Four Handy Dandy Quick Tips to Help You in Your Cleaning Efforts

1. Get Your Kids to Help

For real! When my kiddos were babies, I was on my own. Granted, there was less mess, but there was still mess. And diapers. And exhaustion. But now, NOW, I have three little helpers and it is wonderful! I cannot stress enough the glory in having your children help. Besides the fact that it’s good for them to learn how to work, it is actually a help.

Yes, you will have to train them and there might be some huffing and hawing, but eventually it will get better. I find that when we work together, things get done quickly and we are all happier. I’m always saying to my kids, “We are a team!” and the classic, “Many hands make light work!” I overhear my kids saying that phrase sometimes, and it makes me smile.

Keep on and your kids will be a delight and a help to you!

2. Accept That Good Enough Is Good Enough

I am a recovering perfectionist. My brand of perfectionism looked like this: “Oh, I can’t get it all cleaned perfectly because I don’t have time, so I just won’t do it at all.” Makes sense, right? NO! Of course it doesn’t! It’s better to do something than nothing!

And honestly, I’m learning that sometimes good enough is good enough. Maybe I didn’t wash my windows, but I cleaned up my living room. Maybe I didn’t dust the baseboards, but I swept up. Life just keeps on moving, and sometimes we have to be willing to let go of the details in order to keep on. It’s okay.

When you have that magical day that affords you ALL THE TIME, go on and dust those baseboards. Or maybe you’ll be able to hire someone to do that kind of detail work. But in the meantime, get what you need to get done and move on to enjoying your life!

3. Love Yourself

You are beautiful and glorious and colorful just the way you are! So what if you don’t clean well and you’re not detailed? You are made in the image of God, and you have the capacity to do great things for His Kingdom, which yes, oftentimes involves hidden things, like cleaning. But your identity should never be in what you do or don’t do.

Love yourself because God wove you together and He loves you. You are not more holy because you clean well, and you are not less holy if you don’t. Yes, cleaning is a part of life and it’s a way to love others, but it has nothing to do with your identity. So crank the music up and dance yourself silly and get it done, but don’t ever think for one second that you are a worse person or wife or mother because you don’t rock at cleaning. Okay?

4. Slow It Down, Sister

Sometimes you’ve just got to put on a good podcast or some music and go slow—bit by bit.

Scrub the toilet slowly.

Take your time on the kitchen floor.

Go through your bookshelf, dusting and carefully placing your babies, I mean books, back on the shelf with love.

There can be a lovely rhythm to cleaning if we allow it. Sometimes the rush is good and fun and practical, but sometimes the slow is just what the soul needs.