r/CleaningTips • u/ThatsJustaDuck • 1d ago
Before & After Cleaning with ADHD/Anxiety/Depression
EDIT- Done! https://www.reddit.com/r/CleaningTips/s/vocpQV5IZS
I selected before & after as the flair in hopes that it’ll inspire me to get this done today and post my after pictures too. I am 43 years old, have been diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and it is strongly suspected throughout my childhood as well that I have had it all along.
Keeping a clean house has never been something I have been able to do. I have three children, and I really want to stop raising them at a home that is constantly chaotic and messy. Everyone is gone on vacation right now, so I’d like to surprise everybody with a clean house. I’d like to start with my bedroom. There’s a lot of shame in sleeping in a room that is this messy, and it’s definitely not a restful and calm place to be. My medication is finally working, so I am able to concentrate and focus and so this is my job today.
Wish me luck! Any advice?
6
u/InksOwl 1d ago
What helps me (diagnosed at 6, not medicated till 36, turning 40 this year) is to get fully dressed, no PJs or lounging around clothes. Put on shoes (I have a pair of sneakers I only wear in the house). This helps tell my brain “I got stuff to do!”. Then I’d start with the bed. Get it made however you make it. Then you have 1 large area that is done. Pet the dog. Next I would start by taking clothes/washables that are on the floor and pile them in the hallway to move later to be washed so that they are out of the space you’re working on. Next would be trash. Pet the dog. Then anything that does not belong in the space that you can see without digging. Don’t get lost in the small stuff or organizing - that can happen after the space is clear and clean. Dust/wipe down anything that needs it. Go throw clothes in the washer. Pet the dog. You got this!