How to Make Cleaning the House More Fun

The dust bunnies in the corners are starting to stare back at you, and you need to take a running jump onto your bed to make it over the mountain of dirty clothes.

You forget what color the floor in the kitchen was originally under all of the dirt, and you have gottenHouse Cleaning Made Fun into the habit of eating dinner straight out of the pan because all of the plates have caked on grime.

You know that you need to clean the house, but you never get to the task because cleaning is so boring!

Cleaning the house is certainly not as exciting as horseback riding down the beach, skydiving, or going to a music festival, but it doesn’t have to be the most un-enjoyable thing in the world either.

If you can make cleaning a bit more fun and entertaining, perhaps you won’t put it off for so long?

Also, if you are having fun when cleaning you will work quicker and be less distracted, so that your house will be sparkling clean sooner and you can get on with the more exciting things in life.

Here are some tips for spicing up your cleaning routine:

  • Set up an open garbage can or recycling bin across the room as a basketball hoop, and see how many scraps of junk mail, food wrappers, and other junk you can toss into can without missing. Try to break your own record!
  • Break the task into small jobs and reward yourself after you finish each one. For example, if you wash all of the dishes on the kitchen counter you can enjoy a chocolate, or if you organize your entire closet you can go out to a movie.
  • Try to beat the clock! Give yourself a deadline for finishing each task and try to get through it as efficiently as you can. The faster and more focused you are, the sooner you are finished and the more free time you have.
  • Try a new cleaning product. For example, did you know that there are cleaning slippers with scrubbers on the bottom for washing the floor with your feet? These sorts of unusual and quirky cleaning implements will turn your household chores into a fun game.
  • Crank up your favorite tunes and do a little dance as you clean. It will put you in a happy and productive mood.

Make cleaning more fun, and before you know it your home will look fantastic!

That wasn’t so bad, was it?

Why Do We Never Do the Things We Enjoy?

You might be watching a film about an artist, and your friend will say, “I used to love making pottery when I was in school. I wish I could doroller-blading it again.”

Or perhaps you will be walking along the beach and you will pass someone on Rollerblades and your partner will say, “I love rollerblading! I used to do it all the time when I was younger.”

Or maybe you will treat yourself to an ice cream once in a blue moon, and think about how much you love ice cream but you can’t remember the last time you had it.

When we are younger, we don’t have a problem doing the things we love. They seem to come naturally, and the focus of our day is centered on play and fun. However, when we get older we tend to focus more on work and obligations.

Unfortunately, this causes us to forget how to play and do the things that we enjoy. For some reason, we deny ourselves these things, telling ourselves that if we indulge in life’s simple pleasures we are somehow being irresponsible or childish.

However, this is the kind of thinking which causes so many adults to feel unhappy with their lives and look so fondly back on the playful days of childhood.

Do What You Enjoy

What is the simple solution to this?

Take time for yourself to do the things you enjoy in life.

It sounds easy, but when is the last time you did it?

The first step is to think about what you really enjoy doing. Don’t worry about what you should be doing, or what is most productive or efficient. Think about what brings you joy, whether it is wall climbing, learning a new language, or watching cheesy horror films.

You will already know what these things are, but you might not have allowed yourself to enjoy them for so long that they might be hard to remember. For a hint, think back to what you loved as a child or teenager.

Now make time in your schedule to enjoy these things that you love. If you love lying in the sun reading a good book, cancel your plans for the weekend and grab your beach towel. If you always loved playing theatre games in school, take an adult improv class one evening per week. If your pleasure is music, go see a live band perform every so often rather than going to the same bar every Friday night.

Allowing yourself to enjoy these simple pleasures won’t put any huge burden on your schedule, but will certainly make an enormous difference to your happiness and enjoyment of life, so go ahead and do what you love!