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Why I Clean the House Every Night (Even When I Don’t Want To)

Why I Clean the House Every Night, Even When I Don't Feel Like It. Click the picture to read more.Okay, so I may not keep my home perfectly spotless and I can’t always get to cleaning when days don’t go as planned, but most days I clean the house every night. Sometimes this just means washing the dishes, wiping the counters, sweeping the floors, and putting away a few toys, but I still straighten up every night. Why do I do this? Well, there are a few reasons.

If I clean up now, it won’t have a chance to build up.

One of the huge issues I’ve had in the past is keeping up with housework. For one reason or another I would put it off if I could, but this caused the dishes and laundry to pile up, the counters to be too messy to cook on, the floors to be messy from my baby (and sometimes attract sugar ants…yuck)…the list goes on. All it ever did was add more stress and less of an incentive to clean up.

Some days, things will still pile up really quickly, which is why I not only clean up ever night, but also try to clean up messes and dishes as soon as possible. Sure, this means that I am cleaning sometimes four or more times a day, but clean up time is so much quicker and less taxing this way, plus, you can enlist the help of your children after meals. Whatever you do not get done during the day, as family time comes first, you can do it quickly after the kids are in bed.

It saves me time.

Honestly, it may be a lot to clean up this many days or clean the house late at night, but it saves time in the long run. Having only a small amount of chores to complete will take much less time than a lot once a week. You may think that it’s the same amount of a chore, so how would doing it daily take any less time…well, the answer is simple. The more tasks you have to complete, the more quickly your body will become exhausted. Tasks that should be quick will drag out, you’ll want to take breaks, and now you’ve taken a whole chunk of the day that could have been family time and converted it into cleaning time.

Read also: 10 Laundry Hacks and Tips Every Mom Needs

It starts your day off right.

If I wake up to a dirty home, it really can set the tone for the day. The mess immediately drains your energy and adds stress because you know you have so much to take care of. You can even be forced to eat out because you do not have enough clean dishes or counter space to prepare a meal at home and you’re too tired to clean up before meal prep. Living in a messy home can also be a cause of depression; it makes you feel like you are drowning and cannot catch a breath. A clean home every morning could be an improvement to your mental health. I know it has been for me!

The house is ready for visitors.

Having friends and family over to our house is really something that I enjoy. When my home is dirty, however, I do not feel comfortable having guests and am always embarrassed if someone wishes to visit or just drops by and my home is not up to par. Now, a clean home really should not be important; if they are truly your friends they will not care, but it can help you to enjoy your time with them much more and encourage you to open up your home to others more often. 

A clean home is rewarding.

When my home is clean, I have this overwhelming sense of accomplishment. It may not be the most important thing in the world, but when I manage to keep my house clean I feel like I am doing something right. Cleaning up the leftover mess of the day once the kids are in bed does not take that long and gives me peace and better sleep at night. I can enjoy the rest of the night after an overall successful day and job well done. This can even change my attitude of how the day went overall, especially if I feel I did not accomplish anything that day.

It makes it easy to keep up with housework.

I mentioned earlier about things piling up when your home is not cleaned frequently. I always thought that it was impossible to keep a tidy home with little ones, but I was wrong. Sure, my home may still get messy and often is shortly into the day, strewn with toys and lunch, but I do not feel like it is too much anymore. Every night, I know that I can get my house neat again for the next day and the next day and the next day. I have finally found a successful, less stressful routine that I can keep up with daily.

Of course, having a clean home is not the be all and end all. It really says nothing about what type of parent you are. Let’s be honest. Having a clean home with children in it is pretty hard to do and some days you just don’t have it in you. Trust me, I understand having a messy house. I understand not being able to keep up. This is why I wanted to share why I try to clean my house every night, even when I don’t feel like it.

Do you dread housework? Here’s another tip that makes it more enjoyable for me–“Whistle while you work.” I’m serious. When everything is quiet as I clean, I find myself getting bored and frustrated at the chores. Singing as I work gives me a fresh attitude and can make things fun. You can even add a little dancing in there. Don’t like to sing? Turn on some music (quietly, of course, so you don’t wake the kids.)

