Cleaning, whether you like it or loathe it, has got to be done.
Did you know that how you clean is also a Type thing?
The Dressing Your Truth Experts and I are here to share some insights on how different Energy Types handle daily chores and routines. Their tips can help you make your home life more harmonious and enjoyable.
Jaleah’s Type 1 Cleaning Tips
Cleaning for a Type 1 is a very interesting thing. First of all, cleaning needs to be done. It’s important to have a clean space. But is cleaning fun? Is it a natural thing for a Type 1 to be drawn to? No, but as in most cases in life, it’s something we need to learn to do! Not only to contribute to family life, human experience, etc. But to help our Type 1 to grow and expand in categories we might not naturally excel in.
- What is your least favorite chore and why? Laundry is the bane of my existence. Washing is fine, but folding? UGH! I’m the person who has a clean laundry basket in the closet for weeks. It’s not functional. I need to fold clothes right after drying; otherwise, they’ll stay in the basket for too long.
- What chore do you find easy or not challenging to keep up with? Cleaning the counters after making a meal is super easy for me. I also wash dishes throughout the prep, so dishes are simple after the meal. I love a tidy kitchen; it makes me want to prep food for my family.
- Do you have a favorite cleaning appliance or tool? I recently got a robot vacuum and mop, and it’s a game changer! It cleans and mops my floors at the end of the night after I’ve picked up the house. It’s the best thing I’ve ever bought for cleaning.
- Are there any tasks/chores that you hire help with and why? I hire a cleaner to come and clean my main floor, including the master bedroom/bath, living room, office, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. They do the deep cleaning, and I do the tidying. It has helped SO much!
- Do you follow a cleaning schedule, routine, or specific habits that support you? I do a nightly pickup to put my house to bed clean. The larger tasks I do on an “as needed” basis. I don’t like chore charts; I clean as I feel it’s necessary and keep up with the house well this way.
Anne’s Type 2 Cleaning Details
I’m naturally tidy and highly value a clean home. However, I easily feel overwhelmed when faced with all that needs to be done at once. As a Type 2, I’ve learned that breaking tasks into weekly or monthly rotations helps me manage them in smaller, manageable steps. My knack for details allows me to create order and organization, which I thoroughly enjoy applying to my home and spaces. I believe everything should have a designated place, making it easier to maintain a tidy home once things are used. Organizing spaces brings me great satisfaction. It’s important for me to keep my cleaning routines flexible and flowing to avoid feeling constrained. This approach ensures the best outcomes for me as a Type 2.
- What is your least favorite chore and why? Cleaning floors, particularly vacuuming and mopping. I love clean floors but can’t stand the sensation of crumbs and stickiness underfoot. It’s overwhelming when the light hits the floor and reveals a food stain, prompting me to clean immediately.
- What chore do you find easy or not challenging to keep up with? Dishes are easy for me. I’m speedy at doing them and rely on my trusty dishwasher. I make the task enjoyable by listening to audiobooks while I clean. Laundry is also a breeze, as I wash towels and clothes regularly without a set schedule.
- Do you have a favorite cleaning appliance or tool? I love my Dyson Cordless Vacuum. It’s lightweight and has no cord, making it easy to grab for quick jobs. It’s powerful and reliable, having lasted for seven years.
- Are there any tasks/chores that you hire help with and why? Yes! We have cleaners come once a week. They handle the bathrooms, kitchen, family room, dining room, and our main bedroom. As a working mom of five young kids, having cleaners come more frequently is worth it. My kids and I handle their rooms and playrooms.
- Do you follow a cleaning schedule, routine, or specific habits that support you? Each night, my husband or I tidy up the kitchen and living room, including doing dishes, wiping counters, vacuuming, and straightening the couch area. I have a “job rotation” for major tasks, completing one each week to maintain overall cleanliness without feeling overwhelmed.
Carol’s Type 3 Cleaning Hacks
I have always been a tidy person. As a Type 3, I have the mindset of put it away now, rather than have to take the time to clean it up later. Touch it once, not twice. I am practical in my cleaning approach as I do my best to keep things clean so I don’t have to spend a lot time cleaning what I could have prevented! I’d rather use my time for other activities. My secondary Type 4 helps me with maintaining structure in my home, so the phrase, “A place for everything, and everything in it’s place” is my cleaning mantra!
When I see it I do it cleaner. I can be in a dress, or even a swimsuit. Who has time to change into cleaning attire? “Get’er done now” Type 3 for sure!
- What is your least favorite chore and why? My least favorite chore is taking out the garbage. I’m not sure why, but it’s something I’d rather avoid.
- What chore do you find easy or not challenging to keep up with? Laundry! I wash, dry, fold, and put away laundry in one day. I also taught my children to do their own laundry around age 12.
- Do you have a favorite cleaning appliance or tool? My hand vacuum. We joke in my family that if I were a transformer, I’d want to have one of my hands turn into a hand vacuum at will.
- Are there any tasks/chores that you hire help with and why? I hire help for all the deep cleaning—bathrooms, appliances, deep cleaning floors, and dusting the entire house. This frees up my time for business activities and being a mom.
- Do you follow a cleaning schedule, routine, or specific habits that support you? My only schedule is to clean the mess up right after creating it. Now that I have a robot vacuum, it’s easy to run it every night, and I have my cleaning service come once a month.
Kalista’s Type 4 Cleaning Insights
There’s nothing better than relaxing in a clean room, whether you or someone else cleaned it. Cleaning is necessary for your overall health, family, and home. (I find it especially necessary for my mental health.) Type 4s thrive in environments of structure and order. Maintaining that order and structure may or may not come easy to you (it’s that all-or-nothing factor at play). Your gift for structure may naturally incline you to have routines and systems that support your ability to keep your space tidy and clean. The challenge can often come with living in a home with other people who may not share your need or gift for order, or they may have other systems of order that clash with your own. Learning to support your needs while supporting others in their needs is that delicate dance that makes life interesting.
- What is your least favorite chore and why? Generally, I don’t mind cleaning, but picking up and putting away clutter is a challenge, especially with five children. I also dislike walking on sticky or messy floors, but mopping often enough is overwhelming.
- What chore do you find easy or not challenging to keep up with? I’m good at laundry. I start a load every morning, fold it as I take it out of the dryer, and put it away immediately. However, if interrupted, it can sit for days before I get back to it.
- Do you have a favorite cleaning appliance or tool? I love the feel of a clean, mopped floor. A vacuum mop has been amazing and helps keep up with mopping without feeling like a burden.
- Are there any tasks/chores that you hire help with and why? I don’t currently have help with cleaning, but last year, while expecting my baby, I had someone come in every other week to clean bathrooms and mop floors. It was amazing and really took the edge off. I also have my husband’s dress shirts laundered at the dry cleaners.
- Do you follow a cleaning schedule, routine, or specific habits that support you? I’ve tried many cleaning systems but usually don’t stick with them for long. I follow my natural rhythm, which works well for me. My children have daily chores, and my husband often jumps in to clean as needed.
Remember, honoring your Energy Type in your home routines can make a world of difference. Embrace what feels right for you and watch your home become a place of true comfort and joy.
What are some of your favorite cleaning hacks that support you in household chores? Share in the Lifestyle Facebook group, and let’s help each other tidy up!
