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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It (my obsession with making beds) drives my husband crazy. We can be running late for church, he has the kids in the car and the engine running and I won't leave the house without the beds made. But if I don't I will be in such a foul mood when we come home because all I will see is mess! This is how I was raised and I am not going to change. Plus, a well made bed does so much to improve the appearance of a room. You will never convince me otherwise. I hope you don't mind, but I think I am going to link this post (if I can figure out how) in my next blog entry. Thank you so much for letting me feel normal about my bed making obsession.
I've always been taught that the bed is the first thing you make in the morning, and my mom always does some speed cleaning before she goes to work. Everyday. So for me it is natural, I don't understand why some people would regard it as something unusual.
I'm currently talking with my boyfriend about how we will organise ourselves when living together, and we both agree that one of us should stay at home, with the kids, etc. and I agree with you that cleaning is part of the duties linked to staying at home, and that the partner that is going to work everyday has the right to return to a nice and tidy home, even when that's not always possible!
Keep up the good work, you are a wonderful inspiration!
That's it.....gonna go clean the house. Now if I could just let the motivation I feel right now fuel me beyond today!
I stumbled upon this post via Pinterest and am glad I took the time to read it. I don't make my be every day but on the days that I do there is an extra "Ahhh" when I crawl in at night. Nice smooth sheets are so much more comfortable! And I also want to encourage you by saying that people who react negatively to this are probably doing so out of a sense of guilt or insecurity. If this is how your family best operates then don't be concerned with unkind comments.
That should be bed, not be!
I thought I was the only OCD person that did this!! I vacuum my house almost everyday & speed clean just because it makes me feel better (and all the other reasons listed above). I'm a mother, wife, & teacher (so yes I'm tired) but by doing this each day during the week I don't obsess over it on the weekends. Instead I enjoy fun family time! It's so worth it.
Making my bed doesn't equal a clean house IMO. I clean as I go and then some but I'm not a bed maker. I do make the bed right before bed. I've had periods of time that I make the bed every day but I end up having to straighten the covers before bed anyway so I've just stopped making my bed.
I make it before bed too and had the same problems of wrinkles during the day or daytime naps with my kids in the bed. I mostly "straighten" it before bedtime though.
I cared for my colleagues' kids full time for over three months while their mother was in hospital and found that everything was better for the exact reasons in your post when I made the beds first thing and kept the kitchen clean and clear. I've always been a scrupulously tidy person, but when faced with the challenge of "foster" motherhood to two young children I found myself letting things slide with the excuse that I was just too tired.
One day changed all that though when we returned from dinner at their aunt's house, I bundled my charges into bed and then staggered out (sheer exhaustion every day, all day) into the kitchen to tackle the lunch dishes. I know, I was a complete delinquent to regularly leave dishes in the sink for hours like that. To my surprise, I found that that one day I had happened to manage to get the dishes done before we went out.
A light went on in my soul when I realized that if I just made the effort to get things done RIGHT NOW no matter how tired I was, it would be SO worth it after the kids were in bed when I could just go straight to relaxing instead of feverishly house-cleaning because I CANNOT sleep if I know my house is a mess.
Thank you for putting all this into words.
I love the fact that you listed all the reasons why a clean house is a good thing. I completely related to all of them even though I'd never really thought about it. I love a clean house..absolutely love it. I raised 4 boys, so it was a challenge at times. I find I can't think clearly when my home is disorganized or messy and I feel like I can't do what I consider fun (like crafts, crochet, etc.) unless my house is clean first. I always make my bed unless my husband sleeps during the day (shift worker), then I sometimes forget since I don't always get upstairs during the day. I love a made bed...and even then I'll make it before I get in it. Is that a little weird? ;-)
My day just goes better when I make my bed!! :-)
Thanks for sharing what motivates you to clean your house. I have been a messy housekeeper and wondered what motivated others to keep their house clean. This was very inspiring. I learned several years ago to make my bed before I get up. I am lucky enough to be the last one up since my husband leaves very early for work. It really does make your bedroom look neater. thanks again.