Why I Clean the House Every Night. Click the picture to read more.

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20 Comments

  1. I wish I was so good! Usually, once I get to that time, I simply can’t move. I’m more likely to clean a little in the morning, but since my tot is about to wreck things, I often don’t bother…

    • What I usually do is clean the night before (it really doesn’t take me long since I do it so frequently there isn’t much to do) then I might straighten up a few more things in the morning before they wake up. My boys wreck things too, but, after years of having a messy house that I could not keep up with and loads of stress because of it, I finally found that this routine truly works for me. It’s frustrating at times to have to clean before bed, but it’s also so worth it! It took a bit of discipline and forcing myself to just do it before I got into the routine though.

  2. Alyssa, I totally agree with your logic and thought process. Sure some days are easier than others to pull this into reality, but it does make total sense.

    • Yes, some days are much easier than others. For instance, last night I was in very much pain. I pushed it off until the very last minute, but I still managed to get it done. The day before was stressful and we were unable to get around to it, so I cleaned up that mess first thing in the morning so the rest of my day still went well and there wasn’t much to take care of.

  3. It is very hard to do the housework at night when you’re tired, but I do it too, because it does feel much better when it’s done. I also like humming a tune while I do the dishes or clean. Thanks for your post. It’s nice to know there’s other moms going through the same things.

    • It is for sure! Especially if you’ve had a very taxing day. It really is worth it in the end though, and finding something to make it more enjoyable is a big help.

  4. Yes! I do this too 🙂 Vary Rarely do I not it make for a better morning!!!

    • Awesome! It feels so good to finally not be way behind on housework. I’m glad this technique works for others too.

  5. You are right of course, but sometimes (truly!) there there are certain things that benefit from soaking in the sink. Since I have a tiny kitchen with a dishwasher that was presumably designed for dolls I have to leave some stuff, but I do the rest!

    • There are, but usually I find that if I rinse everything right away, especially if I just let certain things soak for a few minutes in very hot water then rinse and wash immediately, I have no problems getting the most stuck-on things off. For me, one of the worst things that gets stuck is pulp from glasses of lemonade that weren’t rinsed, but it only needs a few minutes to soak and we’re good to go! If something is really caked on and burnt, I will usually let that soak overnight and wash it in the morning though. We do have a dishwasher, but I actually will not use it (most people think I’m crazy haha.) It is my drying rack and we just leave it propped open a little bit so everything can air out 😉

  6. Having 5 kids and being a single dad raising them, I understand why you do this as I do many times myself. Once they arfe in bed, much easier to get things done so don’t have all the hassle in the mornings with making breakfast for kids before school, etc. When I do it at night, I know it is not going to be messed up after me

    • Definitely! That’s exactly how I feel. I mostly got into this routine the last time my husband was overseas and I’ve been trying to get back into the habit and have been so successful with it the past month that I don’t even think twice about it. Huge load of stress lifted off my shoulders and I’m glad I can keep the house decent. My kids are definitely messy, so I like to enjoy relaxing in the clean house for a bit before bed too.

  7. I have the exact same feeling you do. I often feel overwhelmed if I go to bed with my house still destroyed. I feel less stressed when I wake up, and there’s little to nothing to do for the morning. I have to focus on getting three kids out to school, so I’m able to fully focus on them, rather than freaking out because my dishes aren’t done! Thanks for a great article!

    • Definitely! I was not in the mood to clean last night, but I did anyway and was very happy when I woke up to a clean house.

  8. Thanks for sharing – I agree that if you don’t take care of things immediately they pile up!

  9. I agree 100%. It feels great to wake up to a clean kitchen and no dirty dishes!

  10. I do this, too. It is a habit, and it seems that the time it takes isn’t that much, and it makes a big difference. And you never know when someone might stop by that you didn’t expect!!

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