My worst cleaning habit is procrastination. I am also one of those people who sit and watch your videos passively and think about cleaning, but not doing it. I have gotten better about not putting things off.
I was depressed (due to chronic pain) and didn’t realize how dirty my house had become. Once the pain and depression was addressed it was time to address my home. I tried everything but found that listening to you and @nataliebennet while I clean helped me to see PROGRESS which has helped towards maintaining zones. I am a social butterfly who lives alone so hearing you ladies in the background, (especially @nataliebennet children in the background) helped me to overcome the loneliness. Lastly, the best advice you both have given was not to be so hard on myself. Ok, I am still working on that but I am better so I feel less anxious. Thank you for all you do and for this video. Big Hugs & Blessings
As someone who also struggles with depression and anxiety (much better now thanks to therapy but it is a lifelong journey to coping with an incurable condition) and having it completely waylay my life and habits, I wanted to say how happy for, and proud of you I am that you're making progress and seeing that progress!! And oh my gosh the "not being so hard on myself" yep yep - story of our lives, right? You're doing great! Keep it up!
Hot tip -- I've been putting things that I've worn but I wouldn't consider dirty in a woven basket next to my nightstand. Then I can pick and choose things out of that basket, and when it's laundry day, that basket can just be dumped into the actual hamper and washed. It's been working really well for keeping my laundry from piling up everyplace.
I love how you speak throughout your entire video. A lot of people just clean up with music. You really have a voice for getting people to be proactive and take away the anxiety of it all. Cool!
“Waiting on others” is definitely a bad habit that I’ve developed over the past year when I moved out with my boyfriend & his 2 other brothers. Definitely a lesson learned for me is to not rely on others to get something done. If I want something done, I just do it myself.
Question on waiting on others.... The advice of "just do more" when it comes to cleaning. So that always seems to fall on the partner in relationships that either want to live in a clean house or are expected to keep a house clean (let's be real, it's usually the women this falls on). Am I taking the advice the wrong way? The division of mess and tidying is such a childish way of thinking to me. We all live in a home and it needs to be kept to a certain standard of clean. However it's incredibly hurtful to me people think doing the bare minimum, like their dishes once a week, or wiping a counter down, is enough. Because their other roommate or partner will "do more" because they care more. It's exhausting.
Thank you! With just listening to the video in the background while cleaning it would be awesome if you could say what the “step” is that is on the purple screens!
@@gnomcicle I struggled with that for many years. I always felt resentful & used, because I worked full time, then came home & worked full time. I didn't really appreciate the things my husband did. He mowed the lawn, edged it, watered it, did all the trimming, planting, weed killing, etc. If anything broke or wore out in the home he repaired it. Plumbing, flooring, electrical issues, exterior issues, etc. He did all the maintenance on our cars including oil changes, cleaning inside & out, replacing parts, airing up tires and/or changing them, etc. He also kept lawn equipment cleaned & in good repair. Fixed our fence, built a new gate. And he kept the garage clean. All this while he worked full-time & earned the majority of the money to pay the bills and raise our children. Bug in the house? His responsibility. Night-time scary noise? His responsibility. Someone was rude to his wife? He took care of it. Late evening emergency run to the store? He went. He was our rock. I did the bulk of the housework, but he would wash dishes, clean counters, sweep floors, etc, when he wasn't too tired. He has been sick for many years now. He has a genetic disease that is crippling and painful, so he has not been able to do any of these things for a long time. It's hard for him because he feels like a burden rather than the provider & protector he always was. Everything is now on me. All the yard work, all the car repairs, all the cleaning, all the bills, all of everything. You know that saying that you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone? It's true. Sometimes it's so overwhelming I get stressed out and depressed and have to fight not to shut down. Decluttering is the only thing that helps. Less stuff to maintain, organize, and clean. The more you declutter, the easier daily life becomes. It lessens the load of cleaning, organizing, anxiety, & stress....and therefore lessens resentment :)
@@JamieM470 thanks for the reply. I completely understand what you're saying, and yes it's helpful to have a partner that does the outdoor/auto stuff. But my caveat is that stuff doesn't need to be done every day. He didn't need to mow the lawn or charge the oil every night, but you had to clean the kitchen a few times a week minimum, if not every night. Also, you are doing maintenance, vs cleaning up after everyone in the household. so while that stuff is needed, there is a difference in home maintenance and the drudgery of every day cleaning, in my opinion. Obviously if one partner isn't working then splitting the chores where they take that stuff on makes sense, but most household in the US, both partners are working. sorry to hear about your husband's health. that is terrible and definitely sounds hard on him.
@@f8227 I do this too when I really don't have any motivation. After watching that I'm in panic like I'm a hoarder too and my home is a mess and I go for it!))
Oh thank goodness I'm NOT the only one who does this. Then I feel guilty and smugly superior to those poor folks who are so ill that they live in filth.
I've learned over the years that, if I want something done, I have to do it myself. No one else in my house gives a damn about keeping it clean, and nagging people stresses me out, so I just do it myself. It sucks, but it keeps me sane and healthy.
I realized that I was buying cleaning products instead of cleaning, similar to what you said about watching cleaning videos instead of cleaning. I need to actually use what I purchased.
I feel seen 😂 My collection of microfiber cloths is ridiculous and I only actually like about a quarter of them. I really need to declutter them but my response is “but I use them to clean” or “but they’re my backups”
I had a new house cleaner leave a circle etched in my marble bathroom counter top. It took me a little while to discover the circle was the same size as my vinegar bottle. Lesson 1) don’t assume all house cleaners know what they are doing and lesson 2) DO NOT put marble countertops in your house/bathroom!
With laundry laziness... I'll decide to do all of my laundry at once and wash and dry it all, then there's so much to fold and put away that I just leave it in the hamper, then I don't have anywhere to put my dirty laundry and it just cascades into a disaster.
Same af, yep 🙋♀️ omg 😱 thankful it’s just me and the kids and they don’t mind. N boyfriend or husband etc to keep happy or b- about it 😂 it works for me , one way or the other 🤷♀️ for now hahaha
I totally understand this x10 I have 3 kids to keep up with and my husband...I feel like I have to do everything at once and then I don't want to put it away and then I have no place for dirty laundry....I definitely have laundry laziness...hopefully one day I can get over it lol...
I let it pile up TOO MUCH. I have to start doing a load a week or something. Because I see these monster piles and I DREAD doing it. Then it gets delayed further until the pile is taking over my life.
I love "do it now." It can be tedious and annoying, but have found that five minutes now provides a peace of mind because it's not nagging. And it doesn't snowball into a 3 hour task later which takes much more motivation. Keeping up on it all will be less stressful in the long run. And usually it is the getting started that is the hard part.
@@saigefield674 if you can reach it yes but when you’re short 5.4 foot tall & not growing taller anymore it’s difficult & I would rather use hover to clean but difficult when dyson cordless only last around 5 minute before needing a charged,black & decker hover that stop sucking things off floor & old heavy plug in dyson that a pain to get upstairs with that just smells of dog. Which has been cleaned many times. If i didn’t need to hover walls & ceiling then I would have a robot vacuum cleaner but dogs would play with it.
Dusting is the most tedious job. I cannot stand it. Because it’s the walls, the curtains, the blinds, the ceiling fan, the furniture.....I’ve got three kids and two pets and I dust every week and then I see dust all over the very next day lol. Hate it!! Know it’s important but yeah, I agree.
I live in a tropical country, what annoys me a lot is after I dust, a few hours later the dust returns. Hence my dislike for dusting, when that happens its like you did not do any work.
Great tips, thanks! For sure, 'leaving it for later' is the biggest culprit in why some people have cluttered houses. I nag my kids, "When you get up to go to the kitchen, look around your room and bring dishes and trash to the kitchen with you -- you're going there anyway!" They roll their eyes, and I pray they start 'getting it' when they get their own homes. The only item I 'leave for later' w/o guilt is the crockpot to soak overnight. After I've cooked a meal, hustled around getting it on the table, and cleaned up the dinner dishes, I have zero guilt about rinsing the crockpot, filling it with hot water/soap and popping the lid back on the bad boy to soak overnight.
My problem is I never seem to look after my cleaning tools very well eg. Vacuum, washing machine,dryer even brooms I kind of just expect them to do their job without maintenance 🤪
One of my bad habits is that I'll on purposely leave things out as a hint to myself to start a project, read a book, etc. And then it just sits there for weeks and I feel badly that haven't gotten around to doing whatever it was I wanted to do. I think the solution is "a place for everything and everything in its place" and trust that you know where the item is, if you truly are ready to start that project or read that particular book!
