schedule that you can print out and follow.

Get Motivated to clean and declutter

9//  Get A Quick Win

Sometimes in order to find the motivation we need to get started, we just have to start and see the satisfaction our efforts bring in the end.  

In order to do this, start SMALL.  Choose a small section of countertop or a small bathroom drawer.  Declutter it, clean it, and then feel great about it!  

Use that great feeling you get from cleaning out that small space and let it propel you forward, tackling one small space after another.   

Before you know it, you will be a cleaning machine, conquering room after room until the whole house is finished!

Get Motivated to clean and declutter

10//  Find An Accountability Partner

Find a friend who also wants to clean up their house.  Together, make a list of areas to tackle each day and then hold each other accountable.  Sometimes having someone to check in on you helps.

11//  Take Pictures

Taking before and after pictures are a great way to motivate yourself to keep going.  

Sometimes we can’t see the progress we have made until we look at the “before” picture.  So in order to keep your motivation going, don’t forget to take a picture of the mess before you start!

Sometimes even if we don’t finish our projects completely, we can look at our before pictures and see that what we have done is better than before!  And that is enough to keep us going.

Get Motivated to clean and declutter

12//  Tackle The Worst First

Starting with the area of your home that causes you the most frustration can actually give you motivation when you finish it.  

Just think if that mudroom could actually function the way you want it to!  Would that inspire you to keep going?  

What about if you could find things in the kitchen!  Would you cook more often?  Would you want to clean up other areas of your home?

But keep in mind, that if it gets too overwhelming, this may not be the motivation for you, and instead you should try a different tactic from above.

Get Motivated to clean and declutter

13//  Change The Way You See It

Instead of thinking about having to clean and how much you hate it.  Instead, put a different spin on it.  Like… you are going to make this space beautiful, more functional, and just how you want it.

Some Other Quick Pro Tips to Get You Motivated And Keep You Motivated:

1//  Get In The Right Mindset (remember your “why”)

2//  Create A Goal and write it down where you can see it everyday

3//  Declutter Without Making a Bigger Mess by creating a Plan of Action

4//  Create Good Routines and Habits

5//  Break Big Tasks down into Small Tasks

6//  Set a Timer for 30 minutes or less each day

7//  Get Help From Friends and Family

8//  Call A Service like 1800GOTJUNK

9//  Put it on your daily To-Do list

10// Schedule it in your planner

11//  Throw away/donate any extras of anything in your home

12//  Get rid of things you have not used in more than a year

13//  Take breaks regularly

Read More about the above steps in this Related Post:  How To Start Decluttering When You Feel Overwhelmed By The Mess

>>Here Is A List Of Things To Throw Away In Your House RIGHT NOW so you get motivated to clean and delcutter!

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Bathroom:

  • Make-up
    • Expired
    • Never use
    • Old
    • Not the right color
    • You have more than one
  • Body Products
    • Expired
    • Never Use
    • Don’t Like the scent
    • Breaks you out
    • Gives you a rash
    • Just don’t like it
  • Old bath mats
  • Holey towels
  • Holey wash clothes
  • Trash
  • Items that don’t belong in the bathroom
  • Faded or bleach stained items
  • Old makeup
  • Old body products
  • Bottles of nail polish that are dried or gloppy
  • Old personal use items you don’t use
  • Extra hair accessories you never use
  • Styling products that are old/expired/never used
  • Styling appliances you never use
  • Any grooming supplies you have more than one of
  • Old toothbrushes
  • Old contact supplies
  • Anything broken
  • Anything moldy (like kids bath toys and loofahs)
  • Broken watches
  • Broken jewelry
  • Watches and jewelry that are out of style or never worn
  • Any trash

Kitchen

  • Expired Food
  • Food you don’t eat
  • Utensils you never use
  • Extra utensils
  • Appliances you don’t use
  • Recipe books you never use
  • Paper recipes (upload them to Evernote instead)
  • Old tupperware with no matching lids or that is scaling on the sides
  • Extra pitchers
  • Extra platters
  • Broken utensils
  • Expired herbs and spices
  • Entertaining items you never use
  • Old bottles 
  • Chipped plates and bowls
  • Leaky anything
  • Broken or chipped mugs
  • Any trash

Bedroom / Closet

  • Blankets with holes
  • Old shoes
  • Shoes that don’t fit
  • Shoes you never wear
  • Clothes that don’t fit
  • Clothes you no longer like
  • Clothes you have not worn in over a year
  • Clothes that have faded
  • Anything you have two or more of
  • Clothes with lost buttons
  • Clothes with stains
  • Clothes with unintentional rips or tears
  • Extra throw pillows on your bed
  • Exercise clothes you do not where
  • Anything completely out of style
  • Old belts
  • Old purses
  • Broken belts
  • Broken purses
  • Hats you never wear or don’t like
  • Any novelty items you never wear or use
  • Anything that is stretched out
  • Anything that is too big for you
  • Flip flops that are dirty, faded or old
  • Extra pairs of pajamas (your only need 2-3 pairs per season)
  • Extra exercise clothes (you only need one outfit for each day of the week per season)
  • Old out of style or unworn ties
  • Old suits or sports coats that are out of style or never get worn
  • Out of style sunglasses
  • Sunglasses that are scratched or broken
  • Old glasses you never wear
  • Any trash

