Is that your teenager or your partner? To be fair, they are impacted by your need to have a clean house. Before we look for their cooperation, let's ask ourselves: "So why do we clean?" One of the most obvious reasons relates to living in a healthy environment but the onset of guests become a primary motivator for many of us. I often like to quote Queen Aurora, aka my Mom, who taught me all I know about cleaning, especially the deep cleaning which she detested doing herself. "What will the neighbors think?" We were trained at a young age. Every Saturday we were on our knees dusting baseboards. Yuck…
But the rebel in me gave that up as soon as I moved out on my own. Fast forward to adulthood: whenever Nathan and I have entertained in the past 20 years there has been a feverish rush to be sure that no one knows we live like "everyone else" does. That is-- just like most everyone else-- we clean for company. But this is stressful! I am a fanatic about clutter and my husband is the exact opposite. We've managed to make that work between us over the past twenty years. (That advice comes only one-to-one. Call me.) But, as much as not-cluttered looks clean--it isn't necessarily. There is still
dust just waiting to get stirred up, relocated and visible. If you work, it is even more stressful to know that you've got guests coming and your house isn't ready!
When is it time to clean? All the time! But not every day. If you work weekdays, then for you it's probably weekends. If you've retired, you probably still save it for weekends, by habit. Or maybe you've carved out a few days a week that you attend to laundry, bed changing, and vacuuming. When will you clean your windows? Your lamp shades? (Seriously?! Who cleans their lamp shades?) How do you remember to do any of it? Do you just go for the most obvious dust and dirt?
If you are raising children, they dictate most of your schedule and that's life for the moment. Enjoy "Lowering Your Standards" while you can and don't read this blog until the kids have grown. OR read on and make them participants. With my busy schedule, I need lists for everything and I now have the time to clean my house. It is VERY satisfying to me. It gives me a sense of control and it makes me feel very efficient and genuinely successful ticking off things on the list. If you want a clean house and don’t like keeping a list or setting a schedule, then how are your other tactics working for you? If you are already satisfied with the cleanliness of your home then you don’t need to read this blog. It wasn’t written for you. You may go now.
Until I retired, I didn't have time to consider a solution to my house cleaning dilemma. I've had time to think it through and I think my approach can apply for anyone who wants a clean house. It's call a cleaning calendar. But you can't do it alone, unless you live alone. Next post is about the calendar!
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