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9 Things I Learned From Cleaning Every Day For A Month

9 Things I Learned From Cleaning Every Day For A Month

Cleaning every day sure isn’t my cup of tea. Yet as I reflect back on this past month and competing the Just Clean Something Challenge: Spring Cleaning Edition, there is a lot I have learned about myself and about cleaning every day.

Did April feel like an extra long month to anyone else? As much as I’m glad that the challenge is over, I’m even more glad that I accomplished so much this past month.

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9 Things I Learned From Cleaning Every Day For A Month

The last time I did this challenge I learned…

1. I am really busy! It is hard to make time to clean when you have thousands of other things demanding your attention. Laundry, meals, birthdays, grocery shopping, and social events all take time. Sometimes it feels just about impossible to clean on top of doing all those other things.

2. I need moments of rest in my day. I could fill my entire day with productive tasks and work the entire time my kids are napping, but I would burn out very quickly. That would make me a cranky, bitter woman. I need to take time for myself throughout the day.

3. Cleaning doesn’t take as much time as I thought it did. I used to put off cleaning because huge cleaning projects took so much time, but I don’t have to do huge projects. There were so many cleaning tasks that I accomplished during this challenge that took less than 10 minutes. Dusting rooms, sweeping floors, wiping down appliances, cleaning a toilet… None of those things take much time and it is ok to do just one thing!

4. I can be productive after 7:00 PM. It is very easy for me to shut down after supper and put all tasks on hold until the next day, but it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, it is actually much easier for me to clean in the evening when my husband is home instead of during the day with my little ones begging for attention.

9 Things I Learned from Cleaning Every Day for a Month

This time around those same concepts were brought up again along with…

5. I’m terrible at finishing projects. I had hundreds of excuses why I shouldn’t concentrate on one room or space until that one was completely done and then move on to the next room. In my mind it made sense. In reality I didn’t finish spring cleaning any of the spaces in my house except for the stairway. For example:

  • kitchen cabinets – I cleaned out 19 cabinets and drawers, but left 1 unfinished.
  • upstairs hallway – If I had dusted the top of the door frames, then this space would have been 100% spring cleaned.
  • Grace’s room – I did a lot of cleaning in here, but only finished half of everything I started.
  • deck railing – I scrubbed the entire railing except for one small section because my arms got tired. Why didn’t I go back and finish it the next day??
  • Noah’s room – The only thing left to do in his room is wash the curtain. Just one small little thing and I didn’t do it!!

6. Taking a break significantly messes up my momentum. I decided to take a break from the cleaning challenge on Easter weekend. I didn’t do any cleaning Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.  Monday was rough. Tuesday wasn’t much better. I’m glad I focused on the Easter holiday, but it messed up my mental game so much that I never fully recovered.

7. Spring cleaning really isn’t so bad. In fact, I could even go as far as to say that spring cleaning is more fun than regular cleaning. Maybe this is related to my personality type, but I enjoyed having different projects this month. Plus the benefit of having a spring cleaned home is always nice. Duh.

8. Accountability works. Towards the end of the month there were several times that I wanted to lay on the couch instead of clean, but knowing that so many others were doing this with me and ready to see what I posted on Facebook each night was enough to push me into doing something. I don’t want to do the Just Clean Something Challenge on my blog every month, but maybe some girlfriends could hold me accountable to keep things going.

9. It is okay to hate cleaning. Lately I’ve been learning more and more about my personality type.  The fact that I struggle to maintain a structured cleaning routine isn’t because I’m lazy or a slob. It is because of the way my brain works.  We all have strengths and weaknesses. Many artistically minded folks struggle with cleaning and organizing. I’m normal. Thank goodness!

Additional Cleaning Inspiration & Resources:

Did you participate in the Just Clean SOMETHING Challenge?  What did you learn from cleaning every day and what do you hope to change?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Simply Rebekah!

66 Comments

  1. Sounds like you did a great job. I’m listing 10 areas in my home to work on this summer. I just feel like I’m always drowning in clutter and I can’t seem to clean without decluttering. I’ll check out your list sometime.