I really appreciate that you talked about "waiting on others" because it's happens to many of us where one partner is kindda lazy and other one is fond of neat and tidiness...it used to create a lot of friction for me too...
I have been watching your videos for years. Today, I was so impressed with you speaking about your therapy sessions which really opened you up to show how genuine you are. You are very blessed and I thank you for all of your inspirations.
On the note of laundry...I have struggled for years to put clothes away. I'm so bad about pulling out a bunch of outfits to try on and then throwing them on the floor. And then, when I come home and take off my dirty clothes like you described, everything gets mixed up and I'm left with a giant pile of laundry, some clean and some dirty, all mixed together. About a year ago, I bought a separate laundry basket that is short enough to slide under my bed. Now, any clothes I take off the rack that are still clean go into that basket. If the clothes are dirty, they immediately go into the dirty clothes. If I'm going to wear something again, I'll also put it in the clean basket. Every couple days, I will check my clean basket and hang up any clothes that I know I won't be wearing any time soon. This strategy has literally changed my life. Even if I start to fall off and get lazy, I can quickly take 10 minutes to look at my floor and find what's clean and dirty and separate them. It doesn't completely stop the habit, but it makes the task seem so much more manageable which makes me much more likely to actually separate my laundry.
Good idea! I will have to try that. I never know what to do w the worn briefly but still clean clothes. It just doesn't feel right hanging them back up if they have been worn, even though they're clean! 😜
Put a small, soft hamper- type container next to your bed and put the clothes you take off in that rather than on the floor. Dump it twice a week in the laundry area. I believe in putting bins for toys, tools, hair products, etc., right where you need them.
This may be my favorite of anything you've posted..and I enjoy all of your videos! Melissa..I get you. All my life i dumped clothes on a chair in my bedroom..dirty, clean, tried on but not worn etc. I drove my poor Mother crazy. Then as an adult, purely by accident, when we moved we found we had no use for an inexpensive coat tree that came with us. It ended up tucked in a nook of our master bath next to our closet and, purely by accident, it's become the temporary place for what used to end up on my chair and now my dirty laundry goes into a basket just inside the closet. Unlike the floor or chair, the coat tree can hold only a few items so it demands attention sooner than later. Coat trees now come in a broad range of designs and materials so coordinating with your decor is no problem. I Love your tips. Never leave a room empty handed. 😄
My issue isn't the regular stuff like dishes or clutter or laundry or even vacuuming, it's the extra stuff like cleaning baseboards, window seals, light fixtures, the top of the fridge, outsides of the washer/dryer etc... I just never find the time or I put it off until it's really bad. 😭
My big issue is I want the house to myself when I'm cleaning and organizing. If other is home I tend to stop, because I feel I now have to switch to cooking. I find I get angered for being disrupted. Why is that. They don't care if I keep cleaning. Is that weird?
I use a lot of “Clean With Me” videos to motivate me to clean. I prefer actually watching yours since you give a lot of tips and tricks, but yours will be the lead up to the actual clean for me :)
My bad habit is not putting things away right away. And I hope I'm not the only one that will start a project and then leave it out until I can get back to it. Thing is, it might be an hour, a day, a week...etc.
I loved all your advice Melissa! It’s always good to be reminded about making cleaning efficient and bacteria 🦠 free. I struggled with the “waiting for others to pitch in too” with my hubby when we were first married - but heard a marriage advice that really changed all that: “marriage is 💯 percent -100 percent and not 50/50, 50:50 is divorce - if both of you try your best maybe someday hubby is 30% and your 80% or both of you are 60% etc but together If you give your very best - your marriage will always be over 💯 %
“Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” by Dr Joe Dispenza was the best thing that ever happened to me. I got off the hamster wheel of my ruminating thoughts... no looping negative voices in my head anymore!
My bad habit is putting things off till later and you are so right- Later never comes!! My MIL lived in Europe during WWII and taught my husband to never throw anything out so we have way too much stuff!!
Yes I play these videos on the TV while I clean. Love it. It is like someone doing it with you. I have a friend we do the same with each other even if it just messaging back and forth.
Yes! Use cloth napkins! I’ve been doing it for years. Just throw them into the washer with the kitchen towels. That’s an easy one. Storage Boxes: you don’t need more - you need less stuff!!! Sponges: have not used them in decades! Euweww! Just germ magnets! I bought dozens of good cotton dish cloths, use them for one day only then in the kitchen/dining room wash.
Linen napkins for the win! I've been wanting to learn how to sew so this was great practice and I think of all the paper napkins we aren't throwing away!!
I actually watch these videos when I have shit I have to do.. but no motivation. Even if no one says it, it reminds me that things really DO feel "better" when they're more tidy. Thank you. 💙
This video is fantastic. So glad I landed on it!! My bad habit is trying to cram things in at the weekend whilst feeling overwhelmed. This is because I can't do alot during the week. I've tried cleaning schedules and doing some bits on the evening but it doesn't work 🙁
My grandkids age 13and 14 are now doing their own cleaning. Can you do a video for their age group? Their mother hates cleaning and they need inspiration.
I have bad habit of procrastinating. I love to keep home clean but I get tired soon even before starting. If I get mood I will go on cleaning non stop but getting that mood is very difficult. Also I tend to collect laundry load and then do which I hate. But unfortunately can't stop doing it. I love to practise Minimalist when cleaning but end up splitting into other rooms and then not much stuff is get rid off.
I am an expert at starting a load of laundry and forgetting it in the washing machine😳. Then with the musty wet smell I have to wash it all over again!
I struggle so much with these. I also struggle with organizing. I can see how I want it in my head but I can’t figure out how to get to that point. This goes from big jobs all the way to having the right things where I need them as well as the order. Then I’m so frustrated I just give up.
I have a new appreciation for janitors and custodial workers after working from home. After seeing the amount of hair I shed and probably dead skin cells, and having to clean it. I won't ever take them for granted. I do dislike dusting my home which brings spiders. The most annoying part is dusting blinds. My mom takes the blinds outside and hoses them down. I'm wondering if there's a more efficient way of doing this. Thanks Clean My Space for your videos! They have come in handy. ❤
I thought it was very generous of you to share your time in therapy. Humanizes everything you say. And SO right about storage boxes. I realized that my real problem was that I needed to declutter and deal with my low-level hoarding problem (which I am doing) -- not get more boxes,.
Specifically what is wrong with using old t-shirts as cleaning rags? I've been doing it for about 30 years, all 100% cotton, very soft, and cut into large squares. Lint free, environmentally friendly, effective for me.
Restful Learning is right. Also, some t-shirts aren't made of cotton. They can also be made of rayon, polyester, and acrylic, and they don't do so well for cleaning.
Omg! Me, it’s leaving piles of stuff that needs putting away. My form of procrastination like I'm too lazy to go all the way "over there". If it’s for the basement, it goes at the top of the stairs or the corner of the kitchen island closest to the stairs. Stuff to be filed is overflowing in my "to be filed" bin. Stuff to go back in the car (grocery bags) are at the door, Stuff that goes outside for gardening is piled on the island corner closest to the back door and so on. I forget to grab the stuff when I am heading to these locations. Crazy thing is we live in a thousand sq ft bungalow. Would it hurt me to go the extra 12 feet to put it away? I obviously must think so LOL!
Wow, I do the exact same thing and also live in a small rancher. I joke that I'm a "piler". That's my technique. I just pile things that are organized, but that's as far as it gets. I do exactly what you do with placing things in a kind of waiting area instead of just dealing with it! I think it's a symptom of not having space for all the "stuff". I do think I am quite organized but when I run out of room it's exhausting to have to re-think where things are going to go. It's a domino effect. For example, I have 2 big bags of winter clothes waiting to be switched over from our closet and dresser, but it is a big job that probably won't be tackled until I'm desperate. The bags of winter clothes are accessible now though (out of the attic), so that's something right? haha. It's the constant shuffle of stuff that kills any motivation I may have. I'm pretty good with bathroom cleanliness and de-cluttering for some reason, but there's always somewhere that needs that extra step. I also find it difficult to do things in small increments of time. I'd rather do a full on job - cleaning, decluttering, whatever, instead of little bit here, little bit there. I find that to be no fun at all.
