How to Get Motivated to Clean When Depressed

Depression and cleaning aren’t exactly best friends.

Maybe you’ve found yourself here because your mind has drawn a blank, and all you can think is: I have no motivation to clean the house or, I can't clean my house because of depression.

It’s time to be kind to yourself. It’s true that some symptoms of depression can make it feel really hard to take care of chores like deep cleaning and tidying up. And as a mess accumulates, taking action can feel more and more difficult — an issue that can further drag down your mood and further affect your quality of life.

The good news is that dealing with a messy house and depression can become less intimidating with the right tools and tips.

If you’re living with depression and you need help figuring out how to get cleaning motivation during a bout of depression, you’ve come to the right place. Ahead, we’ll share tips on how to clean when depressed. It’s all about taking small steps to improve your living environment and general well-being.

Some research suggests there’s a connection between chaotic (or unclean) living spaces and certain types of depression. While the two are correlated, it’s a bit of a chicken-or-egg situation. Household disorder has been linked with depressive symptoms and visa-versa. So the two might feed into each other, creating a vicious cycle.

Some symptoms of depression — fatigue and a feeling that doing anything, even something small, is hopeless — can make it harder to prioritize cleaning, too.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can also make organization challenging, and depression and ADHD can occur at the same time.

Below, we’ve explained how to get motivated to clean when depressed, whether you’re dealing with a temporary negative mood or living with clinical depression.

We’ve also shared some simple but effective cleaning and organizational tips that you can use to turn your home into a tidy environment that helps you feel better and make real, measurable progress toward recovery.

1. Try to Tackle the Mess Before it Accumulates

Few things are as demoralizing as realizing you’ll need two or three hours (or even the entire day) to deal with all the mess you’ve built up.

Dealing with small tasks as they come up, instead of letting mess accumulate, is one way to avoid the daunting feeling of a big clean-up.

For example, instead of letting dirty dishes build up in your sink over several days, try cleaning and drying them with a dish towel right after use. This means you'll end up with a few dry dishes to put away at once rather than a huge stack of dishes to clean.

It's easier said than done, but if you can build the habit, it might become more automatic over time. Other small things you can do include:

• Putting dirty clothes into the laundry hamper as soon as you take them off instead of letting them build up on the floor or corner chair.

• Organizing mail, bills, and other documents as soon as you receive them to avoid piles of confusing, disorganized documents.

• Wiping your kitchen counters, shower, and other wet surfaces after you use them, instead of waiting several days or weeks to clean.

Put simply, try to take care of small problems when they’re still small problems, not after they’ve grown into major annoyances. This simple change can stop messes from accumulating and keep your home looking clean and organized, all without any multi-hour cleaning sessions.

2. Use Music to Improve Your Mood

There’s no denying it: Cleaning is boring, and some depression symptoms like sadness, emptiness, and irritability can make it even worse.

One simple way to make cleaning and organizing your living space easier is to distract yourself with music. Try playing a relaxing playlist in the background while you tidy your clothes, clean the bathroom, or organize your bedroom to boost motivation.

Alternatively, if lack of motivation due to depression is an issue, upbeat music that energizes you might help.

While research on music's effects on depression is limited, some people report feeling calmer, less anxious, and more comforted when actively listening.

If TV is more your speed, queue up a show on Netflix to stay entertained while you clean. Or put on your favorite podcast. Rewarding yourself with something — like watching a favorite show — might help combat procrastination.

3. Set Aside a Small Amount of Time Every Day

From going to the gym to learning a new language, many seemingly daunting tasks become a lot easier when you make them part of your daily routine.

It’s easy to procrastinate when you’re depressed, and constantly reassuring yourself that you’ll clean house “tomorrow” can often result in nothing getting done.

To make taking action easier, try integrating cleaning into your daily routine by dedicating 10, 15, or 20 minutes to it each day. Whether it’s doing a load of laundry, keeping your personal space neat, or handling other daily chores, setting aside time daily can give you a little more structure.

4. Create a Daily Cleaning Checklist

Depression can affect your decision-making abilities, making simple tasks like deciding where to start cleaning unexpectedly challenging.

To simplify the cleaning process and boost motivation, consider creating a daily cleaning checklist. Include tasks such as making your bed, folding clothes, washing dishes, and taking out the trash.