    1. Shonda, have you heard of the blog “A Slob Comes Clean?” I think you would really enjoy her – especially if you struggle with clutter. She has an eBook all about how to handle clutter and your comment made me think of it. It is actually titled “Drowning in Clutter? Don’t Grab a Floatie… Drain The Ocean!” Sounds perfect for you, huh? 🙂

      This is my affiliate link if you are interested in checking it out: https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=1190468&c=ib&aff=195219&cl=127672

      1. Thanks. I think for me it’s just 2 little kids needing my constant attention and no time to clean. I would love to take a HUGE amount of time to clean out a closet or bookshelf, but there is never that time available unless I choose not to sleep. I’ll get there. I also love to cook from scratch and I’m homeschooling so I have LOTS on my plate. I have a fairly neat house, but I also stuff things to look at later. I love cleaning and organizing, but I need to plan a better time to figure out how to get it done.

        1. You should also check out Flylady.net. The way she has you work through everything is awesome. This resource was a great one for me when I was preggers with my 2nd child and the oldest wasn’t two yet. I’ve carried many of those habits with me over the last 10 years (and 5 more kiddos!)

          1. I have heard of many women who love Fly Lady. It is so cool that you are still using what she taught you 10 years later! That is awesome!

  2. It’s ok to leave it for tomorrow it will wait for you . Have some fun every day , it’s more important .
    No one will remember that you had a clean house , they will remember how
    Much fun they had with you .
    Make memories .

    1. Amen, Deb! Thanks for the reminder. It is funny though because some people see a messy house as a sign of laziness. It is hard to let go of other people’s expectations and judgments.

      1. One time in my naïve younger years I went over to a friend’s house that was really REALLY cluttered. It was the first time I had been there and my face must have given a clue to the thoughts running through my head. The mom said she had been working on projects and preparing for her daughter’s birthday so she didn’t have time to clean up before I got there. Then she followed up with a phrase that completely changed my perspective: “I know how sweet you are and knew you would understand.” And that phrase made me understand! Whenever people come over and my house is less than perfect, which it often is with 4 children, I borrow that phrase. It usually comes out something like, “We have been so busy having fun, we didn’t have time to clean the house before you came. But that’s okay, you’re such a good friend I knew you would understand.” If nothing else, it takes away my guilt and allows me to have fun living life instead of worrying about the clutter that little ones often create.

        1. I love that phrase for addressing the mess! Plus, if the person visiting is having any judgey thoughts running through their minds, it quickly puts them in their place. 😉

        2. Thank you for those words of wisdom. I find that what other may expect of my home when they come over causes a great deal of stress during my cleaning projects and usually leads to my doing things half-bum. I had begun to wonder at this phenomena. Shouldn’t stress to be perfect make me a great cleaner? Nope! I am in such a hurry to get my ten projects done that I only ever finish 80% of each, then hate myself for not being a finisher. I am going to borrow your idea the next time a friend comes over and see if it alleviates my anxiety so that between then and the following house party I can get to 100% of a few of these dang projects. Thanks

    2. Whew! I got tired just reading your post! One thing sticks out though, you don’t mention your husband. Funny how we women automatically take on the burden of cleaning all the time automatically. Wouldn’t it be nice if husbands were nice and jumped in and helped with about 50% of the cleaning? But, we don’t ask them really do we? Where is he when you are killing yourself to clean a house that nobody really appreciates but you? Men can clean bathrooms, and they do a good job usually. They can dust, vacuum and even cook. We women need to let go of so much control of the cleaning and give them some of the work. They might needs some guidance, but they are usually trainable! You should NOT be doing all this by yourself. Your kids deserve a mother with some energy let for them!

      1. Mary, I truly appreciate you coming to my defense, but you should read this first: https://simplyrebekah.com/2013/07/02/the-just-clean-something-challenge-day-1/

        My husband is extremely tidy with his own belongings. He cleans the kitchen every night, takes care of every trash can in the house, and does his own laundry. He is very involved with our children and works at least 50 hours a week (closer to 60 some weeks). Basically, he does a LOT!

        I agree that husband should help clean with cleaning. In reality, everyone who helps make the mess should help clean the mess! So while I really truly do appreciate your comment, my husband is pretty awesome. I’m the messy one. 🙂

        1. Well, you didn’t say that in your blog. Good for him! I would like to say on thing though, when you are my age (retired) you will look back and realize that playing and spending time with the children is a lot more important than a spotless house. They won’t really remember a clean, spotless house, but they will remember all the fun things you did together:)

          1. You are so right, Mary. I really do try to prioritize time with my children over cleaning. I can’t stand the thought of them growing up and moving out of the house! I need to try my best to soak it all in while I can.

            Thanks again for your original comment. I think you and I share a lot of the same thoughts about cleaning. 🙂

  3. I’m kind of a strange one. I enjoy cleaning. And organizing. I find I rarely have a big spring cleaning because I tend to clean every day all year long. Nothing ever gets too unmanageable/dirty.

