If you’re overwhelmed by the mess in your home, here are my favorite tips on how to clean a disgusting house, even if you think things are too far gone and you just want to burn everything! Don’t give up, get cleaning!
How to clean a very messy house! Are you a mom? Are you disgusting? No? Let me clarify. Are you a mom who has kids who make a mess of the house on a daily basis! Probably! It’s beyond hard to keep a house clean with kids running around. Sometimes my dirty dishes pile up high, the living room is full of toys and unfolded piles of laundry and the entire house feels like a disgusting mess. This happens to all moms at some point. You don’t mean to be the owner of a neglected house, but sometimes life happens, and your house gets put on the back burner.
Now, take a deep breath, stay focused and I’m going to show you how to begin cleaning a dirty home, and then how to keep a clean and tidy home!
Why Clean Up My Messy House?
It’s ok to have a messy house. We live in our home. We make memories in our homes, we lead busy lives after all. But if you are at the point where you have no clean dishes left, no more room in your laundry basket and everything is simply a disgusting mess, it’s time to get cleaning.
It’s no secret that kids make a mess. From spilled milk to overflowing diapers, the evidence of a baby or toddler at home is usually pretty clear.
So why bother to clean up? Won’t they just do it again tomorrow? As a mom, it can be hard to find the motivation to clean a cluttered house when everything seems like a losing battle. But believe me, there are plenty of reasons why you should roll up your sleeves and tackle your messy house head-on.
Here are 4 Reasons to Clean Up a Filthy House!
#1 Messy houses cause us to feel out of control
A messy house can be incredibly overwhelming, and can cause you to feel out of control. Every time you turn around there’s another pile of laundry to fold, another dish to wash, or another toy to pick up. It can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to feel like you’re never going to get ahead. As moms, we tend to be hard on ourselves, looking down on ourselves as to why we can’t keep a clean house, We feel completely out of control, and we don’t know where to go from there
#2 It is inefficient to look for things constantly
How many times do you find yourself looking for a missing shoe, or worse missing keys, clean dishes for dinner, or pajamas to put the kids down in. You’re constantly having to search for things that you know are around ‘somewhere’. It’s super frustrating, and it makes you feel inefficient.
#3 It is embarrassing when people come over
What happens if a friend finds themselves in your area and drops by unexpectedly! As soon as they walk in the door, you can feel the hear rising in your cheeks, you are completely and utterly mortified that they can see this is how you live. News alert, their house probably isn’t much cleaner than yours!
#4 Having a clean home puts you in a better headspace
A dirty disgusting house can be incredibly overwhelming. It causes us to feel completely out of control because it is a constant reminder of all the things we need to do. It’s like a never ending to-do list that taunts us every time we walk through the door.
The key to regaining control is to break the cycle of procrastination and start tackling the mess one small step at a time. Dedicate a certain amount of time per day to cleaning up, soon you’ll find that your house is more manageable, and your mood will drastically improve as well.
How to Prepare to Clean a Disgusting House
First of all, stop getting down on yourself, raising kids is hard, I don’t care if you have 1 or 7, being a mom is hard work! When it comes to preparing to clean a disgusting house, the first step is always the hardest. But with a little planning and preparation, the whole process can be made much easier.
Find your Motivation
Let’s face facts, no-one except maybe Martha Stewart is jumping for joy when it comes to cleaning a dirty house. If you’re struggling to find the motivation to clean up your disgusting house, try listening to some music, or your favorite podcast, or watching You Tube videos. Focusing on something else will help you forget about the mess and get into a cleaning mindset. Plus, listening to something fun, will make the time fly. I usually find Adele helps me to clean my house fast!
Set a Timer
If you don’t have a lot of time to clean, set a time for yourself so you know how much time you have left, and focus on just one area of the house. If you only have 1 hour, try to work as quickly as you can but just focus on one room and get that accomplished.
