7 cleaning hacks for people living with depression

FOR THOSE DAYS WHEN YOU FEEL LOST IN YOUR OWN CLUTTER AND DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START

By Jackie Menjivar

Sometimes your physical space is a reflection of your headspace. If you’re struggling with your mental health, that might come across in your cleaning habits. Depression impacts energy, motivation, and mood, and when you’re trying so hard just to get through the day, cleanliness can fall by the wayside. 

We’re not talking about a bit of clutter. We mean, “I can’t remember the last time I saw my floor” messy. Or, “Push aside this pile of stuff to make room to lay in my bed” messy. Or even, “These dishes on my desk are starting to grow mold” messy. 

When you’re sitting amid the clutter of a “depression room,” it’s easy to feel stuck. You may keep wondering how you let it get this bad and how you’ll ever crawl out of it. But even when it feels insurmountable, there is a path forward. Here are some (actually doable) tips for cleaning when depression makes it hard. 

Break it down. 

Cleaning isn’t an all-or-nothing game. You don’t have to clean the entire house in one go. In fact, you don’t even have to clean an entire room in one go. Split it up into whatever feels manageable. 

You can try cleaning room-by-room, tackling one every time you find the energy. The bathroom might get cleaned a month after the kitchen, but it’ll get done eventually. Or you could get even smaller, and go surface-by-surface. Clear your bed, then your desk, then your floor. Even having just one tidy area will feel so good. 

If you find it helpful, you can make a timeline for yourself. Just be realistic about the time you need, and give yourself some grace if you can’t quite follow it to the letter. You could decide to clean a room every Sunday (or at least get started!). Or split your room up into 7 different areas, and tackle one each day so that you’re done by the end of the week. 

Aim for impact, not quantity. 

Your energy is a valuable resource, especially during a depressive episode. So when you find the motivation to clean (even just a little), consider how to make the biggest impact. Focus on the things that are stressing you out the most right now. What will make the biggest difference for you? What space do you use or see the most? 

If you do just one thing today, it should really count. Clear a path amongst the clutter from your bed to the door. Wash a few dishes so that you can make yourself a proper meal. Organize your desk to make it more pleasant to work at. Don’t just clean for the sake of cleaning. Prioritize the things that will make your day that much easier. 

Perfect the art of picking stuff up.

Clutter can become overwhelming. Just facing the sheer amount of stuff around you (clothes, trash, dishes, or whatever else has accumulated) can be paralyzing. Not sure where to start? Keep it simple: pick some stuff up. Grab a basket, bag, or box, and fill it with the things that are out of place. 

You can pick one kind of item to gather at a time — like clothing or empty water bottles or dog toys — or you can just grab whatever and put it all together in your container. Don’t worry about putting anything away, or where you’re going to store it, or how you’re going to organize it. Just pick stuff up. 

Sometimes even thinking about it that way can make it feel easier. You aren’t actually doing the laundry – you’re picking up clothes. You aren’t washing the dishes – you’re picking up all the empty cups. You aren’t cleaning – you’re just picking stuff up. That’s manageable, right?

As for a stopping point, you can go until your container is full, or until you’ve cleared a space or surface, or until you just get tired of it. Set the container off to the side or in a closet and tackle its contents another time or day. This is just a low-effort way to get the clutter out of the way and feel less overwhelmed on those especially hard days. You can do it for just a few minutes and end up with a clearer space and mind. 

Then, on the good days, when you’re feeling up for it, you can grab the container and actually put things in their place. Do the basket of laundry. Recycle the bag of soda cans. Sort the box of papers and mail. It’s all in one place and ready for you. 

Embrace micro-cleaning. 

Part of what makes cleaning feel so hard is not knowing how long it’s going to take and feeling like you don’t have the time or energy to get it all done. But cleaning doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking or an all-day project. Cleaning is an action, not a rigid task. You can do it for as long or as little as you want. 

