Lemme tell you how I get started when I'm cleaning a space that is totally out of control. Oi! It's not all fascism and gloom over here! I've got stuff to tell ya about actual cleaning, too. And once you finish here, head on over to Part 2.
I started cleaning for NDIS clients - people with level of disability that entitles them to government assistance with household tasks. I soon took on private clients as well; and now, weirdly, I clean houses for the tech elite in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
Between these two kinds of clients, I realised everyone struggles with the daily grind of domestic labour. From people receiving care for their disability to the most wildly rich and successful person you know. Sometimes, the overwhelming job of maintaining a living space can really smash you.
Here's how I approach a space when a family has been totally smashed. Read on if you've ever needed help with a depression room, ADHD clutter, your kids' playroom after school holidays, a move-out clean, or any other huge and overwhelming cleaning task.
STEP ONE: FORGET SHAME
Shame is straight up not a useful emotion. It drives avoidance. Avoidance only makes anxiety bigger. This is true for cleaning, and for everything. You can have that one for free!
My clients often tell me how embarrassed or ashamed they are. But shame drives us to hide and leads us away from our number one resource: our community. Whether it's your family and friends, or paid help like a professional cleaner, forget shame! Let people in and ask for help! It's so much easier physically and mentally to not tackle a big job alone.
STEP TWO: SAFE AND FUNCTIONAL
"Clean" is not even a real thing. It's like "healthy" - it can mean totally different things to different people and the goalposts keep shifting, which makes it fundamentally not achievable goal.
I get a lot more value out of the phrase "Safe and functional". When I enter a space that needs a lot of work I ask, "how can I make this safe and functional?".
Safe: are there trip hazards on the floor, is there moisture building up somewhere causing mould, is there food that could attract vermin? What needs to be out of reach of children? Is there clutter building up where it could cause a fire? Is there anything blocking exit points or ventilation? Is there biological material present that could spread disease? Are there dust and allergens present that can effect breathing?
Functional: Can you get to the stove to cook? Is there space on the counter to prepare a meal? Do you have clean dishes and utensils? Are you able to find clean clothes to get ready in the morning? Can you easily find your important documents? Is there room for your kid to lay out the Brio train set? Can you reach the things you need when you open the cupboard? Do you have space to put things when you bring them home from the shop? Can you do daily tasks without moving things around or knocking anything over?
These concepts also apply to emotional and mental safety. This is especially important for my ADHD and Autistic comrades: if your physical space is overwhelming, you will feel burnt out and overstimulated. If your living environment is causing you to feel anxiety and shame, it is not safe or functional for you.
STEP THREE: MIS EN PLACE
This is a concept from working kitchens which just means, have everything you need ready to go before you start work. This way, you're not going to lose your flow searching around the house for garbage bags in the middle of the clean.
Every time you have to stop and switch tasks, there is an energy cost. By getting everything ready first, we reduce that cost as much as we can. We're trying to conserve every little bit of energy we can, and stack it up in a big pile so there's enough to finish the job. You're going to need:
Laundry baskets, buckets, crates, boxes: Anything that can hold a lot of stuff and is easy to carry. I use a modified version of KC Davis' "5 Things method" from her very kind and useful book How to Keep House While Drowning. More on this in part 2!
Gloves: Don't skip this one, even if you don't think you need it. It's mentally much easier to clean if you don't have to touch gross stuff.
Garbage bags
A duster (damp microfibre works great)
A vacuum/broom
Collect all your things and pop all of this outside the space you want to tackle.
...Alright, you ready? Got everything? Had a little snack and a cry? We'll get into how to start physically cleaning your space over in Part 2.