    I do have a big project of our downstairs guest room/storage room but there isn’t much more I can do until the wall is build making it truly two separate rooms. Then we can build shelves and it will help keep me from always having to clean the room out, etc. Window washing is the one thing I really hate doing. Even with tilt in windows, I hate it.

    You are right about the breaks. Taking breaks throughout the day is super important.

    1. Julie, it sure would be nice to have that cleaning gene that you seem to have. Good luck with your renovations coming up!

      1. I also have a tiny house and a husband who works trimming trees. I have no choice but to keep things clean every day or else it is horrible. Dirty and if it gets too cluttered, it makes the house feel much smaller. I always wonder if I’ll clean as much once we can afford to move to a bigger house with better storage. lol

  4. I’m the worst for sticking to a task and leaving it unfinished.. my hubby on the other hand is the complete opposite. He’s direct, efficient, effective, and incredibly dedicated, he only stops when the job is done WELL. He’s taught me a thing or two though 🙂

    I’m notorious for keeping to do lists, but now I’ve converted to being a doer. I just pick one small thing and stick to it, and when I want to give up, I keep going. It takes a lot of willpower, but dang is it ever worth it. Of course I still get caught up starting a few projects at a time instead of sticking to one, but I’m working on that.

    1. Isn’t it amazing how opposites attract sometimes? Thank goodness my husband isn’t just like me our our house would always be a mess!

  5. I work full time, homeschool, raise exotic animals (we have around 100 animals here), and have two blogs, PLUS I have chronic pain AND my fiance is overseas so it’s just me here.

    I really do try to clean every day, but lately I’ve been in too much pain to do anything except feed us and the animals after work. I have so many little things I need to get done.

    The really hard part is when you can’t look at all those little things as individual things, when they all blur together into one big mess to tackle. That must be the artist in me too!

    1. Yes. Yes. YES! I always see these HUGE projects that need to be finished. Instead I need to embrace getting the little things done and just clean SOMETHING. Otherwise I get overwhelmed and I don’t do a THING. Ugh.

      1. This is me!! I get overwhelmed just looking at the whole house or room and don’t even know where to begin!
        Rebekah, I am so glad I found you! I’m going to subscribe to your blog, newsletter, ebooks, anything you write! 🙂

        Also, we are empty nesters now so enjoy those little ones. I know when they’re little some days seem to last forever but then one day you turn around and they’re leaving for college.

        1. Laurie, you are such a sweetheart. Thank you!

          I really do appreciate your encouragement as an empty nester. I truly can’t imagine being at that stage in life. Honestly, it makes me sad to think about it! I’ll have to give my kids an extra snuggle tomorrow. 🙂

    1. You don’t need to do it all the time, but if you are doing a deep, spring clean it is a good idea.

      1. While you are cleaning the window and door frames, don’t forget the tops of the doors. You wouldn’t believe how much dust and dirt can collect on the top of the doors.

  6. GO YOU! You sound a lot like me. I have the hardest time finishing things. I have so many projects started and I get 3/4 the way through and stop. I used to kick myself for being a “quitter”. I ran acrossed Carol Tuttle’s Energy Profiling and I realized that I lead with a type 1 energy and it’s just how I relate to the world around me. I am random and fun loving and can’t handle structure. You should look into it! It’s made my life so much more light and fun!

    1. I’ve never heard of energy profiling. I’ll have to look into it. I have taken a MB test and I’m an ESFP. Do you know your MB score?

      For the win… Today I finished scrubbing the deck railing. Whoo-hoo!

      1. Way to go! Your deck railing stood no chance against you! Lol I’ve heard of MB, but I don’t know what my score is. It’s been one of those things I’ve been wanting to do, but haven’t done it yet…one of THOSE things…you know something you want to start or have started, but don’t finish. 🙂

        1. Jessica, you are cracking me up!

          If you google search Myers Briggs, the first link that pops up is a free 70 question test you can take online. It doesn’t take very long.

  7. Okay…so I took the test….are you ready??? ENFP! See! I told you we sound a lot a like! Just one letter difference! LOL

    1. I don’t know what I love more…
      1) You actually took the test and came back to tell me the results.
      2) You are an ENFP. 🙂

      I have a lot of blogging friends that are ENFPs. You guys are everywhere! 🙂 I knew we must have been similar.

