Be Realistic If you have a family (or pets, for that matter) and you have white carpet, don't take it out on them that you have to spend 30 minutes each day with the spot remover. If you absolutely love your white carpet, then you need to be willing to happily invest the time it takes to keep it nice. However, it is not worth destroying the peace in your home because you can't spot clean happily. Either learn to live with the spots or start saving up for something that requires less maintenance. This goes for every other area. If you feel your blood pressure soaring over the newspaper strewn all over the living room, invest in a paper rack. Or listen to the news on the radio while you happily clean the spots off your white carpet.
Bottom line -- make your home livable. Being a Godly homemaker and Queen of our home means we labor to serve the people who come into our home (all the people, especially our family). We endeavor to create an environment of peace and comfort. It does not mean we have a magazine worthy showcase home that everyone has to tip toe through for fear of awakening the She-Beast.
Clean Smart Clean from top to bottom; clean from the inside out; proceed from dry to wet; least dirty to most dirty. Start at the doorway and clean clockwise around the room so you don't have to backtrack. Wear an apron with pockets that hold all your cleaning supplies, again, so you don't have to backtrack. You can find instructions to make a cleaning apron here. Make sure you have all the necessary tools right there with you (either in a caddy or your apron) so you don't have to keep leaving the job to get another tool or cleaner. Fast music helps you keep up the pace. Make your time count.
If it ain't dirty, don't clean it. This seems like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how much time people spend cleaning things that aren't dirty just because it is scheduled to be cleaned. Take bath towels, for example. You get your clean body out of your clean shower and dry off on a clean towel. That towel is not necessarily dirty. It can be hung up to dry and used again a time or two. Laundering the bath towels every time they get used may not be a big deal if you are single or a couple, but if you have a large brood of chicks, this becomes very important. If you are a saint, and your microwave isn't dirty when it's time to clean the appliances, skip it and invest your time in something that needs you. (This scenario isn't likely to happen at our house, but I'm just saying...)
Don't Forget the Beauty Don't get so caught up in the mundane but necessary tasks that you forget to bring in the beauty. Even the men in our lives appreciate the few minutes it takes to bring in some flowers, make the house smell nice or present a meal in an appetizing and beautiful way. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes to make the every day into a special day. It is about ministering to the people who come into our homes -- not just the guests, but also the people who live there.
*Special Note -- If your husband and/or kids are the type that wouldn't notice if you parked an elephant in their favorite chair, don't be discouraged. They notice more than you think. Even if they couldn't tell you if you brought in flowers or knocked out the wall to the kitchen, they will respond to the love you bring and the peace that prevails in your home when you do your labors with a right heart and attitude. Don't do it to receive a payment of gratitude at the end. Do what you do to serve them and show love to them. Carry on. It's working, even if you can't see the results immediately.
