We humans like to binge, but it’s a word that definitely carries negative connotations. You wouldn’t want to go on a gambling binge, for instance. If you know the potential disastrous repercussions of binge drinking, there’s no need to admit it to our Hot Mess Press community. That’s your business and hopefully, it was a one-time thing. There are likely those among us who can relate to binge shopping. In fact, most of us (women, at least) wouldn’t necessarily call that a bad thing. Judge not, lest ye… Today, I want to offer you some housecleaning tips that involve binging.
I like to binge clean. Allow me to preface that by saying I have changed a lot over the years. When I was young, I was one of those people who had a cleaning schedule. You know what I mean — Mondays, dust furniture and mop floors, Tuesdays, wipe baseboards, Wednesdays, clean windows, Thursdays and Fridays, do laundry, etc. That wasn’t my real list, but you get the idea. I was also the type of person who felt internally agitated and stressed if I failed to complete the schedule. Fast forward to having 10 kids, six of whom were born in seven years’ time and I. LOWERED. MY. STANDARDS. My housecleaning tips kicked into pure survival mode.
Finding a happy medium
My mother used to iron underwear, bed linens, and pretty much anything else that had so much as a wrinkle. While I like to iron out wrinkles metaphorically, I’m not really a fan of literal ironing, except maybe the Christmas tablecloth. The further along my motherhood journey I navigated, the more relaxed my standards for housecleaning tips became.
I still enjoy a nice, comfortable, tidy room but I don’t feel as though I’ll suffer apoplexy anymore if I notice fingerprints on the sliding glass doors. Binge cleaning makes me happy because I can choose to tackle big or small jobs. No pressure. When I binge clean, I blast some tunes, tie my hair up, put on some I-could-not-care-less-about-this-outfit clothes and clean to my heart’s content. That’s the key. When my heart is content, I stop. No list. No schedule. No self-imposed judgement. Just a nice, clean whatever-it-is-I’ve chosen-to-clean-that-day.
Binge cleaning makes housecleaning tips less stressful
When you take a day to binge clean, time is your own. Perhaps, you;ll begin after a nice, hot cup of coffee on the front porch. Maybe you’ll break for lunch and treat yourself to a favorite meal (preferably, one that someone delivers to you). You can take your time. Decide what you will clean, one thing at a time. Want to tackle your junk drawers today? Go for it. Afterward, you might wash down walls or cabinets.
Binge clean by yourself or get your family involved by asking each person to choose a cleaning task. Are you the kind of person who needs to set a time limit? You can do that per task or for the day. You might block out six hours for cleaning on a binge day or longer, if you’re in the mood. That’s the best thing about it. If you’re not in the mood, you can stop. No planner to check off or specific goals to meet. Just a day to deep clean your house until you feel satisfied with what you’ve accomplished.
Everyday housecleaning tips
Life is busy. You know exactly what your pet peeves are where housecleaning is concerned. Can you not stand dirty dishes in the sink? Is it important to you that bed sheets be washed at least once a week? Decide what your must-haves are and stay on task with those. Don’t worry about the rest. Do what you can when you can. My mother always said she wanted a house that felt lived in, not a show room. I like that. Binge cleaning is great because you can do it whenever things start to get to you. I typically enjoy a binge cleaning day every few months, throughout the year. You might binge per household area, such as the garage this time, the basement, rec room or bedrooms, the next.
One of the best housecleaning tips I can give you is to not stress over it in between binges. Try to keep your house clean and also try to teach your kids to do their share to help keep your house clean. Most of all, enjoy your home.
Don’t let it be a source of strain in your life. If it’s really important to you that your house looks like a show room, then these housecleaning tips are not for you. Do you like the idea of binge cleaning? Give it a try and come back to this post to let us know how it went. Do you have favorite housecleaning tips to share? Leave a comment!
