Is the mess overwhelming? Here’s how to clean a disgusting house.
Messy houses don’t just happen… until they do.
And you’re stuck standing in the middle of a room surrounded by stuff feeling overwhelmed and not knowing what to do. Instead of cleaning up, you would rather avoid the problem altogether – get away from it and hope it will get better on its own.
But it won’t.
If you’re stuck wondering how to clean a disgusting house when the mess is overwhelming, know that you’re not alone.
I’ve been there too.
And so have millions of other wives and moms who struggle to get all the things done on a daily basis.
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If you’re living in a house with dirty dishes stacked a mile high on the counter, laundry scattering the floor (and yes – the sniff test may be necessary to decide whether you can wear that shirt for another day before washing it or not), and clutter EVERYWHERE, there’s a good chance you feel like you’re drowning.
➡️ Don’t know where to start cleaning up? Use this guideto get rid of everything you don’t need.
I know the feeling. You’re surrounded by a mess and know the only way to get rid of it is to start cleaning, but you don’t know how or where or when – all you know isthat you can’t stand to face this daunting task right now.
All you need is something simple. Something bite-sized. You need someone to come alongside you, hold your hand and show you where to start. You need someone to SHOW you HOW to do what you need to do.
You know what you need to do – clean up – but you don’t know how to do it. It’s not as simple as picking up a dusting cloth and getting rid of cobwebs (in fact – you probably can’t even find your dusting cloths right now… they must be buried, or something).
If your house has gone from dirty to unmanageable and you just want to get your house back – and keep it neat and tidy, but you’re not sure where to start, I want to help you with that.
I know it can feel exhausting, daunting, and flat-out hopeless, but even if it is all those things, there’s one thing that it is NOT. It is not impossible.
You CAN do this.
If you find it easier when you have someone holding your hand and actually showing you WHAT to do and teaching you HOW to start, Hilary’s course The Organized Home will help you with just that.
Throughout the course, Hilary will offer you bite-sized lessons to help you get started tackling the mess in your home. She even mixes some humor into the midst of the course (yes – humor is possible even while feeling tragically overwhelmed by your home).
If you’re skeptical and not sure whether or not this is the right course for you, here are some key pointers that you will learn in the course:
- How to get rid of the ANXIETY that comes along with a messy, cluttered home.
- How to create and KEEP a clean and tidy home so you are prepared for guests to come over (even surprise guests who show up with no notice!).
- How to enjoy PEACEFUL days in your home without stressing about a messy house (yes – really).
- You are not alone – you will get access to a group of other people just like you working towards clearing the clutter from their homes.
- How to JUMP IN and get started. It all starts somewhere, and Hilary helps you find where to start in your home.
If you’re ready to ditch the clutter and stop making excuses, get the course for 10% off with the coupon code DELIBERATE10 here!
If you’re feeling brave enough to face this task alone, here are a couple steps to help you learn how to clean a disgusting house – even when the mess is too much to handle.
HOW TO CLEAN A DISGUSTING HOUSE WHEN THE MESS IS OVERWHELMING
Your house disgusting and you’re stuck wondering how to clean a messy house step by step. People everywhere will roll their eyes and tell you to just do it.They think it’s easy, but I know it’s not. I know how hard it can be to look at a house that is filled with clutter, dirt, and countless keepsakes and struggle to get rid of any of it.
You KNOW it’s time to get rid of all the unnecessary stuff, but you just can’t bring yourself to do it.
You’re not alone in this hard task. You’re wondering “where to start cleaning my house?” and here you’re going to learn exactly where and how to start. And then you’ll learn how to keep going. And keep going. And before you know it, your house is going to go from a disgusting mess to something you can’t wait to show off.
What you will need:
Microfiber Cloths – These cloths are the ones I use and I don’t plan on switching anytime soon. Or ever. They are designed to work perfectly to clean everything from windows and mirrors to dirt, grease, and grime with just WATER. (That’s right – no chemicals needed here!)
Hand Vacuum – for getting rid of crumbs and dirt in those hard-to-reach places when you don’t want to lug your big vacuum around.
Vinegar – you guessed it, we’re making our own natural homemade cleaner.
Spin Mop and Bucket (I used to use any regular mop, but I absolutely love my spin mop and how good it cleans that I highly highly recommend it.)
A bit of time – getting a disgusting house under control is inevitably going to take a bit of time. As much as we would love if it were to happen while we are sleeping, it’s not.
HELP – my house is a disgusting mess! How do I clean it?
Ready to tackle the mess? Ready to learn how to clean a messy house in one day? (Okay – it’s beyond messy… it’s disgusting.) You’ve got this!
STEP 1: Realize the truth
Before you start, you have to realize something. That something is this: a house filled with clutter comes from having TOO MUCH STUFF.
It makes sense, but it sounds too simple to really mean anything.
But it’s the truth. If you only have the exact amount of stuff that you need to live comfortably (which surprisingly is very few things), and you have a place for all that stuff in your house, you won’t struggle with a messy, cluttered house.
All too often we get attached to our things, and that attachment is exactly what is making us continue to live in our clutter.