I have several bad habits. I dont finish jobs, I ignore the clutter (3 kids), I wait til I'm fed up to toss lots of stuff, I have a hard time getting rid of things for fear I'll "use it one day" :p
Yes, do it later has got to go for me. This morning, I made a deal with myself. Clean the kitchen for 5 minutes before I sit down with my coffee. I set a timer for 5 minutes. When it went off, I set it again since I was on a roll. When it went off again, I finished up what I was working on and had my coffee.
I have been guilty of all these things at one time or another. My worst right now is "watching you clean." When I see that your room is clean, mine is supposed to be clean, too, right? (ha ha). I also remember my mom's coming home routine of kicking off her shoes, pulling off her ear rings, and relaxing, then on Saturday, she would gather up the pile of shoes for me to put away and the same with the ear rings. That was only done because there wasn't room for any more! When I spent 3 months recently with my daughter and son-in-law due to COVID, I discovered that 3 pair of my shoes could fit under the chair where I was sitting. Also, if I couldn't find something, it was time to clean up my little "corner" of the room and usually I would find the lost item. Thanks for everything and keep up the good work!
The bad habit I have is letting the dishes sit for days. I dont have a dishwasher so I solely depend on my hands haha I work 11 -12 hours a day and I only got 1 hour every morning as I get home too tired and we just eat. In the morning I wake up 1 hour earlier and clean as much as I can I've been washing dishes for 3 days but today at 5 a.m I realized I don't have more and only need to take my laundry to my mum's to hang it. We got 7 hours of good sun all through the year so we just hang dry. Probably we just need to find our balance and my balance was waking up everyday 1 hour earlier and just clean one part of the house oh and today I will wash my hair hahah
10:32 As a procrastinator myself,I found motivation in a quote by Samin Nosrat,that the small,tedious tasks in the kitchen and in life,really, are actually life itself. Pleasure can be everywhere,and these small victories over the annoying things we must do is surely a small pleasure!
My bad habit is that I always pack the dishwasher at night and always promise Ill run it before I go to bed'(just incase I have forgotten a dish or two) and I dont and the next morning I wake up to a dishwasher that hasn''t been run. I really love your videos they really motivate me to clean and yes I do do the cleaning not just listening. :)
I just deep cleaned my bathroom this morning, following the steps in your book, and now it's sparkling clean in just about 45 minutes; THANK YOU!! Your book, your videos, and your positive attitude have revolutionized my cleaning 💪🏻🧹🧼
You are always SO captivating! LOVE everything you post! I don't know enough about cleaning, even though our channel is all about organizing. Haha. I can hack most bad habits and make family life as streamline as possible (the laundry issue has been cracked), but I don't know how to always clean up the messes that family life brings! Haha. You are my go-to person for cleaning my home!
I really enjoy your videos! One of my favorite tips is leaving the cleaning product before wiping. Such a simple thing and yet it's a huge difference. Saves time and frustration (thinking the product isn't effective). It's so true about a designated work space. Trying to work at the dinning table made me nuts especially with an open floor plan. Walking past it all the time and feeling like I should work on "off hours". Plus with an office, the work day has an end when I leave the room.
My bad habit is, I can have the tidiest room today but within that same day I have this ''special chair'' where I dump my clothes after I get changed. This is really annoying for me as I don't like to put clothes that I have worn back in my drawers or wardrobe with the clean clothes and neither are these clothes dirty to be thrown in the laundry bag. So they get lost in the ''in between'' and everyday this pile seems to get bigger and bigger. I want to cry! PS. whilst watching this video it got me really motivated to get the mess cleared up in my room, but whats the preventative measure ???
Been struggling with this for years, but think I’ve gotten better. I cringe when I hear about clothes being left on the floor. Isn’t that what that chair in your room is for? Clearly it is not meant for sitting in, that would be stupid right? 😂 Try having a designated draw or section of your closet that you can place the worn clothes in, after airing out on the chair for a day or so. This is what I “try” to do anyway. *edit: I can relate to the chair full of clothes, the tidy room, not so much. 😂
Usually that's the starting point. I would do that in at first, but then I would get inspired. I realized I feel better when I feel I have accomplished something.
I procrastinate cleaning my Dyson vacuum canister and parts. I always stress out about putting the canister back together. It’s such a nasty job and the dirt gets everywhere.
Excellent x3!!! Was like a checklist to say yes or no to my own weaknesses. Owned home for 8 years now as a single mom with son who is now a junior in college. In 2016 got Lyme disease and lost a year due to extreme fatigue and arthritis like pain. House went downhill.. Have gotten better like 70 percent. Less stamina, and easily overwhelmed at some of the areas that need addressed. My son is a huge help and has done alot to get things to more manageable for me. So now I am fighting back to get house to MY STANDARD of clean tidy organized. Thanks!! 🤗🤗
I'm guilty of everything you mentioned Melissa. The most thing that I say I'll get to it later, which I say similar to that is, "Eventually I'll get to it." I want to just like smack myself in the mouth every time I say that. I'm like stop saying that, you know you won't. Though all this, I still make the effort to do what I have to do to get things done clean and I'll say it again I credit you for this Melissa because I've been watching you since oh my gosh for so many years, and I pre-ordered your book when it came out years ago and I have bought in your products and I've listened and I've watched and supported and share tips with other people of what I do that you have shared. You've helped so many people and it's evident and I was so glad that I found you on RUclips many years ago because I don't know what I would have done. And how I found you was your first video of how to clean the toilet where you first showed how to clean the toilet so that's how far back I've been watching you since. Crazy lol. Thank you so much. It's a process to get to where you can get to a point where you can say I have to break habits and I have to stay on top of things, but I know eventually I get there. Thank you. ❤️🙂
I always have felt I can rest and sleep better in a clean bedroom. If I see something out of place, it nags at me until I get up and take care of it. Thank you for your work here on RUclips. It’s quite helpful and motivational! Thank you! ❤️
Thank you for the great content you are providing - my household skills have very much improved since I've implemented some of your tips. On a more personal note: You're looking pretty tired and stressed out - I hope you are doing OK!
My worst habit is pushing the mess to my “office” room rn that I’m not working , I’ve let that room completely go ,also I’ll leave storage stuff in my garage that usto be my gym 💪 now I can’t get my self to go into either room help me 😭
Hard take on reality of bad habits. I am saving all your positivity for must do CHORES of today. Bad habits abound here, but will not have the “my job, your job” rant going anymore. Thanks for that.
You're a lifesaver! I didn't know how to clean anything, but I got your book and it was so helpful. I have a breathing disorder that kicks in with irritants in the air, so cleaning products wreaked havoc for me. Your DIY cleaners, which I have labeled bottles of, makes things so much easier for me.
I definitely have so many issues around cleaning the house, so I love these videos. I have a suggestion about the clothes on the floor habit: I hate putting clothes back in the cupboard if I've worn them a bit, but they're not yet needing a wash. So, I bought a clothes stand for my room, and have laundry hampers in other rooms, so things can be hung or dumped. Easier and quicker to decide. Over the door hangers or hooks, or a rack on a wall is a good substitute for a clothes stand, which is a bit wobbly.
I feel you! Like I'm doing beds and I have only 1 more pillowcase to change and..... I'm leaving fot another task or taking a break... When I realised that I was like: WHAT?! Oh no my dear, you stay here and you FINISH it! We don't need that task to sit in our head forever:)
Honestly the "stop waiting for others" thing hit me. I live in a fair sized house shared with my boyfriend, my brother and two other (male) flatmates. I'm conflict avoidant to begin with, but even when I speak up nothing seems to change and it's causing me so much stress and anxiety, not to mention making me feel bitter when I seem to be the only one cleaning. Anyone got any tips? I'm at the end of my rope 😅
12:12 = OMIGOSH THAT IS ME, GUILTY AS CHARGED YOUR HONOR But seriously, great content as always!! I love your videos. 👍👍 I gotta say though, I have found that an old t-shirt and Pledge was the ONLY thing that actually worked and helped me not only get ALL THE DUST, it also motivated me in a big way to actually dust. Microfiber cloths just do not cut it. They are good for some things, but not tackling dust in my house. I flipping hate dusting. Until I discovered the t-shirt and Pledge trick!! Hallelujah!!! I have not figured out how to clean said old t-shirt, but I'm working on it. 🙏
OH MY! It is almost midnight and I have a blind by my bed that I only see the dust and lint on when I go to bed. Guess where I am heading before bed, after watching this! Thanks for the push.
