How to Make Cleaning Your House a Little More Bearable

I hate housework. It's true. I confess. I am a stay at home mom and hate to clean house. But, over the years, I have figured out one thing that I should always do that makes me feel better about my house. Even if the rest of the house is cluttered and I have not vacuumed in a week, if I do this one thing, I can go to bed with a clear conscience. And I can wake up the next morning with a better outlook on my day. What do I do? I clean my sink.

I make sure that my dishes are washed and put away. Or at least in the dish washer! Then, I wipe down my sink and my counters and call it good enough. Then, when I go to bed, I make sure that I look at this clean and sparkling area right before settling down. It makes me feel as if I accomplished something. And when I get up in the morning I do not have to fight dirty dishes to get breakfast ready. It makes my day start smoother and that can only help. In reality, there are many other things that I do daily. Any other person who stays home all day knows how it goes. But, when the kids have dirtied the living room, again, and the hampers are overflowing with dirty clothes, my sink saves my sanity. Having one thing in my house that stays clean for a little while makes it easier to deal with all of the things that are dirty again almost immediately.

I have broken my housework down into things I do daily and things I do weekly. I also have certain things that I never do and that I only do rarely. Like washing windows. I hate washing windows. And it is one thing that I just don't do very often. And I do not let it bother me. Because the rest of my house is more important. And my children are even more important. In the midst of taking care of three children, the dirty windows just don't seem very important!

So, learning to love housekeeping will never be in my future, but my outlook is brighter due to a bright and shiny sink. This first step allows me to go about the rest of my housework with a lighter heart. And, if you choose to take this step as well, it makes it easier to have more goals for your housekeeping. Once you are used to cleaning your sink every night and it is second nature, you can add another chore to your nightly ritual. Maybe decide to always have your bathroom clean before bed. Or always have the toys picked up. Or always have the table cleared off. Something fairly simple and easy that you can do every night before bed. Before you know it, your house is cleaner, you are happier and you are not resenting the housework quite as much.