We need to realize that our belongings are JUST things. They’re not people. We shouldn’t have emotional attachments to them. While they may hold a memory that is very dear to us, we need to realize that just because we’re getting rid of the thing doesn’t mean we’re getting rid of the memory.
If you haven’t yet come to the realization that you truly, truly don’t need everything in your house, it is going to make this process a whole lot harder. So step one is realizing that you don’t need everything you have.
Give yourself permission to get rid of stuff, then move on to step two.
STEP 2: Take action
Now that we have a good understanding that we do not need everything that we have, that we could get rid of a large percentage of our stuff and still live comfortably, and we have given ourselves permission to get rid of stuff, it’s time to take action.
This is the step that will likely stress you out the most and send you running for the hills (or at least away from your computer screen).
But don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as you’re sure it will be. It can be – dare I say – simple. Not easy, but simple.
It’s as simple as picking one thing up and putting it where it belongs.
(This is where these boxes come into use. You’re going to want to have at least two of them on hand right now.)
Pick one thing up, and decide if you’re going to keep it or not. (To decide this, ask yourself if it is something that you NEED. Could you live comfortably without it? If yes, get rid of it. Do you have duplicates of it? If yes, get rid of it. Do you have something else that serves the same purpose as it does? If yes, get rid of it. Do you like it? If no, get rid of it. If you didn’t have it, would you go out to a store and buy it right now? If no, get rid of it.)
After you have decided whether you will be keeping it or getting rid of it, put it in the appropriate box. Put it in the “GET RID OF” box if you won’t be keeping it, and if you are keeping it, put it where it belongs right away (do it NOW so you don’t have to come back to it later).
It’s as simple as that.
Don’t look at the room as a whole or you’ll get stressed out thinking about how much you still have to do.
Look at the ONE item that you are holding, and ask yourself those questions. Then, move on to the next item.
And the next.
And the next.
If you struggle with doing this on your own and find yourself putting everything in the “KEEP” pile (trust me – you really don’t need it all and you will feel SO much better once you realize that), ask a close friend or family member to come sit with you while you work on decluttering your house.
Get them to pick one item up at a time and ask you those questions (Do you need it? Could you live comfortably without it? Do you have duplicates? Do you have something else that serves the same purpose? Do you like it? Would you go to the store and buy it?), then be sure you answer honestly and truthfully.
Now that you have gotten everything picked up and put in its appropriate place, it’s time to do a bit of cleaning.
Now you’re going to whip out your spray bottles along with that vinegar you have sitting in your cupboard. Mix two parts water, one part vinegar in your spray bottle and give it a little stir to mix it all up.
Then, go ahead and grab your Norwex cloths to start wiping down surfaces where clutter was once sitting. (It’s probably going to be pretty nasty.)
After you have given the surfaces a quick wipe, grab your handheld vacuum and vacuum away any crumbs or dust bunnies that have collected over time. (This doesn’t need to be a thorough clean, just something quick to get rid of most of the dirt right now.)
Then, go grab your spin mop and, using two parts water mixed with one part vinegar in the mop bucket, quickly mop the floors under where the clutter was all sitting.
Don’t worry if there is still some dirt and dust laying around, you can get to that later – we’re not aiming for perfection right now.
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STEP 3: Reap the results
When you finally get started and working towards a cleaner, neater house, you will be able to reap the benefits of a clean house.
No more stressing about having guests over, no more feeling paralyzed and overwhelmed when you walk into a room. No more feeling unmotivated and discouraged when you look at your house. You could even become PROUD of your house and want to show it off to people. Really!
Decluttering your house and your life will help you learn how to be happier with less (and save you money), show you the importance of using the resources you have rather than going out and buying more stuff, and help you realize the importance of your family (yes – learning how to clean a disgusting house CAN be that deep). No more spending time stressing over the state of your house, now you can use your time wisely and spend it with your family.
Conclusion
Done is better than perfect.
Don’t shoot for perfection when you’re cleaning your house, simply set a goal to get it done, and to do it to the best of your ability. It doesn’t have to be or look perfect.
After all, jumping in and tackling a house that’s a mess can be overwhelming – but only if you let it.
By reading through the points above you’ve already gotten the answers to your question, “where do I start when cleaning my house?” and you’ve learned how to extremely clean a house that’s too far gone.
The most important thing to remember is that you just need to start. It doesn’t matter where you start or how you start, all that matters isthatyou start.
Use the three easy steps above to clean up even the most disgusting areas of your home without stress or overwhelm. As you start to toss your belongings you will start to feel a sense of freedom. Freedom that you’re breaking the ties of emotional attachment towards your belongings and a whole new freedom that comes from living in a clutter-free, neat and tidy home.
You can do this!
Has your house ever gotten to the point of unmanageable messes? What did you do to bring it back up out of the pits? After learning how to clean a disgusting house when the mess is overwhelming, do you feel confident enough to go tackle your messes?
Related:
How to Clean Every Room in Your House
The Ultimate Guide to an Organized Home and Life
21 Habits of Extremely Organized People
7 Home Organization Tips Guaranteed to Keep Your Home Spotless
