I've lost my cleaning mojo

If its late Spring post-illness cause - be your own 'Mum' tell yourself 'it will come'. But if you genuinely want to get going and need a push - read a bit of 'Fly Lady' - its about setting short achievable goals so you do get there, but in manageable bursts.

Blossoming

If anyone finds my cleaning mojo, please keep it.

😂😂

It's a phase it may stay or go, don't sweat the small stuff. As long as you keep essentials clean, bathroom kitchen, all els will still be there when you do decide to get going, or maybe not? . Paint some pictures/knot or sew/write some stories down. Busy mind is key. Dust? According to Quentin crisp it stays constant at around four centimetres anyway!!

I am glad to see others the same as me - never had one to start with!

I'm sorry you feel the way you do Violet. It does seem that you are feeling tired and 'down' after your illness. My advice to anybody is always "Listen to your body and ignore your conscience". Your body needs time to recover and that's that. So long as you can muster the energy to keep on top of the important areas (bathroom and kitchen) and keep your sitting room tidy (for your peace of mind more than anything), the dusting and vacuuming can wait until the urge is upon you. Now in my 80s and fit and healthy, that's the way I live and it doesn't seem to be doing me any harm! Just be kind to yourself x

I am always the strong one, I'm always the one who never cries, always good in a crisis, always the one who just gets whatever it is done. I'm always the one who forgives until I get pushed too far, always the one who bounces back

So was I until the day my mind and body imploded; completely burnt out and it took a very long time to readjust.
I don’t like mess and muddle so I do try to keep on top of housework. I find having one really good go once a week and a quick tidy the other days keeps on top of it. If I don’t feel like it then I don’t; nothing terrible is going to happen if I miss a day or two or three!
So long as it’s basically clean a bit of muddle won’t hurt 🤗

I was a cleaner and I became very ill and had to give everything up, But I rested and I chose to do things when I wanted, I find if you stand at your windows with a cloth in your hand you automatically start to wipe, then you move on to something or not it doesn't matter.

I wish I took pleasure in cleaning! I hate all housework! I find it boring exhausting and repetitive and would much rather lounge around with a book or sit out in the garden or by the sea with a coffee! I am probably lazy but in my very limited free time I do not want to be slaving over a hot mop or duster, however I do like a nice clean home I just can’t find the motivation or energy to put in the endless labour required🙄

I used to dust / polish vacuum every day, now I do housework in stages , 😊
Also I can't pull things out to do behind them ,I still hoover every day as I have a dog and cats, wash floors 3 times a week, but I'm not as pernickity as I used to be,

Summer is coming, I can't wait to sit in the garden with a book...

Hopefully I won't be fussing about the state of the garden lol

Sometimes it seems a bit poinless when you live alone, but I do keep on top of it. I write list and tick off task as I do them it this helps motivated

My cleaner says that she gets real pleasure from making things "sparkle". I paid her for extra after the plasterer had been because there was dust all over the kitchen. She seemed to enjoy cleaning it up whereas I had not touched it for 2 days.

She is forbidden to clean in my office or stockroom. She asked if she could "just dust the computer work station" as it would really annoy her to have dust on it. I told her "I will be really angry if you do. I know where everything is in there and I dont want anything moving an inch."

"But there is dust on the keyboard. I dont know how anyone of your level of education can just ignore it!"

"The higher your level of education the more likely you are to ignore it because you can find more interesting things to do with your time."

Covid left me devoid of all energy. Couldn’t be bothered to do anything. Just very post viral.

"The higher your level of education the more likely you are to ignore it because you can find more interesting things to do with your time."

I sincerely hope you didn't say that to your cleaner, biglouis.
If you did, I'm shocked.
It is up to you, of course, if you don't want her to touch certain areas and I can understand an office and keyboard might be one.

However, everyone has their value and place in society and without her valuable experience and hard work, you might be living in a filthy, unhygienic tip because you consider cleaning is beneath you.
Disliking cleaning is one thing, being contemptuous of those who earn their living cleaning other people's dirt is wrong.
They are worthy of praise and admiration imo.