You can do this with a written to-do list that you keep in a visible location at home or by creating a repeating list using a to-do list app on your phone. Not only can having a daily list make it easier to keep track of what needs to be done around the house, but it can also give you a sense of satisfaction once the day’s tasks are done.

If you live with a partner, family, or friends, try making a shared checklist. Working together can help manage tasks, especially during severe symptoms when tackling everything alone feels overwhelming.

Even better, clean together. Spending time with others is crucial for recovery, even if you just spend that time cleaning together. It can strengthen bonds and provide an opportunity to talk about what's on your mind.

5. Consider Hiring Someone to Help With Cleaning

Cleaning is often a time-consuming task, and balancing it with other aspects of your life can be a serious challenge. Especially when you’re depressed.

If you can afford it, hire someone to help you clean your home. Using a cleaning service can free up your time so that you can focus on your career or spend quality time with your loved ones.

Also, delegating deep cleaning tasks to someone else can make it easier for you to maintain a clean home moving forward.

Even if this isn’t something you can afford long-term, it might be a good solution for a while as you work on getting help to treat your depression for now.

6. Try Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

If your symptoms are impacting your ability to function, it’s important to reach out for professional help. One of the most effective talk therapies for depression is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

A major part of cognitive-behavioral therapy is learning how to identify thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that negatively impact one's well-being and then how to change these self-defeating behaviors.

Some research suggests that as well as improving the signs of depression, CBT may also help to improve motivation, stop procrastination, and address depression and anxiety.

If you currently have a therapist, try to talk with them about your difficulties with cleaning and staying organized. They may be able to help you develop skills for cleaning and keeping your living space organized. If you don’t currently take part in psychotherapy, consider talking to your primary care provider about a mental health referral or meeting with a mental health provider.

7. Accept That You’ll Have Some Bad Days

It’s important to accept that you’ll have both good and bad days while recovering from depression, especially if you experience persistent or severe symptoms.

Motivation can come and go, especially when you’re depressed. If you feel overwhelmed by daily life and doubt your ability to maintain your normal cleaning routine, it's okay to take a break and relax. Be kind to yourself.

This might mean letting your kitchen, living room, bathroom, or bedroom (or all of them) get a bit messy as you focus on personal self-care or skipping your cleaning routine for a day to prioritize other activities.

Remember, you’re human, and no human is perfect. If today doesn’t feel right for cleaning, take time to rest and recharge. Then, allocate a few extra minutes the next day to catch up on missed tasks.

8. Reach out for Professional Help

There are different treatment options for depression, including various psychotherapy and medication, either alone or in combination.

While therapy is one of the best treatment options for depression, healthcare or mental health professionals may also recommend medication. Some antidepressants include:

• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). They work by increasing serotonin in the brain. Some examples are escitalopram (Lexapro®), paroxetine (Paxil®), and sertraline (Zoloft®).

• Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs). These target norepinephrine and serotonin. Common SNRIs include venlafaxine (Effexor®) and duloxetine (Cymbalta®).

• Atypical Antidepressants. One atypical antidepressant, bupropion (Wellbutrin®), increases the amount of norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain, which play a role in regulating mood, cognitive function, and behavior.

Depression is a serious mental illness that can affect your daily functions, and it’s common for depression to go hand in hand with a messy house. There’s no shame in either depression or having a hard time keeping your house clean, but there is hope for addressing both challenges.

Here’s what to keep in mind about depression and cleaning up:

• If you’re struggling to find the motivation to clean while you’re depressed, try using the tips and techniques above to make the process easier. You can start small to prevent household messes from accumulating and getting more intimidating, make to-do lists, reward yourself for achievements, and hire someone to help.

• If your depression symptoms are severe, persistent, or starting to affect your personal well-being, it’s important to reach out for help.

• Try to remember to be kind to yourself on bad days, when things seem to turn into, well, a mess. Recovery is about progress, not perfection.

Cleaning is hard work, and so is dealing with depression — but getting help can make it all easier.

You can access qualified help using our online mental health services, including our online psychiatry service. If appropriate, you’ll receive medication to control your symptoms, help you maintain a normal daily life, and make progress toward recovery.