Cleaning Quotes To Stay Motivated for the Next 31 Days
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Ah, cleaning. Something most of us would rather not have to do.
Yet, nothing beats the feeling of a clean and tidy house that smells fresh when coming home after a long day. Besides, keeping your place neat and clean is a no-brainer if you have flexible working arrangements and work remotely every now and then. After all, working in a clean and tidy environment is much more conducive to productivity than evolving in a cluttered and dirty space.
Sure, it can be hard to find the motivation to put things away and clean up after yourself every day. But I’d argue that it’ll save you from having to do a cleaning marathon on the weekend or whenever you want to relax and enjoy your free time.
For instance, making your bed every day, putting things away after you use them, wiping down your stove, cleaning your sink at the end of each day, and sweeping your kitchen floor can help keep your home looking tidy with minimal effort.
So, here are 31 cleaning quotes to motivate you to clean your home a little bit at a time every day for one month. And who knows, you might even start to enjoy it.
Benefits of Using Quotes
A great quote is intended to clarify, inspire, or enlighten. Stories, poems, and quotes have a transformative power to establish a connection with the listener. When we hear a quote, our brain automatically starts to link our existing experiences with the quote. This active engagement causes an emotional connection that propels us forward.
Words shape our thoughts and our reality. Here are a few benefits of using quotes:
- Inspiration to get through it when you can’t get over it
- Enlightenment to understand what’s best for you
- Focus to provide a direction in your life
- Serve as a reminder that you’re not alone
- Assist with changing your attitude
- Provide a source of comfort through challenging times
How This List of Cleaning Quotes Work
Each day, you’ll read over one quote to inspire your mind and encourage tidying. From there, challenge yourself to feel the quote and live it. What can you do differently because of the passage?
- You can print this article for reference
- Get a copy of these quotes as a worksheet as one of my Insiders.
- Write the quotes down in your calendar or planner
- Check out one of the email services like Futureme or The Self Club where you can send an email to yourself for the next thirty or thirty-one days, depending on the month.
- Post an inspiration message with a quote on your social media for the next month to inspire someone else
List of 31 Best Cleaning Quotes
Day 1 “A good system shortens the road to the goal.” Orison Swett Marden
If your goal is a happy and healthy life, then establishing a good cleaning routine is the secret to shortening the road!
An example of a cleaning routine could be:
- Making your bed in the morning
- Putting away the things you’ve taken out when getting ready
- Wiping your bathroom sink after brushing your teeth
- Cleaning the dishes after eating breakfast and dinner
- Sweeping the kitchen floor after eating
- Taking the trash out at the end of each day.
Together, these tasks might take a mere 20 minutes a day, but doing them as you’re going can take less than five. Being consistent will save you stress from seeing dirt and mess accumulating. And it will also save you considerable time on a big cleaning marathon down the road.
Day 2 “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Lower the bar. Actually, spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement.” Gretchen Rubin
If you start to mentally list everything you need to do in your home, it might feel overwhelming and daunting and lead to demotivation. Then, you might postpone cleaning until you get more time which might never happen. So, rather than aiming to tackle every single room and perform all your cleaning chores at once, start with something small. Break down your cleaning goals into smaller, more manageable tasks and spread them throughout the month.
Day 3 “The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing.” Walt Disney
Walt Disney was absolutely right. Rather than continuously reminding yourself you need to clean your home, plan to complete one, two, or three cleaning chores daily. You’ll see that it will quickly become a habit!
Day 4 “Nothing inspires cleanliness more than an unexpected guest.” Radhika Mundra
Ever received an unexpected call or text from a friend or family member letting you know they’re on their way over to you? That is frankly dreadful when your home is far from ready to welcome guests! In these moments, it’s incredible the motivation we can muster to quickly put things away, wipe down surfaces, take the bin out and vacuum the living areas!
Day 5 “When your environment is clean, you feel happy, motivated, and healthy.” Lailah Gifty Akita
Your environment impacts your state of mind. A clean and tidy home that smells fresh is inviting and will trigger positive emotions such as happiness. It will empower you to achieve your goals. And it will provide the perfect oasis to relax and enjoy quality time with your loved ones.
Day 6 “When all else fails, cleaning the house is the perfect antidote to most of life’s ills.” Sue Grafton
There’s something profoundly satisfying in tackling dirt and grime and slowly working your way from one room to another, leaving pristine rooms behind. So, put your headphones in, and play your favorite playlist while spraying and wiping surfaces, sorting through drawers, or mopping your floors. You’ll see how this could quickly turn out to be a relaxing activity!
