What Gets You in the Mood...

**AmyBoz** · 07-30-2005, 01:10 PM

...to clean, ladies...to clean.

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I ran out of things to read the other day and I was at school and picked up

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. All of the Little House books get me in the mood to clean for some reason. Life was so much simpler then. Much more labor intensive, but simpler, and I wind up looking around this place and thinking, "If those people could keep a clean house with the dirt floors and all they had to do in the course of a day, I should be able to keep this place in order!" Then, I start cleaning.

Is there anything in particular that gets you in the mood to clean, besides company coming or not being able to see the floor anymore?

bg · 07-30-2005, 01:32 PM

I grew up with a family of packrats, and I simply disliked seeing crap everwhere. So, when things start to look like my parents' or grandparents' homes, I get motivated to clean.

Also, one of my hobbies is to look through catalogs (Ikea, pottery barn, etc) which I get in the mail for free, so looking at the setups in the catalogs inspires me. Also if the weather is bad, or I want to procrastinate...that also gets me to clean.

**thrifty gal** · 07-30-2005, 03:24 PM

Turning up some fast music, and basically just looking around the messy house gets me in the mood.

**baxjul** · 07-30-2005, 03:26 PM

Actually, just like you, I read Amish books or organizing books, then the mood strikes me to clean for several days!

**dmvezina** · 07-30-2005, 07:32 PM

For me, it's music & I HAVE to start right away!! lol

If I linger on the computer or something, then I don't feel like cleaning and just keep putting it off!!

**Missy** · 07-30-2005, 08:22 PM

outside influesnces mostly. Like someone comming to visit. But MIL's house if incredilbly cluttered (4 men - that don't clean, 1 woman who hates cleaning, the math is not so good) and seeing her home and living there briefly gave me the desire to keep mine from getting llike that. Plus being OCD helps, LOL.

**favesis37** · 07-31-2005, 08:59 AM

every time i go to my sister's who lives in something out of house beutiful i get the urge to clean. we will never live in a million dollar home like she does but we will never have the payments either!

**canadian gardener** · 07-31-2005, 07:04 PM

hmm, when it feels kind of messy.

I view cleaning like a really good game of solitaire on computer, it's tidying up, restoring order to my universe.

Like a jigsaw or knitting or solitaire ---as things are restored to order it brings a sense of peace and calm to my home.

I clean sometimes just to sooth myself, I find it relaxing in an odd way.

I try not to let things get really messy so I do little bits while waiting for the coffee to brew or the microwave to cook my oatmeal in the morning.

Or in commercial breaks watching TV.

Little bits add up.

I do big bursts of dejunking and deeper cleaning when I'm stressed over something. Company coming, or something that is bugging me.

**YankeeMom** · 08-01-2005, 08:02 AM

Just the thought of anyone seeing my house a mess sends me to cleaning. If I weren't deathly afraid of the mail carrier or repair person seeing my house a wreck, I probably would let it go a lot more than I already do lol.

**Darlene** · 08-01-2005, 09:32 AM

~company coming
~I'm really really angry about something
~big changes (this month the kids are flying the nest & I will be cleaning & rearranging things like mad for my new lifestyle)
~tv shows that show how less is more & everything just looks so good.

**AmyMCGS** · 08-01-2005, 10:01 AM

Originally posted by AmyBoz

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. All of the Little House books get me in the mood to clean for some reason. Life was so much simpler then. Much more labor intensive, but simpler, and I wind up looking around this place and thinking, "If those people could keep a clean house with the dirt floors and all they had to do in the course of a day, I should be able to keep this place in order!" Then, I start cleaning.

Is there anything in particular that gets you in the mood to clean, besides company coming or not being able to see the floor anymore?

Mine is very similar.... I've been reading all of Beverly Lewis' books about the Amish, and I get the same feelings-- I look around my house at all the clutter and overflowing closets, and really I start wanting to simplify and declutter my life. (And, off topic, I also start wanting to work on my spiritual life more.)

**pkellyc** · 08-01-2005, 02:00 PM

Hosting a grad party in a couple of weeks. Washed my kitchen windows and cleaned under my sink. lol

**Jerseygirl** · 08-01-2005, 10:30 PM

Hormones!!!!! While I have PMS the mess better get out of my way-thats when I am most likely to just start throwing out.

**patches** · 08-02-2005, 02:09 AM

Anger...don't ask me why but if I get angry at something or somebody, I will take out the energy on cleaning. At least then it isn't wasted energy and I don't feel as drained afterwards.

Yes, Little House and other type books cause the same reaction...but I know why my house isn't as spick and span as theirs...I'm married to a slob.

When I was single, my furnishings were very sparse and I liked it that way. One of my neighbors used to laugh all the time....I would really clean house about once a week or so. All of the furniture ( I love wicker because you can pick it up and move it) went out on the front and back porch and I would sweep, mop, wax my floors in all of the rooms. Of course it took all day but I loved seeing the sun shine on my floors and I love shaking rugs rather than vacuuming the floor. I love the feel of a cool clean floor on bare feet.

I am a serious crafter. I had two closets dedicated to craft/sewing and all the stuff went back in their prospective boxes at the end of the day and back into the closet.

Now, I fight just to have room to craft and I don't do it as much because there is still something inside that says, "don't enjoy your crafts until the house is clean", but with hubby around it is a constant battle that I fight.

**Goodi2shooz** · 08-02-2005, 03:51 AM

all the usual...
Anger
Company coming
God poking me in the ribs
seeing a bug

btw Amy, I happen to LOVE Little House in the Big Woods... one of my favorite all time books..