10 Songs for Cleaning House

Nothing will inspire you to get busy more than the prospect of the roof on fire. Rather than letting the mofo burn, you might just want to light a fire under your own ass and start covering some ground with the broom and bleach.

Obviously, some dance tunes are necessary, and while body work is a far cry from housework, and this song might make it onto other playlists involving sit-ups or push-ups, it’s also the perfect soundtrack for scrubbing. You’ll be on your knees in rubber gloves, shaking your booty. Just like a happy housewife.

Hop on your horse, people. Or better yet, ride that mop. Although it may seem counterintuitive to be glued to your kitchen, forcing yourself to rake between tiles with a toothbrush and listening to these twangy alt-country boys sing about not being home anymore, it actually makes you kinda happy that you’re making your home presentable … in case anyone shows up.

While we’re on the country train, why not throw in a little classic rockabilly from our favorite tattooed preachers? The irony -- as you will surely realize as you’re slaving over a particularly resistant stain in your carpet -- is that YOU are the ball and chain.

Although switching from commercial Social D to one of the Cure’s least-touted tunes from the early '80s may seem like a rocky transition, there's an energetic bounce to this number that will give you an extra boost, even if you don’t actually have an upstairs.

Oops, let’s make a U-turn back to the knee-slapping sounds of country. This track works best kicking in after you’re already adequately ensconced in your chores, because whether you’re polishing wine glasses or clearing the fridge of crusty condiments, you’ll be nodding in time -- if not doing some impromptu square-dancing with your vacuum cleaner.

When Tanya Donnelly wrote this song in 1993, she almost certainly wasn’t thinking about attacking her coffee table with a spray bottle of Pledge. But it does give your no-longer-very-white rags an energizing little lift, and it is comforting to know you’re not the only one dealing with dust or getting dusted.

Whether your head is in the oven, nearly being asphyxiated by chemicals, or wedged between the couch cushions, discovering faded M&Ms and $2.13 in long lost nickels and pennies, you’ll be glad somebody is trying to keep track of it. However, you must now switch to a chore that requires standing and moving … because it’s time for another dance party.

Do Sundays and cleaning go hand in hand? Of course. Sunday morning is an ideal time to spruce up your abode, and the rolling bass and springy keyboards in this tune -- following a truly heartening extended drum roll in the intro -- is a surefire way to go from being a mere mortal to an all-powerful, fearsome captain vacuum.

Even if you’re not actually shaking out rugs and whatnot, there's an energy to this song that will be contagious. Whatever happens to be in hand -- DustBuster, toilet brush, etc. -- is guaranteed to double as a microphone. Only a few more swipes of the counter left to go, right? Bury that horse in the ground.