Part 1: Organizing & The Anxiety of a dirty, messy, cluttered house
If you have an eight- to ten-year-old, you may have been immersed in the world of Harry Potter (if you haven’t already out of your own interest —the books are pretty dope). As I was watching movie 6 for the thousandth time with my daughter there’s a scene earlier on in the movie where Harry arrives at his friend Ron Weasley’s house, known as the Burrow, to join his friends there shortly before the school year is to begin. What caught my attention this time, mainly because it’s been on my mind, was the inside of the Weasley house.
For those of you who have never seen the movie before the house itself is a rickety multi-level cottage that looks like it got caught in a tornado flying up in the air and crashing down to the ground with all the levels falling topsy-turvy on top of the other in the wrong order. On the inside, it’s a cluttered mess with low-hanging old wooden beams needing repair, mismatched furniture, books and papers, and miscellaneous things haphazardly placed in no particular order everywhere. But the odd thing is, it’s cozy, warm, inviting, and filled with a wholesome happiness demonstrative of the family that lives there. In fact, throughout the movies, the Burrow seems to represent a safe haven that Harry retreats to when the world chews him up and spits him out or a place of togetherness and joy at for the family and their friends.
My point is no one is bothered by how the house looks. And that’s because everyone sees it as a home. So, when I look around the log cabin that we are currently renting in the interim until we are able to buy a house, I must ask myself is it more important that the house isn’t often clean or well organized or is it more important that instead of constantly cleaning and organizing we enjoy each other’s company. Will my memories draw on a disheveled house or spending our time playing games, cuddling while watching a movie, playing outside, cooking yummy meals and gathering at the table to eat together, and dancing to our favorite music in the kitchen? I need to tell myself that it’s not necessarily the house I want, but it’s the home I need.
That said, I’ll switch gears for a moment as this is a post about how to manage keeping a busy house clean. But I wanted to start with that as I have come to this realization, and it should always be at the forefront of our minds when we get anxious about the house not being clean (which I often do).
Now, on to a house that’s lived in and how to organize it to feel better. If you get major anxiety like me over a messy house but then also get overwhelmed and unmotivated to do anything about it, I see you. I am you. You are my people. I should also mention that I hate cleaning. Like really HATE cleaning. Especially bathrooms. Aaaaaand, I’m pretty sure I’m a germaphobe. So, how do I clean when I don’t want to, don’t like it and I fear it? Let us begin.
(Big sigh) a clean house. If you were to close your eyes and visualize your house after you’ve cleaned it with its intoxicating smell of freshness. Things all tidied away, counters and floors gleaming, and laundry and toys all put away. Each room seems bigger, and the house feels lighter and brighter somehow. The feeling you get from a clean house is almost euphoric, especially when you know how gross it can get. I LOVE a clean house. I immediately feel the anxiety lifting off me. Life seems more manageable once the house is clean and smells good.
Now the parameters in which I’m operating. I have three kids and a husband, so four kids. I’m outnumbered when it comes to cleaning up messes, putting away stuff, tidying, vacuuming, doing laundry, and cleaning bathrooms, and surfaces. So, I must admit I’ve given up a bit on staying on top of it. Like most families, there’s the work week, kids’ after-school activities, grocery shopping, errand running, and the list goes on. Usually, cleaning is not high on my priority list. I’d like to say I don’t care, but I do care. I wish I could keep up with it and not hate doing it. I’m probably seeing it differently from everyone else, but to me, our house looks like we got robbed on a good day. Stuff everywhere! To be fair, I’m a minimalist at heart and don’t like having a lot ‘shtuff’’.
Yes, I know that makes my house “a house lived in”, which is a really nice way of saying, “Hey it’s perfectly normal to have a messy house when you have a busy life with kids, so don’t worry about it and enjoy life!” What I want to achieve is a house lived in that is also clean most of the time. Is that too of a cake-and-eat-it-too request?
Okay, so this is what I’ve learned so far from some cleaning influencers and experts I’ve followed. Divide your cleaning by a room a day. If you are a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) like I am, it’s helpful to schedule cleaning in your calendar assigning one room a day, so it’s not taking up your whole day that’s filled with other things to get done. If you work during the week then either do small bits daily (like throwing in some laundry every morning or evening or a quick kitchen clean up after making breakfast or dinner). Then doing bathrooms on the weekend. The point here is to break it up into smaller bits to make it more manageable and less daunting.
As well, if it’s feasible, there’s always the option of getting a cleaner or splurging on robotic vacuums. If you’re like me and your kids are at the “helpful” age, put them to work! It won’t be perfect, but it will be done. You’d be surprised how delegating the sweeping, sorting of laundry, and tidying up messes can get it all done quickly and shorten your to-do list.
Another thing I’ve learned is cleaning schedule apps and storage organizers are a HUUUGE help. The app will keep you on-task and accountable, not to mention the exhilarating feeling of checking off a task when it’s done. Storage organizers will clear up a space and make it easy to access when you need it instead of a crazy mess of everything everywhere. No need to be OCD like me and label stuff, but it is helpful.
I’ll leave you with what I said in the beginning. The mess is only horrible to you. If your house looks ‘lived-in’, so what? Do what you can, when you can and in the meantime enjoy your house being a home.
A xo
Leave a Reply