10 Simple Ways to Make Cleaning Day Actually Fun

Put On Your Favorite Reality TV Show

Do you ever feel just a little bit guilty spending your precious non-work hours binging the latest season of Housewives? Maybe not, and if so, good for you. But for those must-watch TV shows on your list that might not require your full attention (looking at you, Million Dollar Listing), try putting them on while you clean to make the time go by a little more enjoyably.

You can confidently dust your bookshelves while half-paying attention to the television without missing too much of any reality TV show plotline. And by the time you're an episode or two in, you're likely done with your task and can decide if that particular show is worth any more of your time.

Buy Cleaning Supplies That You Love

There's nothing that makes vacuuming more fun than using your new, sleek Dyson. This might even make your cleaning day Instagram-able.

While you definitely don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to enjoy cleaning, spending an extra few dollars to opt for cleaning supplies that you love, such as a broom in your favorite color or scented dishwashing soap, will make the boring tasks a little more fun.

Make It a Full-Body Workout

If you're spending the day deep cleaning your home then you can absolutely skip your pilates class for that day. A good cleaning session is a full-body workout on its own. Think of all the scrubbing, rearranging, and general moving-around you do during a deep clean.

You'll definitely get your heart rate up without even trying, but if you want to turn it up a notch, challenge yourself to walk up and down your stepladder between each minute of dusting or do 30 seconds of jumping jacks after each room's vacuum session.

Create a Game

No matter what your age, games are always fun. So, why not make a game out of cleaning? And the best part about a cleaning game is you get to make up the rules.

Tell yourself you're going to pick up all the blue things around your house first. Before you know it, you've made a huge dent in your cleaning session. Or if you hate folding laundry, set a timer and see if you can beat your last folding session record.

Get the Kids Involved

If you've got kids, chances are a good amount of your cleaning time is going to be spent picking up after them. So get them involved! Getting your kids to clean is easier said than done, but there are plenty of tactics to get them involved without them immediately catching on that they are helping you clean.

You can incorporate games here (pick up all pink toys, then all green toys, etc.) or help them craft a daily chore list that they can take responsibility for and reward them with a good old-fashioned gold star when they complete each task. Five gold stars equal a "five more minutes on the iPad" coupon for later. You make the rules. You know what will motivate them.

Go Full "Risky Business"

No partners or kids to help you clean? Then you can really let loose.

Put two dishrags under your feet and slide around as you Swiffer your way to a cleaner kitchen (and you won't have to explain to a five-year-old why they can't also do this semi-dangerous tactic). Turn up the music as you sing unapologetically loud and off-key while you vacuum. Dance around in your underwear while unloading the dishwasher—no one's watching, so dance like it.

Listen Up

Audiobook, true-crime podcast, or your favorite playlist—pick your player. Cleaning in silence is simply unnecessary. By distracting yourself with a juicy audiobook or even a phone call to a friend you've been meaning to catch up with, you'll be done mopping before you know it.

Incorporate Self-Care

Some people want to keep self-care a completely separate experience from housework, which is a-ok, but wouldn't it feel nice to have a warm washcloth around your shoulders as you fold your towels and listen to some jazz music?

You could light your favorite scented candle and put on a nostalgic '90s movie as you sort through your toss/donate/keep pile of next season's clothes. There's nothing wrong with intentionally making your cleaning experience a little more relaxing by engaging your senses in things you love.

Set a Time Limit

A big part of the cleaning burden is the overwhelming feeling of "this will never end," that comes with chores. The way to combat that feeling? Make it end.

Set a time limit for how long you're going to clean—one hour of cleaning followed by one hour of your favorite TV show. Or maybe you'd rather devote your full Saturday to cleaning, but whatever isn't done by 6 p.m. will have to wait until your next designated cleaning day.

Have a Reward Waiting

Speaking of looking forward to a post-cleaning activity, make sure you decide what that activity is going to be ahead of time. Only you know what a motivating post-cleaning activity would be. A date night? A long soak in your freshly cleaned bathtub? Knowing that you have something to look forward to post-cleaning will help the time go by that much more quickly.