5 House Cleaning Tips When You’re Overwhelmed

If your house is a mess and you don’t know where to start, take a deep breath. Help is here. Try one of these five proven house cleaning tips that for tackling clutter and chores when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Sometimes, I can get so overwhelmed by chores and housework and my to-do list. No one told me it was neverending!!! Right!!?

• Have you ever been at place where you had so much to do that it became crippling?

• Have you ever been at that point where a sort of paralysis sets in? When there’s so much to do that it’s hard to even get started?

If you’re screaming YES! to those questions, keep reading for 5 EASY and PROVEN house cleaning strategies to help you get unstuck and get things moving in the right direction!

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Jump to:

• Feeling Overwhelmed? Start Here
• The Snowball Method
• The Kitchen Sink Method
• The “You Can Do Anything for 15 Minutes” Method
• The Quick Sweep Method
• The Purge Method
• Your Next Steps
• More Cleaning & Organizing Tips

Feeling Overwhelmed? Start Here

I’m sure you’ve heard the motivational phrase, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

But one bite at a time — or all at once — eating an elephant is still a big, overwhelming job. 

How do you take that first bite when the elephant is sitting on your chest, squashing all the air and motivation out of you?

I’ve felt the weight of that elephant bearing down as I’ve struggled to keep our house clean and organized in the midst of a busy life.

I have tried out a lot of different methods from cleaning and organizing gurus. . And I have discovered what works for me when a household chore becomes an elephant and I need to kickstart myself into gear.

I think these strategies can help you get unstuck, too.

The following are my five favorite house cleaning tips for when you’re overwhelmed. These are surefire methods for breaking the paralysis, ending procrastination and yes, finally, eating that elephant.

Overwhelmed with chores & don’t know where to start. These tips 👇 will help!

The Snowball Method

If you’re familiar with debt-reduction strategies, then you’ve likely heard of the snowball method of paying off your debts smallest to largest.

That may seem counter intuitive. Why not tackle your biggest bills first? Or the credit card with the highest interest rate?

But whether you’re paying off credit card bills or cleaning up your house, there’s a real psychological benefit to starting small and seeing quick results.

How the “snowball’ method can help with chores

Apply the snowball method to cleaning and start with a smell mess.

Tackle your junk drawer. Clear off the coffee table and fluff the pillows on your sofa.

One job done, now move onto the next one. Or take a moment to revel in your success.

The other day, after we got back from vacation, I was staring at an overwhelming list of household chores and organizing projects.

So, I decided to clean out my purse.

It certainly wasn’t the most pressing task or the biggest mess I needed to handle. But as I filed away old receipts and trashed crumpled tissues, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

And I could see my life getting less messy.

That purse purge also helped me check other things off my to do list. I found receipts for items I needed to return to the store, bagged those items up, hauled them to the car and made the returns the next day as I was out running errands.

The Kitchen Sink Method

Years ago, I signed up for a daily cleaning email task list through the FlyLady. While I didn’t find her method manageable or doable for our family over the long term, I still use one of her house cleaning tips when I’m feeling overwhelmed by chores.

I scour my kitchen sink until it’s so shiny it sparkles.

A clean sink is like a clean slate. Even if every other space in the house is cluttered or dirty, at least the sink gleams. You’ll have one place of calm to escape the chaos and the anxiety that clutter can provoke.

Cleaning your sink is a relatively quick chore, so it provides you with a sense of accomplishment and also the motivation to move onto other chores.

Well, that wasn’t so hard. What can I tackle next? 

I usually take the FlyLady’s advice one step further and give all my kitchen surfaces a deep clean.

Our kitchen is at the center of our home. I’m in it all the time, preparing meals, and we can also see it from our favorite family hangout and TV watching spot.

So, when it’s messy or cluttered, I have a hard time relaxing. And it’s hard to make or serve dinner if the kitchen isn’t neat.

It’s amazing how the simple act of washing any dirty dishes, wiping down the countertops and sweeping the floors can improve my mood and motivate me to tackle other chores I’ve been avoiding.

It’s also OK to stop after cleaning the sink if that’s all you have time or energy to do.

The “You Can Do Anything for 15 Minutes” Method

We all have those household chores we avoid because we hate them.