Living Room

  • Old CD’s
  • Old DVD’s
  • Blankets with holes
  • Extra throw pillows
  • Any trash

Linen Closet

  • Sheets with holes
  • Old pillows
  • Bedding you don’t like anymore
  • Bedding you have never used
  • Table clothes you never use
  • Cloth napkins you never use
  • Any trash

Basement

  •  Unused Christmas Decorations
  • Old Pictures in frames
  • Old home decor you will never use again
  • Old toys your kids have outgrown
  • Glasses you never use
  • Wedding china
  • Any trash

Office

  • Old receipts that are more than a year old
  • Papers you no longer need
  • Kids school work that is not truly special to you
  • Old printers that no longer work
  • Broken computers
  • Old boxes 
  • Pens or markers that don’t work
  • Extra cords
  • Extra monitors
  • Extra tech you never use
  • Old calendars
  • Your old textbooks
  • Books you have already read
  • Books that just lay on the coffee table or in the bathroom that nobody reads
  • Outgrown, broken or defeated video games
  • Musical instruments nobody plays
  • Old board games
  • Multiple decks of cards (you only need 2 at the most unless you are an avid card player)
  • Your old school work
  • Any trash

Kids

  • Old toys
  • Broken toys
  • Toys that never get played with
  • Clothes that don’t fit
  • Shoes that don’t fit
  • Books they have outgrown
  • Broken books
  • Trinkets they have forgotten about
  • Games they have outgrown
  • Games with missing pieces
  • Broken or old art supplies
  • Scribbled pictures
  • Toys that come from fast food meals
  • Diapers, wipes, and other baby essentials you no longer need or use

Overall 

  • Expired vitamins
  • Expired over the counter medicine
  • Expired prescription medicine
  • Junk Mail
  • Old bottles that are empty (cleaning, pills, etc)

Here are some issues you may run into while trying to find the motivation to clean and declutter your home.

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How To Stay Motivated To Keep Things Clean

1//  Don’t put it down, put it away

2//  Create a good routine

3//  Get into good habits

4//  Schedule your cleaning and decluttering

5//  Pare down your belongings

6//  Stop buying so much

7//  Get Organized

Why can’t I get motivated to clean my house?

You may not be looking for your motivation in the right places.  

Sometimes we try to find motivation by watching what others do or have.  

Jealousy and envy become motivators in that case, but they are unhealthy motivators.  

Trying to clean and declutter for the wrong reasons will not give you motivation, only defeat.  As you try to keep up with everyone else and then feel like a failure when you can’t.  

Instead, do it because you want your own life and the life of your family to be better in some way.  Internal motivators and many times much more powerful than external motivators.

How do I stop being lazy and clean my house?

Unfortunately laziness can be a big reason that some people do not clean.  

If you want to stop being lazy, you have to change your mindset.  Actually making a decision to become a less lazy person is the only way to overcome laziness.   And nobody else can do it for you.

We all want to try to do what is best for our families.  So I would suggest looking at the health benefits of a clean and clutter free home as a good motivator to stop being lazy and start cleaning.

You can also look back at the list of motivators at the beginning of this post to see if any of those may help you find motivation and stop being lazy.

Why is it so hard for me to clean my house?

There are 5 reasons it may be hard for you to clean your house:

  • You have to clean around all the clutter in your home
  • You have no motivation to clean
  • You don’t have the time 
  • You don’t have the energy
  • You are not organized

There are so many different reasons that we don’t clean or declutter our homes.  But it mostly has to do with not having the time or energy and then allowing things to get really messy.  

Let’s face it, life can get super busy and super demanding on our time and energy.  And when that happens, certain things like cleaning have to take a back seat to other things in your life.

You may be dealing with health problems or the health problems of a loved one.  Maybe you are taking care of young children or aging parents.  Or you may be working more than one job that is highly demanding of your time.

Any way you spin it, it is inevitable in anyone’s life that at some point they will have a messy house.  And as that mess gets more and more out of control, finding the motivation to clean and declutter becomes more and more difficult.

I hope the above ideas about how to get motivated to clean and declutter help you reclaim your house.  

And remember, different motivations will work for different people.  If one from the list doesn’t work, move on to the next or maybe even combine a few.

I would love to hear from you about how you find the motivation to clean and declutter.  Please leave a comment below!

Best Wishes and Happy Cleaning!

Julie

P.S. – If you love this post and want to refer back to it, then don’t forget to Pin It! so you can find it whenever you want!

Thank you for spending the time to read this post.  Here are some other posts that may be helpful for you:

7 tips to declutter without mess

7 Tips To Declutter Your Home Without Making A Bigger Mess


How To Clean a Filthy House

How To Clean a Filthy House


clutter causes stress

8 Ways clutter Causes More Stress