Callistemon21

^"The higher your level of education the more likely you are to ignore it because you can find more interesting things to do with your time."^

I sincerely hope you didn't say that to your cleaner, biglouis.
If you did, I'm shocked.
It is up to you, of course, if you don't want her to touch certain areas and I can understand an office and keyboard might be one.

However, everyone has their value and place in society and without her valuable experience and hard work, you might be living in a filthy, unhygienic tip because you consider cleaning is beneath you.
Disliking cleaning is one thing, being contemptuous of those who earn their living cleaning other people's dirt is wrong.
They are worthy of praise and admiration imo.

I was shocked too

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202302/medium-855636-screenshot-20230217-013250-samsung-internet.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202302/medium-561435-screenshot-20230217-012944-samsung-internet.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202302/medium-227535-screenshot-20230217-012922-samsung-internet.jpg

I've been there too. My mojo for everything took a long sabbatical and is only just starting the return journey. At least my sense of humour is still here even if some consider it to be a little weird.

I think those posters who have said a little at a time have it right. Set a timer even and just do as much as you can within the time. Chocolate has it exactly right - be kind to yourself.

First: give yourself a break from cleaning until you are sure that you are fully recovered. This often takes longer than we either think it will, or want it to.

One day you will either feel like tackling some of the cleaning and be able to enjoy doing it again, or you will sit down and try to find the money in your monthly budget to pay for someone to come in and spring clean. After that you will doubtless be able to keep things the way you want them again.

I am currently catching up on all the sewing that has been waiting during the months where I could not see very well and enjoying being able to see to do it again.

I hope something similar happens to your urge to clean things.

So you’ve lost your excitement for ‘ making a room spotless’….good…long May you remain that way!

I've also lost my cleaning mojo and my cooking mojo and anything else associated with housework and I'm retired so no work pressures. Luckily I have a wonderful husband who has taken up a lot of the slack. I do get very down about my lack of energy and dream about having the house completely cleaned and organised. Efforts to involve grandchildren as cleaning elves have failed. They would rather come and bake with granny, though they do clean up after. I think what gets to me is the relentless repetition of housework. At least when I was at work I was out of the house and not making a mess. I do wish I could get rid of the guilty feelings about not doing everything that I used to do.

I think everyone has times when they can't be bothered with cleaning, either because they are busy with other things or tired or depressed with no energy. I just tell myself my DM will be visiting and that's enough to get me moving 😁

Do something small and reasonably quick each day, make a short list and tick them off as you do them - a shelf or drawer, clean a window, change a bed, clean the bath. These things all add up and make a difference until you feel like doing more.

I think what gets to me is the relentless repetition of housework
We used to be able to say it was like painting the Forth Road Bridge until they discovered a new, longlasting paint.

What we need are surfaces that clean themselves.

Just do what you feel like doing, don’t be hard on yourself, we spend years cleaning, tidying etc. it’s not the be all and end all just look after yourself x

Saggi

So you’ve lost your excitement for ‘ making a room spotless’….good…long May you remain that way!

Why do so many equate the word 'cleaning' with 'spotless' ? It's possible to keep a reasonably clean and tidy house without being OCD about it. And to have an interesting life while doing some cleaning some of the time.

There's absolutely nothing laudable about living in filth, nor is it healthy.

Now here’s a subject that raises my hackles! I hate to clean, but love a clean house. Who doesn’t?

At my age I’m finding more interesting things to do with my spare time than vacuuming, scrubbing, dusting. I’m also somewhat limited in my physical output.

I do feel I have to host some luncheon or dinner party on occasion to get the full aesthetic done… or I might not get around to a full clean. That’s my motivator.

Everything “appears” really good - but I do have two closets that carry a burden - one is a catch-all “Dagwood” closet and the other is my Christmas closet. My weak links! They are in constant flux and never truly organized. It drives me crazy and my friends are tired of hearing about them! 😆
Cheers!
USA Gundy