My bad cleaning habit is always seeing it as this big thing I have to do and then I keep procrastinating it instead of doing a little bit here and there, i.e. if my sink, toilet and floor need cleaning and I see that as a one time activity, I try to tell myself to just do one thing and that will be good enough. Usually I end up doing the other stuff as well, but it's more about tricking my brain into starting with something ;) have the same problem with cooking although there's it's a bit hard to divide things up if it's one meal ;)
Being nice to myself is something I'm learning how to do. Cleaning has always been something I've hated because I always let it build up and then on the weekends it was this event to clean the house but it had gotten so bad during the week that it took us ALL weekend (sat & sun) just to get it back to livable & tidy. I'm now realizing (because of your videos and my own experience in trying to keep my house clean) that implementing small habits that I do during the day is what keeps the house clean. I'm still fairly young and I really have to fight myself constantly because I feel like I'm old enough and I should know how to do stuff like this by now. I'm fully capable of being an independent adult and yet I'm just now learning basic stuff people learned when they were probably young teenagers or even kids? But it's okay that I'm learning this now because it's FAR better than never learning them at all. My house is getting clean because of things that I'm doing to clean it and that is a much better situation than what I was previously in due to depression. It's teaching me philosophies that I can carry with me into other areas. Like exercising, and eating healthier. It's giving me a different attitude on life that I CAN actually do things even if i'm late to the party so to speak. My mom says that I'm far too young to be as jaded as a 90 year old but I'm trying to be more positive and be nicer to myself.
I'm so happy I found you. I like that you use simple straight forward non toxic cleaning products. I don't like to use anything that makes me cough when I spray it. Let me ask you this tho is it ok to use hydrogen peroxide straight up or 1/2 and 1/2.? Is it good for cleaning and disinfecting? Or is it good just for cleaning alone. If it was ur house what would you use? Thanks for your time and help.🥰
I am definitely hard on myself. I am currently working on going through not only my parents stuff but grandparents stuff and at times I get overwhelmed with it all. My husband isn’t very supportive in anything that I do. Your videos and channel have been very helpful.
LOVED THIS!! Especially the idea of not playing scorekeeper for responsibilities between spouses. Something isn’t husband and I need to shift in our minds, most certainly! Thanks, Melissa!! ❤️
I think my cleaning bad habit is not taking the time to put things away properly all the time. I sometimes just get overwhelmed and the thought of having to put something away in its proper place is just too much. I realize how silly this must sound to some people (probably how I simply cannot comprehend the leaving the clothes on the floor issue. That's just something I've never done, ever). My bad habit is worse with things that only get taken out every now and then, like holiday decor. And you know what? Maybe it's because I have too much of it. Maybe I should downsize a bit and see if that makes putting the things away easier. Your videos have changed my life for the better in so many ways, I can't thank you enough.
A good habit is never go to another room empty handed. If you are going to the kitchen bring that used coffee mug from the living room with you. Going to bedroom, bring that laundry with you to put away. Holiday decor...three days after New Year's Day it all comes down and gets packed away. Junk mail and catalogues, quick look thro and toss immediately. Once you get in the habit being tidy gets easier.
Laundry laziness is a game changer. I have developed the rule of only touch once So if I take my clothes off, my only option to only touch them once is to throw them in the laundry hamper immediately. I do this with shoes and my coat so they immediately go in the coat closet the second I walk in the door. I heard that little trick from somewhere and it has helped me and stuck with me for these past few years. But like you said...the toddler is now the challenging part lol
My issue with cleaning is basically my attitude towards it. I look at it as pure drudgery, so I don't look forward to even beginning. I dread it! However, I've been working on that and since I have, it's SO MUCH better! I focus not on the task itself, but on how great it's going to look & smell when I'm done. I focus on the end game, not the beginning. But honestly, it's a real struggle for me.
Microwave! Our microwave is up high and I can't see the mess that sometimes forms in or on there. So I don't clean it often enough. My husband hates it because he is tall enough to SEE IT ALL!
I'm too hard on myself and want everything tidy and clean but I have a toddler and a pretty stressful full-time job 😅 I'm learning to relax my standards a bit more. P.s. I leave my sponge on the window sill to dry in the sun. Editing to add that my husband does all the difficult, yucky or time-consuming tasks (cleaning the shower and tub, laundry, washing the rubbish bins, hoovering and similar) so I feel like that tidy and clean state is almost achievable. Then my toddler drops a yogurt on the sofa and I realise resistance is futile 😂
- Not unloading the dishwasher straight away or when I get home from work - Clothes on the floor instead of hanging them in the bathroom or behind the door - Leaving clothes in the dryer for a ridiculous amount of time - Put on cleaning videos on the tv and thinking: can she fly over to Belgium and clean my house?
My problem is floors, mostly because that motion of sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, raking really hurts my back. But also, I don’t like doing it. While my husband was alive he did all the vacuuming, which was the whole house except kitchen and bathroom. That was great but now I’m on my own and find with the least bit of excuse I put off any of these things for days. I’m trying to learn to bit the bullet and get it done and out of the way, this is usually successful for one time then back in same pattern.
At night, I don't have the energy to deal with clothes, so I have two baskets in my closet: one for dirty laundry and another for clothes to put back on my shelves. In the morning I deal with that
My worst cleaning habit is procrastination. I am also one of those people who sit and watch your videos passively and think about cleaning, but not doing it. I have gotten better about not putting things off.
Couldn’t have worded my current actions any better 😂🤦🏼♀️
Perfected the skill of procrastination 100% hehe
“If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done” great comment
One of my "a-ha" moments was when I read "Don't put it down, put it away!" This quote alone has helped me change my habits.
Love that quote
It’s so hard for me to do that though
Yes. That quote is my mantra.
Same here! I find myself saying it every time I have something in my hands when I’m doing stuff around the house. Game-changer for me!
That saying has helped me tremendously.
I was depressed (due to chronic pain) and didn’t realize how dirty my house had become. Once the pain and depression was addressed it was time to address my home. I tried everything but found that listening to you and @nataliebennet while I clean helped me to see PROGRESS which has helped towards maintaining zones. I am a social butterfly who lives alone so hearing you ladies in the background, (especially @nataliebennet children in the background) helped me to overcome the loneliness. Lastly, the best advice you both have given was not to be so hard on myself. Ok, I am still working on that but I am better so I feel less anxious.
Thank you for all you do and for this video. Big Hugs & Blessings
I also struggle to clean when I’m depressed. You can judge my mood by the state of my house. Hiring someone to clean is my self-care 😀
Andrea Johnson We have that in common. I am considering hiring someone to help. Thank you for sharing
As someone who also struggles with depression and anxiety (much better now thanks to therapy but it is a lifelong journey to coping with an incurable condition) and having it completely waylay my life and habits, I wanted to say how happy for, and proud of you I am that you're making progress and seeing that progress!! And oh my gosh the "not being so hard on myself" yep yep - story of our lives, right? You're doing great! Keep it up!
Kimberly Newsom Thank you!
Me too!! All the best!
Hot tip -- I've been putting things that I've worn but I wouldn't consider dirty in a woven basket next to my nightstand. Then I can pick and choose things out of that basket, and when it's laundry day, that basket can just be dumped into the actual hamper and washed. It's been working really well for keeping my laundry from piling up everyplace.
I love how you speak throughout your entire video. A lot of people just clean up with music. You really have a voice for getting people to be proactive and take away the anxiety of it all. Cool!
“Waiting on others” is definitely a bad habit that I’ve developed over the past year when I moved out with my boyfriend & his 2 other brothers. Definitely a lesson learned for me is to not rely on others to get something done. If I want something done, I just do it myself.
0:36 - The Wrong Product
2:12 - Disposable Products
3:13 - Waiting On Others
4:44 - Laundry Laziness
6:02 - Storage Boxes
7:10 - Wet Sponges
7:39 - Overlapping Spaces
8:30 - Rushing A Job
9:12 - Harsh Products
10:06 - I'll Do It Later
11:02 - Getting Home Routine
12:12 - Watching, Not Doing
13:05 - Judging Yourself
Question on waiting on others....
The advice of "just do more" when it comes to cleaning. So that always seems to fall on the partner in relationships that either want to live in a clean house or are expected to keep a house clean (let's be real, it's usually the women this falls on).
Am I taking the advice the wrong way? The division of mess and tidying is such a childish way of thinking to me. We all live in a home and it needs to be kept to a certain standard of clean. However it's incredibly hurtful to me people think doing the bare minimum, like their dishes once a week, or wiping a counter down, is enough. Because their other roommate or partner will "do more" because they care more.
It's exhausting.
Thank you! With just listening to the video in the background while cleaning it would be awesome if you could say what the “step” is that is on the purple screens!
