CUTTING HOUSEWORK DOWN TO SIZE - Part 5

HOW CLEAN IS CLEAN ENOUGH?

Years ago my way of cleaning was to let things pile up until I couldn’t stand them.  Or I would let things go, then clean like mad when we were going to have company.  You know how it goes.  It’s like when people tend to fix up their home only when they plan to sell it.

One day the Lord convicted me of that, telling me that if it was good enough for my family, it was good enough for anyone else.  They were as important (or MORE important) than anyone else who might come to our home.

I had to rearrange my thinking.  What was good enough for my family?  What message was I sending to my children about their worth?  It was time to raise the bar.  My goal was not to just get by, but to create a place that was orderly and peaceful.  I wanted to send subliminal messages that they were cared for and loved. 

Making sure the daily “Basics” were faithfully done and that there was healthy well-balanced cooking in the works spoke volumes.  Limiting clutter, making sure surface (counters, tables, floors) were clean said this is a safe place for you to grow and to bring your friends.

I made the front living room off limits to toys.  I could welcome guests without having to apologize for clutter.  Toys were okay in the family room, but we had a “toy break” clean up time twice a day.  One set of toys had to be picked up before the next round brought out.

I had to analyze what was piling up.  Did that stuff have a home?  If I found myself moving a stack from here to there and then to somewhere else, did it have a place?  The old saying “A place for everything and everything in its place” applies.  It needed a bin, a drawer, a hook, or somewhere where everyone knew it belonged. 

Having a box or bag in the garage or bottom of the coat closet designated for charity took care of a few things that tended to pile up in bedrooms and the laundry room.

You probably don’t qualify for those scary TV shows about hoarders and people who don’t clean out their refrigerators, but you can set a standard of cleanliness that makes your home the place to be.  Send your family a message:  “You are WORTH ‘company clean’.”