  8. I loved this article (found on Pinterest…guh my biggest procrastination tool). I am an INFP and Constantly have perpetual jobs……you know, the half finished ones. I always have the mindset that if I don’t have the time to do it PERFECT, then I don’t have the time to do it! I tackle the little things daily, but also have two extremely demanding toddler princesses and two older schoolies, so I constantly find myself chasing my tail.
    I will start for example, cleaning my ensuit thoroughly then get distracted by toddler demands. Then two days later wonder why I have a cloth and spray bottle sitting on the window sill

  9. I own and operate a residential cleaning business and I clean every single day. I like your approach. Just clean something, anything! The what you probably learned the most is that it is about behavior modification, flexibility, and presistent.

    1. For the rest of my life, I am going to brag that a professional cleaner likes my approach to cleaning! Haha! Okay, not really. I do appreciate your encouragement though.

  10. I love this! You are hysterical! I personally love to clean. It is my hobby (sad, I know!). There are tons of spots that I don’t clean because I just don’t think of it, though. Your cleaning list is an awesome resource. Also, don’t forget to go green! Bleach, PineSol, Windex, and Tide all contain known carcinogens and are highly poisonous. Please consider switching to home-made solutions or Melaleuca brand cleaners. The whole point of cleaning is to rid your home of filth and germs, so why use toxins?
    Thanks for the great advice and giggles!

    1. Nancy, I agree that it is very important to be careful with the kinds of cleaners that you use. I made the switch to homemade cleaners and Shaklee cleaners many years ago and I love it. I can’t stand the harsh smells of conventional cleaners anymore. Thanks for bring this up!

    2. I am kind of a clean freak. I also like lists and routine. A year or so ago I sat down and listed all the things I felt needed cleaning in my house and how often, ie weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, biannually and annually. I put them into my phone on Saturdays as a reminder as to my chores for the week. I find it is not too much to do any one weekend. Bigger projects like washing windows may require a bigger time commitment but I work with that in the days surrounding the assigned Saturday. I feel my house is thoroughly, routinely cleaned but not overwhelming.

  11. I love that you share this post every once in a while. I need the push to clean everyday. I hate to clean and it is helpful to know I am not alone.

    1. I share this post every now and then because it is a good reminder to me and because it has been such a popular post on my blog. Clearly, we are not alone in our haterage for cleaning!!

  12. Me and my husband have a MUCH simpler list, but it works! It’s simply a list of what has been done, who did it and what date it was done. The last two are optional, since we can tell whom has been doing what from the handwriting and things such as when we did the dishes does not need a date since we do it every other day anyway! And about momentum – I find it hard to stop when I have started, might as well finish it while I “feel” for it.

  13. I just found your blog today and I love this post. I find I am in the same boat when it comes to finishing one thing. I get so overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done and then I remind myself that I am just one person. My hubby cleans but it isn’t the same as my cleaning so I tend to go behind him and clean it again :s Today is a new day and I have added a cleaning schedule to my everyday schedule. Let’s see how well I follow it 🙂

      1. Well, it was going pretty good. I was sticking to my schedule then my son and I got sick. So, I have to start again. But it does work. Just have to keep at it. 🙂

  14. I just found this post on Pinterest and it couldn’t have come at a better time! I just posted about the ways lazy moms clean. While I try to clean every day, there are times when it’s just easier to leave the crumbs on the floor! And you’re right, I never finish anything. I feel like I could sometimes follow the trail through my house like Hansel and Gretel.

    Awesome post. I’ll be joining you in September! I can’t wait!

    1. Wonderful, Alison! I am glad you can relate. I look forward to doing the challenge with you this September!

  15. I know this is an old post but I found in on Pinterest. It’s nice to see I’m not alone in my inability to finish anything. Now that I have twins who will be crawling any day (and 3 older kids) I really need to get things to stay clean. It’s not that I never clean, my house is either surprisingly tidy for 5 kids or coming up on hoarders and nothing in between. I’m really bad on keep that momentum up!

    1. Keeping up momentum is no small task. You need to start training your kids to help with the cleaning and with 5 kids, you won’t have to lift a finger yourself! Haha! Or maybe not. 🙂

  16. I always feel so overwhelmed when I look at everything that needs to be cleaned! But I’ve also learned that it’s okay to just clean one small thing. Something is better than nothing!

  17. At last ! Someone who describes my longlived problem !
    I will try this, it seems like something I can do
    65 years was not too long to wait, I’m beginning at the end of this post
    LOve and thanks

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