Plan Ahead of Time
What to Do With the Kids?
When you’re trying to clean your dirty house, the last thing you want is for your kids to be underfoot. But sometimes, it seems like they’re always there, getting in the way, and making a bigger mess. So what can you do with them? Here are some ideas:
What’s for Lunch/Dinner?
If the kids are home with you, have snacks on hand for the kids so they aren’t nagging you for food, plan an easy lunch that won’t take time away from cleaning.
Do not for a second think that you are going to want to make, or quite frankly be capable of making dinner after you have cleaned your house all day long! You may want to order take out, or do what I do is throw something in the slow cooker that can cook all day without any assistance from me! Throw a bag of frozen veggies in the microwave, and dinner is on the table.
Gather Up All Your Cleaning Tools
Before you start to clean a filthy house, you should make sure that you have all of the cleaning supplies you need. This includes things like a vacuum cleaner, spin mop (my favorite), bucket, Swiffer, cleaning solutions, sponges, and rags. You also need to make sure you have enough trash bags, dish washing detergent, dishwasher pads, glass cleaner, furniture polish, laundry detergent etc. Once you have gathered all your cleaning supplies, you can now start cleaning your house from top to bottom.
All it takes to clean a messy house is a little bit of time, some cleaning supplies, and a little determination, and you’ll have a clean home with no more dust mites and a clean kitchen sink in no time. Are you ready to learn how to clean a disgusting house? Follow the steps below.
*This post contains affiliate links. Full disclosure here.
Cleaning a Messy House in a Single Day
Cleaning a filthy house can be a daunting prospect, and one that can completely overwhelm you! Is it possible to clean a disgusting house in one day? Yes and no. This will of course depend on how much time you have, and if you have help. If you can afford a professional cleaner, then absolutely, you can accomplish this in one day! If you have someone to help you, like a family member, you will of course accomplish more.
I truly believe that if you follow my helpful tips, you can certainly clean your house in one day!
But if you don’t that’s okay too. It will certainly be cleaner today than it was yesterday!
Where Do You Start Cleaning a Filthy House?
So, where do you start cleaning a filthy house?
All you can see are piles of clothes and dishes, and stuff all around you. You become almost paralyzed. The first step is to prioritize. Make a list of the areas that are most important to you and tackle those first. For some people, that might mean starting with the kitchen or bathroom, others it might be the living room or the kids room. Once you have a plan, set your time and get started. Work methodically and steadily throughout the day, taking breaks as needed.
When it comes to figuring out how to clean a disgusting house, I always start by loading the dishwasher with as many dirty dishes as I can, and I get a load of clothes going as well. This gives me an immediate boost of accomplishment!
Garbage First
The next step to a tidy home is to get rid of all the visible trash. This means putting garbage in the bin and recycling anything that can be recycled.
Before you start this task, get something on your bare feet, you just don’t know what you can find on your kitchen floor!
Getting rid of all the trash makes a big difference quickly and it’s a great way to motivate yourself to keep your house clean. Get all the trash outdoors to your trash bins and out of your house!
Your goal is to not think and just toss away stuff you don’t need anymore.
Learn to Purge
Cleaning an extremely disgusting house is a daunting task, but this is also a great time to figure out what you want to keep and what you don’t! In order to have a tidy home, it’s important to declutter on a regular basis, and get rid of all the unnecessary stuff that takes up room. This does not mean that you have to get rid of everything you own and become a minimalist, it just means to get rid of things you don’t use anymore!
This includes the following:
- Trash that is obvious
- Clothes and shoes that your kids have outgrown
- Baby bottles you don’t use anymore
- Toys that your kids haven’t played with in a long time and will NEVER MISS!!.
- Old mail – try and get as many bills as you can on auto pay, and go green for any statements you receive, this will massively reduce the mail you receive.
Remember, this isn’t about determining whether to retain or toss any important stuff. It is the removal of garbage and trash-like objects from your home (broken toys, scrap pieces of paper torn books etc.).
