ADHD Cleaning Tips that Can Help Anyone Clean Better & Get Organized

Does your ADHD make routines fun or frustrating?

this helps a lot im always getting into trouble when i dont remember to clean my room or rule in the house and its hard for me to come up with ways to better myself thank you for helping im going to be trying all of this out

Reminders app in my phone???
Geo fence???
🤔

I appreciate the short intro I try to watch 2 other videos and lost focus within the first 30 seconds. Thank you!!!

1. righting the small wrongs - put small things away that tend to pile up away (bills, random clothes) helps to set reminders and perhaps write down what goes where to not need to think about where it goes.
2. use phone to replace executive function. set geo-centric reminders to do things when you're passing by places
3. pair routines with rewards. pretty self explanatory, tell yourself to do something before something else - ex. wash the dishes before eating dinner


this is for me but also for anyone that needs a reminder. thank you for your video!

I lost focus in the first 3 minutes 10 times. The sound is horrible. Video is not good, especially for people with adhd. I like that you're trying to help us all. Thank you. Keep trying. ❤

You are so frustrating. You are talking to ADHD people who have issues with concentration and you went on for the first 2 minutes about setting reminders on your phone

Really helpful suggestions!

What is the geolocation app ypu mentioned? I've never heard of that, would live to try it ❤

If I dumped a load of laundry on the kitchen table at least it would hide all the clutter already on the table. It would also never get folded - not all at once anyway - and sit there for days while we ate our meals on the couch.

For putting away laundry, i put it away WHILE I’m getting dressed. Instead of digging to the bottom of a basket looking for something and just getting it into a bigger more wrinkly mess, I pick something off the top, see if I want to wear it, and if I don’t, I shove it in a drawer. Sometimes I food it nicely, sometimes I roll it up, sometimes I don’t fold it at all. I keep going until I’ve found a whole outfit lol, and sometimes I keep going until the basket is empty. It becomes something urgent and useful, it makes my life immediately easier, instead of being something that I dread, because I H A T E putting away laundry.

Adding tidying for 15 minutes every day and the one minute rule are really big for me!

1. Use your momentum. If you are getting up off the couch to get a drink or go to the bathroom, do something, anything, that takes one minute or less to improve your surroundings. For example, pick up all the dirty mugs and dishes and take them to the kitchen. Even if you feel too lazy to wash them up or put them in the dishwasher, you can stack them next to the sink, which is one step closer to dealing with them. Anything you do do is better than doing nothing.

2. Proximity. If you are in the kitchen making yourself a snack or drink, get in the habit of doing something, cleaning or tidying up, that takes one minute or less. As I’m British, while I’m waiting for the kettle to boil for tea, I will load or unload the dishwasher - I can do either in about one minute.

3. Aim for improvement, not necessarily completion, and definitely NOT perfection. Don’t make more of a mess when you are doing something because if you run out of time or energy, it will just be left there making you feel worse. For instance, when I tackle our jammed packed junk drawer, I NEVER pull everything out at once. All I do is take out a few things that don’t belong in there, along with some rubbish and deal with them. Then when I lose interest, I can just finish up quickly and close the drawer.

4. Find out what works for you because that is all that matters. If you force yourself to do something a certain way, then you are just stressing yourself out and making yourself miserable. Most people love to make lists, but I don’t like them. For me it is one more thing to do before I even start doing the things I need to work on, so I resent it, plus I don’t get a thrill out of ticking off the completed jobs, like I’m supposed to.

5. Prioritise. If I don’t do anything else, I try to get the dishes washed, and some laundry done, so I make sure I do these things first in case I don’t have the time or energy to do anything else.

6. Accept that your house will always be dirtier and more disorganised than you would like. It will always be a work in progress, so there is no point beating yourself up because you don’t have the time or inclination to do all that you set out to do on a particular day.

i tried with Alarms but i ignored them after a while. Then i have in my calendar everyday an other room i have to clean but no suprise it is just a nice option not to loose the complete fokus where i could start that day. Now i have a 3 step system wich works really good for me.
1. The laundry( just one a day id i don't feel energized so i am going to hang it up til the end of the day)
2. Tge dishwashes( i have maschine tvat makes it more easy but one time it was broken so i had to do it by hand and i did it bc everyday washing makes just a little dish mountain)
3. the garbage must be put together ( i don't want to have bugs)

evrything else is optional

and maybe the 80/20 method is nearly like what i do if you know that better

As i sit here and look around ny house looks like a bomb has hit it but i just dont have any motivation to do.

"Before we lose all focus, let's jump in" 😂😂 got me there, love it

It could be the adhd talking (ha) though I think this might be revolutionary for me, at least tips 1 & 3 combined.

This video is a good answer for those ignorant professionals who keep wondering whether getting diagnosis would actually change anything for me. Like really?? I typed 'adhd' and 'cleaning' and this was maybe the third result that popped up. (I'm self realized, peer rewied and undiagnosed)

I must use a kitchen timer, NOT my phone. I get the phone in my hand ( like it is now) and I start scrolling...gee where are my packages? Who called/texted/emailed? Can I find a video to clean to? And rhe hamster wheel starts again..

Thank you for this video. I am having a hard time getting my small person to help with her tasks. We both have it, her with ADHD and myself with ADD. So it can be hard to get both of us to do something. The grab bag reminded me about the dopamine menu that you can create for when you get board. I am going to try this. Thanks again

The only thing that has worked for me consistently is making my home pretty. I have to remove the clutter and keep everything nice. I still let my place get messy but after a little while I miss the prettiness. Lighting a candle, having essential oils diffusing, or a vase of fresh flowers are my go- to mood enhancers😊.

