If you’re like me who’d rather spend their time doing virtually anything else in this world than household chores, this post is going to challenge us. Treat this as an inspiration to finally get your home in order or a feel-good fix for your inner neat freak, because what could be a better time than before we fully immerse ourselves into the winter festive season?
In fact, there’s a whole online group with 153k members which is basically “your one-stop destination for all things cleaning and tidying.” Named r/CleaningTips, the subreddit is a place people go and ask for help, share their tips and pictures, and learn how to clean better. Most importantly, “This is a positive, encouraging and wholesome community,” they promise in the description, so no, your week-old socks casually chilling on the counter won’t shock them.
So let’s get ready to dive deep into the satisfying before and after tidying pictures, from people who cleaned up their depression room and opened a sparkling blank new page to brushing kitchen appliances and giving them a whole new life. And be sure to share your own cleaning tips and tricks if you have some in the comments below!
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It Actually Works
Cleaned My Depression Room After Months
I've been in a similar situation and I know the effort it can sometimes take just to bend down and pick clothes up,so we'll done you... Your room is beautiful..
I Did It. After Months Of Severe Depression, I Did It
With autumn blues kicking in, it’s easy to lose your motivation to do things, especially the ones that were never your favorite in the first place. For many people, it’s household chores. While others find joy in organizing things and sparkling transformations that take the house to a whole new level of order, others struggle to lift their finger and start.
So in order to find out where to look for that much-needed inspo to get your home in order, we spoke with Ivanka Siolkowsky, a professional organizer who helps others find that same inner peace in their daily lives. Ivanka is a former elementary school teacher who says her life was transformed when she began learning the many benefits of minimalism and organization.
Fixing Cat Scratch Marks To Couch Using Felting Needle: Before And After
Gave Up On Cleaning And Decided To Scrape It Off And Reseal It; Thought You Guys Would Appreciate A Satisfying Before/After Pic
I Was Recently Diagnosed With Severe Adhd And Given Meds For It. And Now My Whole House Has Been Scrubbed For The First Time.... Ever
Ohh, I'm still waiting to get ADHD meds. Got the diagnosis 3 months ago, but still no meds because my psychiatrist sort of stopped working at the psychiatric unit, and now I'm waiting to meet another one. Trying to learn ADHD coping mechanisms and all kinds of methods to get organized is fricking hard when your head is still the same head it's always been and you've already tried all the methods multiple times over the years and they just don't work..
“Online is a beautiful place to start. Many professional organizers, like myself, have social media channels where we offer tips and tricks for how to navigate through your organizing journey,” Ivanka suggested. “Once you see the results of clients we’ve worked with, and see that it IS possible, this might give you motivation to begin the journey!”
Relief From A Four Day Migraine Means... 30 Minute Cleaning Session!
Finally Handled The Depression Nest - Which Was Basically The Whole Apartment At One Point
Cleaned My Depression Nest!! (And Wanted To Show Off My Cute Room)
For anyone who’s worrying that tidying up will require maximum effort and a huge budget, Ivanka reminds us that tidying isn’t about spending money. In fact, “it’s about learning how not to! Don’t go out and buy a bunch of organizational supplies! Do the declutter and purge first,” she said.
I’m 17 And Just Bought My First Car, An Old Farm Truck. Here And There I Detailed It And Here Are My Results.
Cool Tip I Learned, Reuse Some Items And Improve Organization
Cleaned Up My Rusty Old Camp Oven That I Neglected. Coke And Wire Brush On A Drill.
Ivanka explained that almost always, during this process, you’ll find bins and containers that will aid you in the organization portion. She also urges everyone on a mission to declutter their home to remember that less is more. “The less you have, the easier it is to organize!”
Yesterday I Found Out Those Tabs On My Windows Are For Tilting Them Inside For Cleaning. Let There Be Light
Someone On Reddit Recommended Iron Out For Hard Water Stained Dishwasher In Our New Rental, One Cycle And The Results Are Amazing
Iron Out comes in a couple of different forms, liquid, spray, and powder. I use the powder to get rid of rust stains on concrete and porcelain.. works like a charm.
Now one of the toilet bowl cleaners has it too. I just buy that add some H2O in a spray bottle for shower and such. Its so bad here where I live that the steam from the showers has it all over the bathroom walls.
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and to those in central EU I highly recommend HEITMANN pure Pure citric acid. You can find it on Amazon.
Or in lots of stores in Germany. ;) I'm using it mostly for my electric kettle. For those from the US: our water is extremely "hard"
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We used to use Tang (the orange flavored drink). Worked like a charm, and cheap cheap cheap.
Hmm. Wonder what the UK option is for this? Our water in East Anglia is so hard!
Any form of Citric Acid which can be bought online or maybe supermarkets. Amazon, of course but I refuse to use them.
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A super hot wash with a detergent tab & white vinegar will do the same thing.
