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Let’s be honest no one likes cleaning (or if you do, that’s great and I’m super jealous!). The best way to get up off that couch and get dusting is to make it enjoyable. That’s where audiobooks come in. Escaping into a captivating audiobook can make the time fly by while you are doing more mundane cleaning chores. I have compiled a list of some of my favorite audiobooks to listen to while cleaning. So grab your headphones and vacuum and read on.
Why Listen to Audiobooks While Cleaning?
1. The act of taking your mind off doing a mindless or distasteful activity makes the experience go by quickly and pleasantly.Â
2. If you are enjoying the audiobook you will be more likely to want to go clean the next day so you can continue with the story. Especially if you only allow yourself to listen while cleaning.
3. Sometimes, you are so into the action in the audiobook that you keep cleaning so you can hear what happens next, or you want to get to the end of a chapter, and therefore you get more done.
What Types of Audiobooks Are Best for Listening to During Cleaning?
I have found that certain genres are particularly suited to listening to while doing chores. Mainly Rom-Coms, Mystery, Memoirs, and some Non-Fiction. These genres immerse you in a story without causing you to lose full focus on what you are doing. Graphic audiobooks are also a great choice. They use multiple actors, music, and sound effects to really connect you to the story.Â
What Not to Listen To
I recommend not listening to anything too complex or that needs real focus to follow or understand. Your brain will be too divided and you will either miss important things in the audiobook or not clean very well. Also, for the same reasons, don’t try to learn a new subject matter. That is why I mentioned only some types of non-fiction work. For example, Freakonomics is a great audiobook, and the concepts are worth absorbing and thinking about, but you have to pay attention and be engaged with the material. Scrubbing countertops while listening may just be too distracting.
Below I sorted my top audiobooks for cleaning by genre so you can choose what works best for you.
Rom-Com
The Undomestic Goddess
A workaholic businesswoman is forced to take on a new identity as a housekeeper and chef when she hasn’t used a vacuum or turned on a stove in her life. Relatable accidents and endearing friendships make this a light, fun listen.
Book Lovers
Honestly, any Emily Henry book is a good listen. This one has fantastic banter and a touching subplot about the complexities of family. I love the grumpy meets grumpy trope.
Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love
A ridiculously fun listen (I actually recommend the audio over reading the book, the jokes carry so much better). Two ornithologists compete to capture the elusive caladrius bird. This historical-fantasy-rom com has some Indiana Jones vibes to it. The double entendres in this story are hilarious.
Thank You For Listening
This is a touching and engaging romance where the two protagonists are both audiobook narrators. Sewanee Chester, a former actress turned narrator, doesn’t record romance books anymore until one day she is given an offer she can’t refuse – record a famous romance novelist’s last book with Brock McKnight, a seductive-voiced male narrator. This book works really well as a listen.
Memoirs
I'm Glad My Mom Died
Whether you were a fan of iCarly or not, this memoir is a must listen. Narrated by the Jennette McCurdy herself. A real behind-the-scenes look at life as a child actor and the trials of having a possessive/abusive parent. She holds nothing back and delves deep into her eating disorder.
The Many Lives of Mama Love
This memoir is so crazy you won’t even believe it. The story of Lara Love Hardin an upper-class soccer mom that develops an addiction to pills and heroin. This memoir follows her decline and imprisonment and then her unlikely rise to ghost-writer to the stars. Both touching and funny.
Educated
I switched back and forth between listening to this and reading the book. An unbelievable story of a child locked away from the world and her struggle to free herself from her deep woods survivalist parents. She finds her escape in education and wants desperately to go to college and experience the world.
Calypso
David Sedaris is just plain brilliant. His books are all collections of hysterical essays covering experiences, people, and places he has encountered. This collection is a bit on the dark side as he faces the questions of mortality and having lived more of your life than what you have left. But it still has his outstanding dry and witty humor.
Non-Fiction
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
This non-fiction account of the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, a medical testing company, sounds like more of a thriller than a non-fiction book. It is crazy how she was able to build her empire on a foundation of lies that no one saw.
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know
This is a great listen because it feels more like a podcast, with real interviews and courtroom reenactments. Malcolm Gladwell explores how little we know about the people we think we know and why that is such a problem in our society.
Better Than Before
I love everything Gretchen Rubin writes. She is so relatable and has great insights into why we do the things we do. This book discusses how our personality type influences our successes and failures in creating and maintaining habits. Filled with actionable tips, this audiobook will motivate you.
At Home
Bill Bryson is another great author where you can’t go wrong listening to any of his books. I put this one on the list because it explores all the intricacies of why and how a home works from toilet flushing to the history of hygiene all in his trademark engaging tone.
Mystery
True Crime Story
Struggling writer Evelyn Mitchell begins looking into the mysterious disappearance of Zoe Mitchell from a university party 7 years ago. The more she uncovers, the more inconsistencies and secrets she finds tangled together. This audiobook will keep you listening to hear what happens next, and you will find yourself trying to put the pieces together along with the protagonist. Very engaging with a podcast style vibe.
Acts of Violet
The mystery side of this book is more of a subplot – the main focus is on the relationship between two sisters, Sasha and Violet Volk. Their complicated past is told through the lens of Sasha dealing with the disappearance of Violet during one of her world-famous magic acts ten years ago. Another podcast style narration (have you noticed a trend in the audiobooks I like?).
The Maid
The main character in this book, Molly Gray, is absolutely endearing. The author does a great job of having a spectrum character portrayed in an honest way. You will find yourself cheering Molly on as she navigates being the center of a murder investigation. Her powers of observation of both people and details are so intuitive.
The Maid
I could have put any Lucy Foley book here but this is one of my favorites (although the Paris Apartment is up there too). I love her audiobooks because her novels are written from multiple POVs and in the audio different actors narrate the parts. She creates an intricate web of connections that you slowly uncover over the course of the novel, and the twists and turns keep you guessing who did it right to the end.
These are just some of my favorites. The key is to find yourself an engaging listen that keeps you from realizing you are even cleaning. Do you listen to audiobooks while cleaning? Comment down below on some of your favorites. Or if you try this for the first time, let me know if it helped make cleaning more fun!
