7 Tips for Keeping Your Life in Order by Consistently Cleaning

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7 Tips for Keeping Your Life in Order by Consistently Cleaning

September 19th, 2017

Awake Goy

Cleaning is not really a task that most people enjoy. That’s why many people will assign their children chores or hire Mexicans to come mow their lawns and clean up after them. Other people will only really clean when they have company coming over; this is often the case with singles, even though they have plenty of time for cleaning. They do not see any good reason to clean up since there is no one to impress. Why bother, right?

Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

What most people do not realize is that cleaning up your space, whether it is your home or workplace, is conducive to better psychological health and increased productivity. By consistently cleaning up, your internal world should start to reflect the external order you are maintaining. You might not be able to scrub away all the filth of the wider world, but you can be sure that your own home is in order. Once you have that down pat, perhaps you can start to clean up some local parks with some friends, and inspire others to have a sense of pride in themselves and their shared spaces.

These seven tips are really just some things I have learned over the years. Perhaps they can be of use to you.

1. Make Your Bed

This is one is key. I never understood this when I was growing up. I just figured that there was no point to making one’s bed in the morning if it is just going to be used later that day, but it is really quite nice to have your bed ready for you, nice and neat, when you want to go to sleep. As for myself, I never tuck the blankets or sheets under the mattress, as I hate feeling restricted, but this also makes the process even quicker.

2. Never Miss an Opportunity

If you are getting up from your computer chair and are heading for the kitchen, why not grab the coffee mug and bring it with you so that it can be washed? If you are walking down the hall and see your child’s toy on the ground, why not pick it up and put it away instead of stepping over it? By doing these small acts of cleaning on your way about the day, you are able to maintain a neat place in an efficient manner.

3. Everything in its Right Place

Do you have enough shelves, drawers, bins, hooks, hangers, and baskets? Everything needs somewhere to go! This is especially true for people with children, with their many toys, sports equipment, shoes, etc. You can often build storage units yourself or pick them up from a thrift shop to save some money. Also, be sure that you put things you almost never use into more permanent storage, such as in a box in your attic or garage.

4. Make it a Ritual

Every night after dinner, we immediately do the dishes and sweep the floor in the kitchen. Every week, we mop the entire house. Certain tasks you should make part of your standard routine, like brushing your teeth every morning and night. This will help you avoid procrastination and keep you on top of the ball.

5. Avoid Being a Perfectionist

Picking things up and making the house look neat might only take 10 minutes, while scrubbing every inch of your house to make sure there is never a speck of dirt or dust is an impossible task that will never end. It is important to realize that children, pets, and people track in dirt and cause a little chaos. It’s okay! You only need to do deep cleaning every so often, such as the famous spring cleaning. Simply put, don’t waste your time or develop Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

6. Have Fun

Put on some of your favorite upbeat music as you work, or you can listen to some radio (I recommend Renegade Broadcasting). I sometimes appreciate cleaning time because it gives me an excuse to get away from the computer and really pay attention to whatever it is I am listening to, as cleaning really does not require higher level thought processes.

7. Don’t Kill Yourself!

I mean this literally. Never mix ammonia and bleach! Almost all of the cleaning products you could pick up from the supermarket are toxic in some way, so it is up to you to research some safe alternatives. Water, baking soda, vinegar, and essential oils are usually all I ever use for my cleaning needs.