What to Do While Cleaning?

Updated on May 28, 2014
J.G. asks from Chicago, IL
20 answers

My best buddy that I chat with while I clean the house -during nap time and video time for the kids- goes away for 5 weeks every summer. She's been gone two weeks now, and I'm starting to feel lonely! We talk about everything and anything, while we both clean and do stuff around the house. This makes deep cleaning, etc go by super fast.

What do you do while cleaning? I'd blare music and drink beer, but somehow this doesn't seem appropriate for 2 in the afternoon.

What can I do next?

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O.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

I can't imagine getting any "deep" cleaning done while chatting on the phone--that's just me, I guess.
I usually, well, clean when I'm cleaning! Boring right?
Mindfulness and doing what you're doing when you're doing it can be a pretty efficient thing.

4 moms found this helpful
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J.K.

answers from Kansas City on

How about listening to a book on cd? I have a friend who cleans houses and does this. I personally blast music.

3 moms found this helpful

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F.B.

answers from New York on

Meditate, forcus on the cleaning and purge your mind of all distractions.
Take joy in your work.
Count your blessings.
Do mental arithmetic.
Conjugate irregular verbs.
Practice counting in a foreign language.
Sing oldies, ballads from your youth, your hs fight song.

Best,
F. B.

4 moms found this helpful
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K.P.

answers from San Francisco on

why not? I'm not saying get smashed, but what's wrong with turning up the radio (if your kids can sleep through it) and having a drink? I think people worry to much about stuff like that and what other people would think. And I'm not a drinker but I say if that's what you want to do then GO FOR IT. Or you could listen to a book on tape, or just crank the tunes without the beer. I have always liked turning up the radio when I clean, double if the kids are up, and we clean and have a mini dance party and everyone gets to burn off some steam and I still get something done.

4 moms found this helpful
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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

I have no problem with blaring music and drinking beer at 2 pm. I have a full-time job, and I do most of my housework on my days off. You had better believe there is loud music and beer involved no matter what time I get started on it.

3 moms found this helpful
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D.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I play music, but no beer :)

3 moms found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

I listen to Dave Ramsey online.

3 moms found this helpful

V.N.

answers from Huntington on

I usually listen to music, but lately I've been getting on youtube and finding long videos of things I enjoy. Like learning things about things ya know. Like for example, I love photography, so I search videos about photoshoots, or people teaching about different features to different cameras, about good backgrounds, how far I should stand away from what I'm trying to capture..things like that. I also like to watch and listen to Michelle Phan, she's a makeup artist I adore, she's awesome, and I love learning and trying new looks with makeup. And I also make clothes, and there are so many things to learn about that, because style is always changing, it's so fun!!! My sister likes listening to her fave books, that's gotten pretty popular lately too. Hope this helps!

3 moms found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

heh. that's my favorite use for junkfood tv!
if you don't like that, how about your favorite book or lecture with headphones?
khairete
S.

2 moms found this helpful
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E.T.

answers from Rochester on

I listen to Podcasts, audio books or music.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

I'm usually cleaning in between other things so I don't have a lot of time to turn on the TV but I might put on a movie or music if I were in your shoes.

2 moms found this helpful
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R.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Blare the music without the beer. Or have the beer too and be prepared to sleep the rest of the day.

2 moms found this helpful

C.C.

answers from San Francisco on

Pandora, really loud on my favorite workout station. (An upbeat tempo helps!) If your kids are sleeping, just play Pandora on your phone and use headphones. Have the beer afterwards (hey, it's 5:00 somewhere!)...

2 moms found this helpful
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P.M.

answers from Portland on

I've actually used simple focus to handle housework, and have learned that giving my total attention to the task allows me to turn it into "art." Really, I am an artist/illustrator, and reaching for efficiency and excellence as I do either kind of work makes for a very satisfying day. I often don't even have the radio on – the time just flies.

But I get why you love your conversations with your friend. I have long chats with my adult daughter every week, and I'd really miss those.

2 moms found this helpful
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P.R.

answers from Cleveland on

if you have an iphone or ipad, watch TV or a movie... you have to move it around a little and pause it fairly often etc but makes the chores way less painful if I'm watching a favorite show. All the networks have apps you download and it's easy to watch almost anything.

2 moms found this helpful
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X.Y.

answers from Chicago on

I also talk to my BF of 28 years while deep cleaning. When she is not available for our nightly talk, I have a pep talk with my self to just get it done. I think about all the 'pile ups' if I procrastinate. That alone motivates me :)

1 mom found this helpful
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A.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I always have the radio on while cleaning and more than likely it is blasting. As for the beer you wanna go right ahead and drink! Of course don't get smashed if the kids are home but one beer isnt going to hurt anything.

1 mom found this helpful

K.A.

answers from San Diego on

Depends on what I'm doing. Most of the time I get in there and just get it done so it's done. Sometimes I'll put music on or the TV.
Most times I just listen to the kids spending the whole time whining at me that I dared to ask them to help get it done faster and whining that I'm ignoring them.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

I listen to talk radio...I have Dennis Prager on podcast.

1 mom found this helpful

X.O.

answers from Chicago on

I listen to my Pandora stations if it's daytime. At night, I just clean--too afraid to wake the kids.

1 mom found this helpful
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