Stress Cleaning

[Solaris]

I've noticed several people mentioning sudden, and obssessive, cleaning while stressed. I do this to. Put your goofy, crazy stories of cleaning sprees here. Also, what sets you off? Is it stress (usually it is for me) or is it really just the clutter or filth of a particular area? Does your brain sort of shut off while you clean, or does it allow you to think clearer? For me, I become so involved in the details of getting the damn thing clean, I generally don't think about anything else. Then, I play loud music (techno, dance, trance, Madonna remixes, something poppy and not thought-inducing) to distract any thoughts that might try to sneak up.

When I moved into my current location, there were two people already living in this house. They are guys. They are not dirty, as a rule, but little things slip by them. I innocently started sweeping the floor one day. Hours later, I had swept, mopped, cleaned the wood cabinets, washed the walls, scrubbed the stove and sink, fixed the sink drain, organized some things, threw away food they didn't know they had (it had expired literally years ago...remnants of past roommates), swept the rest of the wood floors, swept the deck, patio, and garage. I think I stopped there. I felt better after.

[MichaelH]

I'm having a stressful session at school. I HAD to move a bookshelf out of a closet today to give the books on my desk a place to go. I'll have to pick up another bookshelf on the way home today - the books in the closet need to go back! :)

[aelan]

when I'm really stressed, my obsesive-compulsive tendencies get worse and I become much more sensitive to clutter and mess, and start blaming it for my lack of focus and have to clean. Last month, I went downstairs to do some reading, and the house was a mess from the night before (drunken roommates). I started by just cleaning the area and table where I was going to sit, but ended up cleaning the dinner table 3 times (it was disgusting), wiping down the counters, cleaning the stove, doing dishes, taking out the trash and cleaning the trash bin, cleaning the side of the fridge, and dusting the tv, etc., all before my housemates even woke up.

[Paul V]

I wouldn't say I "clean", but I would say I "put things in their right place", as opposed to washing the dishes, doing the laundry and all that involves non-logical thought. And it doesn't happen when I'm stressed, but when it's about my feelings (something has happened to me and I just want to stop thinking about it until it goes away or doesn't hurt so bad).

[logan235711]

I don't clean because of stress, I usually clean when I am frustrated or mad with someone, then a lower percentage if I am mad or frustrated with something. Being stressed and cleaning doesn't do anything to releave that stress, the only reasonable choice is to fix whatever is stressing me or to just do something productive with my time.

[mind_wander]

Sounds like you all are professional cleaners, lol. Sure it would be nice, if someone cleans my room.

[niffer]

I clean when I'm in a good mood. When I'm in a good mood, I will happily do all sorts of laborous activities. And then when I see everything finished and organized laid out in front of me as a result of this, my mood improves even more!

When I am stressed, I do not clean things (unless I am in denial, lol). Instead, I neglect the upkeep of my own belongings and personal hygiene, and often try to sabotage the freshly cleaned/organized work or areas of others. I violently destroy all resources that can be used for creating any type of order. Then, I proceed to collapse into a useless, screaming, resource-sucking ball of pity and manic depression.

Stressed ENFP + stressed INTJ + locked room. Hmm? Good times to come, eh?

[Bossy Mom]

I clean when I am depressed. It helps me get rid of my excess energy to kill, and I get a clean house out of it.

[BadgerDad]

I would spend 2 days stress cleaning our 600 sq ft student apartment after finals each semester in lalw school.

[SMKN LS1]

Stress cleaning is a great alternative to an exercise program. I've used this technique through college and into my professional career. Unfortunately, some of the VP's give me a weird look when I start cleaning after meetings...that's usually the job of the receptionists. Although, I score high points with the secretary (I know, it's not called that anymore) pool every time!

My wife knows when I'm stressed, because the house is suddenly spotless in a short amount of time. Almost like a timewarp hit it, and took it back to the day we walked in. She takes great pride in messing it up ASAP! Ying/Yang!

[Seven]

I'm bit of a clean freak when it comes to my own personal space - my house, office - so I don't typically stress clean. Most of my stress is work related so if it gets bad, I usually leave the city for a few days to relax and put things into perspective so that I can come back to the office refreshed and refocused.

[Ream]

I do have some cleaning impulses sometimes although the cleaning limit is only in my room. I remember one time when the exams are nearing and instead of studying, I'm on the floor, putting away the trash and cluttered stuff. Even my mom was surprised I cleaned my room because I'm usually untidy: whenever I get home, my bags shoes, and other stuff will be left behind the door and my 'rent will always ask me to put them to their proper places.

I can work as long as there's a clean space before me. I'm fine even if the whole floor has trash littered on it.

[HackerX]

I don't do stress cleaning... hell, I don't do much cleaning at all. Except when I really need to.

BUT, I do get VERY stressed when people are cleaning around me. Gah, it's just a rude interruption.

[Diana]

Well, procrastination and cleaning are sort of interconnected with me. I can procrastinate about cleaning til the last minute, OR, instead of doing schoolwork, I will use cleaning to procrastinate and therefore avoid doing my work even longer! I can never do major school work projects without a spotless/dustless/clean&folded-laundry-filled room, though. Mmm...cleaning....so therapeutic.
Oh yeah, and my most productive day of cleaning ever came while listening to flamenco guitar music. it was just really invigorating...