Day 7 “Outer order contributes to inner calm.” Gretchen Ruben
When your environment is clean and tidy, you feel more at peace with yourself. Organize your refrigerator one day, remove out-of-date items in your food pantry the next, and dust all your furniture the third. You’ll see how calm you feel after performing these tasks.
Day 8 “The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes.” Agatha Christie
I love this quote because it shows how cleaning can be used as downtime to think about your goals and even complete tasks mentally. For instance, you could think about a recipe for the upcoming dinner you’re organizing on the weekend.
Day 9 “Taking Care Of Yourself Also Means Taking Care Of Your Environment” Unknown
As mentioned, a clean environment can help boost your productivity and reduce stress. A clean space will contribute to your inner happiness and empower you to achieve your goals, whatever they may be!
Day 10 “Clean Your Space, Clear Your Mind” Unknown
Or another way to put it is that a cluttered space leads to a cluttered mind.
Imagine focusing on a series of essential tasks in a room with clothes on the floors, paper piles on the desk, random accessories on the bed, and stains on the walls. It would be pretty hard to focus on the tasks at hand as your mind would constantly wander to these dirty walls and think about the items littering your space!
Day 11 “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” Benjamin Franklin
The more often you organize your space, the more time you’ll save, as you won’t have to do a big tidying session. By putting things back to where you took them after using them, you’ll optimize your time and be able to allocate more time doing the things you love.
Day 12 “Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions.” Barbara Hemphill
Imagine making your bed before leaving the room, cleaning the dishes after breakfast, putting your toothbrush back where it belongs after brushing your teeth and hanging the frame that just fell from the wall straight after it did. Your home will look tidy at all times! And all it would have cost you is a few minutes of your time every morning before leaving for work.
Day 13 “The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” Joshua Becker
If your home is filled with clothes you never wear or books, you will never read, why not part with them? Reducing the number of things you own will help keep your space tidy. And it will make cleaning much more manageable!
Day 14 “Cleaning is Hard at first, Messy in the middle, and Gorgeous in the end.” Unknown
Cleaning your bathroom, dusting your furniture, or scrubbing your floors might not be the most enjoyable way to spend your day. But once you get through the dirt and mess, you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful feeling of accomplishment and pride!
Day 15 “Cleaning and organizing is a practice, not a project.” Meagan Francis
Once you incorporate tidying and cleaning your space into your routine, it will become a daily practice embedded in your lifestyle. And you’ll become addicted to the end result.
Day 16 “The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.” Marie Kondo
When having a hard time finding the motivation to make your bed, or clean your home, remember that you’re accomplishing these tasks to create a healthier space for yourself. And, of course, a happier life for you and the ones you love.
Day 17 “Remember: you are not what you own. Storing all those books doesn’t make you any smarter; it just makes your life more cluttered.” Francine Jay
Do you have a wardrobe packed with beautiful dresses you never wear because you’re afraid of damaging them? Or, as Francine Jay suggests, perhaps your shelves are filled with books you’ll never read. Decluttering your home will declutter your brain and life and help you achieve clarity and happiness.
Day 18 “It’s all in the attitude… housework is exercise. Slim your way to a clean home!” Linda Solegato.
If nothing else motivates you to grab a pair of gloves, your vacuum, or a magnetic duster to clean your space, perhaps getting your steps in will! Tidying and cleaning your home a little bit daily allows you to keep your body moving while ensuring you live in a healthy space!
Day 19 “Your home is living space, not storage space.” Francine Jay.
It can be tempting to collect things we like or want and somehow find a space for them in our home. But unfortunately, after years of accumulating things, your home might be more like a giant storage unit than a happy and healthy space where you want to relax. So, start by decluttering every room little by little. And whenever you buy something new, ask yourself whether you really need it.
Day 20 “The stuff you own has to help you create the life you want. And if it doesn’t, why is it in your home?” Peter Walsh.
This is similar to Marie Kondo’s famous statement regarding only keeping things that spark joy. Your home should only contain the things that will help you create the life you want. Having too many things will draw your attention away from what truly matters. And it will force you to spend unnecessary time organizing and cleaning. If you only own the essentials, you’ll be able to allocate your time much more efficiently.
Day 21 “To be happy, keep the treasures and throw out the trash.” Stephen Inoue
Do you really need all the trinkets you’ve collected over the years? Why not only keep the ones that are meaningful to you? Not only will it make cleaning and tidying your space more effortless, but it will also allow you to really appreciate the few items left.
Day 22 Whether you are cooking, cleaning the house, or planting flowers, try to concentrate on the textures, the smells, colors, tastes, sounds, all Zen moments of focused joy.” Jerry Lynch
Mindfulness is a powerful tool to help ground yourself, reduce stress, and achieve happiness. So, in the same way, mindful walking encourages you to notice the sound of the leaves on the trees or the feathers of the birds when walking in the forest, and try to focus on each task you’re performing when cleaning. Notice the fruity smell of your laundry powder. Focus on the sound of your broom on the floor or the texture of the dress you’re ironing. You might find that all of these chores become relaxing and joyful activities!
