Clean Smart

Photo by tj scenes

Challenge yourself.

Various rooms in our home have garnered bad reputations for being difficult or tedious or mind-numbing to maintain. Because of the many other important tasks in our lives—namely raising children, improving our relationships, or maintaining our jobs—chores like wiping down the sink or cleaning out the lint vent can seem to us less enjoyable than a double root canal. But the truth is, if we could discipline ourselves to do one good thing to every room we enter or exit—every time we come and go—cleaning, on the whole, would prove less exhausting. Consider these opportunities to find a few extra minutes and make a difference:

1. Commercial breaks
2. Waiting for water to boil or food to cook
3. Phone conversations
4. Discussions with members of the family, (who might pitch in)

Wiping down the sink every morning after getting ready would mean avoiding the once-a-week “deep clean.” Putting clothes away immediately upon changing would mean never having to “tackle the pile.” And throwing trash away as soon as it becomes scrap would mean never having to wander through the house with a trash can looking for wadded paper or empty wrappers.

Making a habit of improving every room during every visit, even in terms of one item or action, would be beneficial—both for our time and our sanity.