Ironing. Taxes. Laundry.

But sometimes, you just need to suck it up and do it.

Pick the chore you’re procrastinating about the most and set a timer for 15 minutes.

Do that job, and nothing else, for 15 minutes — with no distractions.

If necessary, plan ahead for your 15-minute power cleaning or decluttering session. Write it down in your calendar like you would an important appointment or meeting.

Have a lot of chores to do but don’t know how to start? Set a timer for 15 minutes and focus on one task.

When the timer buzzes, you’re free to stop and move onto something else. Or relax.

You may find that you want to continue working on that hated chore until you finish it. Or maybe it won’t even take the entire 15 minutes.

I find this method really useful with kids and teenagers. Sometimes they just need to focus their attention on the task at hand.

The Quick Sweep Method

A few years ago, I bought some cheap dishpans from the dollar store. They have become an invaluable cleaning and organizing tool.

A simple plastic dishpan may be the best cleaning tool you ever buy! These collapsible ones are great because they store away easily and can hold a lot of clutter that needs to be put away!

When stuff that doesn’t belong threatens to take over a space, I take a time out and grab one of the empty dishpans and make a quick sweep of the room, tossing in everything that doesn’t belong.

Tip: I’ve found it’s best to empty the dish pan as soon as you fill it, putting stuff away where it belongs immediately, instead of letting it become a catchall.

Often, I will set a timer and give each person in the family an empty basket or dishpan. Using this method, a family working together can clear a lot of messes in a short amount of time!

(Sometimes, the messes are so big, we have to use laundry baskets instead of dishpans. Just keeping it real.)

We have 10 minutes to gather up our errant stuff and put it away.

It’s a race against the clock to see how much we can do in that short period of time — and to see who accomplishes the most.

The Purge Method

I am never more motivated to get rid of stuff than when I’m feeling overwhelmed by the state of my house.

If you’ve ever held on to a possession because of sentiment or stuffed a too-tight pair of jeans into your closet for “someday,” then you know getting rid of stuff can be an emotional exercise.

But it’s also incredibly freeing to get rid of things that don’t fit — literally and figuratively — with how you want to live your life.

(My friend Marty has a great post on getting rid of sentimental clutter that goes into more detail on this topic.)

I find that I am less emotionally attached to my stuff when I am feeling overwhelmed by it. I just want to be rid of the burden of it. I don’t want to dust around it any more or pick it up one more time or launder it ever again.

So, I follow the advice of professional organizers, pull out a trashbag and start making piles — keep, donate, trash and (sometimes) sell.

For me, at least, I find that purging is best done quickly. Don’t let the piles hang around too long. They’ll just add to the clutter you’re trying to clear away.

If you don’t get rid of your purge piles quickly, you may find yourself reclaiming those items you’ve already released.

Just let it go. You’re unlikely to miss those things when your space is clean and calm and restful.

Your Next Steps

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by chores, give one (or all) of these proven methods and house cleaning tips a try. You may find that one of these tips — or a combination of them — works best for you.

• The Snowball Method
• The Kitchen Sink Method
• The “You Can Do Anything for 15 Minutes” Method
• The Quick Sweep Method
• The Purge Method

I guarantee your house will be cleaner afterwards and you will breathe easier. You will be less overwhelmed and more motivated to do what needs to be done.

As you tackle the chores that are overwhelming you, be sure to allow yourself time and grace.

Celebrate your wins and the progress you are making rather than aiming for perfection. Don’t add to your overwhelm and anxiety with endless tasks and to do lists.

Finally, don’t be afraid to seek out help — from friends, family members, a housekeeping service or a professional organizer.

More Cleaning & Organizing Tips

For more homekeeping and house cleaning tips, check out these posts:

• Small Pantry Organizaton Ideas
• Getting Rid of Odors in Old Furniture
• 8 Tips to Take the Drudgery of Dirty Laundry
• 25 Places to Clean After Being Sick
• 13 Places Where Mold & Mildew Live in Your Home
• 8 Tips for Cleaner Dishes
• How to Maintain & Clean Hardwood Floors
• How to Clean Tile Floors
• How to Clean Porcelain, China & Ceramics
• 1 Simple Laundry Trick to Save Loads & Time

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