If you need to think about it, put it aside for the time being.
I am all about recycling, but today isn’t the day for that. You need to get trash out the door, you don’t have time for separating items today!
Hint: Don’t forget about the clothes in the laundry, they should be ready to move to the dryer. If you think you can handle a second load, put it on, if not, you can easily do another load tomorrow.
Move on to the kitchen once you’ve cleaned up all of the garbage.
Move From Room to Room
Take a trash bag with you and start going through all the rooms, this is a great way to clean a messy home. Start by picking things off the floor and deciding where they go. Is it a keeper or a throw it away item? Once you can see the floor, I like to set this little guy to work, while I continue to clean. He is now taking care of a big chore for me, you can even have the littles help you to pick everything off the floor. It’s almost like having someone else working with you.
Attacking the Kitchen
There’s nothing quite like having a clean and orderly kitchen. When the counters are wiped down, the floors are spotless, and there’s not a dish in sight, it’s a wonderful feeling. When you have a dirty kitchen with piles of dishes, it’s very overwhelming. So by now our dishwasher should be ready to be emptied, if you feel up to it, let’s get another one going, but if you don’t feel up to it, tomorrow works too! Do make sure to scrub down the dirty dishes with a scrub brush and at least load them into the dishwasher.
For now, we are not going to do a deep cleaning in the kitchen, we just want to get all flat surfaces empty of stuff! If we have dirty pots and pans, move them beside the sink, let’s get anything that can go into the dishwasher, in there. Even if we don’t get the dishwasher started, it’s packed and ready to go for tomorrow, and the dirty dishes are off the countertops.
To clean your kitchen, follow these steps:
- Wash any pots and pans in the sink with hot water and set them out for drying
- Wipe down any hard surfaces so they are rid of crumbs etc
- Vacuum/sweep the floor. We’re not going to mop today, we’re not doing a deep clean, we’re just cleaning all surfaces, we’ll set up a cleaning schedule to include mopping floors etc.
- Wipe down any appliances you have, I like to use this to clean stainless steel appliances.
- Clean the inside of your microwave, as well as the microwave plate
- Go through the fridge and remove food that is old and do a wipe down with some warm water.
See also: Guide To Choosing The Best Cloth For Cleaning The Kitchen
Attacking the Laundry
Laundry can have you completely overwhelmed especially if you have young children! Don’t let it! I’m going to tell you a secret, I enjoy doing laundry, Why? Because I keep it very simple. Stick with me and you will stop hating laundry too.
There is a certain laundry basket, I like to use that helps me to separate things out before I even get to the laundry room. This is my favorite hamper, but I also use simple ones for the kids room so I can haul them downstairs easily enough.
Here’s the best way to handle dirty laundry:
- The first thing is to find every piece of dirty clothes in the entire house by going from room to room. Don’t forget about the towels and bathroom rugs. This can be a bit of fun for the toddlers, and it’s something they can easily do on their own
- I don’t like leaving clothes in the dryer because they will wrinkle. If you have already done one wash today (pat yourself on the back, now you have some clean laundry so that is fantastic), if you are up for another load, get one going now.
- However if you don’t feel up to doing another load that you will have to fold, do this instead. Collect all dirty towels that you found around the house, including bathroom rugs, tea towels and throw them in a wash. These are things I don’t mind leaving in the dryer overnight.
- Remove the dirty sheets and pillowcases from all beds and throw them into the washing machine. Get clean sheets on every single bed that someone is sleeping in tonight.
- If you have older kids (10+), there is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to help with dirty laundry. even young kids can help clean up their own messes.
After you’ve completed the daunting task of washing, you can go to the following stage. However, keep an eye on the laundry as you work on other areas of your home.
