Besides cooking, I believe cleaning and mending is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the word “homemaker”. Cleaning and mending is what is not only makes us good stewards, it saves some money in the process. No matter the size of your family, cleaning and mending is a necessity.
There are different levels on clean. Some people NEED it to be spotless, some are okay with a few dishes in the sink, and others pile on the trash on the trash. I’ve seen the inside of a lot of different houses over the years. Some houses are so amazingly clean you wonder if they are human. And then there are houses where your feet are sticking to an oozing carpet. Of course, most of the homes I have seen have a perfectly normal amount of mess. So if your home is not spotless, feel reassured that you are amongst the majority of human beings.
The Power of Cleaning
I will tell you the power of cleaning. If you have ever suffered from depression, you will understand. One of the tactics I use to get past feeling overwhelmed to the point of inaction is to start with one dish. There is a huge pile of dishes in front of you, and you either feel like it will never get done, or you simply don’t have the energy to do it, you have to start with just that one dish. Tell yourself you don’t have clean more than one dish, but clean that one dish. You will find yourself cleaning more. I tell myself I have to do one thing, and that will usually lead to cleaning other things.
I use this same strategy with any task I am feeling particularly disagreeable towards. One dish, just vacuum one bedroom. Just clean one toilet. This will often gain the momentum you need to keep cleaning, but also be true to yourself and stop if you truly do not want to keep going. Be careful of distracted cleaning. You start one place and find yourself with ten more little piles of random. This can increase your anxiety and stress. I have done this to myself more times than I can count. In order to avoid this, I have to be purposeful in my actions. I am cleaning the counter today. That is the one thing I have to get done.
Once you have cleaned that one area, or one thing, it will feel lighter. The more you clean, the lighter your home feels. I love the feeling at the end of the day as the dishwasher is going, the smell of a clean surfaces, and sight of a beautiful home. It is peace. It is joyous to know that I can feel this way every evening.
Lists if You Like
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Now, If you are the kind of person that needs a list or a cleaning schedule, there are plenty of ideas on Etsy or Pinterest. Even Amazon. I am terrible at cleaning schedules. Every time I try to set one, my kids try their hardest not to let it happen. So my goal on the day-to-day is to get the thing done that most needs doing. I then try to fill in the rest when I can.
The Power of Order
There is something about walking into a clean and orderly house that calms the spirit. I love coming home and my counters are clear, my bed is made, and the floors free of clutter. I notice that I start to feel anxious and irritable when I am surrounded by stuff. It’s hard to avoid: bouncy chairs, toy cars, bikes, blocks, you name it. Even though they are still in sight, when I put them in their bags or in one spot, I can feel my body start to relax.
Elder William R. Bradford in the April 1992 General Conference has stated “a cluttered life is a life you do not have control of. It is a life in which the things you have surrounded with, and allow to use up your time, are controlling you and negatively influencing your happiness and eternal progress.”
There are many things that can be considered “clutter” in your life. The most often thought up image is that of material things: knick knacks, boxes of old trophies, bags of clothes, papers. One of the biggest clutter for me is papers. But there are other things that can clutter our life. Social media, games on our phones and consoles, food addictions (included is alcohol and drug addictions), the news, over-scheduling ourselves, and pornography to name a few.
How to Declutter our Lives
So how do we cut the clutter from our lives. There are a lot of different theories out there, but whatever tactic you choose it has to include removal of the items. Not just organizing it in a neat row or into little boxes, but actually getting rid of it. My mother is a pack rat, and I often have to fight what I have been taught. I was raised with “maybe you will need that one day” and “you’ll want that for memories.” Honestly, I haven’t come across anything I regret getting rid of. Make a scrap book for your memories, and get rid of the rest.
One of the best ways that I have found to start to remove the clutter is how Marie Kondo teaches to remove it. Going through your things and seeing if you love it (or actually need it), and if you don’t, you thank it and remove it from the home. Over the years, I know I have accumulated a lot of junk. I’m sure you have too. More than you think you have.
