I Need Help Cleaning Out My House: 7 Tips for Reclaiming Your Home

By: Diana Rodriguez-Zaba
Updated on: March 25, 2024

It’s hard to get started when you’re not sure where to start. You look around your home and know you have to do something. It wasn’t always like this, but every room is a mess from floor to ceiling.

You keep telling yourself, “I can’t get motivated to clean my house.” How do you break this cycle and take control?

First, understand that you’re not by yourself. Through our residential cleaning services here in Chicago, we help homeowners all across the city deal with difficult situations.

With a little guidance and some solid tips, you can conquer the mess and reclaim your house.

Take Charge With 7 Simple Tips: How to Clean a Very Dirty House

When you say, “I need help cleaning out my house,” we understand. Once things get out of control, it’s hard to get back on track.

Take a look at these seven simple tips for taking charge of cleaning your home.

1. Start With Plenty of Perspective

Don’t look at your messy house as a huge problem that’s impossible to solve. Instead, see it as a collection of small jobs that you can handle.

Once you have things under control, it becomes much easier to stay on top of routine chores.

On average, homeowners spend between one and two hours a day cleaning house.

You can do it too.

2. Set Personal Priorities

Where do you spend most of your time at home? Which rooms would you like to reclaim first?

You need a plan, but give it every chance for success by developing it around your personal priorities. If a clean kitchen means the most to you, that’s the perfect place to start.

3. Use a Checklist for Each Room

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Vacuuming, sweeping, dusting and polishing take care of most rooms in the house.

Keep tasks manageable with a room-cleaning checklist, and enjoy the satisfaction of marking each job done.

4. Do the Easy Things First

Ease into cleaning by taking on the easiest tasks first. As you accomplish a little more each day, you realize how much more you can do.

Measure your progress in small steps that lead to bigger accomplishments.

Before you know it, the house gets easier to clean every week.

5. Follow a One-Thing Rule

Don’t try to restore order to your messy home by multitasking through chores. Decide to dust, vacuum or sweep in a room, and take care of that one job.

Give yourself a small break, and then move on to something else. The one-thing rule keeps you on an efficient cleaning track.

6. Organize a Decluttering Strategy

If you’ve helped someone deal with hoarding in their home, you know how easily clutter can turn into a serious problem.

Organize your approach to decluttering by designating a few boxes in each room for specific things. Toss and sort as you work, and fill containers headed for storage, donation or a garage sale.

7. Take Your Time

You won’t get the house back in shape overnight. It may take several weeks or months.

Follow a schedule, but don’t measure your progress by the calendar. Instead, enjoy the difference you make each day.

Work at your own pace, and take the time to congratulate yourself for giving a hard job your best.

It Can Be Too Much

Our tips are based on our experiences over the years helping homeowners deal with different cleaning challenges.

Some are overwhelmed by busy lives while others face life-changing situations. So many things can happen that make everything harder including routine housekeeping chores.

If taking care of your home feels like too much right now, step back, and take a breath. It’s OK to say, “I can’t get motivated to clean my house.” Think about discussing your concerns with a professional who can help you identify the differences between an ordinary messy home and signs of hoarding..