Tips 1 & 3 will fail for me. Already using tip 2, just in a bit different way, so video isn't helpful for me, but I'm glad it's here for anyone that does find it useful. Tip 1: I will then just work around stuff in the new dump location. Tip 3: Since there is no authority to tell me I can't get things from the reward bag RIGHT NOW, I will just go get it. I have to use other methods like listening to a podcast or audiobook while I work to entertain my brain.

It's hot that I leave stuff hanging around because they a reminder tk stiff I need too do more its the fact I can't be bothered to put them away 😂 Amd your right I actually dont notice rhem lol😂

I found this so helpful. Short and sweet, and I actually learnt some new tips. I've subscribed. (Also did you release a cleaning guide years ago, maybe Housewife How-Tos? I recognise your name.)

Clutter blindness is a thing?! I feel so seen. ❤

Great ideas, thank you. Quick question, what if the clutter in my home is already out of control? It weighs heavily on my soul and wreaks havoc on my mental health but it's completely overwhelming and I don't know where to begin.

You mean the apple calendar app because I didn’t know you could add tasks and remember everyday.

The biggest hurdle I’ve been struggling with…once I gather all the items from a room in a basket, that basket then sits. Even if I dump the stuff out - say, on the kitchen table…I will literally not make dinner or work around it just so I don’t have to put it away 😅 my brain says “nope…not doing it” and then it won’t get done until that wears off for that item. It’s like, it’s me holding myself accountable so I can just make an excuse..and if I do try and have my husband or my sister or someone be my “accountability partner” that doesn’t work either cause I really don’t care what they say and I know they can’t make me do it 😫😆 I’m laughing…cause it’s absurd to read that when I type it out…I’m even someone who likes to clean lol adhd is SO WEIRD! (I am also aware that my stubbornness as a first defense is possibly influenced from other issues/sources too (trauma,ptsd) so I end up stuck…I’m not sure how to get to the part where I can gather the clutter and then follow thru & put the clutter away. I will say one thing that has helped a little is when I have an item in my hand, saying to myself over and over “don’t put it down, put it away” as I go and put it away. I feel like I need multiple tricks and tools at my disposal cause I get bored with that option and then don’t do it 😂 oh lord, the struggle to do a simple task is real…cause it’s never simple…there are multiple steps and decisions just to lead up to getting the supplies out 🫠

I can't do the grab bag of rewards cuz my brain is like "who's gonna stop you from getting the reward, I want it now!" And before I know it the candy/cake or whatever I was saving for later has disappeared and I'm thinking "oh no..what have I done!?"

I just found out I have ADHD as an adult. And My cleaning is hectic. I really like what you have to say. Your gifs in the videos fit how my brain is.

Its nice to have a candle burning while washing dishes. I have no dish washer.

I'm not diagnoses bit latley I wonder. But anyways I always feel like im drowning and digging my own grave ....or someone is

I have to reduce my possessions to an absolute minimum

People with ADHD, their house and their car looks like they’re homeless or a bomb went off
I can clean my whole house in, organize it perfectly, and destroy it within an hour
I could have a beautiful car and it will be full of garbage literally

Thank you for sharing your tips! I LOVE the grab bag idea- I have a feeling my ADHD brain will go crazy for that one ❤ and thank you too for the blog post. I have been searching for a comprehensive all-in-one list or instruction manual for house chores for a while now and this one is really helpful. I get so overwhelmed with the state of things I never know where to start or what to prioritize. Hopefully starting back on ADHD medication will help, but also hopefully these tips will help too.

New sub❤ first tip immediately followed. Recent ADHD diagnosis at age 39, but I always knew especially after having my 1st baby.

Plants are my reward. I will clean in order to rearrange my plant decor

I will definitely use the tips of the"reward grab bag". I tend to use the same rewards for myself and then I get bored...I love that last bit about chocolate in your video.

Such a soothing voice and great information!

Okay, I’m binging your videos because you are so much fun to watch and have such great advice! I’m bummed that it looks like you stopped posting though.

Location based notification doesn't work anymore

OMG — the list works for me so we’ll. It’s right by my phone so I can’t miss it. And I have a cup of tea or read a book as a reward later. I also take a box and set a timer for 10 minutes and I discipline myself to stay in one room. Anything that belongs in another room goes in the box and to the room where it belongs. I treat myself or set the timer for 10 minutes then go to another room to clean. This method works for me. BUT having a list is crucial to being motivated and remembering what to do. 😊

Love the video Katie :) thank you!

"before we all lose focus" 🥴🤣🤣😅 love it. Whatta welcome

Hey great video and appreciate people making content for us!

Just some feedback from an ADHD doom scroller -

I would be looking for chapters on videos like this one - if I can see what the ideas are first, I'm more likely to stay and watch, even if they are ones I've heard before

One 2+ min 'how to/tips & tricks' video with no chapters is usually ADHD poison unless Im already warmed to the creator

But once again, appreciate the tips and hope the channel grows!

My house is a reflection of the chaos in my head! Adhd is out of control! Where do I start!

Omgggg this is epic help

ADHD🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏽‍♀️

This is brilliant! Brilliant! I love the concept of “righting small wrongs” but the geofencing idea is off the charts brilliant. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve missed hitting up the danged UPS store. LOL! This will solve that problem. I’m still parsing the rest of the info but, THANK YOU!