Keeping on top of your chores is hard. Most people have a backlog of things they’d like to catch up on. Even people who consider themselves to be “mentally healthy” aren’t 100% on top of things 100% of the time. They just don’t tell you that. Don’t let them fool you.
When you’re struggling with your mental health or living with mental illness, managing a house can be an absolute nightmare. Periods of depression can be absolutely devastating for productivity and just a few days or weeks of neglecting daily tasks can quickly build into what feels like a never ending to-do list.
Chances are, if you’re trying hard to pick yourself up, you don’t want to dedicate days (or even hours) to nothing but cleaning. And, even if you did want to, it might simply be beyond what you can manage right now.
If this sounds like you, I’ve come up with 100 ideas for smaller tasks you can do that will make your future cleaning a little easier. That’s the goal here. We’re not trying to fix everything at once, just lighten the load.
100 little cleaning tasks that will make the big cleaning tasks easier
- Find your bin-bags and cleaning supplies and put them together for later
- Put on 1 load of laundry. Make sure it contains underwear, some comfortable clothes and a towel.
- Set a timer for when the clothes are done washing and make sure you are free to hang them to dry or put them in the dryer as soon as they are done.
- Change some of your bedding. Even just your pillowcase will make a difference.
- Unclutter the smallest and most manageable surface in your house.
- Put away an item that has been out for far too long and starting to get on your nerves.
- Throw away the 3 nearest items of rubbish.
- If you have a dishwasher and it’s full, unload it.
- Fluff up the cushions on your sofa.
- Clean the windowsill in the room you spend the most time in.
- Pick 5 items up off the floor. Count them out loud.
- Go into the room with the least mess. Put all the rubbish into a bin bag.
- In that same room, collect as many of the “out of place” items as you can and put them in the same container (a large basket or storage bin is perfect)
- If you have mouldy dishes or mugs, put on a face mask and carefully pour any wet food or liquids into the toilet and then flush away.
- Empty and clean the kitchen sink so that it’s ready for rinsing and washing dishes when you feel up to it.
- Remove dishes from your bedroom.
- Put a clean sheet on your bed.
- Untangle your phone charger
- Pair up your clean socks. Find a place to put unpaired socks.
- Pull or cut the hair out of your hairbrush and put it in the bin.
- If you have CDs, DVDs or game disks lying around collect them together into one pile ready to be put back in their cases.
- Organise the dishes in your kitchen by type and pile them up neatly to maximise counter space.
- Use an all purpose cleaner or cleaning product to wipe down your kitchen surface.
- Clean a chopping board, knife and enough cutlery and crockery for your next meal.
- Throw away food that’s going off in your fridge.
- Empty your kitchen bin.
- If you have a room with a large amount of clothing on the floor, scoop them all up into containers. If you don’t have a suitable container (bags for life are helpful), use a sheet, towel or pillowcase to bundle them together and make them easier to carry.
- Vacuum the room with the clearest floor.
- Spruce up the spot you spend the most time looking at (this could be your tv stand, fireplace or computer desk)
- Clean your bathroom taps and shower head
- Wash out your toothbrush holder
- If you have glass cleaner, fix up your bathroom mirror
- Go through your pens and throw out the ones that no longer work
- Pile all your post and paperwork in one place (preferably neatly but somewhere visible) to triage when you feel ready
- Clean your pet bowls thoroughly
- Gather together any supplies you might want to access for self care over the next few days (medication, nail clippers, shaver, hair brush, etc)
- Brush or vacuum your hallway floor
- Set a reminder in your phone or on Alexa for bin day so you don’t miss it in the future.
- Walk around the house writing a shopping list as you go. Don’t forget to include things like light bulbs that need replacing.
- Replace a lightbulb
- Open your Windows and air out the house
- Light a scented candle. Make sure the oils used in any air fresheners, diffusers, wax melts or candles aren’t toxic to your pets.
- Untangle your headphones
- Put together a cleaning playlist. Pack it full of energetic tunes to inspire productivity.
- Turn off the TV while you clean, it’s far too tempting and a glance can so easily turn into an episode. Instead, opt for a podcast you’ve been meaning to listen to.
- Locate and set aside the supplies you need for a fun project like an afternoon of crafts or baking.
- Put a book you’ve been meaning to read next to your bed.
- Wash out a glass or bottle for water and put it in reach of your bed. There are so many health benefits to being able to reach for water when you’re thirsty at night.
- Throw out the empty toilet roll tubes.
- Vacuum the sofa.
- Empty the vacuum cleaner.
- Order replacement cleaning supplies for the ones you think you’ll use over the next few days and anything that you’re missing.