For coffee & tea cup stains, Astonish (British cleaner) is amazing - a little in the cup and pour on just off boiling water, leave for 10 minutes, rinse out and all the tannin stains are just gone with no abrasive rubbing. Unfortunately since Covid, it seems to be permanently out of stock
After A Minor Depressive Episode I Had A Great Day Motivation Wise And Tackled The Mess That Was Accumulating
It’s one thing to organize your home once, and a whole new other challenge to keep it that way. Ivanka suggests that in order to make that effect last, you need to address your patterns of consumption at the source. “Don’t buy things you don’t need. Once you’ve gone through and decluttered/organized your home, make sure everything has a place. At the end of every day, take 10 minutes to do a 'room reset' and put everything back where it belongs,” she said.
“If you desperately want to buy something new, only do so to replace something that may no longer be serving you,” she said, arguing that this will keep your home in order!
Today I Cleaned The Fridge
Such A Satisfying Before & After
Finally Got Around To Cleaning My Depression/Post Op Mess. Feeling Fresh!
Thank You All So Much, I'd Never Have Been Able To Do It With Out Y'all. Its Been Almost 4 Years
I Came Home Early This Morning, Saw How Terribly Grungy My Front Door Was And Let My Adhd Take The Whee
I Received This Secondhand Kettle Through My Local Buy Nothing Group. Cleaned It Up And Descaled With Vinegar. Good As New!
Finally Got The Courage To Handle The Other Arm. Fixed With A Felting Needle And Scissors!
What The Power Of A Loving Boyfriend In A Call For Four Hours To Support You Can Do. Cleaned My Depression Nest!
Niece And I Cleaned And Organized My Parents' Pantry That Had Been Messy For As Long As I Could Remember
Before And After Of Cleaning My Stove Top! I Was Feeling A Little Embarrassed About Sharing This But I’m Hoping It May Help Inspire Others!
I Got Out Of My Funk And Began With Cleaning My Kitchen... Finally.
30 Minute Soak In Vinegar
I've tried soaking my shower head in vinegar many times, but somehow it just won't get clean :s it's super annoying! Many of the little holes are clogged and water keeps shooting into random directions out of it.
Thank You Everyone That Gave Me So Many Tips On My First Post. Nearly Everyone Was Very Kind And Supportive. It Really Gave Me The Encouragement I Needed To Get Started. It Doesn’t Look Much Better Now, But I Got So Much Done Today. I’ll Leave A Comment On The Post About What I Did!
I Couldn’t Handle How Gross My Sister’s Tea Kettle Was From Stove Spatters. Some Bar Keeper’s Friend And A Little Elbow Grease Did The Job!
No One Irl Cares, But I Thought This Sub Might Appreciate My Mind-Blowing First Experience Using Bkf!
Bar Keepers Friend I'm guessing. It was mentioned elsewhere in this topic. Going to have to check it out if it gets the sort of results being shown.
Hand Washing A Beloved Plush!
Y'all, This Shelf In My Kitchen Has Been Making Me Anxious And Sad For Months. I Finally Got The Motivation To Kick Its Butt!
I absolutely know what a big deal that was! Kudos for you! The task I hate most of all is paperwork. I have no clue how somebody like to do it or even choose it as their profession.
You Guys Weren't Kidding About Bar Keepers Friend
My Favourite Throw Pillows Had Those Annoying Fluff Bits On Them. Went Over Them With A Cheap Razor And Love The Outcome!
This Clients Bathroom Took Me 6 Hours To Clean
Really Excited About How Clean I Got These Shower Knobs In My Rental Apartment!
Turns Out These Ugly Rental Cabinets Didn’t Have To Be Ugly All These Years!
Swipe To Clean My Shower!
I wonder if I want to know what you used to get rid of all that mold.
Cutting Board Brought Back To Life
30 Years Of Dirt Coming Off The Kitchen Floor. What A Difference
Note: this post originally had 80 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Gives me hope that I will be able to get a handle on my depression mess.
Good luck, if you need to put on a timer, do it in sections, or crank the tunes and hit it all at once
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There’s two kinds. The dry form, like Comet, and liquid form, Scrubbing Bubbles. They are both excellent.
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During the weekends I watch a lot of youtube videos of really dirty and messy rooms and people cleaning them up. After about three videos I am all fired up and ready to clean. Or I watch an episode of hoarders, always gets me cleaning and gets me in that deep clean mindset.
I have found that if I use a 'Do one task a day' rule for myself, it really helps. Sometimes I have lots of energy and get many things done, but if not, I still did that one thing. It is slow, but steady. Do the dishes. Take out the trash. Scrub the toilet. Get rid of something. Sweep a floor. Clean one small area like one shelf or one counter top. It got that way a bit at a time; it can be cleaned a bit at a time. ;>)
Brilliant job all of you who have found the shining moment to face the depression nests. It's so hard to get started and so overwhelming you don't want to even look at it. Been there. Start with the simplest goal. Pick up ONE thing and throw it away. Pick up ONE thing and put it away. That's all you need to do to start. Do that for a few days and you're making a difference. You can go up to two, three, four things as you feel able. Once you start seeing the difference, you get motivated to keep going. You can do it!
I like the way that in quite a few of them after they've tidied up an animal appears! :D
I could share some nightmare messes not made by me, but unfortunately cleaned by me. (FYI: If you smoke in your home, go into the room you most frequently smoke in and spray the top of the wall with a cleaner safe for whatever type of material your wall is. Leave it for about 10-15 minutes and return to see what nicotine looks like dripping down your wall.)
