A therapist suggested she hire a house cleaner.
Michelle Gunn suffers from ADHD and was feeling overwhelmed.
“House cleaning was something I didn’t know how to do,” she said. “I would just get overwhelmed. I would jump from starting dishes, to laundry, to sweeping and never complete a task.”
So, she hired Jessica Shand, owner of Maid in P.E.I.
“OK. Let’s do this,” Shand thought as she went into the Gunn’s home.
With each visit, Shand could see her coming out of her shell. Soon Gunn started to maintain her home between cleaning visits.
“She’s come leaps and bounds,” said Shand.
Gunn wrote Shand a message telling her how much the cleaning service had helped.
“Mental health and house cleanliness kind of good hand in hand,” said Shand.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with life, and when that happens something like cleaning the house is just too much, she said.
“The peace of mind I know it brings people is what makes me happy.”
But what if you don’t have a house cleaner?
The last thing Shand wants to do when she gets home is clean her house, she said.
She has some time-saving suggestions.
Tips for cleaning your home
- Maintain the house throughout the week.
- Clean the shower while you’re showering to avoid a ring around the tub.
- Wipe the bathroom sink and counter daily to avoid a build-up of toothpaste.
- Rinse the dishes off instead of letting food dry on.
- Put things away. If something needs to go upstairs, set it at the bottom of the stairs and take it up when you go.
- Listen to a podcast while you do the housework. It takes your mind off the evil chore.
- Start with the high traffic areas first – the bathrooms and the kitchen. Then dust the living room. Then vacuum and mop the floors.
- Enlist the help of your kids and spouse
Motivating the kids to help with the chores can be a challenge.
“The younger you start your kids, the better,” Shand said.
Shand found there were certain chores she was struggling with such as the dishes and litter box.
“I found things that were hampering me and those became my kid’s chores.”
She took time in the evenings to teach her kids how to do each chore and she followed-up with them to make sure the chores were done correctly.
She created a “Quality Award”. Whoever produced the highest quality of work, got an extra $2 at the end of each week.
Shand also suggested a house swap with a co-worker, relative or friend.
“When you clean someone else’s house it’s fun, because you’re giving to someone else.”
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