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Hate cleaning? It doesn’t have to be that way! Check out these 13 interesting and practical solutions to the problem of how to make cleaning fun.
Tug, tug, tug. I felt it in the back of my mind.
That familiar nudge of my subconscious telling me what I SHOULD be doing.
I turned up the volume on my tablet, pulled my blanket closer, determined to enjoy watching Amazon Prime on the couch.
Then, something clicked in my brain. I sat up, my brow furrowed in thought. I marched toward the kitchen, tablet in hand.
My subconscious had won, but so had I.
Most of us don’t love cleaning. (Okay, I kind of do, but only after I had this mindset shift that changed the way I see cleaning.) Even though we don’t love doing it, most of us still need to clean our homes. But there has to be some way to make cleaning feel like less of a hassle.
How to Make Cleaning Fun
Whether you’re doing quick touch-ups around your house or deep-cleaning your kitchen, you’ll be more motivated if you have a little fun while you clean. So, how do you make cleaning less painful? Or even enjoyable? Here are 13 different ideas for how to make cleaning fun.
Use Amazing-Smelling Cleaning Products
Great-smelling cleaning products are one of my favorite solutions for how to make cleaning fun. They make cleaning feel a little glamorous. As a result, cleaning feels special and almost like an indulgence (Almost!).
I recently discovered Murchison-Hume cleaning products. I use their Counter Safe All-Purpose Cleaner in Original Fig scent every evening during my kitchen-cleaning routine. It smells like a subtle, expensive skincare product – soft, luxurious, and relaxing. The packaging is understated, and little bit glam – very fun to use.
Plus, it’s safe for use around kids and pets. Did I mention that it’s great at getting stuck-on food unstuck from kitchen counters? It’s a staple in my home.
Listen to an Audio Book
Next up on the list of how to make cleaning fun is listening to an audiobook. They’re great for passing time in all sorts of situations, including cleaning. Plus, almost every popular book on the market is also an audio book. As a result, there’s something for everyone!
When I’m doing some serious cleaning or folding laundry, I pull up an audio book on the Audible app on my phone, pop in my headphones, and clean away. It’s a great distraction that helps pass loads of time.
In fact, I’ve finished 13 audio books so far this year, mostly by listening bit by bit while cleaning and doing laundry. If you’re interested in trying Audible, you can grab 2 free audio books to see if you like it.
Here are 3 of my favorites that I’ve finished this year:
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
The 5-Second Rule by Mel Robbins
Live, Save, Spend, Repeat by Kim Anderson
Watch a Favorite TV Show or Movie
When I don’t feel like cleaning, it’s often because I’d rather veg out and watch TV. But, as I realized on that day when I was lying on the couch, watching shows on my tablet, I can clean WHILE I watch TV. Fantastic!
Watching TV shows or movies while you clean is a great way to pass the time and distract yourself from the fact that you’re cleaning. If you struggle with how to make cleaning fun, this might be your answer.
I save my favorite show on DVR, and I watch it every Sunday night as I fold and put away laundry. As a result, I’ve actually started to have positive feelings about laundry!
I also love Amazon Prime Video because it includes lots of TV shows and movies. Netflix and Hulu are great too! They’re perfect to pull up on a phone, tablet, or laptop so you can take the TV show or movie with you as you clean throughout your house.
Listen to Music
Have you ever turned up your favorite upbeat songs and danced around your house? It’s so much fun! Why not clean while you do it?
Music can have a transformative effect on your mood. Hearing the right song at the right time can lift your spirits and turn your whole day around! What’s that song for you? Put it at the top of your cleaning playlist and go to town!
For example, every evening at 9:00 pm, I do a “closing up shop” routine in my kitchen to get it cleaned up and ready for the next day. I listen to “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John, because it’s happy and upbeat and lifts my mood like a balloon. I race to finish my kitchen cleaning routine by the time the song is over.
Amazon Music Unlimited is my favorite music app, because it includes almost every song you can think of. Perfect for when I randomly think of an upbeat song to get me through that last bit of speed cleaning before guests arrive!
(azon aff link for prime music; can also mention using echo dot or echo show to call up music; or people can just listen on their phones)
Talk to a Friend or Family Member via Phone
Chatting with a good friend or family member is another great approach to how to make cleaning fun. In the digital age of Facebook and texting, it’s almost novel to receive a phone call for a long chat.
Why not call up your mom, sister, or a friend with whom you haven’t spoken in a while? They’ll probably be pleasantly surprised to hear from you, and eager to catch up. Even better, if you have a family trip, get-together with friends, or joint project coming up, chatting while you clean is a great idea. Just be sure to keep a pen and paper close by so you can jot down notes when needed.
Go Live on Facebook
Have you ever done a Facebook live? They’re surprisingly fun! While they’re not ideal for two-way communication like talking on the phone is, they can be a great way to share a funny story or talk about your day. Definitely a great solution to the dilemma of how to make cleaning fun. You can carry your phone with you and simply prop it up on whatever you’re cleaning at the moment.
