Use Products You Love

Let’s face it: Vinegar is a cleaning wonder, but it’s not exactly known for its fabulous fragrance. To make cleaning fun, buy some cleaners that actually make you want to use them.

“I love using products that smell divine and that perform well to make the job easier and more enjoyable,” Mountford says. “To me, my cleaning products are an extension of my beauty products, like self-care for me and my home.”

Cleaning can be therapeutic, too! If you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed or low, Mountford says grabbing your favorite products and “having a clean” can really help you relax and unwind. That goes for your cleaning tools, too.

“Stop using the scrubbing brush that gives you blisters and the all-purpose cleaner that makes you gag,” empowerment coach Arissan Nicole says. “It’s worth upgrading your tools to make the process easier, and using products that smell nice.”

Catch Up on Podcasts

How many times have you started a podcast only to drop off when you get too busy?

“It can be hard to find time to catch up on reading or your favorite podcasts, but cleaning is the perfect time to do just that!” Reaves says. “Associate your cleaning time with an interesting podcast or book, and you’ll look forward to it as your time to catch up where you left off.”

Listening to a podcast or an audiobook can make time go faster, according to confidence coach Alex Ward. “It’s also an opportunity to learn something or listen to a novel you’ve always wanted to read,” he says. If the task requires little concentration, most people find themselves in “robot mode,” Ward says, while their conscious mind absorbs the new information.

Make Cleaning a Workout

Skip your run this morning? Make it up while cleaning!

“If you have a Fitbit or Apple Watch, set it on a workout and see how many steps and calories you can burn while cleaning,” Panebianco says. “You’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

Push yourself harder by adding exercises between tasks, says Armeka Townsend, a cleaning expert and senior consumer relations representative at Zep.

“Perform 10 pushups every time you finish cleaning a room,” Townsend says. “Use a step counter to track the number of steps you take while cleaning and challenge yourself to increase the intensity of your cleaning movements, such as scrubbing faster or using more force.”