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Attaching the Paper Messes
We used to have lots of paper bills that we would keep and file at home, but it became overwhelming very quickly. So we contacted all companies that we had a bill for and asked to go paperless, this reduced my overwhelm massively. This is something you should do over the next few days, but for now let’s get all paperwork into one spot, and put them aside to go through later tonight.
This is how you will do with this later on in the cleaning process:
- First, collect ALL paper clutter, bills, and so on from around your home.
- Put it in two piles, bills that need to be dealt with now (remember to go paperless).
- Put any bills that need to be paid ASAP in one pile so you can take care of that tomorrow. Put other less important bills in a different pile.
Right now we still need to deal with the disgusting mess that is in the bedrooms, so we will need to deal with this later.
Attacking the Dirty Bedrooms
When it comes to choosing which bedroom to tackle first, I choose mine. Remember you are the one cleaning for hours today, so you deserve to sleep in a nice room tonight.
Again remember we are NOT doing a deep cleaning here, we are just getting the room in order so it is nice and clean.
Your aim here is to simply pick up each area and swiftly wipe off surfaces. It shouldn’t take long because you’ve already cleaned up the garbage, dishes, and clothes from each room.
In reality, each room should only take around 10-15 minutes. Set a timer each time you begin working on an area to keep things moving!
To clean each room, do the following:
- We want clean floors in each bedroom, so whatever is on the floor, decide if you want to keep it, or it needs to vacate your space! If you have photos and ornaments that don’t have a place yet, move them to a spot where you will literally fall over them, this encourages you to find a spot for them ASAP. If you have no use for them, trash them!
- If you have ceiling fans in the bedrooms like we have, you need to give them a good dusting, this works great for my ceiling fans.
- As you go through bedrooms, let’s clean windows and clean mirrors too. We’re not doing a deep dive, just a quick clean as we go.
- As you move through the kids bedrooms, get everything off the floor so you can get your new best friend working as soon as it’s free, or you can vacuum carpets yourself.
- It’s important that all toys have a special place to be, this worked great for my kids, these little containers hide everything. If you feel that the kids have too many toys, start purging………another day.
- Wipe down all hard surfaces, including light fixtures, a damp microfiber cloth works great for this, with your favorite all-purpose cleaner.
- Move on to the next room and repeat until all of the rooms have been picked up.
- When everything has been picked up and you can now see the floors, start vacuuming. This vacuum works great for cleaning up big messes, I also like to have a handheld for little messes. If you have hardwood floors, I like to use the Swiffer hardwood floor cleaner, for a tile floor, this works well.
Before we move onto the bathrooms, I want you to take a look around your trashed house and see how it looks now. All the filthy dishes are gone, and I bet you are surprised that it didn’t take you nearly as much time to clean a filthy house as you thought it would!
Pay yourself on the back, you have done a tremendous job. If you feel like you deserve a break, go take one. Go make yourself a cup of coffee or tea, and sit on the couch and chill for a bit.
Cleaning the Bathrooms
All we have left to do are the dreaded bathrooms! The bathroom is my least favorite room to clean, but I find if I just get to it and don’t think about it, it’ll be over before I know it! If you have a big house and don’t feel like going up and downstairs (who does!) to bring cleaning products with you, this storage caddy is super handy.
Move on to the next bathroom and repeat until all of the rooms have been picked up.
- Empty all trash cans into one large garbage bag, now put a small garbage bag in each trash can. This way, they they get full, you can replace the bag with a new one, and throw the other one away.
- In each bathroom, wipe off all surfaces down, spray each sink with a cleaner, and give it a good wipe, my favorite bathroom cleaner is Clorox for this purpose.
- Spray toilet cleaner into each toilet bowl and let it sit for a few minutes. Then wipe each toilet bowl down with a toilet brush. Repeat if necessary.
- Remove everything from the shower and tub area, and spray down with a spray bottle of cleaner, again I like to use Clorox. Let this sit for a few minutes
- Now go back and flush each toilet, wipe down the outside of the toilet, including the toilet seat with Clorox wipes. You may need to repeat this a couple of times, depending on how dirty the toilet is.