Even if you smoke, smoking inside isn’t a good idea. It will escape the room you contain it in. Unless that room is like a screened in porch or a garage or something.
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Wow! This gives me hope that I can conquer some of the things I have put off myself.
I'm still trying to bring myself out of my depressive episode, I just moved into a new apartment and it's been a month and only set up my bed.... any pointers?
Yes, I do actually. I moved so many times in my life I considered starting my own moving business. ;>) As you unpack throw things away or donate to a thrift store if it's a decent item. Really look at what you are unpacking. If you haven't used it in a long time let it go. If it means unpacking one item or one box at a time, do that. The less you have, the less you have to clean. Keep the items that are useful or mean something to you. Organize as you unpack. Once you are finally settled in - and who cares how long that takes? - always put things away, and put it back in the same spot. Use sturdy, lidded storage boxes for treasures so they don't collect dust and grime. It's easy to dust or wipe down a box instead of 20 items. These tips seem simple but they are really effective,
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How can people be so filthy ? AND I do understand that people suffer from depression as I do myself BUT we need to stop celebrating depression and how our episodes cause us to live in filth for mths. It is not something to be proud of. If you know you suffer from depression and you see the mess building up then do something about it. If you are so clinically depressed that you cannot do something as simple as pick up after yourself then you need medication. When are we going to stop posting about our depression nests and the mess we ignore like it is something normal. It is not normal to live in filth.
Part of my work, as a photographer, is for estate agents (realtors) taking marketing shots for vendors and many houses look just like these 'before' images. They have little to do with depression, though, and I will scream at the next person who says, "Just let me know if you want me to move anything..."!
Gives me hope that I will be able to get a handle on my depression mess.
Good luck, if you need to put on a timer, do it in sections, or crank the tunes and hit it all at once
Load More Replies... There’s two kinds. The dry form, like Comet, and liquid form, Scrubbing Bubbles. They are both excellent.
Load More Replies... During the weekends I watch a lot of youtube videos of really dirty and messy rooms and people cleaning them up. After about three videos I am all fired up and ready to clean. Or I watch an episode of hoarders, always gets me cleaning and gets me in that deep clean mindset.
I have found that if I use a 'Do one task a day' rule for myself, it really helps. Sometimes I have lots of energy and get many things done, but if not, I still did that one thing. It is slow, but steady. Do the dishes. Take out the trash. Scrub the toilet. Get rid of something. Sweep a floor. Clean one small area like one shelf or one counter top. It got that way a bit at a time; it can be cleaned a bit at a time. ;>)
Brilliant job all of you who have found the shining moment to face the depression nests. It's so hard to get started and so overwhelming you don't want to even look at it. Been there. Start with the simplest goal. Pick up ONE thing and throw it away. Pick up ONE thing and put it away. That's all you need to do to start. Do that for a few days and you're making a difference. You can go up to two, three, four things as you feel able. Once you start seeing the difference, you get motivated to keep going. You can do it!
I like the way that in quite a few of them after they've tidied up an animal appears! :D
I could share some nightmare messes not made by me, but unfortunately cleaned by me. (FYI: If you smoke in your home, go into the room you most frequently smoke in and spray the top of the wall with a cleaner safe for whatever type of material your wall is. Leave it for about 10-15 minutes and return to see what nicotine looks like dripping down your wall.)
Even if you smoke, smoking inside isn’t a good idea. It will escape the room you contain it in. Unless that room is like a screened in porch or a garage or something.
Load More Replies... Wow! This gives me hope that I can conquer some of the things I have put off myself.
I'm still trying to bring myself out of my depressive episode, I just moved into a new apartment and it's been a month and only set up my bed.... any pointers?
Yes, I do actually. I moved so many times in my life I considered starting my own moving business. ;>) As you unpack throw things away or donate to a thrift store if it's a decent item. Really look at what you are unpacking. If you haven't used it in a long time let it go. If it means unpacking one item or one box at a time, do that. The less you have, the less you have to clean. Keep the items that are useful or mean something to you. Organize as you unpack. Once you are finally settled in - and who cares how long that takes? - always put things away, and put it back in the same spot. Use sturdy, lidded storage boxes for treasures so they don't collect dust and grime. It's easy to dust or wipe down a box instead of 20 items. These tips seem simple but they are really effective,
Load More Replies... How can people be so filthy ? AND I do understand that people suffer from depression as I do myself BUT we need to stop celebrating depression and how our episodes cause us to live in filth for mths. It is not something to be proud of. If you know you suffer from depression and you see the mess building up then do something about it. If you are so clinically depressed that you cannot do something as simple as pick up after yourself then you need medication. When are we going to stop posting about our depression nests and the mess we ignore like it is something normal. It is not normal to live in filth.
Part of my work, as a photographer, is for estate agents (realtors) taking marketing shots for vendors and many houses look just like these 'before' images. They have little to do with depression, though, and I will scream at the next person who says, "Just let me know if you want me to move anything..."!