- If you have the money, space and need for it, splurge on a cleaning accessory you’ve always been curious about and that you suspect might make life a little easier.
- Come up with a highly motivational reward system. Last time I cleaned our bedroom, I punctuated each big task with 1 round of Fall Guys. It worked really well.
- Rinse and recycle empty tins and jars you have on your kitchen floor and surfaces
- Put away things you haven’t used for 7 days, even if you intend to use them soon.
- Set aside items that you no longer want for charity.
- You should donate clothing that doesn’t fit unless you are keeping it for purely sentimental reasons. Keeping around clothes that fit badly (or don’t fit at all) is psychologically draining and you deserve better.
- If you have a large amount of items to donate, check to see if there’s a charity near you who collect and arrange for them to pick up.
- Shake out rugs and hang them outside if you can to allow air to love through them and help with odours.
- Empty your purse/wallet of old receipts you’ve been hanging onto for too long.
- Package up items you’ve been meaning to return and keep them near the front door.
- Separate your whites from your other laundry.
- What chores do you struggle with most? Browse Pinterest for methods to make these most manageable. If your system feels almost impossible to maintain, it isn’t right for you.
- Put off the big lights and turn on your lamps, fairy lights and mood lighting. Everything looks nicer in lower, warmer lighting.
- Walk through your home with your eyes to the ground. Items that you have tripped over (or that seem likely to trip you up in the future) should be moved out of the way.
- Tidy up by colour. Follow the order of the rainbow. First deal with all the red items in your room, then orange, then yellow and work your way through everything that way.
- Collect broken items from around your home and determine whether or not they are fixable.
- Tighten screws in furniture that needs some TLC (this is especially important in items you use daily such as your bed)
- Spritz some lavender spray on your pillow or mattress to freshen up your room and improve your sleep.
- Remove clutter from your work space.
- Clean a room by starting in the furthest corner from the door and working your way back out slowly.
- Pick up the first 5 items you see and put them away.
- If you live in a multi-storey home, set up a table near the top and bottom of the stairs for items that need to go up/down. Carry an item with you every time you take the stairs.
- Have a big stretch, take a deep breath and say “I can do this” out loud
- Set your washing machine to run through an empty cycle.
- Clean your makeup brushes.
- Wipe down the table or tray that you eat at.
- Separate your clean clothes into “items that need to be folded” and “items that need to hang” ready to tackle when you feel up to it
- Throw away teabags or drinks that are out of date or you no longer enjoy. Your kitchen space is valuable and you should only store things you need/want.
- Dust the decorative items on your shelves / mantelpiece
- Measure the unframed art you have been meaning to buy frames for. Make a note of the measurements so you can get the frames later.
- Move 10 items into the room they belong in. Repeat this process every day until everything is closer to where they should be.
- Straighten up wall art that has been knocked awry.
- Pair up rogue shoes and put them away.
- Make a note of problem areas in your home and try to determine what the problem could be.
- Research the best cleaning methods for the floor in your home and make sure you have the supplies.
- Wipe down a single kitchen cupboard door.
- Clean the outside of your kettle.
- Break down empty cardboard boxes from Amazon parcels, etc, and place in the recycling.
- Throw away broken/cracked crockery or glasses
- Clean the sticky product off the outside of your toiletries
- Fold away 3 items of clothing you’ve been meaning to put away. Just 3. You’ve got this.
- Get 1 item out from underneath something it’s buried under.
- Sweep all the items from your coffee table into a bag for life that you can sort through when you feel up to it.
- Locate some clean PJs or a dressing gown and lay them on your bed for later.
- Straighten up the books on one of your bookshelves
- Commit to let go of items you no longer want or need that were gifts you’ve been hanging onto because of guilt. You’re giving away the object, not the person and not the memories. Hold onto it in your heart rather than your home from now on.
- Forget about your home entirely and clean up your inbox instead. 1045 unread emails no more!
- Celebrate whatever tasks you’ve been able to accomplish with your whole heart. You did it! And even if you didn’t, you will. I believe in you.
Before I end the post, I just want to say a sincere good luck to you. I know how overwhelming and shitty it feels to come out of a period of depression or ill health, only to find yourself faced with horrible chores. If you have a trusted person who has offered to help, please don’t feel ashamed to reach out to them.
I have needed a lot of practical help with housekeeping in the past, directly because of my mental health, and I am 100% sure that I will need help again in the future.
Go at a pace that is comfortable to you. Don’t rush yourself to meet some arbitrary deadline; most things can be rearranged or modified to work around your health. I truly hope that you are able to find some peace and comfort in your own home.
Some other posts you might be interested in:
Talking to myself like I would talk to a friend
How to untangle matted hair after a period of depression
10 Ways your good days can make your bad days easier