@@gnomcicle I struggled with that for many years. I always felt resentful & used, because I worked full time, then came home & worked full time.
I didn't really appreciate the things my husband did.
He mowed the lawn, edged it, watered it, did all the trimming, planting, weed killing, etc. If anything broke or wore out in the home he repaired it. Plumbing, flooring, electrical issues, exterior issues, etc. He did all the maintenance on our cars including oil changes, cleaning inside & out, replacing parts, airing up tires and/or changing them, etc. He also kept lawn equipment cleaned & in good repair. Fixed our fence, built a new gate. And he kept the garage clean. All this while he worked full-time & earned the majority of the money to pay the bills and raise our children.
Bug in the house? His responsibility. Night-time scary noise? His responsibility. Someone was rude to his wife? He took care of it. Late evening emergency run to the store? He went. He was our rock.
I did the bulk of the housework, but he would wash dishes, clean counters, sweep floors, etc, when he wasn't too tired.
He has been sick for many years now. He has a genetic disease that is crippling and painful, so he has not been able to do any of these things for a long time. It's hard for him because he feels like a burden rather than the provider & protector he always was.
Everything is now on me. All the yard work, all the car repairs, all the cleaning, all the bills, all of everything.
You know that saying that you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone? It's true.
Sometimes it's so overwhelming I get stressed out and depressed and have to fight not to shut down.
Decluttering is the only thing that helps. Less stuff to maintain, organize, and clean.
The more you declutter, the easier daily life becomes. It lessens the load of cleaning, organizing, anxiety, & stress....and therefore lessens resentment :)
@@JamieM470 thanks for the reply. I completely understand what you're saying, and yes it's helpful to have a partner that does the outdoor/auto stuff. But my caveat is that stuff doesn't need to be done every day. He didn't need to mow the lawn or charge the oil every night, but you had to clean the kitchen a few times a week minimum, if not every night. Also, you are doing maintenance, vs cleaning up after everyone in the household.
so while that stuff is needed, there is a difference in home maintenance and the drudgery of every day cleaning, in my opinion.
Obviously if one partner isn't working then splitting the chores where they take that stuff on makes sense, but most household in the US, both partners are working.
sorry to hear about your husband's health. that is terrible and definitely sounds hard on him.
when i need motivation, i just watch you... and if that doesn't work, I watch a couple of episodes of Horders, and THAT gets me going!!
I do that too! Maybe I should watch an episode now...
The same here (i.e. Hoarders)! My daughter hates it when I watch that show because I become a lunatic in cleanliness. 😆
I watch Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners for motivation!
@@f8227 I do this too when I really don't have any motivation. After watching that I'm in panic like I'm a hoarder too and my home is a mess and I go for it!))
Oh thank goodness I'm NOT the only one who does this. Then I feel guilty and smugly superior to those poor folks who are so ill that they live in filth.
I've learned over the years that, if I want something done, I have to do it myself. No one else in my house gives a damn about keeping it clean, and nagging people stresses me out, so I just do it myself. It sucks, but it keeps me sane and healthy.
I realized that I was buying cleaning products instead of cleaning, similar to what you said about watching cleaning videos instead of cleaning. I need to actually use what I purchased.
I do that!!
I feel seen 😂 My collection of microfiber cloths is ridiculous and I only actually like about a quarter of them. I really need to declutter them but my response is “but I use them to clean” or “but they’re my backups”
@@avi6106 😆 I GET it!!
Totally me! Lol my cleaning Arsenal is crazy
@@crysjenkins6182 😆 I need to have a cleaning product sale.
I had a new house cleaner leave a circle etched in my marble bathroom counter top. It took me a little while to discover the circle was the same size as my vinegar bottle. Lesson 1) don’t assume all house cleaners know what they are doing and lesson 2) DO NOT put marble countertops in your house/bathroom!
"Later never comes." I'm stealing that.
it's yours!
Don’t forget to “kiss the frog” too! 😚🐸😁
Just got my first apartment and your videos have helped me keep my apartment nice and clean :) thank you
Congrats on your apartment!!
With laundry laziness... I'll decide to do all of my laundry at once and wash and dry it all, then there's so much to fold and put away that I just leave it in the hamper, then I don't have anywhere to put my dirty laundry and it just cascades into a disaster.
YES that's the worst. If you can catch yourself it'd make such a difference!!! I used to do that all the time.
Same af, yep 🙋♀️ omg 😱 thankful it’s just me and the kids and they don’t mind. N boyfriend or husband etc to keep happy or b- about it 😂 it works for me , one way or the other 🤷♀️ for now hahaha
I totally understand this x10 I have 3 kids to keep up with and my husband...I feel like I have to do everything at once and then I don't want to put it away and then I have no place for dirty laundry....I definitely have laundry laziness...hopefully one day I can get over it lol...
I let it pile up TOO MUCH. I have to start doing a load a week or something. Because I see these monster piles and I DREAD doing it. Then it gets delayed further until the pile is taking over my life.
Been there! I hear you!
I love "do it now." It can be tedious and annoying, but have found that five minutes now provides a peace of mind because it's not nagging. And it doesn't snowball into a 3 hour task later which takes much more motivation.
Keeping up on it all will be less stressful in the long run. And usually it is the getting started that is the hard part.
My bad cleaning habit is putting off dusting lol. I absolutely hate dusting!! Lol
Same with me, i forced myself to dust yesterday tho, should of done it 3 weeks ago
Seriously? That's the easiest thing you can do.
@@saigefield674 if you can reach it yes but when you’re short 5.4 foot tall & not growing taller anymore it’s difficult & I would rather use hover to clean but difficult when dyson cordless only last around 5 minute before needing a charged,black & decker hover that stop sucking things off floor & old heavy plug in dyson that a pain to get upstairs with that just smells of dog. Which has been cleaned many times. If i didn’t need to hover walls & ceiling then I would have a robot vacuum cleaner but dogs would play with it.
Dusting is the most tedious job. I cannot stand it. Because it’s the walls, the curtains, the blinds, the ceiling fan, the furniture.....I’ve got three kids and two pets and I dust every week and then I see dust all over the very next day lol. Hate it!! Know it’s important but yeah, I agree.
I live in a tropical country, what annoys me a lot is after I dust, a few hours later the dust returns. Hence my dislike for dusting, when that happens its like you did not do any work.
Great tips, thanks! For sure, 'leaving it for later' is the biggest culprit in why some people have cluttered houses. I nag my kids, "When you get up to go to the kitchen, look around your room and bring dishes and trash to the kitchen with you -- you're going there anyway!" They roll their eyes, and I pray they start 'getting it' when they get their own homes. The only item I 'leave for later' w/o guilt is the crockpot to soak overnight. After I've cooked a meal, hustled around getting it on the table, and cleaned up the dinner dishes, I have zero guilt about rinsing the crockpot, filling it with hot water/soap and popping the lid back on the bad boy to soak overnight.
My problem is I never seem to look after my cleaning tools very well eg. Vacuum, washing machine,dryer even brooms I kind of just expect them to do their job without maintenance 🤪
The cleaning tools aren't self-cleaning! I wish they were.
Ive done that! Burned out 2 vacuum cleaner motors before I learned my lesson ☹
One of my bad habits is that I'll on purposely leave things out as a hint to myself to start a project, read a book, etc. And then it just sits there for weeks and I feel badly that haven't gotten around to doing whatever it was I wanted to do. I think the solution is "a place for everything and everything in its place" and trust that you know where the item is, if you truly are ready to start that project or read that particular book!
The 'don't wait' part hit me hard. Thank you
I really appreciate that you talked about "waiting on others" because it's happens to many of us where one partner is kindda lazy and other one is fond of neat and tidiness...it used to create a lot of friction for me too...
My worst habit is not finding a place for something, so it never has a place to go and moves around, always out and making things look cluttered
I have been watching your videos for years. Today, I was so impressed with you speaking about your therapy sessions which really opened you up to show how genuine you are. You are very blessed and I thank you for all of your inspirations.
On the note of laundry...I have struggled for years to put clothes away. I'm so bad about pulling out a bunch of outfits to try on and then throwing them on the floor. And then, when I come home and take off my dirty clothes like you described, everything gets mixed up and I'm left with a giant pile of laundry, some clean and some dirty, all mixed together.
About a year ago, I bought a separate laundry basket that is short enough to slide under my bed. Now, any clothes I take off the rack that are still clean go into that basket. If the clothes are dirty, they immediately go into the dirty clothes. If I'm going to wear something again, I'll also put it in the clean basket. Every couple days, I will check my clean basket and hang up any clothes that I know I won't be wearing any time soon.