Day 23 “A recurring cleaning will make you a happy person.” Maid Sailors
The more often you clean your home, the happier you’ll feel as your space looks and smells fresh. You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and enjoy spending time in your home.
Day 24 “That’s the only thing you can do with a mess. Start cleaning it up, a little at a time.” Lisa Wingate
What would you rather do? Spend two days every month trying to get through the clutter in your home and going crazy because you feel like your space is dirty and messy, or spend 15 minutes cleaning after yourself and putting things away?
Aim at tackling small cleaning tasks every day to avoid mess from accumulating and becoming unmanageable. Do it consistently, and you’ll save yourself headaches and a weekend clearing it all out!
Day 25 “I love doing the dishes… not for the act of cleaning but because I get to put my headphones in, listen to music, and ignore the world for an hour, and it’s totally acceptable because I’m cleaning.” Garrett Clayton
As mentioned before, cleaning can allow you to get in touch with yourself.
In a world where many of us live fast-paced lives and every second must be accounted for, cleaning can make you feel productive while connecting with your inner self and enjoying some quiet alone time.
So, the next time you postpone cleaning your shower, or clearing out your wardrobe, take it as precious me-time you’ll be able to enjoy without feeling guilty!
Day 26 “People may think I’m crazy, but one of the ways I like to wind down my Friday is to get some of our household chores done, whether it’s cleaning or doing a big food shop, so the house is all nice for the weekend.” Victoria Pendleton
Spending the weekend living among clutter, dirty dishes, and smelly toilets is not appealing. Keeping your home nice and tidy every day of the week will ensure you get to relax in a fresh and clean sanctuary on the weekend after a long week at work!
Besides, you’ll be able to focus on spending time with your loved ones instead of cleaning before welcoming them into your home.
Day 27 “We are shaped by our thoughts. We become what we think.” Buddha
Your mind is powerful. It controls the way you perceive things, whether positively or negatively. The more completely you think about cleaning your space, the more enjoyable and natural it will become. If you perceive yourself as enjoying decluttering and cleaning, then you will.
Day 28 “It takes as much energy as it does to wish as it does to plan.” Eleanor Rosevelt
Constantly reminding yourself that you need to clean, declutter or sort through a room is draining. Maintaining these thoughts every day sucks the energy out of you. Besides, it also clutters your mind, preventing you from being at your best.
So, instead of thinking about all the tasks, you need to do repeatedly, establish a small but effective cleaning routine and perform it every day. It will help declutter your mind and unburden you while providing you with a feeling of accomplishment!
Day 29 “Later is the best friend of clutter.” Peter Walsh
Procrastination can easily sip in when it comes to tidying and cleaning your home.
Yet, postponing your house chores will only make the task more significant and less appealing over time.
So, whenever you feel like cleaning your sink, putting your shoes away, or doing the laundry can wait until tomorrow–remember that you won’t feel any more motivated to do it then. In the meantime, the sink will only get harder to clean. And the number of clean clothes you own will only get smaller.
Day 30 “A year from now, you may wish you had started today.” Karen Lamb
There’s never a perfect time to start your new cleaning routine. The best time is to start now. Take control over your life by taking control over your home. Consistently chip away at your cleaning chores, and a year from now, you’ll be happy you started!
Day 31 “Our house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy.” Unknown
Remember, it’s not about having a perfect spick and span house at all times. It’s about living in a tidy and clean space that you feel empowered, inspired, and happy but dirty enough that it shows you’re still taking the time to do the things you love.
Bonus
I’ll leave you with a bonus from Albert Einstein “Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
Nothing worth having is easy. Clear the clutter and take control of your life. You don’t have to do it overnight. Tackle a little every day–eventually, you’ll get there. Just imagine the time and money you’ll save with a decluttered home.
Alright, It’s Time to Start Cleaning
Tackle your cleaning challenges with these inspirational quotes to get the work done over the next month. Print them, share them on social media, or follow a worksheet. You’re sure to stay inspired, encouraged, and enlightened with this list of quotes.
Featured Image Credit: Depositphotos
Theresa is the founder and owner of Simple Is More from Beavercreek, Ohio. She is a nationally syndicated writer whose work has been featured on the Associated Press Wire, Blox Digital, and more. With a passion for words and a love for simplicity, Theresa has built a reputation as a trusted source on minimalism, home organization, budgeting, travel, and wellness. When she's not writing or tidying up, Theresa loves to explore new places, read a good book, and spend quality time with her family.