How to Stop Worrying About Cleaning?

Written by: Harmandeep Kaur Grewal – MA (Psychology)

Last updated date : January 14, 2023

Are you able to relax if there is a mess around you? Or do you get stressed out by looking into chaos and mess in your room or house? If yes, then you should stop worrying about cleaning around all the time. You can learn how to stop worrying about cleaning. Moreover, if you keep on checking social media sites of people then you assume that people have beautiful spotless houses. Also, you can’t relax until the house is clean? You need to stay calm and fix a schedule clean rather than cleaning all the time.

I know that people don’t want to clean their houses for six hours a day. But there are certain people who can’t resist the compulsion to clean their house. If you are one of that persons, then you should take help. Also, talk to others about your obsession with cleaning. Your problem is big if your anxiety level increases with noticing little mess. For instance, you saw a used towel on the bed and get overwhelmed by it. Then you need help.


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Chapter 1:

How to Stop Worrying About Cleaning?

How to stop worrying about cleaning? You say that you cannot relax until the house is clean. So, you spend the entire day brushing and cleaning your house. And, you could not eat or sleep during the day. Also, you cannot go to work because of your cleaning obsession. Therefore, you need help.

Every one of us is allergic to something. Many people have dust allergies and when they are in a messy environment they feel anxious. So, you need to maintain a minimum amount of cleanliness in your surroundings. You cannot be happy and relaxed when you see clutter around in your rooms. But when you are obsessed with cleaning your room or home then you become anxious.

Moreover, you have become so concerned about cleaning that you feel like cleaning all the time. Also, there are so many negative impacts of excessive cleaning. You will devote all your time to cleaning and missing out on the things which you could have utilized for other things. Similarly, clutter may cause worrying, sadness, confusion, agitation, and aggression in you. Also, a mess in your room makes you too much concerned about it. So, you spend hours to clean your house.

Chapter 2:

Stop Worrying

People ask, how to stop worrying about cleaning? You say that you cannot relax until the house is clean. You should learn to relax and calm down when the level of anxiety increases in you. But it is a gradual process and will take time to get yourself cured.

When your cleaning habits turn into obsessions and compulsions then it is a matter of worry. Moreover, it can cause anxiety in you. You feel anxious and concerned about a tiny spot that you see in your house. And you calm down after you clean the dirty spot. So, your cleaning issue becomes immense and deep. No doubt that cleaning your environment is good and creates a positive environment for you. Similarly, a clean atmosphere will create a happy and good environment. You can improve your mood, and lower your stress by cleaning around.

Additionally, you feel more attentive when you clean your environment and surroundings. So, your cleaning habits have become an obsession now. You need to schedule your cleaning and after that you should not bother. If you have a baby or pets at home then you need to clean often, but you should not make it an obsession.

Also, if you have many do it yourself projects which are incomplete then there will be some mess and chaos around. You should try not to start too many things at one time. You can always start small and steadily work towards your goal. Moreover, you can keep a timer, and set your schedule. You can clean your house.

Chapter 3:

Mental Health and Cleaning

How to stop worrying about cleaning? You say that you cannot relax until the house is clean. As you know, mental health issues arise if your habits turn into obsession of cleaning. Therefore, you need medical attention.

Cleaning can become a negative factor for you if it affects your health in a bad way. You are always obsessed with it and freak out when you see dirt around you. You put many hours of your day into cleaning your house. Then you need clinical help. You can visit a professional who can help you to change your habits. If you are doing small tasks at a time then your work will not pile up. Also, pilled-up work will make you work extra on the weekends and weekdays.

Additionally, you should not compare yourself to others. Because other people have different lives as compared to other people. For instance, you went to your neighbours house and see that it is quite clean. You go back home and start cleaning your entire house.

Furthermore, if you have anxiety around cleaning, then it becomes a full blown obsessive compulsive disorder. For instance, I have a habit of cleaning. Later, my friend died of covid. Because of the tragic incident, you fear from disease and start cleaning around. Your cleaning habits changes into obsession. You feel nervous when you see dirt or mess in your house. So, you spend all your time cleaning around. Moreover, you are unable to change your behavour which is affecting your other areas of life.

Chapter 4:

Treatment and Managing Anxiety

How to stop worrying about cleaning? You say that you cannot relax until the house is clean. Similarly, you need a treatment plan to manage your anxiety. But you need to recognise that you have a problem then you work on to deal with it. When you get anxious then a small thing can turn into panic and create a disaster. Your mind will play a thought and you get nervous around it. And your mind revolves around that thought. You need to calm down and change from negativity to positivity. Moreover, you need to understand that your thought is not reality and do not believe in these thoughts. You can write down your thoughts and show them to your therapist. Then your therapist will decide if you need medicine or therapy. Furthermore, if your belief system is causing anxiety and negative thoughts, then therapy will try to change the beliefs. You should be active enough to understand what is the root cause of your obsession. If your past event has caused you present anxiety then you gradually deal with it. For more information, please click “Courses” on the navigation bar to access our online self-paced courses on mental health and well-being. The course titled “DBT for Social Anxiety” provides useful information on the topic.

"Learnt a lot from this course" Sally

51 sections

6-Weeks Self-Paced

  • Educational Content
  • Quizzes
  • Self-reflection material
  • Suggestions & feedback
  • Worksheet, tips & tools to use

$9.00 $12.00

25% discount