This strategy has literally changed my life. Even if I start to fall off and get lazy, I can quickly take 10 minutes to look at my floor and find what's clean and dirty and separate them. It doesn't completely stop the habit, but it makes the task seem so much more manageable which makes me much more likely to actually separate my laundry.
Good idea! I will have to try that. I never know what to do w the worn briefly but still clean clothes. It just doesn't feel right hanging them back up if they have been worn, even though they're clean! 😜
Put a small, soft hamper- type container next to your bed and put the clothes you take off in that rather than on the floor. Dump it twice a week in the laundry area. I believe in putting bins for toys, tools, hair products, etc., right where you need them.
This may be my favorite of anything you've posted..and I enjoy all of your videos! Melissa..I get you. All my life i dumped clothes on a chair in my bedroom..dirty, clean, tried on but not worn etc. I drove my poor Mother crazy. Then as an adult, purely by accident, when we moved we found we had no use for an inexpensive coat tree that came with us. It ended up tucked in a nook of our master bath next to our closet and, purely by accident, it's become the temporary place for what used to end up on my chair and now my dirty laundry goes into a basket just inside the closet. Unlike the floor or chair, the coat tree can hold only a few items so it demands attention sooner than later. Coat trees now come in a broad range of designs and materials so coordinating with your decor is no problem. I Love your tips. Never leave a room empty handed. 😄
My issue isn't the regular stuff like dishes or clutter or laundry or even vacuuming, it's the extra stuff like cleaning baseboards, window seals, light fixtures, the top of the fridge, outsides of the washer/dryer etc... I just never find the time or I put it off until it's really bad. 😭
@Agatha z exactly! Except the bathroom. I can't stand a dirty bathroom.
My big issue is I want the house to myself when I'm cleaning and organizing. If other is home I tend to stop, because I feel I now have to switch to cooking. I find I get angered for being disrupted. Why is that. They don't care if I keep cleaning. Is that weird?
Oh gosh. This is me! And now I have college age children at home all the time🙄
lisa, same with me!! i wonder what the reasoning is!!
Me too! Everyone GET OUT NOW. Lol
I think it’s great to hear you say that you struggle with these things too. Even neaty neat people struggle! Not just slobs!
I use a lot of “Clean With Me” videos to motivate me to clean. I prefer actually watching yours since you give a lot of tips and tricks, but yours will be the lead up to the actual clean for me :)
My bad habit is not putting things away right away. And I hope I'm not the only one that will start a project and then leave it out until I can get back to it. Thing is, it might be an hour, a day, a week...etc.
I like putting on a RUclips video in the background whilst I'm cleaning and tidying. It's a great way for me to catch up on my videos to watch.
I loved all your advice Melissa! It’s always good to be reminded about making cleaning efficient and bacteria 🦠 free. I struggled with the “waiting for others to pitch in too” with my hubby when we were first married - but heard a marriage advice that really changed all that: “marriage is 💯 percent -100 percent and not 50/50, 50:50 is divorce - if both of you try your best maybe someday hubby is 30% and your 80% or both of you are 60% etc but together If you give your very best - your marriage will always be over 💯 %
“Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” by Dr Joe Dispenza was the best thing that ever happened to me. I got off the hamster wheel of my ruminating thoughts... no looping negative voices in my head anymore!
It is the best! Changed my life
My bad habit is putting things off till later and you are so right- Later never comes!! My MIL lived in Europe during WWII and taught my husband to never throw anything out so we have way too much stuff!!
Yes I play these videos on the TV while I clean. Love it. It is like someone doing it with you. I have a friend we do the same with each other even if it just messaging back and forth.
Nice!
I talk to my sister on the phone...put her on speaker and clean or do the dishes. It works!!
That's SO NICE! You have accountability-buddies!
I totally agree with you my friend😊
Yes! Use cloth napkins! I’ve been doing it for years. Just throw them into the washer with the kitchen towels. That’s an easy one.
Storage Boxes: you don’t need more - you need less stuff!!!
Sponges: have not used them in decades! Euweww! Just germ magnets! I bought dozens of good cotton dish cloths, use them for one day only then in the kitchen/dining room wash.
Linen napkins for the win! I've been wanting to learn how to sew so this was great practice and I think of all the paper napkins we aren't throwing away!!
I actually watch these videos when I have shit I have to do.. but no motivation. Even if no one says it, it reminds me that things really DO feel "better" when they're more tidy. Thank you. 💙
“Watching instead of cleaning” ... 🙋🏻♀️ here exhaustingly half-washing the dishes 😂
best advise I always remember from Melissa.. when You get you from your seat look around.. bring everything clutter around you and carrying with you..
I have a drawer for items I’ll wear again - so it’s separate from items not worn yet. Makes such a difference to the look & atmosphere in our room
me too
I don't empty the dishwasher soon enough. Then we have a ton of dirty dishes that are piled up waiting to go into the dishwasher.
Same! I can keep dishes up of the dishwasher is empty but once it's clean it's game over
SAME
My dishwasher takes forever. I always forget to empty the clean.
I empty my dishwasher while I am waiting for the kettle to boil or something to cook on the hob.
I empty mine while I’m waiting for my kettle to boil when I make myself a cup of tea or coffee. Tying the chore to a habit helps get it done
This video is fantastic. So glad I landed on it!! My bad habit is trying to cram things in at the weekend whilst feeling overwhelmed. This is because I can't do alot during the week. I've tried cleaning schedules and doing some bits on the evening but it doesn't work 🙁
My grandkids age 13and 14 are now doing their own cleaning. Can you do a video for their age group? Their mother hates cleaning and they need inspiration.
I have bad habit of procrastinating. I love to keep home clean but I get tired soon even before starting. If I get mood I will go on cleaning non stop but getting that mood is very difficult. Also I tend to collect laundry load and then do which I hate. But unfortunately can't stop doing it. I love to practise Minimalist when cleaning but end up splitting into other rooms and then not much stuff is get rid off.
When you were talking about storage boxes I looked at all my storage boxes which contain God knows what?!!!!
That's the problem with them. They all look cute until you OPEN THEM! Choose wisely :)
I am an expert at starting a load of laundry and forgetting it in the washing machine😳. Then with the musty wet smell I have to wash it all over again!
Setting a timer can help. Good luck!
I struggle so much with these. I also struggle with organizing. I can see how I want it in my head but I can’t figure out how to get to that point. This goes from big jobs all the way to having the right things where I need them as well as the order. Then I’m so frustrated I just give up.
Same!! 😖
One LITTLE thing at a time. Just ONE. Rome wasn't built in a day.
I have a new appreciation for janitors and custodial workers after working from home. After seeing the amount of hair I shed and probably dead skin cells, and having to clean it. I won't ever take them for granted.
I do dislike dusting my home which brings spiders. The most annoying part is dusting blinds. My mom takes the blinds outside and hoses them down. I'm wondering if there's a more efficient way of doing this. Thanks Clean My Space for your videos! They have come in handy. ❤
I’m so bad at ignoring cobwebs and dust. I think to myself “I’ll clean that tomorrow” but I always forget 🤦🏼♀️
I thought it was very generous of you to share your time in therapy. Humanizes everything you say. And SO right about storage boxes. I realized that my real problem was that I needed to declutter and deal with my low-level hoarding problem (which I am doing) -- not get more boxes,.
Specifically what is wrong with using old t-shirts as cleaning rags? I've been doing it for about 30 years, all 100% cotton, very soft, and cut into large squares. Lint free, environmentally friendly, effective for me.
I think she was referring to someone trying to use them who isn’t happy with the result. Your tshirts are doing a great job for you!
Tamara, yes! That’s what I do! I also use old towels for cleaning as well.
Restful Learning is right. Also, some t-shirts aren't made of cotton. They can also be made of rayon, polyester, and acrylic, and they don't do so well for cleaning.
Omg! Me, it’s leaving piles of stuff that needs putting away. My form of procrastination like I'm too lazy to go all the way "over there". If it’s for the basement, it goes at the top of the stairs or the corner of the kitchen island closest to the stairs. Stuff to be filed is overflowing in my "to be filed" bin. Stuff to go back in the car (grocery bags) are at the door, Stuff that goes outside for gardening is piled on the island corner closest to the back door and so on. I forget to grab the stuff when I am heading to these locations. Crazy thing is we live in a thousand sq ft bungalow. Would it hurt me to go the extra 12 feet to put it away? I obviously must think so LOL!
