The Cleanest Lesson I Ever Learned
In my last year of teaching, I asked my students to research a topic of their choice, use three credible sources, and create a ten-slide presentation. They presented to the class, and if they wanted, I invited administrators to come watch. Many of my students were eager to show off what they had done.
There was one student who impressed me more than all the rest.
He was a quiet sixth grader who rarely spoke in class, but his presentation—on how to clean—was one of the best I have ever witnessed. I’m sure his mom helped, but he stood in front of the class and confidently made it through all ten slides. His citations were academically accurate. (Yes, I checked all of my students’ citations.) I was incredibly proud of him—and I learned a very valuable lesson.
I learned how to clean.
I thought I knew how to clean, but I was wrong. I would start in one corner of a room and work my way around until I got back where I started. I rarely did. I’d get distracted or frustrated, and I tended to move piles from one place to another.
My home was neat, but it never felt clean.
This little guy’s research just made sense. So here are the deets:
Remove the trash and take it out. Don’t leave it in a pile somewhere.
Remove the dishes and take them to the kitchen to be cleaned.
Put clean laundry away. Place dirty laundry in hampers to be washed.
Put things that have a place back in their place.
Put things that do not have a place in the trash or donate them. Do not hang on to them.
Sounds easy, right? It is. Any room can be company-ready in a short period of time. Company isn’t going to white-glove your baseboards.
If you want to clean deeper, complete the steps above and then do the following:
Dust vertical surfaces and furniture. I Swiffer these—just a few minutes per room.
Swiffer baseboards.
Sweep or vacuum floors.
Mop if you feel the need. I hate doing this.
And there you go. After the initial clean, it’s mostly touch-ups—putting laundry away, returning things to their places. I load the dishwasher every night and run it before bed. I can’t stand dirty dishes in the sink.
I like to do this right after my Miracle Morning routine, and I can usually be finished in less than 30 minutes.
While the house is clean, I miss taking my husband’s coffee cup to the dishwasher. I miss picking up his towels after he showers. I miss gathering my kiddos’ toys and putting them back in the toy box.
I used to complain about these things. Now, I would love to do just one of them again.
I didn’t realize the mess was love.
Are there things you miss that used to drive you crazy? It’s okay—you don’t have to let that feeling go. See it for what it was and know that it was love.
Blessings,
Bethanne
