Do you ever wonder what’s the point of keeping a clean house? Here’s how to find motivation and why I make my bed every day (even if I barely have time).
A while back I shared a list of “simple rules” that I wanted my family to live by–something I was planning to hang up as a little daily reminder. It included things like “be kind,” “eat your vegetables,” and “always do your best.” Funnily enough, the one thing people commented on more than any other was a line I honestly hadn’t thought twice about including: Make your bed every day.
Is this really a novel concept?
I have to admit that I am slightly obsessive about making our bed each morning. And even my husband, who used to make fun of this obsession, has now embraced it. In fact, these days he might be even more obsessive than me!
But it’s not just the bed. Most of the time, our house is pretty neat. Speed Cleaning is my jam–I love doing a quick sweep of the house every day. We also require our kids to make sure their room is tidy before they leave for school.
Until I posted that innocent-seeming list, it never even occurred to me that these habits might be considered odd. Even so, when I really started to think about it, I realized there are some serious reasons why I take the time to make my bed and tidy up each day.
1. It just looks better.
This should be fairly obvious right? Straightened sheets and comforters with pillows in their proper place are far more aesthetically pleasing than disheveled blankets and a pile of pillows on the floor. A sink full of dirty dishes just looks ugly, whereas I could stare at my clean and sparkly kitchen all day long. Likewise, toys and clothes off the floor and put away are so much prettier than things scattered everywhere.
2. I get more done when my house is clean.
Taking the time to focus on putting things in order–especially when I set the timer and race against the clock–seems to jumpstart my productivity. When I ignore the mess and try to work around it, I am more easily distracted by whatever comes my way, and at the end of the day I’ll find I accomplished almost nothing. It doesn’t mean I always keep my house clean, but I do get more done on the days that I do.
3. I’m not embarrassed to have people over.
I love entertaining and throwing parties and get-togethers, & greatly value hospitality. When my house is clean I am more likely to invite someone over on the spur of the moment.
4. I can find things.
This part of my life has greatly improved since our Great Purge in December, when we got rid of SO much stuff. Now that everything has a rightful place once again, it is so much easier to put it away and–surprise surprise–to find things again when we need them.
5. My kids play better.
My children have the incredible ability to make a mess instantaneously. Do your kids possess this talent? Sometimes it seems like they spend their entire day just dragging stuff out so they can leave it on the floor. During our great purge I got rid of 4 huge bins of toys, and there is still more purging yet to be done. I have noticed, however, that when we keep their room clean (and I do make them help with this), they actually play much better. Just like me, they can find the things they are looking for and focus on just one thing at a time instead of being overwhelmed by 5,000 toys staring at them from the floor.
6. It makes my husband happy.
Who wants to come home after a hard day’s work to a house full of chaos? There are far too many days when Husband comes home at 5:30 and the kids are hungry and crabby and screaming, dishes are piled in the sink, dinner isn’t made, and the rest of the house is a disaster. (For the record, he never says anything negative and will dig right in and help with dinner, then do the dishes.) But on the days the house is clean and dinner is made and the girls happily run to greet him at the door, there is an unspoken joy that lights up his face.
7. It saves money.
Taking care of my home and my things means I am less likely to need to replace something that gets lost or broken. When things are messy I want only to escape the clutter, which can often mean going to Target and mindlessly filling a cart with even more stuff we don’t need. When things are clean, I have no desire to be any place but here.
8. I am more creative.
Instead of seeing nothing but the mess, my mind is clear to see the creative potential around me, and my desk and table are clear to spread out and complete a project. Likewise, when my kitchen is clean, it makes me want to cook things! I know this doesn’t bother some people, but I have a really hard time creating anything–or enjoying the process–when I am surrounded by clutter.
9. It helps me get a good night sleep.
There is nothing I love more than crawling into a carefully-made bed. It is so comforting! Rather than needing to wrestle with tangled sheets or scoop up blankets from off the floor, I am instantly relaxed and ready for a night of rejuvenation. Even if I can’t manage to get to the rest of the house, I almost always make my bed because I hate sleeping in a messy bed. A made bed just feels better, the blankets stay on all night long, and I sleep much better.
10. It’s my job***.
When I signed up to be a stay-at-home mom, I agreed to all the duties that came with it, including keeping house. It’s not my husband’s responsibility to go to work all day then come home and do my job too. Yes, I work too, but my “work” is secondary to my primary job of Mom.
This is not a sexist thing. Early in our marriage, we agreed that a.) one of us would always stay home with our kids and b.) that the one at home would be responsible for running the household. In fact, when our oldest daughter was a baby, he was the stay-at-home parent for a year-and-a-half. During that time, he did it all–cleaning, cooking, groceries, & childcare–while I went to work, and he did an amazing job. I owe it to him to do the same.