- Go back and wash down each shower and tub, if you have a handheld shower head with a hose, this makes the job incredibly easy, otherwise I will fill up a bowl and toss water around.
- Check the shower curtain liner to ensure mildew hasn’t gotten on it, this happens a lot when the shower curtain isn’t pulled over. If there is mildew, throw it out, and get a new one the next time you go shopping. I found this one here, if you don’t want to go shopping for one.
- Sweep or vacuum all floors.
- Put everything back in its place. I like to use these in the kids bathroom to hold flossers, cotton balls, hairbands etc, they have come in super handy and keep things from getting cluttered.
- Wipe down the mirrors with Windex, and take a look at your shiny new bathroom.
- Now hang clean towels, and you’re all done.
Congratulations you now know how to clean a messy house, now that you have a house that is looking so clean and beautiful, you will never have a messy, nasty house again!
It doesn’t take too much of an effort on your part, keep reading and I am going to share an easy cleaning routine that will help you to keep your whole house clean and tidy, I promise!
See also: The Best Baby Safe Floor Cleaner (Safe For Pets Too)
Maintain The Clean House
Maintaining a clean home can be a daunting task, especially when you are juggling work, family, and other commitments. However, it is important to find ways to make cleaning your home a priority. You can see how much better you feel now that you’re home has floors, and countertops, and let’s not forget those beautiful bathrooms. I bet your mental health is doing much better!
That’s easier said than done when you have kids, a husband, a job!
The trick is to do something every single day!
Remember it gets easier as the kids get older, because they can help! If you have small kids, you can still keep a clean house, and spend fun time with the kiddos.
If you don’t know where to begin, here’s a basic cleaning routine that will keep your house clean in minutes every day.
- Set your alarm 5 minutes before the kids normally get up.
- Make your bed as soon as you get up, have the kids do the same if possible.
- Load your laundry the night before, so when you come down for breakfast, all you have to do is press start.
- Pick a room, and get your new favorite toy going, see you’re cleaning without actually cleaning!
- Unload the dishwasher and load any new dirty dishes in it.
- After breakfast, have the kids help to clean up, have them change into clean clothes, and put their dirty clothes into the laundry basket. Wipe down the bathroom sink after teeth brushing is done.
- The evening time is a good time to quickly check the kid’s bathroom and wipe it down. Have the kids pick up toys and put them in their proper place
- You need to decide what manageable tasks you can take on each day, I would suggest writing down all cleaning tasks that need to be completed and how often they should be done. You can choose the tasks from below, obviously cleaning out the fridge is a bigger job than wiping down countertops, so keep that in mind.
- There are certain things that should be done on a daily basis, and if they are done, your house will remain clean. Running your dishwasher at night and unloading it in the morning makes a huge difference. Just remember to take the time to dry the dishes immediately and get them to put away.
- Cleaning up after each meal makes big difference.
- Getting one load of laundry done each day, will help to keep your home clutter-free. Take the time to fold as soon as the buzzer goes off. If you don’t have time to fold everything, just fold or hang stuff that will wrinkle and you can get the rest later. Put the basket in your bedroom or wherever you do laundry so you won’t forget.
- Spend a few minutes at the end of your day to look around your house and pick up any scattered items, and put them in their proper place.
Daily Cleaning Routine
Kitchen
Bedrooms
Living Room
Bathrooms
Weekly Cleaning Routine
Kitchen
Bedrooms
Living Room
Bathrooms
Here are some super simple tips to clean your house fast!
How to Organize a Messy House
I don’t know about you, but I am constantly falling over dog toys in our house, my SIL has a little basket that she puts them in to keep them from cluttering up the place. I got one at the dollar store and it made a huge difference. The dog even knows where to get her toys now, however she does not know where to put them back, so that’s still a chore for you lol!.
