Sometimes, cleaning is overwhelming. I remember my mother telling me to clean my room, thoroughly. I'd tuck everything away, see that everything was straight and tell her I was finished. She'd come in and at a single glance see that I had only glossed over the surface. My room really was a big mess. Since, I had had the chance to clean it on my own first, I was in for no mercy. My mom told me it wasn't clean and then before my horrified eyes would proceed to put everything in the middle of my room on the floor. My clothes from the drawers, the sheets from the bed, my toys from the shelf, my books, my whole closet, in a sense: everything. Then, once she was done piling she gave me a bowl of cleaner and a cloth and told me to clean every surface (window sill, bed, bookshelf, dresser, closet, etc) and that I wasn't allowed to leave the room until it was neatly put away and finished (if I did, the whole process was restarted). I would rearrange (I love changing my room around) and vacuum under all the furniture (the pile of stuff was usually out of the way so I had moving room). The next task was to put everything away in it's proper place, and not just where it landed the last time I played with it. When all my stuff was put away, I'd vacuum under where the pile was and check to make sure everything was clean, neat and orderly. I always felt better after wards.
While this method is very daunting to contemplate, it has never ceased to impress me with it's efficiency and thoroughness. I've told others about it for using on their children and they say it works very well. I know it worked for me and often I find myself gathering up all the miscellaneous stuff around the house and dumping it on my bed for inspection, sorting, and putting away or throwing away. I also use this method for when I want to rearrange a room so that I have lots of chances to get rid of all the gathering dust and cobwebs.
We should enjoy the process of cleaning rather than hate it. Just think of what a clean room really is? Do you enjoy living in a dirty room? What if you went to someone's house and it was really dirty? Would you want to sit on the couch? Would you want to touch the counter tops? I've had such experiences where I would visit at a friends place and the whole time I was yearning to kick them out and to clean. I didn't know what was dirtier, their carpet or their couch.
A clean home is inviting, welcoming, relaxing, and loving. It can be very discouraging to see the dirt on the floors that you just swept an hour ago or to see that bathroom towel getting grimy from dirty hands that didn't get washed all the way. But remember the end result. How much happier would you be if it was just clean? Would it brighten your day? Would it make you smile? Would you sigh happily? Cleaning clears the cobwebs from your brain as my mother always says. It helps us think better when we are in a clean and orderly environment. My extra curricular projects (knitting, sewing, etc) always are more productive and fun when I'm doing them after my house is clean. If my house is not clean while I'm trying to work on a project, all I can think about is what needs to be cleaned. It's very distracting and my work always comes out less than desirable.
Fear not to clean. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. And cleaning can be fun. Put on some fun music, sing at the top of your lungs and dive in. Make a plan for yourself, and clean only one room at a time (don't let yourself get distracted by another room's messiness).
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