How To Catch Up On Cleaning After Life Gets In the Way

This post may contain affiliate links. See here for full details

I don’t know about you, life tends to get me in waves. I’ll be cruising with an awesome cleaning/organizing/time management system for a month or so when BAM! Something comes along that needs attention NOW!

Emergencies…

Holidays…

Family events…

Extended trips to Homegoods…

And then what happens? Other things-such as cleaning the house- fall to the back burner.

It might just be that our lives aren’t 100% settled yet, but these things happen more often than I’d like them to.

But because it happens so much, I’ve come up with ways to catch up with the built up cleaning to-do list, and with less stress. Here are my top tips on how to catch up on cleaning when life gets in the way:

1-) Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize

Chances are you still have other life things to do, so you’re not going to be able to catch up with all the cleaning in one shot (especially if you have kids…they have a way of undoing things as you do them). So write down all that needs to be done and prioritize them before you start.

2-) Organize first

Speaking of prioritizing, I’m a big believer that cleaning is ten times easier if you’re already organized. So be sure to get rid of any clutter and put everything away before you get into cleaning mode!

3-) Have a realistic plan

There’s not much worse in life than burnout. Trust me, I’ve been there. More than once.

So set yourself up for success by having a realistic plan that involves taking breaks. Personally I like to use planning pages for this, like my weekly planner printable. Taking the time to plan how you’ll catch up on the cleaning will force you to take into account all the other things that need to happen, like time-sensitive errands, doctor appointments, etc.

4-) Enlist help

Chances are 100% that other members of your household contributed to the mess in the house, so you should 100% expect them to help get it back into good shape.

Unfortunately, so many of us just don’t do this. Either we feel bad about asking or we think that we’re better off doing it ourselves because we do a “better job” at cleaning the mess.

But here’s the thing: whatever the excuse, not getting your family involved in the cleaning will just make it harder to get them involved down the line. The more you do, the more they expect that you will do it instead of them contributing. And that’s just bad all around.

So involve them. Teach them. Make them understand that taking care of their home is a collective responsibility. Not just yours.

5-) Be kind to yourself

Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.

M. Scott Peck

“How did I let the house get this way?”

“I should have just stayed up a little later the other day to get that bathroom cleaned…”

” I suck at taking care of my house…”

Do any of these thoughts sound familiar? If so, stop it. Just stop it right now.

Many of us have a habit of degrading ourselves. Here’s the bottom line: you are one person, and you’re doing your best. So give yourself a break. Follow your plan and look forward instead of back. You’re great, and you got this!

That’s how to catch up on cleaning after life gets in the way! Now that you’re ready, grab some more cleaning tips over at these posts:

How to Clean While You Sleep: 8 Chores To Do While You Snooze

The Scientific Reason to Ignore Cleaning Advice That Combines Vinegar and Baking Soda

Five Things To Consider Before You Hire Cleaners