Here are some ideas of Facebook Live topics to discuss while you clean:
- The latest episode of your favorite show
- A book you recently read or movie you watched
- Something funny that recently happened to you
- Your plans for the weekend
- Something funny or cute your child did
As a general rule, it’s usually best to avoid politics and religion. 😬
Do a Beauty Treatment
We all love mud masks, deep conditioners, and Biore Pore Strips (or is that just me?). Another answer to the question of how to make cleaning fun is to enjoy a beauty treatment that requires some processing time.
I’ve found that the best ones are face or hair treatments… because trying to clean in a full-body mud mask isn’t going to work. You should also avoid goopy treatments that can drip from your face or hair. Because that’s just more mess to clean up.
Learn a New Language
Have you ever wanted to learn a new language, but felt like you don’t have the time to learn? You can use language learning software like Rosetta Stone to learn while you clean!
I used Rosetta Stone to learn to speak Italian several years ago, and I loved the learning experience. Pull up a lesson on your phone, pop in your headphones, and clean your way to bilingualism.
Talk With Your Spouse or Kids About Their Day
One of the reasons you might not feel like cleaning is because it can take away from time with your family. However, talking with your spouse or kids is an awesome solution to how to make cleaning fun. It also gets you engaged with your family, allows them to talk out their experiences, and can help both of you to feel heard and valued.
Here are a few conversation starters to discuss while you clean:
- Tell me something new you learned today.
- What frustrated you about your day?
- What surprised you about your day?
- Name 1 thing that made your day better.
Feel free to have them clean alongside you while you chat!
Watch or Listen to Funny Videos on YouTube
You probably have a favorite YouTube channel or 2. Why not watch or listen to YouTube videos while you clean?
I love to pull up old Saturday Night Live videos from the 90’s (Celebrity Jeopardy, anyone?) and listen to them while I clean. One of the great things about YouTube videos is that they’re usually fairly short, so they’re great for quicker cleaning tasks.
Listen to Podcasts
Similar to audio books, podcasts are a fun way to pass the time. You might learn something new, as well!
Finding podcasts you love is easy. Just search iTunes or Stitcher for a topic you’re interested in. You can also search Google for “[your topic] + podcast,” such as “parenting + podcast.” Whether you’re interested in the royal family, snowboarding, or true crime, there is a podcast out there for everyone.
Practice Gratitude
A unique answer to the question of how to make cleaning fun involves practicing gratitude. It’s a useful way to appreciate what you have, and feel a little better about cleaning! Here are 2 simple suggestions for practicing gratitude while you clean.
First, identify 5 people in your life whom you’re grateful for, and why you’re grateful for them. Take a few minutes to think about the reasons you appreciate each person – no one-word answers here!
Second, you could think of 3 experiences from your day or week that you’re grateful for, and how you can pass those good experiences forward to someone else in the day or week ahead.
Take an Online Course
Use your cleaning time to improve your life by taking an online course. Websites like Udemy offer low-cost courses on a range of topics. Improve your self-esteem, learn about personal finance, or uncover new goal-setting techniques while you clean. Just pull up the lessons on your phone, put your earbuds in, and improve your life.
Here’s why this is such a powerful combination. You more or less have to clean, but you probably want or need to improve some area of your life. The trouble is, you might feel like you don’t have the time do learn how to make improvements.
By listening to an online course while you clean, you’re combining something that you have to do in the short term with something you need to do for your long-term personal growth. This is probably my favorite solution for how to make cleaning fun.
How to Make Cleaning Fun: Conclusion
Cleaning might not be on your list of fun things to do. However, there are many ways to make it more enjoyable. Here’s a summary of 13 ways to make cleaning fun:
- Use amazing-smelling cleaning products like Murchison-Hume Counter Safe (My favorite)
- Listen to an audio book (Love Audible for this)
- Watch a favorite movie or TV show (Use Prime Video on a phone, laptop, or tablet)
- Listen to music (Amazon Music Unlimited has almost any song you can think of)
- Talk to a friend or family member via phone (Your mom will be so glad to hear from you!)
- Go live on Facebook (Try sharing something funny that happened to you or talking about your favorite TV show)
- Do a beauty treatment (Biore Pore Strips are still awesome!)
- Learn a new language (Rosetta Stone is great for this)
- Talk with your spouse or kids about their day (What is something new they learned? What frustrated or surprised them?)
- Watch or listen to funny videos on YouTube (90’s Saturday Night Live skits are hilarious)
- Listen to podcasts (Google a topic that interests you + podcast for ideas)
- Practice gratitude (Spend time thinking about 5 people you’re grateful for and why)
- Take an online course to improve your life (Udemy has courses on tons of personal development topics)
Want even more helpful cleaning and organizing tips for working women? Join the ShowMe Suburban community and learn simple habits and routines to keep your home clean and organized, so you can relax away from work without feeling the stress of a messy home. Sign up below!