7 ADHD cleaning hacks

Living with ADHD can make keeping your living space clean and organized feel like an uphill battle. If you have ADHD your probably look for things to help your brain produce more dopamine — which doesn’t usually include the monotony of house cleaning. Add the stress of executive dysfunction and your house, car, or office can quickly turn into a cluttered mess. But don’t worry — this article offers 7 ADHD cleaning hacks to help you declutter your mind and your space.

From breaking tasks into smaller steps to creating a routine that works for you, the included hacks can help you tackle cleaning projects with greater ease and efficiency. Say goodbye to feeling overwhelmed and hello to a cleaner, more organized environment.

Ready to manage your ADHD and conquer the clutter? Klarity connects you with licensed healthcare providers that can help you manage your ADHD symptoms, making cleaning easier. Book an appointment with a licensed healthcare professional on Klarity for comprehensive online or offline treatment — no insurance needed and no hidden fees.

ADHD cleaning hack 1: pick a technique for accountability

Accountability if you have ADHD is an effective way to ensure your chores get done. Chores and clutter can feel overwhelming, but when cleaning is part of your daily routine, it forces you to complete the task.

Techniques that can help you keep yourself accountable include:

• Having a physical chart that outlines your daily chores
• Creating and maintaining a cleaning checklist
• Sandwiching cleaning between important tasks in your morning or evening routine 

Any of these techniques let you break the task of cleaning, say the whole house, down into smaller parts.

Schedule chores

If you have ADHD, you probably struggle with time management, so making a plan and setting precise times for cleaning or individual cleaning tasks can help you get it done. Making a daily, weekly, and even monthly routine to follow builds good cleaning habits that you can sustain long-term. 

Use a cleaning chart

A great way to keep track of your cleaning tasks and focus at home is by creating a cleaning chart. At the beginning of the week, you can write down chores you need to complete, like laundry, cleaning the bathroom, or vacuuming. A physical reminder to complete these tasks in front of you, takes away the guesswork and the need to mentally remember. With a list, can cross off completed tasks as you complete them, which gives you a sense of accomplishment.

Hack 2: declutter every day

ADHD can make activities like organization difficult due to the fast-paced nature of an ADHD brain. This can lead to clutter building up in your home, which can quickly feel overwhelming and out of hand. However, when completed in small chunks, decluttering is more achievable. 

Decluttering a bit every day breaks up the task of cleaning and makes it more manageable than trying to get everything done at once. Start by cleaning one room of your house each day for as little as 15 minutes. Setting a simple task to accomplish, like cleaning up the bathroom for 10 minutes, reduces the overwhelming sensation of clutter and gets your house cleaner. 

Hack 3: add stimulating activities to make cleaning less boring

Chores don’t have to be boring. Including more enjoyable activities, like listening to music, talking to a friend, or having a cleaning competition with a spouse or friend, make cleaning more fun, almost like a game. And when cleaning with another person, you can split the work and end up cleaning more than if you work alone. By making it feel less like a chore, and more like a fun activity, it’s easier to stay on track. 

ADHD cleaning hack 4: use labels and bins to organize

If you have a habit of letting a lot of clutter build up in your home, labeled bins can be an effective solution to keep your home clean. This method works by grouping similar clutter together, like mail, chargers, or even clothing items like hats. 

Instead of dropping your mail on a table, a bin let you put the eventual clutter into a designated place, and once it’s filled, you can sort through the clutter and determine what goes where. You can file or address important mail and throw spam mail out.

Hack 5: use the 80/20 rule

The 80/20 rule is based on the idea that 80% of the time, we use 20% of what’s stored away. This means the more stuff we pack away or out of sight, the less likely we are to use it. Make a point to go through the clutter stored in your home. This can mean anything from old clothes you don’t wear, things you don’t need or plan to use, or things you save for the sake of saving. 

This, in addition to some of the other techniques, empower you to keep your home from feeling too busy, crowded, or cluttered. Clearing out your clutter can be cathartic for you and bring some much-needed clarity and order to your day-to-day life. 

Hack 6: make cleaning a team effort

For those living with a friend or spouse, dividing cleaning responsibilities evenly takes a bit of stress off your shoulders. Breaking up duties into smaller chunks makes it easier for you to accomplish them, and the extra help means there’s less individual work for you to do. 

Hack 7: get help for ADHD for a healthcare pro

Keeping up with cleaning can be particularly challenging when you have ADHD. And while there are ADHD cleaning hacks you can use to help you from becoming overwhelmed, ADHD is a chronic disorder and benefits from professional healthcare support. Seeking professional assistance for medication, therapy, or both, can provide you with the guidance and support needed to navigate your ADHD symptoms and more effectively conquer daunting tasks, whether maintaining a clean and organized space, excelling at your job, or simply managing your life.

Start professional ADHD treatment in as little as 24 hours

You don’t have to live with ADHD symptoms. On Klarity, find an ADHD specialist and get help with medication and/or therapy and take control of your symptoms with an appointment in as little as 24 hours. Help is ready and waiting.

Schedule an appointment today and start putting the symptoms of ADHD behind you.