Housecleaning Habits
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:26 pm
A friend/neighbor of mine (we’ll call her Lea), is going through a really tough time. The bursting of the housing bubble here in the States has left her husband unemployed for quite a long time now, and their savings is gone. They have four children, ranging in age from fourth grade to college. One of the children has a debilitating disease that requires long-term medication--to the tune of $500.00 a month.
They are scraping by on small jobs here and there, and she is trying to do everything and anything she can to help pay the bills…spending a lot of time on crafty-type stuff to try to sell online. She has also taken up gardening, and is asking for help (I’m glad to do it) with learning how to can different things, recipes, cheaper ways to feed her chickens, etc… All of a sudden she is extremely busy!!!
Lea never was even an average housekeeper, and things have gotten much worse. Her house is absolutely filthy, and the children are not helping her.
Now before you think I am Mrs. CleanFreak, I should tell you that I am a reformed slob myself. I know all about working too many hours at an outside-the-home job that completely stresses you to the point of losing your health, and then coming home and just not having the heart to clean anything! I know about realizing twenty minutes before you have to leave the house that there are no clean undies/socks/jeans to put on, and getting home from the farmers market with a trunk (boot?) full of lovely produce, only to be slapped in the face with a refrigerator that should have been plowed through weeks ago.
I know about dust buffaloes (way too big to be called “bunnies“), about corners that you could plant corn in, about dog hair in the utility room that probably could be baled, and the embarrassment of cleaning for “company’s coming”, only to realize that bathroom sink really is white,…it wasn’t just “tanned with age”.
My friend Lea is depressed, and I was too. Several years ago, my husband lost his job, and we were in serious danger of losing our place. Between the drought, the workload of the farm, and the eminent defeat of losing the farm, I was down so low I couldn’t see up. The housework was left undone for weeks, and we all got really snappish with each other.
A dirty house makes everyone feel uncomfortable. It’s heaping depression upon depression! By the time you realize just how bad it is you feel trapped in it---it’s too overwhelming to even begin. You know you’d feel better if the house looked and smelled nice,…but you just don’t have the energy to start.
That’s where my friend Lea is now. I’m going to help her a couple of days this week with cleaning her bathrooms, etc. Seeing her like this made me remember how things were for me way back when,…and so I thought I’d leave this little encouragement---start NOW.
If you are not a “decent” housekeeper (realizing that is a relative term, and different people have different standards) work on changing. If your spouse is the primary person in charge of the housework, help them (in a non-condescending, kind way please). Take a few minutes and define what is acceptable for you and your family. Write it down. Then develop the fastest, most streamlined way of keeping it up to your own standards, and make it habit now, before life throws curveballs at you.
There are systems available out there that you can personalize to fit your owns needs. Probably the most famous of these is the one that helped me--FlyLady. She breaks tasks down into manageable, scheduled increments, and shows you how to make them habits. Some people find her writing style a little cheesy or emotional---she is passionate about helping people to find a better way. If you don’t care for her style there are others.
Extremely challenging situations in life (even moving to that new homestead!) can be made easier and far less stressful if good cleaning/maintenance habits are firmly ingrained.
I know this little essay is not for everyone---maybe not for anyone on this board for that matter. I just felt inspired to write it, thinking about my friend. She’ll be more encouraged when her house looks and smells better--I just know it!
They are scraping by on small jobs here and there, and she is trying to do everything and anything she can to help pay the bills…spending a lot of time on crafty-type stuff to try to sell online. She has also taken up gardening, and is asking for help (I’m glad to do it) with learning how to can different things, recipes, cheaper ways to feed her chickens, etc… All of a sudden she is extremely busy!!!
Lea never was even an average housekeeper, and things have gotten much worse. Her house is absolutely filthy, and the children are not helping her.
Now before you think I am Mrs. CleanFreak, I should tell you that I am a reformed slob myself. I know all about working too many hours at an outside-the-home job that completely stresses you to the point of losing your health, and then coming home and just not having the heart to clean anything! I know about realizing twenty minutes before you have to leave the house that there are no clean undies/socks/jeans to put on, and getting home from the farmers market with a trunk (boot?) full of lovely produce, only to be slapped in the face with a refrigerator that should have been plowed through weeks ago.
I know about dust buffaloes (way too big to be called “bunnies“), about corners that you could plant corn in, about dog hair in the utility room that probably could be baled, and the embarrassment of cleaning for “company’s coming”, only to realize that bathroom sink really is white,…it wasn’t just “tanned with age”.
My friend Lea is depressed, and I was too. Several years ago, my husband lost his job, and we were in serious danger of losing our place. Between the drought, the workload of the farm, and the eminent defeat of losing the farm, I was down so low I couldn’t see up. The housework was left undone for weeks, and we all got really snappish with each other.
A dirty house makes everyone feel uncomfortable. It’s heaping depression upon depression! By the time you realize just how bad it is you feel trapped in it---it’s too overwhelming to even begin. You know you’d feel better if the house looked and smelled nice,…but you just don’t have the energy to start.
That’s where my friend Lea is now. I’m going to help her a couple of days this week with cleaning her bathrooms, etc. Seeing her like this made me remember how things were for me way back when,…and so I thought I’d leave this little encouragement---start NOW.
If you are not a “decent” housekeeper (realizing that is a relative term, and different people have different standards) work on changing. If your spouse is the primary person in charge of the housework, help them (in a non-condescending, kind way please). Take a few minutes and define what is acceptable for you and your family. Write it down. Then develop the fastest, most streamlined way of keeping it up to your own standards, and make it habit now, before life throws curveballs at you.
There are systems available out there that you can personalize to fit your owns needs. Probably the most famous of these is the one that helped me--FlyLady. She breaks tasks down into manageable, scheduled increments, and shows you how to make them habits. Some people find her writing style a little cheesy or emotional---she is passionate about helping people to find a better way. If you don’t care for her style there are others.
Extremely challenging situations in life (even moving to that new homestead!) can be made easier and far less stressful if good cleaning/maintenance habits are firmly ingrained.
I know this little essay is not for everyone---maybe not for anyone on this board for that matter. I just felt inspired to write it, thinking about my friend. She’ll be more encouraged when her house looks and smells better--I just know it!