There are plenty of days where my house is a complete and utter disaster. In fact sometimes by the end of the day it is a disaster even when I do spend time cleaning up. And that’s life. I try not to get too down on myself on those days I can’t quite pull it all together, but most of the time I do at least make an attempt. Because, when all is said and done, if my house is clean and my bed is made, I just breathe a little easier.
What would you add (or remove) from this list?
***UPDATE: This post is now a few years old, and while I still agree with everything I wrote, the one thing that has changed a bit are our stay-at-home parent roles. I am now the primary breadwinner for our family, while my husband stays home. That means that he now takes full responsibility for much of the day-to-day cleaning and laundry, though I am still the chief organize and bed-maker! I realize that we are very fortunate to be able to have one parent solely focused on running our home, and this post is in no way meant to be an affront on those of you who work full time and can’t always keep up. Keeping a house clean is thankless, never-ending job whether you are home full time or not. This post was only ever written a reminder of why I continue to work at it, even if it just gets messy again, and meant as encouragement for those of us who sometimes need a little extra motivation to get it done!
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I make my bed pretty much everyday....some days that is it. I try to keep the rest of the house picked up, but I often fall very short of that goal...I keep trying to remind myself that, someday, the kids will be grown and I will miss this mess.
That is a great perspective to keep in mind! :-)
I really appreciated this post. There are some simple rules we set, even for the busiest days, that makes keeping the house clean all the time so much easier. Before bedtime everything gets put away - making sure all puzzles have their pieces, making sure that everything gets put in the right bin, etc. [It sounds so tedious, but if you do it every day (and on super messy days, before naptime too), nothing is ever really missing and it takes 10-15 minutes, tops. Sometimes less. And you never have to waste time "deep-cleaning" the toys.] We also make the beds every day. We never go to bed with dishes in the sink. The counters always get wiped down. We never wear shoes in the house, which means it needs mopped and vacuumed less often. If things are very tidy, I can ignore a little dust for a few days, and do quick touch-ups before guests come. It really makes my heart so much calmer!!!
That is a great way of putting it!
Love your article. I agree with you. I too try everyday to have my house tidy not just by 5:30 for my husband, but as often as I can(saying that because a constant clean Home is impossible) for my girls and for me most of all, as selfish as that sounds. It is my haven, my work place, my source of joy and where my family should find their peace. So as a stay-at-home mom I agree that a made bed and done dishes is what I signed up for, but not just that, the feelings that come behind living in a home that is clutter free and a safe haven from the craziness that is the world.
Yes! :-)
Loved this post!!! it has given me inspiration that I desperately needed right now. we are getting ready to move into a much smaller place but that will be ours!!! Our very first home. I used to be like you are but somehow over the yrs I have become such a slacker. EVERYTHING you said is TRUE!!!! at least to me it is. i could've written this myself a few yrs back and I want it back. I want my life back like this. I have a lot of purging to do before we pack and it scares me yet excites me too, we are also expecting a new baby in 10 wks so I know with a 33 month old and a newborn life will run so much smoother for us if we are more organized especially as I am way more productive in a clutter free environment. thank you so much for posting this and opening my eyes back up to the ways I used to be and feel because I desperately want those back and now is the perfect time to go for it!!!!! oh and ps I do make the bed everyday...I cant say 100% why other than i just like it that way and it is much nicer to crawl into at the end of the day ;)
Hi, this was an interesting read. Since my husband and I wake up at different times I always make my side of the bed if he isn't awake yet. Hehe! It makes me have a better day I think. :-)
Hi Ruth. I found you on Pinterest. I'm a bed maker as well and agree with many of the reasons you stated. If you don't have time to put everything away before dashing off to work at least having the bed made makes you feel better. I recently left it unmade one day just to see what a difference it would make. Happy to say I won't do that again. I like it nice and tidy. And there is nothing better than crawling into bed with crisp clean sheets. I'm curious, are you a Libra? Thanks for the post and the list. :)
I just found this post via Pinterest and it is so true!!! I make my bed 99% of the time before I even leave my bedroom in the morning - even when I was 9 months pregnant (it was the only exercise I got). I am starting a de-clutter/purge of the house and cleaning as I go - feeling better already.
Great post! My fiancé and I make our bed everyday too, a behavior I gladly adopted from him! And I couldn't agree more with your reasons why. I feel like it is a precursor to the start of the day, like foreshadowing! Great blog, can't wait to follow your blog!
Making the bed is the one thing I insist upon and am consistent with each and every day!!!! We have a king sized bed so its, what?, 40% of the bedroom real estate... And the primary focus of the room. It just feels better for even just that one thing to be done. :)
I am a home school Mum to 14 children and also a Pastor's wife. It is hard work (some days more so than others) maintaining a beautiful and orderly home, but I love the freedom that comes from that: the freedom to enjoy the home and to share it with those around me. I have adopted the idea that hospitality is to welcome guests as if they are family and to treat family like honored guests. Part of that hospitality involves blessing others with beauty and order.