I find that my kitchen works so much better when everything has a place. When we moved into our current home, my pantry was much smaller than the one I used to have. I keep a lot of cans around in case I need to get dinner on the table faster than anticipated. My pantry was looking like a bit of a mess. I found this can organizer, which I absolutely love, and has been a huge organization help!
It is much easier to keep a tidy house if there’s less clutter around. If something needs to go upstairs, but you have no trips planned, put it on the stairs and it will make its way up. If you have kids that can help carry things upstairs, have them do it, (it will help tire them out)
General Housekeeping Tips
- Get the kids involved. When my son was 4, he loved helping me push the laundry cart from the dryer to my room, he felt so important helping mommy out.
- Make a fun game out of the kids picking up their toys, put on some fun music, use a timer, whatever works, just make it fun.
- Throw a movie on and fold laundry at the same time
- Cleaning is easier when you break cleaning tasks down into smaller tasks.
- Start with the easiest areas and work your way up.
- Figure out easier ways to clean a messy house. Use a robot vacuum, use a toy organizer so toys have a spot, use paper plates if you’re out of dishes. I hated having tablets all over the place, charging in different areas, so the husband found this for me, and now everything is in one place and tidy. Be smart!
- If you see something out of place, move it, if you have no place for it, decide if it goes or stays!
If you do a little bit each day, your entire house will continue to stay clean. It’s when you stop, then the mess starts to creep back in. However if you don’t have the time to get all your daily tasks done, get the important ones done! The dishwasher needs to be emptied, but laundry does NOT need to get done daily. Do what works for you! Don’t include deep cleaning tasks on the same day that you are cleaning your neglected house before your in-laws visit!
Let’s Talk Decluttering
There’s just something about a clean, decluttered home that just makes you feel good. Maybe it’s the sense of accomplishment you feel when everything has a place and is neat and tidy. Or maybe it’s that wonderful feeling of airiness and spaciousness you get when there aren’t any piles of clutter looming in every corner.
Whatever the reason, if you’re looking to declutter your home, here are a few tips to help you get started.
We sold everything and moved into an RV for 5 years, so I know a thing or two about downsizing and decluttering your home!
Declutter your Kitchen
If you’re like I used to be, your kitchen can quickly become cluttered with random things like baking supplies, 75 Tupperware storage boxes (for a family of 4 really!), more mugs than we need, (or anyone needs for that matter), numerous drinking bottles, rows of drinking glasses (in case the entire neighborhood should drop in one evening). Enough is enough!
- Open your kitchen supplies drawer and go through it and pick out utensils you have not used in the last 12 months. Then pick out utensils that you have more than one of.
- Do not keep a messy drawer, or a junk drawer, it just becomes an excuse for you NOT to throw something away. If you need to keep important paperwork from an appliance, file it away in in a file organizer box and get it out of the kitchen. Remove any to-go menus from the drawer, and hang them on the back of your door so you will remember you actually have them.
- When it comes to sippy cups, water bottles, think about how many you realistically need. We seem to keep too much stuff around that we simply don’t need!
Why Does My House Keep Getting So Messy?
I’ve seen so many friends and family members lose control of their houses when life became too hectic.
A life-changing medical diagnosis, despair, job loss, and relationship issues can all be enough to make someone lose all motivation to clean their houses.
Look, if your house is a disgusting mess, and you CAN afford to hire cleaning services, DO IT! No guilt!
If you can’t, this is everything that has worked for me, and I truly hope that everything here will assist you as well!
The Quickest Way To Clean A Disgusting House
That’s all there is to it! Hopefully these tips and tricks will help make the process a little less dreadful. Just remember to take it one step at a time and be patient. Don’t get overwhelmed, just follow these tips on how to clean a gross house and soon enough, you will have a beautiful and clean home, AND you can finally overcome your fear of cleaning and have a sparkling clean home in no time!