I had a fully packed storage closet and one day, while watching Marie Kondo, I decided to try her method. And it worked wonderfully. I was able to clear out my closet and get it organized. It made me feel great knowing I accomplished a huge task and the weight I didn’t realize was there had lifted. I still don’t regret it. Try it on your junk drawer sometime. We all have one. Marie Kondo also recommends putting things in baskets. I have also found this to be true. Baskets organize and hide the items from view at the same time.
Now, you could always just go to the extreme and toss it all out. That method will definitely save on time, but you might find there actually ARE things you need. I mean, it’s not a complete lie that you’ll never use those spare screws from your IKEA dresser.
Declutter the Immaterial
Decluttering can be applied to the other non-material things in our lives. Do I need to ten different social media sites? Maybe choose your top two to keep and get rid of the rest. Am I spending more time playing Block Puzzle than I am playing with my kiddo (I’m guilty of that)? Do I have to do that thing I initially thought I had to do? One of my acquaintances is obsessed with self imposed deadlines. They work themselves to the point of injury in order to get some imagined deadline done. You don’t have to do that to yourself. You control your actions and priorities in life, not the other way around.
There are plenty of organization styles out there so you don’t actually have to apply Kondo’s style, but find something that works for you. I find I am too prone to “maybe I will need that later when I lose 20 pounds” if I go off of the “need meter”. Truly set aside the time to clean. Maybe not a deep clean, but at least a dusting, or an organization. Even though your children may be whirlwinds, bringing every single toy they own into your living room, you can get them to clean up. You can put their toys in bins (maybe even make some disappear). Your life will thank you for setting your home in order.
Here is Marie Kondo’s book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.
I also liked this book Clean Your House Like a Pro: Proven Methods to Keep Your Home Organized, Deep Clean All Your Rooms & Tidy Up Your House.
Mending what can be mended
We live in a world where it is so easy and often feels like it is cheaper to just throw things out and get a new one. I’ve done this with furniture. I’ve done this with cars. Part of mending is embroiled in our responsibility as good stewards. Now, how do we reconcile the care we have for our things with the fact that children are going to break our stuff. It’s an inevitability. My wonderful stone dish set that I took forever picking out after my wedding has lost a bowl, broken a plate, and now multiple glasses have shattered. I could just get a new set. Or I can mend the broken plate. I chose the later and the glue I used still holds strong.
Some important skills to know are not difficult to learn are glueing and sewing. You don’t have to spend hours learning how to do it. It’s important to know there are different types of glue: for wood, for ceramics, for metal, and for cloth. Glue and clamps. It’s not just for kids.
You should have a small sew kit. My mom put together a sew kit when I was young and I still have it 30 years later. I was never strongly interested in sewing, but through church and from my mother, I was able to learn how to reattach a button (I have used this skill many times, especially on my work uniforms). Buttons, mending small tears, and hemming. You don’t need a sewing machine to keep your clothes, blankets, and other cloth in working condition.
Your sew kit should have the essentials of needle, thread, and scissors. There are some ready made ones on Etsy and Amazon. Even Walmart has them for cheap. They make fun stocking stuffers too. Here is a small sew kit offered by Amazon. I would recommend going on YouTube to check out how to sew on buttons and hemming. It truly is remarkable the things you can learn. That’s where I learned to hem.
Your Home is Safe and Cared For
In the end, what matters is that your home is safe and cared for. Perfection does not come in this life. But we can keep learning and we can keep growing our skills. I’m 38 years old and I’m still learning new things. I feel like my 16 year old self sometimes, standing in chagrin as my first boss ever teaches me how to sweep the floors properly after my abysmal first attempt.
As your kids get older, they can start pitching in to the home cleaning efforts and organization. It won’t be a battle forever. This is your castle. Be proud to be in it.