Wow, I do the exact same thing and also live in a small rancher. I joke that I'm a "piler". That's my technique. I just pile things that are organized, but that's as far as it gets. I do exactly what you do with placing things in a kind of waiting area instead of just dealing with it! I think it's a symptom of not having space for all the "stuff". I do think I am quite organized but when I run out of room it's exhausting to have to re-think where things are going to go. It's a domino effect. For example, I have 2 big bags of winter clothes waiting to be switched over from our closet and dresser, but it is a big job that probably won't be tackled until I'm desperate. The bags of winter clothes are accessible now though (out of the attic), so that's something right? haha. It's the constant shuffle of stuff that kills any motivation I may have. I'm pretty good with bathroom cleanliness and de-cluttering for some reason, but there's always somewhere that needs that extra step. I also find it difficult to do things in small increments of time. I'd rather do a full on job - cleaning, decluttering, whatever, instead of little bit here, little bit there. I find that to be no fun at all.
I have several bad habits. I dont finish jobs, I ignore the clutter (3 kids), I wait til I'm fed up to toss lots of stuff, I have a hard time getting rid of things for fear I'll "use it one day" :p
I am the ultimate ‘do it later’. I always thought it would be more fun with a friend. You volunteered! THANK YOU!! 💖🦩
Yes, do it later has got to go for me. This morning, I made a deal with myself. Clean the kitchen for 5 minutes before I sit down with my coffee. I set a timer for 5 minutes. When it went off, I set it again since I was on a roll. When it went off again, I finished up what I was working on and had my coffee.
I have been guilty of all these things at one time or another. My worst right now is "watching you clean." When I see that your room is clean, mine is supposed to be clean, too, right? (ha ha). I also remember my mom's coming home routine of kicking off her shoes, pulling off her ear rings, and relaxing, then on Saturday, she would gather up the pile of shoes for me to put away and the same with the ear rings. That was only done because there wasn't room for any more!
When I spent 3 months recently with my daughter and son-in-law due to COVID, I discovered that 3 pair of my shoes could fit under the chair where I was sitting. Also, if I couldn't find something, it was time to clean up my little "corner" of the room and usually I would find the lost item.
Thanks for everything and keep up the good work!
The bad habit I have is letting the dishes sit for days. I dont have a dishwasher so I solely depend on my hands haha I work 11 -12 hours a day and I only got 1 hour every morning as I get home too tired and we just eat. In the morning I wake up 1 hour earlier and clean as much as I can I've been washing dishes for 3 days but today at 5 a.m I realized I don't have more and only need to take my laundry to my mum's to hang it. We got 7 hours of good sun all through the year so we just hang dry. Probably we just need to find our balance and my balance was waking up everyday 1 hour earlier and just clean one part of the house oh and today I will wash my hair hahah
Maybe somebody else in your house could take this chore?..
10:32 As a procrastinator myself,I found motivation in a quote by Samin Nosrat,that the small,tedious tasks in the kitchen and in life,really, are actually life itself. Pleasure can be everywhere,and these small victories over the annoying things we must do is surely a small pleasure!
My bad habit is that I always pack the dishwasher at night and always promise Ill run it before I go to bed'(just incase I have forgotten a dish or two) and I dont and the next morning I wake up to a dishwasher that hasn''t been run.
I really love your videos they really motivate me to clean and yes I do do the cleaning not just listening. :)
I just deep cleaned my bathroom this morning, following the steps in your book, and now it's sparkling clean in just about 45 minutes; THANK YOU!! Your book, your videos, and your positive attitude have revolutionized my cleaning 💪🏻🧹🧼
You are always SO captivating! LOVE everything you post!
I don't know enough about cleaning, even though our channel is all about organizing. Haha. I can hack most bad habits and make family life as streamline as possible (the laundry issue has been cracked), but I don't know how to always clean up the messes that family life brings! Haha. You are my go-to person for cleaning my home!
Aww thank you. Listen, we all just do our best!
Excuse me! What happened after that damage was done to the marble counter? I need a conclusion to that story
No you don’t
She probably had to pay for damages. Like a new countertop...💰💵
@@truepeace3 that would be ridiculous lol I hope not
@@prrsun Well, she said it was costly. 🤷🏼♀️
She may have had to have it polished out if not replaced.
I really enjoy your videos! One of my favorite tips is leaving the cleaning product before wiping. Such a simple thing and yet it's a huge difference. Saves time and frustration (thinking the product isn't effective). It's so true about a designated work space. Trying to work at the dinning table made me nuts especially with an open floor plan. Walking past it all the time and feeling like I should work on "off hours". Plus with an office, the work day has an end when I leave the room.
My bad habit is, I can have the tidiest room today but within that same day I have this ''special chair'' where I dump my clothes after I get changed. This is really annoying for me as I don't like to put clothes that I have worn back in my drawers or wardrobe with the clean clothes and neither are these clothes dirty to be thrown in the laundry bag. So they get lost in the ''in between'' and everyday this pile seems to get bigger and bigger. I want to cry! PS. whilst watching this video it got me really motivated to get the mess cleared up in my room, but whats the preventative measure ???
This ☝️
Been struggling with this for years, but think I’ve gotten better. I cringe when I hear about clothes being left on the floor. Isn’t that what that chair in your room is for? Clearly it is not meant for sitting in, that would be stupid right? 😂 Try having a designated draw or section of your closet that you can place the worn clothes in, after airing out on the chair for a day or so. This is what I “try” to do anyway.
*edit: I can relate to the chair full of clothes, the tidy room, not so much. 😂
Hooks. Hooks are the answer.
@@jackiedee3639 yes, I do this too. They are very helpful. I like to use the over the door ones with the multiple hooks attached.
I have a wooden valet stand in my bedroom for clothes that I’ll wear again.
Oh my God I litterally only watch and never clean... it felt so personal 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Awww. Hugs.
Usually that's the starting point. I would do that in at first, but then I would get inspired. I realized I feel better when I feel I have accomplished something.
I'm so confused. Are Crocs like a new art piece? Lol!
Love all your videos especially your clean with me ones!!! Not only do u clean but explain!
I procrastinate cleaning my Dyson vacuum canister and parts. I always stress out about putting the canister back together. It’s such a nasty job and the dirt gets everywhere.
Excellent x3!!! Was like a checklist to say yes or no to my own weaknesses. Owned home for 8 years now as a single mom with son who is now a junior in college. In 2016 got Lyme disease and lost a year due to extreme fatigue and arthritis like pain. House went downhill.. Have gotten better like 70 percent. Less stamina, and easily overwhelmed at some of the areas that need addressed. My son is a huge help and has done alot to get things to more manageable for me. So now I am fighting back to get house to MY STANDARD of clean tidy organized. Thanks!! 🤗🤗
I'm guilty of everything you mentioned Melissa. The most thing that I say I'll get to it later, which I say similar to that is, "Eventually I'll get to it." I want to just like smack myself in the mouth every time I say that. I'm like stop saying that, you know you won't. Though all this, I still make the effort to do what I have to do to get things done clean and I'll say it again I credit you for this Melissa because I've been watching you since oh my gosh for so many years, and I pre-ordered your book when it came out years ago and I have bought in your products and I've listened and I've watched and supported and share tips with other people of what I do that you have shared. You've helped so many people and it's evident and I was so glad that I found you on RUclips many years ago because I don't know what I would have done. And how I found you was your first video of how to clean the toilet where you first showed how to clean the toilet so that's how far back I've been watching you since. Crazy lol. Thank you so much. It's a process to get to where you can get to a point where you can say I have to break habits and I have to stay on top of things, but I know eventually I get there. Thank you. ❤️🙂
I always have felt I can rest and sleep better in a clean bedroom. If I see something out of place, it nags at me until I get up and take care of it. Thank you for your work here on RUclips. It’s quite helpful and motivational! Thank you! ❤️
Thank you for the great content you are providing - my household skills have very much improved since I've implemented some of your tips. On a more personal note: You're looking pretty tired and stressed out - I hope you are doing OK!
I love these videos but omg there are so many commercials that Im finding it difficult to balance the benefits of the content vs all the ads 😌
My worst habit is pushing the mess to my “office” room rn that I’m not working , I’ve let that room completely go ,also I’ll leave storage stuff in my garage that usto be my gym 💪 now I can’t get my self to go into either room help me 😭
Hard take on reality of bad habits. I am saving all your positivity for must do CHORES of today. Bad habits abound here, but will not have the “my job, your job” rant going anymore. Thanks for that.
