Picture it, you just spent a week de-stressing, relaxing, and cultivating joy. And you’ve been looking forward to bringing that sense of peace back home with you.
You slide the key into the door, and turn the knob. And your home greets you with the dishes you left in the sink, the clothes piles waiting to be washed, unfolded laundry on the kitchen table, and the shoes that you trip over as you come in the door. Then you smell the rotting fruit and a musty trash bag you forgot to take out.
And that’s before you add the pile of vacation laundry and suitcases you just brought home with you.
Nothing kills a post vacation vibe faster than walking into a mess.
When your stress greets you at the door, it’s like a relaxing drive one moment, then a sudden collision the next. Instead of a slow ease back into your everyday life, you’re thrown right into the middle of it without a seatbelt.
The vacation may end, but the peace you created doesn’t have to end the second you open your front door. Not if you clean before vacation.
DISCLAIMER
This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I only recommend products I genuinely use, trust, or believe may support self care, anxiety management, and daily well-being.
Content on With Love, Me is shared for educational and informational purposes only and reflects personal experience and research. It is not intended as medical, mental health, or legal advice. I am not a licensed therapist, mental health professional, or attorney.
Information related to psychiatric service dogs and public access rights is general in nature and should not be considered legal guidance. For personalized mental health care or legal advice, please consult a qualified professional.
See more in our affiliate disclaimer & general disclaimer.
Why You Should Clean Before a Self Care Vacation?
Cleaning before a self care vacation is an act of self love to your future self.
She deserves a minute to readjust. She shouldn’t feel like she’s drowning in housework and extra chores after deliberately taking self care time.
You’re preparing your home to support what you’ve built during your self care vacation.
And before you decide to come for me, I’m not saying you need a complete deep clean of your home. No way. But you should prioritize whatever will help you the most when you come home after your self care vacation. The goal isn’t a perfectly clean house, but a home that is easy to manage when you return.
The moment you walk into all the clutter, your brain starts triaging. What needs your attention? What needs to be done first? Can anything wait? Did you come home early enough to get caught up before work/school life resumes? Do you need to run errands before starting these chores? Suddenly, your relaxing homecoming has become another mental to do list.
And that’s while trying to process the smell in the house, the clutter around you, and the sounds of your family settling back in. Your brain has been asked to manage too much at once.
When we experience clutter, our insula goes on high alert. This alert makes the insula overstimulated, keeping it from focusing on other important sensory information.
That Darn Amygdala
RECOMMENDED READING: 7 Types of Self Care for Anxiety Relief (Why One Type Isn’t Enough)
How Clean Does My House Need to Be Before Vacation?
You can clean a little, you can clean a lot. That’s up to you. What’s “clean enough” will depend on your time, energy, and capacity before your self care vacation.
When deciding what to clean ask yourself two questions: ‘What deserves my energy?” and “What is going to cause the biggest issues if it is left undone?”
Somehow I doubt cleaning the garage is going to make the list unless you’re putting the car inside it because it’s supposed to snow when you come home.
What Should I Clean Before Going on Vacation?
Your pre-vacation cleaning list might look similar to mine:
- Any trash and food that will spoil while you’re away.
- Laundry caught up enough that you have clean clothing and clean bedding when you return. Plus a day or two to deal with vacation laundry.
- Change your sheets BEFORE you leave so you can slip into a fresh bed.
- Clutter needs to be returned to where it lives. Shoes, kids’ toys, games, etc. should find their way home.
- Anything that can smell should be taken care of like wet towels, dog beds, etc. Sometimes Febreze is the perfect fix.
- A quick vacuum, plus a Swiffer or robot mop if you want.
What If I Don’t Have the Energy to Clean Before Vacation?
But Krystian, I don’t have the time or energy for cleaning. That’s okay. As a lady living with chronic illness, my body doesn’t always cooperate either, so I have a few handy tips for you!
- See if anyone in your community is looking for volunteer opportunities. And don’t forget to check your neighborhood’s Facebook page if you have one.
- Recruit a friend to help you and keep you company while you do a quick house polish. She helps you clean your house for your vacation, and you return the favor when she takes hers. Plus, chores are always better with someone to talk to.
- Have a friend who hates a chore you don’t mind doing? Chore swap! My friend and I used to do this all the time. You do her dishes, she folds your laundry.
- Do chores together with friends or family and make it an activity. Do laundry all day and watch movies while folding clothes and waiting on the next load. My friend and I used to do this when one of our chronic illnesses flared up. We could help each other with anything that was physically difficult, and there was never any judgment when one of us needed to stop.
- Hire a cleaning service that accepts small jobs.
- Have a service clean your whole damn house while you eat Cheetos and watch trash TV.
Help isn’t just paying someone. Help can mean sharing the load, sharing your strengths, paying someone, or simply not having to do it alone. Get help in a way that makes sense for you.
How Can I Make Coming Home from Vacation Easier?
Before you sink into clean sheets with a good book, do a quick suitcase unload so your vacation stuff doesn’t become tomorrow’s clutter.
- Put dirty laundry straight into the washer. This is a great chore for younger kids who like games. Have them play laundry basketball for points!
- Put all the shoes back into the closet or the shoe cabinet.
- Return toiletries and bathroom supplies to the cabinets.
- Empty your suitcase and store it.
You don’t need to begin another to do list. You’re just returning what you borrowed from your home back to its spot. Then you can go enjoy the home you prepared for yourself.
Giving Yourself a Soft Landing After Vacation
After spending so much time creating a feeling of peace within yourself, you deserve a minute to readjust to your life’s pace when you return.
No one should come home feeling like she’s drowning in housework and extra chores after deliberately taking time to destress.
You deserve to ease back into everyday life at a slower pace than when you left it.
Cleaning before you leave prepares your home to support the peace you built during your self care vacation.
I want you to end your vacation softly, with a clean bed, a clean home, and a clean mind. Make your return home feel like coming home to a safe space, not the chaos you retreated from.
KEEP PLANNING YOUR SELF CARE VACATION: You’ve taken care of the house. Now it’s time to take care of you. This article is part of my Self Care Vacation series. Read How to Plan a Self Care Vacation that Feels Like Self Care next, and I’ll help you create a vacation that gives you what you actually need, whether that’s rest, fun, space, or a complete reset.
