During a prolonged bout of illness this fall, I started watching the BBC program How Clean is Your House. While watching it (as well as watching my house fall asunder of a horrible mess with no energy for cleaning) I've discovered many truths about keeping a clean house-- particularly how to do it and why it's important.
Truth 1: Most people who have horrible houses on the show used to have a clean house. While there are bachelors who never got into the cleaning habit, most of the time its families with many responsibilities who used to have a clean house, but it just sort of got away from them. I've seen this one true in life. The problem is when these things start adding up you end up overwhelmed. (For transparency's sake, I must add that I teeter on this point quite a bit.) If you keep up with the little things, then while you may not win the war you probably won't end up completely conquered either.
Truth 2: A dirty house can kill you. The most horrible thing about watching this show, as well as the most inspiring, is seeing all the people with health problems because their house is so messy. Dust mite, e-coli, and so many other nasties can hang out in your mess and give you asthma, allergies, and other illnesses. (Perhaps this is why I kept getting sick this fall, I couldn't resist thinking.)
Truth 3: You can't clean through clutter. You have to get rid of it to have a lovely house. There's no way around it, and in most cases it's not a case of disorganized stuff, but too much stuff.
Truth 4: It helps to start with a clean slate. Take a day or two off work, turn of the computer and phone and just start cleaning! Once it is clean, it'll be much easier to keep clean.
Truth 5: Not all of us can take a couple of days off of work, much less get the clean team to show up and do the hard work for us. In this case, you need to set aside time, a couple of hours a day, to get to the point where you just need to maintain.
Truth 6: Don't be ashamed to ask for help. Lots of tasks come easier if you have your friends or family helping you. Perhaps barter services... If you help clean my house, I'll help clean yours... so that it doesn't feel as one sided.
Truth 7: Even if your house is spotless, it doesn't matter if you don't keep it up. It pains me when I see Kim and Aggie return to a house that was lovely only to find 2 weeks later that the inhabitants have already fallen into their old habits. It takes 30 days to make a new habit, so keep that in mind and keep at yourself to continue cleaning every day, even if you think you have better things to do.
Truth 8: Grandma was right. There is a reason to dust, even if company is not coming over. You can use household goods like vinegar and baking soda to keep your house clean. You should make your bed and vacuum under the cushions regularly. And you should have a dedicated place for everything.
Truth 9: You're trying to get rid of germs for a reason, so don't let them hang around. Keep your washrags, sponges and other implements of cleaning clean. Use paper towels when cleaning the toilet. Wear rubber gloves when cleaning.
Truth 10: The people who do keep their house clean after being on the show lead happier lives afterwards. It's a weight lifted off of them. They can now relax and enjoy their lives better. Having a clean house is mentally a good thing.
As I said, I do not have anything near a clean house...but I hope to be heading Kim and Aggie's lessons and keeping at it every day. It will not only help my health but mental well being.