I love watching and listening to your videos while I clean!
Thank-you🙏💕
You're a lifesaver! I didn't know how to clean anything, but I got your book and it was so helpful. I have a breathing disorder that kicks in with irritants in the air, so cleaning products wreaked havoc for me. Your DIY cleaners, which I have labeled bottles of, makes things so much easier for me.
I definitely have so many issues around cleaning the house, so I love these videos. I have a suggestion about the clothes on the floor habit: I hate putting clothes back in the cupboard if I've worn them a bit, but they're not yet needing a wash. So, I bought a clothes stand for my room, and have laundry hampers in other rooms, so things can be hung or dumped. Easier and quicker to decide. Over the door hangers or hooks, or a rack on a wall is a good substitute for a clothes stand, which is a bit wobbly.
Ugh my bad habit is paper mail. I have unsubscribed from everything I can but more paper mail keeps coming and getting stuck in my physical inbox.
I have a small cute trash basket at the entry way now so I can throw junk mail out before it gets too far into the house.
@@caroline-s thank you
My back cleaning habit is to start another task when I’m not finished with one
I can totally relate lol
Same....squirrel syndrome describes me lol
Yup then I end up half assing everything
Elizabeth Yáñez, I’ll pray for you, and you pray for me LOL
I feel you! Like I'm doing beds and I have only 1 more pillowcase to change and..... I'm leaving fot another task or taking a break... When I realised that I was like: WHAT?! Oh no my dear, you stay here and you FINISH it! We don't need that task to sit in our head forever:)
Honestly the "stop waiting for others" thing hit me. I live in a fair sized house shared with my boyfriend, my brother and two other (male) flatmates. I'm conflict avoidant to begin with, but even when I speak up nothing seems to change and it's causing me so much stress and anxiety, not to mention making me feel bitter when I seem to be the only one cleaning. Anyone got any tips? I'm at the end of my rope 😅
Either start chore lists for everyone or have them pitch in $$ for a house cleaner (and pay yourself for your time, or hire someone).
12:12 = OMIGOSH THAT IS ME, GUILTY AS CHARGED YOUR HONOR
But seriously, great content as always!! I love your videos. 👍👍 I gotta say though, I have found that an old t-shirt and Pledge was the ONLY thing that actually worked and helped me not only get ALL THE DUST, it also motivated me in a big way to actually dust. Microfiber cloths just do not cut it. They are good for some things, but not tackling dust in my house. I flipping hate dusting. Until I discovered the t-shirt and Pledge trick!! Hallelujah!!! I have not figured out how to clean said old t-shirt, but I'm working on it. 🙏
OH MY! It is almost midnight and I have a blind by my bed that I only see the dust and lint on when I go to bed. Guess where I am heading before bed, after watching this! Thanks for the push.
My bad cleaning habit is always seeing it as this big thing I have to do and then I keep procrastinating it instead of doing a little bit here and there, i.e. if my sink, toilet and floor need cleaning and I see that as a one time activity, I try to tell myself to just do one thing and that will be good enough. Usually I end up doing the other stuff as well, but it's more about tricking my brain into starting with something ;) have the same problem with cooking although there's it's a bit hard to divide things up if it's one meal ;)
Being nice to myself is something I'm learning how to do. Cleaning has always been something I've hated because I always let it build up and then on the weekends it was this event to clean the house but it had gotten so bad during the week that it took us ALL weekend (sat & sun) just to get it back to livable & tidy. I'm now realizing (because of your videos and my own experience in trying to keep my house clean) that implementing small habits that I do during the day is what keeps the house clean. I'm still fairly young and I really have to fight myself constantly because I feel like I'm old enough and I should know how to do stuff like this by now. I'm fully capable of being an independent adult and yet I'm just now learning basic stuff people learned when they were probably young teenagers or even kids?
But it's okay that I'm learning this now because it's FAR better than never learning them at all. My house is getting clean because of things that I'm doing to clean it and that is a much better situation than what I was previously in due to depression. It's teaching me philosophies that I can carry with me into other areas. Like exercising, and eating healthier. It's giving me a different attitude on life that I CAN actually do things even if i'm late to the party so to speak. My mom says that I'm far too young to be as jaded as a 90 year old but I'm trying to be more positive and be nicer to myself.
I'm so happy I found you. I like that you use simple straight forward non toxic cleaning products. I don't like to use anything that makes me cough when I spray it. Let me ask you this tho is it ok to use hydrogen peroxide straight up or 1/2 and 1/2.? Is it good for cleaning and disinfecting? Or is it good just for cleaning alone. If it was ur house what would you use? Thanks for your time and help.🥰
I am definitely hard on myself. I am currently working on going through not only my parents stuff but grandparents stuff and at times I get overwhelmed with it all. My husband isn’t very supportive in anything that I do. Your videos and channel have been very helpful.
Yes I love having you all on while cleaning. It helps motivate me
LOVED THIS!! Especially the idea of not playing scorekeeper for responsibilities between spouses. Something isn’t husband and I need to shift in our minds, most certainly! Thanks, Melissa!! ❤️
I think my cleaning bad habit is not taking the time to put things away properly all the time. I sometimes just get overwhelmed and the thought of having to put something away in its proper place is just too much. I realize how silly this must sound to some people (probably how I simply cannot comprehend the leaving the clothes on the floor issue. That's just something I've never done, ever). My bad habit is worse with things that only get taken out every now and then, like holiday decor. And you know what? Maybe it's because I have too much of it. Maybe I should downsize a bit and see if that makes putting the things away easier. Your videos have changed my life for the better in so many ways, I can't thank you enough.
A good habit is never go to another room empty handed. If you are going to the kitchen bring that used coffee mug from the living room with you. Going to bedroom, bring that laundry with you to put away. Holiday decor...three days after New Year's Day it all comes down and gets packed away. Junk mail and catalogues, quick look thro and toss immediately. Once you get in the habit being tidy gets easier.
Laundry laziness is a game changer. I have developed the rule of only touch once So if I take my clothes off, my only option to only touch them once is to throw them in the laundry hamper immediately. I do this with shoes and my coat so they immediately go in the coat closet the second I walk in the door. I heard that little trick from somewhere and it has helped me and stuck with me for these past few years. But like you said...the toddler is now the challenging part lol
I think you are really great! You have a very gracious way about you and you talk to your audience really well. I enjoy listening to you! Thanks!
Thanks! I am guilty of serveral you mentioned. Dealing with it later is the one I will change first.
My issue with cleaning is basically my attitude towards it. I look at it as pure drudgery, so I don't look forward to even beginning. I dread it! However, I've been working on that and since I have, it's SO MUCH better! I focus not on the task itself, but on how great it's going to look & smell when I'm done. I focus on the end game, not the beginning. But honestly, it's a real struggle for me.
What are your bad habits?
Microwave! Our microwave is up high and I can't see the mess that sometimes forms in or on there. So I don't clean it often enough. My husband hates it because he is tall enough to SEE IT ALL!
My bad habit is watching not cleaning🙈
"I can do tomorrow" syndrome
I'm too hard on myself and want everything tidy and clean but I have a toddler and a pretty stressful full-time job 😅 I'm learning to relax my standards a bit more.
P.s. I leave my sponge on the window sill to dry in the sun.
Editing to add that my husband does all the difficult, yucky or time-consuming tasks (cleaning the shower and tub, laundry, washing the rubbish bins, hoovering and similar) so I feel like that tidy and clean state is almost achievable. Then my toddler drops a yogurt on the sofa and I realise resistance is futile 😂
- Not unloading the dishwasher straight away or when I get home from work
- Clothes on the floor instead of hanging them in the bathroom or behind the door
- Leaving clothes in the dryer for a ridiculous amount of time
- Put on cleaning videos on the tv and thinking: can she fly over to Belgium and clean my house?
You have no idea how helpful your channel has been. Love from Odisha, India 🇮🇳 ❤
My problem is floors, mostly because that motion of sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, raking really hurts my back. But also, I don’t like doing it. While my husband was alive he did all the vacuuming, which was the whole house except kitchen and bathroom. That was great but now I’m on my own and find with the least bit of excuse I put off any of these things for days. I’m trying to learn to bit the bullet and get it done and out of the way, this is usually successful for one time then back in same pattern.
At night, I don't have the energy to deal with clothes, so I have two baskets in my closet: one for dirty laundry and another for clothes to put back on my shelves. In the morning I deal with that
Thanks for your honesty about your own cleaning struggles! It really helps me not be so hard on myself