Learning To Keep Our Homes Clean

Women, today, seem to have a very difficult time keeping their homes clean and tidy. Having a clean home makes a heart cheery. If my home is a mess I feel down and overwhelmed. I stare at the clutter and mess and wonder where to start. A clean home is a welcoming home. People feel at ease when they step into a clean and orderly home. It is a sign that all is well if the home is in order

I have learned to like cleaning from my mother. She is the best cleaner I know. When you are in her home, it just smells clean. It is inviting and restful. Anyone can trust they will not contract a disease by entering her home. You can walk barefoot and not feel a crumb. My mother would teach me how to clean properly just as her mother taught her when she was growing up. And now, I am teaching my children the same. These skills are passed down from generation to generation.

Pigpens...

I have noticed that a mother that is not concerned about a clean home will produce daughters that are not concerned either. They find it comfortable to be in the dirt, clutter, and filth. In fact, they do not see the dirt. If they do see it, they do not care. The house smells foul and the floors are almost just as bad as a pigpen in the barn. They have animals living in the home that shed and leave messes that are not cleaned up properly, and I either want to breathe out of my mouth to avoid the fumes, or I felt the need to vacate.

When my children were still babies, I would take them to visit others. If the home was a mess, I worried about choking hazards and germs. I did not want to leave the child on the floor because I could see the grime. That grime would coat my children's feet, hands, and knees of their clothing. It was an uneasy feeling that I had. I did not want to make the hostess feel badly, but I was literally grossed out. My children would tire of piling on my lap and I would tire from propping up all their weight.

Toilets...

A home that is rarely cleaned will always have a bathroom that has a very dirty toilet. The smell of urine is so strong. My mother always had a sit down rule. Everyone, including men, had to sit on the toilet to go. She told me it was because of splashing. Urine will always splash out and it can run down the side of the toilet to the floor around the base. The odors get trapped there.

I have learned to check bathrooms in restaurants to see how clean they are. Bathrooms are a reflection on the overall cleanliness of an established business. If the bathroom smells nice and is spotless, you know they care about every detail.

Dirty Happy Homes?

I have heard the argument that a dirty home is a happy home. Some women will tell me that they would feel stressed and be nasty if they had to keep their home clean. My question is WHY? Why would cleaning a home make anyone stressed if they keep it up each day? I am a reformed slob. I know all the excuses. No, rather, I find cleaning to be very satisfying. If I have a dirty or cluttered home, I feel stress like nothing else. I feel unmotivated, lazy, and just plain overwhelmed to look around at the mess. I get nasty and grouchy if my house is unclean.

Men love a clean and orderly home. They work all day and truly enjoy coming home to a fresh environment. It sets the mood for a relaxing evening for him to unwind with his family. { I think some men would say they don't care but order and cleanliness are ALWAYS more pleasant then disorder.}

Some women also argue that they want to spend more quality time with their children. Hey, you can spend a lot of time with your children cleaning with them! That is a part of our family time. As soon as my kids could walk, they were my cleaning buddies. They learned so early that cleaning was just a part of daily living. It was not a mountain to climb, it was just a few short steps each morning. It brings such a feeling of working as a team. We all live her, we all clean here! The more kids a person has, the more cleaning buddies. The older kids can buddy up with the younger children in their chores to pass on their skills. It is a win/win situation. Building relationships while creating a haven of refreshing beauty!

Learning to Clean...

Maybe a person can get used to filth and it just does not affect their well

being but that would be an exception to the rule. Everyone is different, but EVERYONE can learn to be a good cleaner. It is not a gift. It is not even a personality trait. It is just good common sense. It is just a good thing to know. God calls us to be keepers of the home. Not all women have been taught to clean. I get that.

Whatever you do, work heartily, 

as for the Lord and not for man.
Colossians 3:23

***If you know there is something in your life that you need to be doing, please go do it. If it will provide you with greater simplicity, more peace, or a better life in some way, get started now. Life is just too short to wait. {Joshua Becker}