Looking to establish order and clean up your world but need more guidance to tackle the task? You are in luck, as an abundance of content exists on the topic.
To help get you started, we've selected five of our favorite podcasts, blogs, and books that push the boundaries of an otherwise hum-drum and tedious subject.
The C.H.A.O.S. Cure
The C.H.A.O.S. Cure is potent medicine for dealing with disorder. The self-help and home maintenance book by New York Times bestselling author and time-management expert, Marla Cilley, delivers a "cure" for untidiness with a healthy dose of humor.
The acronym in the title, CHAOS, refers to "can't have anyone over syndrome" —a made-up phobia about fearing that others may witness mess and filth within the home.
Cilley, a hugely popular blogger known as "The FlyLady," offers practical and tactical advice in this fourth book on how to overcome the inertia that afflicts negligent housekeepers. Her approach provides quick and efficient ways to make rapid progress in cleaning up, and further advice for learning how to embrace housecleaning as a lifelong habit.
Unf*ck Your Habitat: You're Better Than Your Mess
If you are looking for a realistic approach to decluttering and aren't offended by profanity, then you should pick up Rachel Hoffman's housekeeping guide Unf*ck Your Habitat: You're Better Than Your Mess. Hoffman's book is not for traditional homemakers and those who have an excess amount of free time for DIY activities.
This modern housekeeping guide is ideal for those that work more than one job, have roommates, and do not have several hours to dedicate to cleaning their living space. Hoffman's goal is for her readers to develop lifelong habits they can use on a daily basis. Hoffman emphasizes the 20/10 system in her book, which involves 20 minutes of cleaning/decluttering followed by a 10-minute break.
Before Rachel Hoffman was a successful author, she started out with a website in 2011. Hoffman's website is full of advice and tips for the modern person looking to incorporate cleaning and organization into their busy life. Hoffman offers challenges, which involve cleaning and organizing specific areas of a living space. You can even download one of several cleaning checklists that are both humorous and insightful.
A Slob Comes Clean
With more than 200 podcast episodes, Dana White has become a source of expertise on decluttering and organizing. White offers "reality-based cleaning and organizing" advice to her listeners every week. She shares realistic home management strategies and targets the "hopelessly messy."
White's podcast covers a wide range of topics from how she overcame being a self-proclaimed slob to avoiding clutter taking over your home. In addition to her podcast, White has a website that includes her blog that started it all. She also published her book, Decluttering at the Speed of Life, in 2018, which spells out how to conquer clutter through step-by-step instructions.
A Mess Free Life
Maureen Campaiola's popular website and blog series address how to eliminate mess in all aspects of life, from finance to home maintenance. A Mess Free Life is a perfect resource for spring cleaning and beyond, helping you to transform your living space and better manage your wallet.
Her blog post "9 Crazy Spring Cleaning Hacks You've Got To Try" stands apart from other DIY blog posts on spring cleaning. She offers innovative and previously unheard of tips, such as using vodka to clean your mattress! Even though some of the advice could be considered a little unusual, we applaud her for thinking outside of the box to get the cleaning done.
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning
In Swedish culture, there is a decluttering process called döstädning, dö meaning "death" and städning meaning "cleaning." It's called this because it's usually undertaken after the death of a family member.
In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, author (and artist) Margareta Magnusson, whose husband recently passed, takes döstädnin as an opportunity to share the Swedish tradition with others who need to clean up their own spaces.
Along with invoking much-needed humor when taking on such a task, and offering glimpses of Swedish culture, she teaches the reader Swedish words, such as mansdagis, meaning "man cave," and fulskåp, meaning "ugly cabinet." Magnusson provides the reader with solid and unique methods for putting some things in order and letting other things go.
For more tips, tricks, and spring cleaning ideas, see the rest of our Spring Cleaning Guide!
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