How to Clean a Messy House When It’s Overwhelming

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Cleaning a very messy house is stressful.

Motivation? Forget it.

One look around and you’re ready to give up before you’ve even started.

As much as I’d love to tell you how I’ve always been the mom with the spotless house– That wouldn’t be quite the truth.

I’ve had my share of times when life was crazy busy. And as a result, housework landed on the back burner.

If you’ve found yourself in a similar situation, I want you to take a deep breath.

Today, we’re going to take a deep dive into how to clean a messy house step-by-step so that you can finally get your home back to a manageable state.

How to get motivated to clean when overwhelmed by mess

It can be tough to find your motivation when you’re faced with cleaning a dirty house.

Luckily, there are a few ways to motivate yourself to clean house even when you don’t really feel like it.

Turn up the music

This is by far my favorite way to get motivated to clean my house. I open up Pandora, find one of my favorite upbeat/uplifting songs, and get to work.

Listen to a podcast episode

This is probably my second favorite way to stay motivated because it distracts me from what I’m actually doing. I mean, cleaning in itself isn’t the funnest task in the world, right?

You can listen to a podcast episode, a YouTube video, or anything that captures your attention so that you’re not as stressed over the tasks in front of you.

Set a timer

Next, you can try setting a timer for an hour (or 15 minutes– however long you have to clean) and then try to get as much done within that time frame as possible.

This technique works well with music. And you’ll probably burn some calories too.

Watch a cleaning motivation video

Now, there’s another realm of cleaning motivation that I didn’t know existed until recently.

Cleaning motivation videos on YouTube– Many people find these to be really helpful for boosting your motivation.

Just try not to lose track of time doing this. Aim to watch one or two and get to work!

Start with something easy

Another way to motivate yourself to clean house is to simply START.

And the easiest place to start is, well, with something simple that you can knock out fairly quickly.

The idea behind this is once you start and complete a task, you’ll hopefully feel motivated to keep going. More on this in a few!

Tips for cleaning a messy house (without losing your mind)

1. Gather all your supplies first

The first step to cleaning a filthy house is to gather all cleaning supplies you will need.

Your items needed may vary, but here are a few things that are almost always on my list:

• Music or a good podcast to listen to
• A trash bag you can take around with you
• A “donate” box or bag
• A “handle later” box, bag, or spot
• Any cleaning supplies you’ll need

Your supplies needed will also depend on whether you’re in deep cleaning mode or decluttering mode.

That being said, if your home is truly messy, you will want to focus on decluttering the space or room you’re working on first before you attempt any deep cleaning.

2. But my house is messy! Where do I start?

You really just have to pick a place and start. Try not to overthink it.

Here are 3 easy places to start (in no particular order– pick one and roll with it):

• Start by washing the dishes. If I ever have a sink full of dishes, getting those out of the way first always makes me feel accomplished and motivated to keep going.

• Start by throwing away all visible trash. Another easy place to start is with the trash. See something that was left from the night before? Did your kids leave empty fruit snack wrappers lying around?

• Start with a load of laundry. Another task I sometimes start with… I’ll do a quick walk through to see if there are any random articles of clothing I can pick up and take to the laundry room. You can’t clean a room with dirty socks in the corner!

3. Focus on small wins

The secret to cleaning a messy home boils down to this simple mindset shift:

👉 Focus on small wins rather than the big picture.

When we experience a “small win,” we also experience a boost of dopamine, the chemical that makes us feel good and motivated (source).

And what’s key when it comes to accomplishing any daunting task? Yes, motivation!

4. Take it room by room and space by space

When your home is truly messy– I’ve found that it’s best not to go wandering around the house doing a little here and there and creating piles everywhere.

Instead, try tackling one room at the time and one space (or task) at the time within that room.

(One “small win” at the time to keep your motivation up!)

For example, let’s say you’ve made it to your bedroom. Because this room is a disaster, naturally, you have no idea where to start cleaning.

Rather than focusing on the entire room as a whole– here’s what you do:

Pick one space within the room. Maybe this is the cluttered nightstand? Or maybe it’s your closet?

Forget about the rest of the room and only focus on cleaning off the nightstand first. Or ONLY focus on the closet.

Once you’re finished, rinse and repeat until the bedroom is clean.

With this strategy, you won’t get as overwhelmed, and it’ll be much easier to keep up your momentum as you move along.

5. Give yourself a realistic time frame

I know we all want to know how to clean a cluttered house FAST, but you have to be realistic.

A realistic time frame for YOU will depend on how messy your home actually is, how much time you have to dedicate to cleaning, etc.

Instead of saying you’re going to tackle your entire house in X amount of time, set smaller, realistic goals to avoid getting overwhelmed and giving up altogether. (Again, taking advantage of those small wins!)

You do not have to get your entire house done in a single day.

6. Don’t organize clutter

One main thing you want to remember when you are cleaning and organizing a messy house– Try to avoid organizing clutter.

I once had a box of DVDs stored in my basement for 2 years– and never touched them. I’m embarrassed to admit that, but it’s true.

