ADHD Cleaning Hacks That Everyone Needs To Know

Whether it’s you, your partner, or your kids who have ADHD… It’s helpful to know the ADHD cleaning hacks we’ll be talking about today, because you can either implement them yourself or pass them onto your loved ones who struggle with it.

So without further ado, let’s dive into the hacks…

Do something you like while cleaning.

One of the reasons why cleaning is so hard for people with ADHD to do is because it’s boring. There’s not enough stimulation to keep your brain busy. So why not add some stimulation to it, and stack something you enjoy on top of it!

The easiest way to do this is by taking advantage of audio, since you don’t have to have your hands free to enjoy things like podcasts, music, or audiobooks. And along those same lines, you could also call someone on the phone! This would double as stimulation and potentially even body doubling, which is another popular productivity hack for those with ADHD.

Set a clear goal when you start.

ADHD can also cause quite a bit of executive dysfunction, so it makes cleaning difficult when you don’t know where to start… or, where to end! For this reason, something as simple as setting a clear end point before you start can spur you into motion. There are many ways you can set this goal, such as…

• Setting a time limit, like “I’m going to tidy up for fifteen minutes every day”.
• Dedicating yourself to cleaning just one room, or even one specific area (“I’m going to get the laundry off my closet floor”).
• Or going through each room of your house and doing just one thing to make it cleaner.

Now, if you need to write this goal down, write it down. If you need to tell someone and have them keep you accountable, do that! And for some of you, simply setting the goal post might be enough.

Form routines and habits around it.

Even for people without ADHD, having a solid cleaning schedule can be a game changer and this is even more true for people with it. Because it cuts down on the amount of executive functioning that’s required to keep things tidy.

But it’s important to remember that a boring, colorless list of chores might not do the trick for an ADHD brain. You might need to make it more of a routine-based thing, or start habit stacking.

For instance, maybe you need to attach one room or task to one day of the week. You know that every Monday you clean your bedroom, and every Thursday and Sunday you catch up on laundry. Or perhaps you clean at the same time every day; right after dinner, just before bed, or first thing in the morning are a few examples.

If you want to habit stack, you’ll need to choose something that you know you do on a regular basis and then find a way to attach a cleaning task to it. A few examples could be…

• Wiping down the counters after every time you cook.
• Throwing a load of laundry in the washer while you’re getting ready in the morning.
• Putting things back in their place while you’re talking on the phone.

Come up with ways to reward yourself.

ADHD brains work well with reward systems, so if you really struggle to get yourself to clean… give yourself incentive! It’s one of the most powerful ADHD cleaning hacks there is!

And there are many ways to do this; ranging from breaking down big cleaning days into section and rewarding yourself after each milestone, to giving yourself little treats after every time you tidy up. The important thing is that it’s something you can look forward to.

Maybe it’s your favorite coffee, promising to let yourself binge a tv show later that night, spending a little extra time in the bath, etc…

But whatever you choose, rewarding yourself for cleaning will have the added benefit of teaching your brain to associate those actions with good things. Which will help you get motivated faster in the future!

Find ways to stay accountable.

I’ve mentioned accountability and body doubling a few times now, but I wanted to double down on it in this section. Because it can be a really powerful tool for anyone! Including those with ADHD. So how do you do it…

Well there are a couple of different ways:

• You could make consistent plans with friends or family to come over, that way you know someone will be in your space and you may be more motivated to tidy up.
• You could tell your loved ones that you’re cleaning, and to double back and check in with you later to make sure you finished it.
• You could start a timelapse video, that way you’d be more conscious about taking breaks.
• And you could even post before photos online, so you’d feel compelled to post after photos later.

Any form of accountability that encourages you without stressing you out, is the way to go!

Don’t feel bad!

Lastly, I just want to say that if you’re looking for ADHD cleaning hacks because you feel guilty about struggling to keep your home clean… Don’t. It’s not your fault that it’s sometimes hard to find the motivation and the time to do it. Trust me, lots of people have been there! You’re not alone.

The important thing is that you’re looking for ways to fix it. And you’re open to adopting new strategies to improve, bit by bit.

P.S. If you’re looking to invest in some cleaning gadgets to make these tasks a bit easier, check out this article on the topic.