So find little pockets of time and energy to do some cleaning. We’ll call it micro-cleaning. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Still too much? Make it 3 minutes. You can employ the aforementioned pick-stuff-up method, do a few dishes, or wipe some surfaces down. You’re not trying to finish a task, you’re just going until the timer goes off. 

You can also get creative with it. Play a song that you like, and embrace your inner Cinderella. Sing along while you clean, and stop when the song’s over. Or clean during a time when you’d be waiting around anyway — like the 3 minutes it takes for your meal to heat up in the microwave, the queue time for your video game, or the ad-read on the YouTube video you’re watching.

If a set time period (no matter how short) still feels like too much, measure it in a different way. On those days when you’re feeling awful and stuck in bed, you still have to get up to go to the bathroom or grab food. Every time you do, pick up three things on your way.

Keep it convenient.

When you do set out to clean, nothing zaps your motivation like having to rummage around for cleaning supplies before even getting started. Because sometimes, it’s just that one extra step in the process that makes a task feel impossible. 

Make it as convenient as possible to clean. Store your cleaning supplies in places where they’re super visible, preferably around the area where you’d use them. Keep a squeegee, scrubber, and a bottle of cleaner in your shower, so the next time you’re in there, you can just give it a quick scrub. (This dish brush hack would also work well.) 

If your space is constantly overrun by empty bottles and cans, get a small trash can and place it right next to your desk or bed so that you can throw them away more easily. Or better yet, get multiple small trash cans and put them all over your room so that one is always within arm’s reach. You don’t even really need a formal trash can. Hang a plastic bag on your door handle or just keep some trash bags around. It may not look the best, but it’ll get the job done. 

Wet wipes are also a lifesaver for quick and convenient clean-up. Keep a container of them on your desk, the kitchen counter, and in your bathroom. It’s easier than messing around with paper towels and cleaning sprays, and they can disinfect so many different surfaces. 

And the convenience can go beyond your cleaning supplies. Do whatever you need to do to make it easier. There are no rules here! Fold your clothes while laying down in bed. Get a handheld vacuum cleaner so that you don’t have to pull out a huge, corded one. Stick your toothbrush holder or desk organizers in the dishwasher (assuming they’re dishwasher safe). 

Ask for help.

This doesn’t have to be an isolating experience. Reach out to someone you trust, and ask for help. It may feel uncomfortable to let other people see your space in a messy state, but a truly trustworthy and empathetic family member or friend won’t judge you for it. Everyone — whether they live with a mental health condition or not — knows the feeling of things just getting out of your control. 

You don’t necessarily need to ask them to help you clean. Sometimes even just having some company can make it go by faster. And they can also keep you accountable to your cleaning goals. If you don’t want them seeing your space, ask them to call or facetime (with your phone strategically placed) and just hang out while you clean. 

This isn’t an option for everyone, but if you have the means, you can also hire someone to help you out. Some cleaning services even work specifically with people who struggle with mental health conditions. 

Be kind to yourself.

A messy space can be a source of shame for a lot of people. But it’s important to remember that it isn’t a moral failing. It’s a symptom of a mental health condition that you’re trying to survive every single day. Be kind to yourself throughout the process — whether you’re just staring at your cluttered room or sorting through it. Speak to yourself with compassion and patience: 

“I deserve a clean space. I’m nurturing myself by cleaning. I’m making progress every day, and I’ll rest when I need to. I have the strength to get this done.” 

Take breaks as often as you need, even if those breaks last entire days or weeks. Remind yourself how good you feel when your space is clean, and reward yourself afterwards. Light a candle, do a face mask, eat a good meal, and enjoy your hard work. (And take lots of pictures so you have that extra little motivation the next time you need it.) 

You get to decide what clean means for you. No one is coming around meticulously checking your shelves for dust or your closet for junk. Find a standard of clean that works for you and brings you peace. 

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You can do this. This mess does not define you, and you can shrink it little by little. You don’t have to be perfect, and any work you put in to care for yourself and your space is worth celebrating.

DepressionKristina Benoist