To ask you for your favourite housework sayings?

[RegusGirl]

I am looking for motivation to clean the house and am trying to remember some old sayings that might help. Any ideas?

Always keep your mouth shut when you're cleaning the toilet.

My favourite is "I'll have a coffee then start"

I drink far too much coffee 😅

sorry, not much help ☺️

"just fucking get on with it"

Me to me, about every task ever. 😆

Life's too short to stuff a mushroom.

Don't and say you did

It's not a saying, but I set myself a timer for 15 minutes. Sometimes 30 if I'm doing a bigger job.

15 minutes is easily 'motivatable' - and it's amazing how much you get done in that time. I tend to take the attitude 'I've started so I'll finish', so I'll finish up whatever I'm working on before I stop.

If it's a working day, I might just do the one fifteen minute stint. If it's not I will do more - but I'll give myself something nice I can do once once I've done the fifteen minutes. Might be a cup of tea, might be a YouTube video I've been wanting to watch, or read a chapter of a book. The better rewards tend to be after my second/fourth fifteen minute stint of the day.

Hard work is just an accumulation of easy work you didn't do when you should have.

(applies to most housework!)

"Wipe it now or scrub it later" - Dana K White.

“A tidy home is a tidy mind.”

Speaks for itself - but it’s especially relevant for my dh who needs a peaceful environment otherwise he feels restless and ill-at-ease.

“Waste not, want not.”

I like this one when I’m clearing out the fridge or tidying up when I’ve prepared dinner - a little pot of leftovers can inspire a dinner in next week’s meal plan, or be a nighttime snack for our bunnies.

“Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” reminds me that some clutter is purposeful - I keep all sorts of items that can be repurposed so “a good clear out”- as long as you have a well-organised utility area you will lay your hands on them.

”toothbrush clean” or “neat as a pin”

The bathroom and the sinks and the edges of the window frames always benefit from a scrub with an old toothbrush in my house - we save all our toothbrushes for this purpose (see above under “don’t throw the baby…”)

Don’t go looking for dirt you can’t already see.

sure, if all the things you can see are clean already and you’ve still got the urge to clean then go for it and clean behind things, but hidden dirt isn’t impacting you in any way and can happily be left if you’re already struggling with basics.

Keeping the places you interact with hygienic and clear is perfectly fine as a basis.

If you’re struggling to manage even that, then it’s ok to ask for help, from family, friends or pay a cleaner.

Not much help but I tell myself the dust will just be back tomorrow, so don't fret over it so much.

When I do need some motivation though - especially cleaning bathrooms - I whack on some 80s music and have a good sing along. Makes the task more "fun".

Dull women have immaculate houses!

“No one ever lies on their death bed wishing they’d done more dusting”.

Not exactly what you were looking for but I live by this mantra!

"Fuck it, that'll do"

Half arsed is better than fuck all.

Many hands make light work... Everyone should be pitching in!

I remember my favourite aunty once saying, The great thing about dishes is that if you don’t do them today they’ll still be there tomorrow.

Clean up as you go along. So when cooking put peelings, packets, etc straight in the bin, pots and pans you’re done with straight in the dishwasher, wipe up after yourself, etc. Makes it a much less ominous task than leaving everything till later.

Other than that, ‘Fuck it, I’d rather do something more fun’ is quickly becoming my mantra.

'Don't put it down, put it away'
I repeat this as a mantra to help my flitty brain when I start cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast and end up emptying the bin, loading the dishwasher, putting the butter away and making packed lunches all at the same time.

Criteria for a successful day?

"Everyone fed, no-one dead"

Sometimes you need a low bar

Don’t put it down, put it away.

This ain’t a fucking showhome.