In my house, I am the only person who loves to clean.

While the other 4 family members will clean when they are asked to, they are not always thrilled when it’s time to clean. Especially deep clean.

Over the years my husband and I have come up with some ways to help motivate everyone in the family to deep clean together – and it really works. I must say that our children have always been required to clean and have been doing so since they were able to pick up a toy and place it in the toy box. So this natural progression has made so much sense for us, and I am excited to share with you in hopes that it can encourage your family too.

And remember if you are just starting out that you have to be patient as your family shifts into a new routine and mindset – you can do it momma!

6 Ways to Motivate Your Family To Deep Clean

Set realistic cleaning goals.

To some this is common sense, but for those with Type A personalities like myself, it can be tough to remember. When we work hard to match the task with the appropriate age and skill level, it makes for a fool-proof recipe of success.

Pick a family saying or slogan.

For us, we always choose a specific scripture from the Bible to pray and speak out over our family. We have found having a common saying helps to be an amazing tool in keeping a positive attitude while working toward our deep cleaning goals.

Get the entire family involved.

I have found over the years that all able bodied family members (with the exception of pets) can help effectively reach the goal of deep cleaning inside and outside of your house. Giving each person age appropriate tasks helps lighten the load for everyone spreading the responsibilities around. I have also found that the responsibility in turn gives the children a sense of security in the role they play in the family (reinforcing how important they are) as well as a sense of accomplishment.

It also helps develop time management skills and the chance to practice obedience and diligence while uniting the family through a common goal. Family unity at it’s finest.

Plan to do your deep cleaning over the course of a week or two (or three) to make room for living life and enjoying each other through the cleaning process.

We have found it much easier to spread the cleaning out over the course of two to three weeks. It helps take the pressure and anxiety out of the big job, and gives you more time to be thorough. Of course every family is different from (size, location, work schedules, number of family members, etc), so you can decide how long is best for your family dynamic. And if something doesn’t work, just modify it, no big deal.

Be flexible!

I cannot stress this enough.

It is so important to allow for “life” to happen while accomplishing such large, difficult, and time consuming tasks. It keeps the productivity high when the children (and even our spouse) know that if they aren’t able to get something done that it is not the end of the world. Don’t get me wrong, I am not justifying laziness nor procrastination – but I know that life cannot be scripted and sometimes things just have to shift. Prioritize daily life, and learning to be flexible will follow.

Celebrate your accomplishment!

After any big deep cleaning project is complete, we celebrate with either a small party at home to include a night of fun games or a special dinner out coupled with an activity. This has become a tradition in our family and it helps foster our love for Christ and serving others, a true joy to experience!

More to Consider…