"Slow Cleaning" Is the Only Method That Works for Me
I have chronic migraines, and they suck. While they don’t happen every single day, they still make a regular impact on my life, including my ability to keep my home clean. What’s actually helped me, though, has been implementing a “slow cleaning” approach.
To me, slow cleaning means that not everything in my house is tidy all of the time and that it’s OK for this to be the state of things. Grace and self-acceptance are the most important parts. If I’m doing very poorly but had planned to put away laundry, it’s just not happening today, and my family will live if we have to get dressed out of a hamper.
Here are some ways I make slow cleaning work for me.
Use “dead time.”
My number-one tip is to use small chunks of time throughout a day/week to clean instead of dedicating hours to it all at once. If I’m waiting for water to boil or something to come out of the oven, I’ll use that time to clean the kitchen. In the morning, I often let plates pile up when it’s too hectic, then later in the day while cooking, I’ll load and unload the dishwasher.
While on hold with insurance, I tidy the downstairs. If I know the kids are on their way home and only have 10 minutes until their arrival, I go through the mail and sort library books. Thursdays are my busiest work days and also when I tend to have people over for work/dinner, so, in between Zoom calls or when I need a screen-time break, I tidy or clean one area that needs it.
Plan break time.
When I don’t have much downtime, I don’t make big, ambitious cleaning plans. If I want a clean house but also know I’m going to be actively parenting for the next five days straight, it’s not really worth it for me to deep clean the kitchen. However, if the kids are at their dad’s and I don’t have Friday night plans, spending a larger chunk of time cleaning the house is more manageable, as I know I can curl up on the couch with a book and two dogs afterward.
If I’m super busy with work, I do only the most necessary cleaning and spend the remainder of my time in “rest mode.” When things calm down, I’ll ramp back up to getting more stuff done, but overall giving myself breaks is super important.
Triage.
It’s all about conservation of energy. High-traffic areas like the living room, kitchen, and downstairs bathroom take priority over my bedroom or office, as I’m pretty much the only person who sees these spaces. For the laundry, I prioritize washing necessary clothes (like underwear and socks) over ones that get worn less (and they go into a “wash when needed” pile).
Simplify.
I try to decrease the time I spend cleaning as well as the amount of products or tools I need. I buy all-purpose cleaners when possible and store them in the room where they’ll be most often used. I also look for time-saving hacks, such as keeping doom boxes around the house.
“Chunk” assignments.
When I was a middle school teacher, a term we used to help kids with executive functioning is “chunking” — it’s all about breaking a task into smaller assignments. My to-do list doesn’t say “clean house.” Instead it’s broken down into tiny chores, like “wash blankets” or “wipe counters.” I get to feel accomplished for ticking them off and don’t forget anything.
Fast clean.
To slow clean, sometimes you have to fast clean. The idea is that you will not have a totally clean house but that you will dedicate a set amount of time to cleaning to the best of your ability, whether it’s before bedtime, when you’re having people over, or when your house really needs it.
If you have enough time, you could try the Pomodoro technique, in which you work for 25 minutes then take a five-minute break, and put on a podcast or your favorite album. But if I don’t, sometimes I’ll try to get as much picked up off the floor during the course of a song. I do this with the kids, too. “Footloose” is our favorite for cleaning.
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Ashley — Here Are the Best to Suit Your Style and Space
Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Article’s DTC Furniture