[Smacknrat]

Just an out there thought. I think it's the immediate satisfaction without having to always think. Don't get me wrong, I'll probably start thinking of something if I'm cleaning, but if I get too involved, I end up staring into space for a bit before I realize what happened.

Anyhow, it's that you do it, and when you're done, you have an immediate product to be happy with. No design, no scheduling, no taking into account other factors that could influence you... no imagination. Pure, unadulterated looking at what you have and being happy.

That said, it seems to fit the ESFP shadow type.

[IFearAManOf1Book]

When I'm upset, stressed, or even just hormonal I go on these insane cleaning sprees, where I just have to clean or I become even more upset. It happens maybe once a month, or every couple months, and I can never think straight during the cleaning, and I always end up falling dead asleep at the end. I wake up feeling much better, more calm.

[Bioplasmoid]

I've noticed several people mentioning sudden, and obssessive, cleaning while stressed. I do this to. Put your goofy, crazy stories of cleaning sprees here. Also, what sets you off? Is it stress (usually it is for me) or is it really just the clutter or filth of a particular area? Does your brain sort of shut off while you clean, or does it allow you to think clearer? For me, I become so involved in the details of getting the damn thing clean, I generally don't think about anything else. Then, I play loud music (techno, dance, trance, Madonna remixes, something poppy and not thought-inducing) to distract any thoughts that might try to sneak up.

When I moved into my current location, there were two people already living in this house. They are guys. They are not dirty, as a rule, but little things slip by them. I innocently started sweeping the floor one day. Hours later, I had swept, mopped, cleaned the wood cabinets, washed the walls, scrubbed the stove and sink, fixed the sink drain, organized some things, threw away food they didn't know they had (it had expired literally years ago...remnants of past roommates), swept the rest of the wood floors, swept the deck, patio, and garage. I think I stopped there. I felt better after.

Solaris I could swear you have been watching me. :laugh: I play the same type of music also, when cleaning. Id never realised it but you are correct in that the rhythmic repetitive hypnotic musical structure helps my mind to focus on the task at hand better, and not be distracted by new ideas as my anti cleanliness shadow side fights my attempts at order!

I too have cleaning binges every now and then, which start with something simple, become enjoyable, and turn into a marathon clean session of much more than I had intended. I never used to be this way, but have discovered a strange joy in letting myself go in this manner. Though by others standards here, I would probably be called messy, to put it nicely. The other day I was wiping my stoves surface down, and it turned into a stove fighting session, as I wrestled it away from the wall, and proceeded to scrub the muck off the floor that was underneath it, plus the walls surrounding it, out to about 1.5 meters. It had not been my intention to do so, as I had been deffering that job to 'another time' in my mind. I wonder if these changes in me are related to age or boredom perhaps. Or maybe just a desire to fight the escalating entropy in my living space.

I just had a paper sorting session around an hour ago, in my 'living room'. The aim of which was to sort all my accumulated paper information of the last week or two into piles that had some degree of classification. It was successful and fun. :) I now have 5 piles on this desk in front of me.

They are currently (in no particular order):

a) Health and self improvement.
b) Scrap paper.
c) Income and finance related.
d) Bills.
e) Internet related.
d) Future event planning.

The next step is further removal of spurious paper scrap from each pile, as I determine what has been sorted in my mind or in the physical world.

Does anyone else use a 'pile system' ?

[seoa]

I clean when I'm in a good mood. When I'm in a good mood, I will happily do all sorts of laborous activities. And then when I see everything finished and organized laid out in front of me as a result of this, my mood improves even more!
so that's an enfp thing?? :) i was reading thru the posts, and wondering why my house gets messier in times of stress, coz stress-cleaning seems so eminently logical.... but you're right, i have to be feeling upbeat to clean. and cleaning (if i can be bothered) makes me feel more upbeat.

incidentally, abba works well for me as background cleaning music :)

and so long as you have a happy enfp & a stressed intj in your locked room, it'll stay nice & tidy :)

[vaguely dissatisfied]

The theory goes that people who obssess about little day-to-day things (like cleaning) are usually trying to get control in a life that feels out of control.

[curiousjane]

I am dissatisfied with my current work situation. In addition to practicing some unhealthy avoidance/procrastination of "tasks" (I use the term loosely. I have nothing pressing at the time, which is the reason for my laziness), I have an intense, inexplicable, consuming desire to ...

Clean and organize my walk-in closet that I cannot walk in.

(But only when I'm AT work! Once I'm home there are things to ponder, futures to plan, people to talk to, life goals to make, dog to pet ... )

:)

[Lucan]

Maybe its a constructive way of using up energy instead of killing someone. Makes me think of that definition of stress. ' Its when your mind over rules your body's desire to choke the living shit out of some a- hole that desperately needs it'

[Oscarvan]

Interesting. Not stress cleaning per se, but cleaning is a mental tool. Add an "s" and you have cleansing. When I clean my office, and get caught up on the activities that take place in it, I can sit down and move forward with an unburdened mind.....In fact, extensive procrastination can make that quite a cathartic move....

Once, a contractor friend visited me and took a look at a large project I was doing. (Finishing 1000 sq feet of unused space under the roof of my house). Every evening when I'm done I clean, including vacuuming and lining up all my tools, like scalpels ready for surgery..... He freaked. ;)

When a project becomes stressful and I don't see clear direction I stop, and clean. So am I cleaning out of stress, or cleaning as stress mitigation? I think the latter is a more positive way of looking at the behavior, in fact putting it to good use.