4 Values of Effective Cleaning
As much as cleaning is an action, it’s as equally a mindset. All action starts with a thought.
You’ll find that at the core of effective cleaning are a set of values. After 15 years in the cleaning industry and in helping thousands of clients create a clean and tidy home, I can guarantee you that the majority of people live by these values in their own cleaning processes:
practice empowerment by finding home happiness
Implement 5 minute tasks. Most larger goals are a series of small tasks. Break down barriers to accomplishing the goal of cleaning.
Emphasize the importance of focusing on one task at a time. Multitasking has been proven to be less effective than focused work.
Find ways to feel positive about relationships you have with your space, with yourself, and the people you cohabitate with — this pays big dividends!
Find spaces for “being”, balanced with spaces for “doing”.
Pair affirmations with action, to build momentum. Sometimes, the self talk that you use is the motivating factor (or the barrier) in getting the work done. Telling yourself you can get through the next 5 minutes, the next, and so on, helps build momentum.
Build habits. You are more likely to accomplish said goals if youʼve accomplished similar goals previously. Knowledge gets integrated into a regular routine.
practice simplicity by prioritizing process over products
There are many cleaning products available - many of which will get you to your destination. The shocking truth: the right technique, tools, and willpower will make your home clean.
Many people buy products as inspiration and motivation to *clean* their home. This does not actually clean your home - you do! Your excitement to do “all of the things” and get the dream projects done, might not get past the excitement phase. Hereʼs why: youʼre setting yourself up for failure when you over commit and under perform.
At the core of any success roadmap is simplicity. In a consumer focused culture, we have an overload of information, videos, ads, and products thrown at us. The harsh cold truth: we cannot know, be, or do it all. Learn the initial process on how to clean and then take action.
psssst…check out The Tidy People Shop to learn more about our simplified cleaning system that only uses 7 products to clean the entire home.
find transformation by practicing the home bathing method by The Tidy People
A common challenge is that most people feel like they perpetually clean, but their space never actually looks or feels fully clean. Reason being, the dirt and debris actually cross contaminates between surfaces when you donʼt fully lift dirt throughout your space. When you fully lift the dirt, there’s nowhere for the existing dust and debris to settle back down again.
If it’s been a while since you’ve cleaned, or your home has high foot traffic, it’s time for a good home bathing! Home bathing is the equivalent of taking shower or bath vs. a sponge bath. Home bathing means youʼre fully lifting and cleaning ALL reachable visible surfaces from top to bottom.
Think of home bathing as the same way an artist paints a canvass blank again. Scrubbing and rinsing the old. Allowing for the messy, free, and creative living to occur again. By embracing the deep scrub up front, future cleanings will take half the amount of time and effort. Your home will look and feel more clean than it ever has before.
accept the pendulum swing & find balance between chaos and calm
What does it mean to find balance in your home cleaning practice? Well, just like meditation, the practice of cleaning has no final endpoint. The crumbs and dust return. And so again you return to your practice to maintain the pendulum between the chaos and the calm. Just as you would find in your steady, deep breathing.
An important piece in your cleaning practice is integration. Find a flow and routine that works for you. We all breathe, flow, and live a little differently. And so will your cleaning routine too. You will customize this based on your home living situation and style.
in summary….
One Home Maintenance Tip
If it’s been 3+ months since you’ve done a whole-house clean, your home likely needs a deep scrub to more easily maintain the space. Complete the big one time deep home bathing of your entire space. Then, continue to clean your entire space all at once every 2 - 12 weeks.
*Note: your first deep home bathing cleaning may require your time over a series of days or weeks. Tackle one or a few rooms at a time. Maintain those rooms by following up with another cleaning a few weeks later, while you continue to tackle the rest of your home bathing in the other rooms. Working through this process, youʼll begin to notice the difference in how much quicker it is to clean these rooms.
Take Breaks in Between Deep Cleaning
Keep in mind, the more frequently you maintain clean your entire space in one fell swoop, the cleaner your space will be and the less you’ll feel like you’re constantly cleaning. The challenge in only cleaning specific surfaces is that dirt and debris often cross back over into the areas youʼve just cleaned. Ineffectively dispersing dirt right back into the spaces youʼve cleaned. The all at once cleaning rule requires a commitment, but it works!
Embrace the Messy Middle
Let go of the idea of a state of constant perfection. The art of balance plays a key role in your home happiness.
Embrace both the clean and the chaos. There will be times where you have a sink full of dishes, the laundry unfolded, and a glitter soaked carpet via 2 year old craft time. There will be moments in which you donʼt have the time or energy to clean. This is ok!
The more you embrace the messy moments, the less you spend in a state of inner conflict as to what you “should be doing”. You’ll begin to gravitate towards what feels good. Sometimes not doing anything is what feels good and itʼs whatʼs necessary and healthy. And other times taking action and getting your scrub on, to create a clean space is what feels good. Allow the pendulum to swing and embrace the place youʼre at on a daily basis.