I considered getting a new storage shelf to organize them all, but then I had an epiphany.

Why spend money on a new shelf to “organize” something we never used anymore?

OUT they went. (Remember that donate box I suggested?)

Moral of the story:

If you’re trying to organize something you no longer use, you’re really just organizing clutter and creating more work for yourself.

Which brings me to my next tip…

7. Purge ruthlessly

The less clutter you have, the less overall “stuff” you have to clean and organize overall. Facts.

As you’re cleaning, keep your “donate” box close by and keep this in mind:

If you have an item that’s cluttering up your space that you have not used or even thought about in the past year, go ahead and toss it.

Be honest with yourself.

Unless this item holds sentimental value, it likely doesn’t serve a purpose for you anymore and won’t be missed.

But what if you come across a certain item that doesn’t have a home, needs a home, but you don’t know where to put it?

That’s where your “handle later” box/bag/space (whatever you decided when you were gathering your supplies) comes into play.

You more than likely will come across things like this as you’re cleaning your home. If it’s something you can easily give a new home real quick, then I would go ahead and do that.

But if it’s something a little more complicated, put it aside to handle later when you have more time.

The reason I don’t recommend figuring it out right then and there if it takes you longer than a couple seconds to decide is because this will just distract you from your main goal– cleaning your messy house!

How to keep your home clean and organized

Once you’ve tackled your neglected house…

What’s the best way to avoid cleaning a dirty house again? How do you maintain all your hard work?

Establish a daily cleaning routine/schedule

One way (and probably the most obvious) is to try your best to do a little housework every day so that you can maintain all of your hard work.

The best way to do this is to add certain tasks to your daily routines. And then do them every day until they become a habit.

Here is a sample cleaning routine you can do every day to keep your home neat and tidy:

• Make beds
• Wash dishes/unload or load dishwasher
• Empty trash for kitchen and bathrooms
• Wipe down counters and table
• Put everything away (give it a “home” if it doesn’t have one)
• Sweep and vacuum
• Put a load of laundry away and start another if needed

Train yourself to declutter as you go

Another way is to create a system of decluttering as you go.

For example, if you purchase a new pair of pants or jeans, get rid of at least one item in your closet before you add the new one.

Make the process even more effective by making it a 1 in and 2, 3, or 4 out rule.

Don’t be afraid to seek help

Do you feel like it’s a continuous struggle to keep your home clean and tidy?

If you answered yes, and you’re looking for more in depth cleaning and decluttering tips, I highly recommend checking out this course.

It’s called The Organized Home and is worth checking out if you need a little extra help establishing easy systems to help you maintain a clean and organized home.

Why continue to struggle if someone else has already figured it out, right?

Deep cleaning house checklist by room

Once you’ve tackled some of the clutter in your home and you can finally see your floors again (woohoo!), you may want to focus on more “deep cleaning” tasks.

Here are some ideas you may want to add to your to-do list eventually. Keep in mind– These are not not cleaning tasks you will do every day. Maybe as part of your spring cleaning checklist or before having holiday guests over? That kind of thing.

You can approach deep cleaning the same way we talked about before– once space and one room at the time.

Remember not to overwhelm yourself. Celebrate small wins.

All rooms (including hallways and entryway)

• Vacuum and shampoo carpet/clean wood floors
• Vacuum/clean throw rugs
• Clean windows
• Open windows to allow some fresh air flow
• Wipe down baseboards
• Dust light fixtures and/or ceiling fans
• Launder curtains
• Dust ceiling corners
• Vacuum/wipe down vents
• Dust/wipe down decor and shelves
• Declutter even more and organize as needed

Kitchen

• Scrub and disinfect inside and around your sink
• Clean out fridge and freezer
• Dust/wipe down top of fridge and any other neglected surfaces
• Clean behind fridge and other hard-to-reach places if possible
• Clean microwave inside and out
• Clean oven and stovetop (don’t forget to remove the knobs!)
• Clean backsplash
• Wipe down any other appliances you have
• Wipe down cabinets and hardware
• Tidy/declutter cabinets and drawers
• Declutter pantry (toss expired food items)

Dining and living room

• Clean/polish table and chairs
• Dust/polish end tables/coffee table
• Clean couch and other furniture
• Vacuum under couch cushions
• Launder throw blankets and throw pillows

Laundry/utility room

• Wipe down washer and dryer
• Clean any other sinks or surfaces
• Clean behind washer and dryer

Bedrooms

• Wash all bedding
• Rotate/flip mattress if needed
• Dust/polish dresser and nightstands
• Clean mirrors (this stuff is my favorite)
• Replace or wash pillows
• Declutter/organize closets as needed

Bathrooms

• Clean mirrors
• Clean/sanitize sinks
• Wipe down bathroom counters
• Clean showers, bathtubs, and toilets
• Clean drains
• Add septic treatment if needed
• Check expiration dates on medications and/or makeup

Those sparkly clean floors and organized spaces may seem like they’re light-years away.

But with the right mindset, some elbow grease, and a solid plan…

You can clean a messy house and keep it that way.

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