Cleaning Frenzy

Growing up my amazing mother always wanted us to keep the house clean.  Her famous words, “ten people can clean in 20 minutes, what it would take one person to clean in an hour!” still ring in my ears as a clean my own home today.  While I never understood her constant need for our house to be clean, I would hurry through my chores as fast as I could so I could move on and play with my friends.  She was notorious for making us do things over and over again until it was finished met her standards.  Never before have I seen such perfect vacuuming lines as I have seen in my mother’s home.  At the time it was torture, but now I am so grateful for how she taught me.  I now understand that she was trying to have a clean home so the spirit would be able to dwell there.  That is not to say that it was perfectly clean all of the time, that is near impossible with no kids, let alone with eight, but it did make a difference in the spirit of our home when it was clean versus dirty.  The spirit likes to dwell in organized clean places. My mother has also often told me, “You wouldn’t see dirty clothes laying on the floor of the temple would you? Why do you think it is ok to leave your clothes on your floor?”  Oh mom, you are so wise.

The other part of a clean home is how it affects the contention.  It is amazing how different the day would go when we would arrive home from school to a clean home with church music playing softly in the background, as opposed to less perfect days when things weren’t as clean when we got home and we were loud and rowdy and itching for a fight.  There was definitely less contention when our home was clean. 

         Now that I am married and cleaning my home on my own, with the help of my husband of course, I find that I have a hard time keeping up.  I will see some dishes in the sink and think, “oh there is only three dishes in there, I will do it later” and three days later, there those three dishes still lay multiplied by four.  There are simply things that I like doing that are way more fun and exciting than dishes or vacuuming.  As it is probably apparent to all of you, I have come to realize that if I do just a little cleaning every day I can easily stay on top of everything and have plenty of time to spare doing the things that I enjoy doing. 

         I came across this cleaning chart that I have loved! It is easy to follow, colorful, and has pictures. It really gets the endorphins flowing!  I have used this chart for a while now and it has made such a difference.  The daily chore is so simple, and I finish so quickly that I feel like I can conquer the world! 

         I have found that I do so much better when I feel like something is “due” for the day. Having just finished college 12 days ago, I am still very much in the mindset of due dates and studying for final exams.  I like feeling like I have to meet a deadline, and this chart helps me do just that. I think the most important thing is to realize that you are doing you best, your house doesn’t have to be clean 100% of the time, but knowing that you are trying is what matters! So good luck to all of you out there! *I never in a million years would have guessed I would be writing about cleaning, I guess people really can change!*

-Kim