Learning to take the stress out of cleaning
For many , spring ’ s arrival usually means it ’ s time for spring cleaning . But for those like me , it ’ s a time of stress due to a lack of enthusiasm or energy for spring cleaning . This was not always the case . For decades , I did two weeks of spring cleaning BEFORE spring ’ s arrival . You know , washing winter clothes to store and dropping off bags at the dry cleaners ; sorting through clothes I no longer wear to donate ; going through unopened mail , notes and other paper to trash ; throwing out things no longer usable ; plus numerous other tasks .
Then , once spring arrived I would open the windows and mop , vacuum and dust — drinking in the fresh aroma of cleanliness .
Unfortunately , that rigorous spirit now evades me .
Oh , I think about it , even plan it all out in my head on where to start . However , in the last ( I ’ m not going to say here how many ) years , I ’ ve lost my zing for spring cleaning .
I know what some of you are thinking : “ It ’ s only you in your home . You shouldn ’ t have much to do .” You ’ d be surprised how much damage one person could do .
Add to that being the one person in your household who has to do IT ALL ! Work ( full-time and part-time ), shop , cook , day-to-day cleaning ….
Just thinking about it all is overwhelming and makes one want to crawl in bed and hide under the covers . Which I often do .
On New Year ’ s Eve 2021 , I sort of resolved , promised , meditated , prayed , committed to and hyped myself to the idea of instead of three weeks of cleaning in March , I would do it in 78 days — the months of January and February , plus the 19 days before spring ’ s official arrival .
The first day was New Year ’ s Day … I deserved the time to relax . The second day , I thought about how I would start . This continued the third , fourth and fifth day . A couple of weeks went by and I started going through some of my clothes . I ’ m proud to say that I have four boxes of clothes I plan to donate . Did I mention that two of the boxes were prepared the previous year ?
While looking on the Internet several weeks ago I saw an article that included a checklist on how to organize for spring cleaning . Reading it wore me out .
I recently came across an article by Katie Berry on the website Housewife How-To ’ s ( housewifehowtos . com ) that talked about why cleaning stresses us out . The article not only offers suggestions on how to alleviate the mental stress of cleaning , but also gives tips on how to start your cleaning journey .
One of the first things Berry noted was that our cleaning standards need to change as our lives change . When one of my relatives and his wife became parents , they realized they couldn ’ t be great parents , hold down demanding jobs and keep house all at once . Instead , they reserved the weekends for cleaning their house .
Another point . The perfectly clean home does not exist . It only does in photos , and that ’ s a finished product . The article also provided four steps to stop stressing about cleaning such as evaluating your motives ( Who are you cleaning for ?) and creating a “ done ” not “ to do ” list .
After reading the article , I could feel some of my stress decreasing and actually completed a task I ’ ve been thinking about : I took everything out of a cabinet , discarded things unused , cleaned it with sanitizer wipes and replaced items needed . That ’ s one for the “ done ” list . I hope this is the start of a new cleaning journey for me . One that ’ s less stressful , but just as fulfilling as that of the past .
Ida Brown Magazine Editor
On the Cover
TIMELESS MERIDIAN
CAMPING
Four couples make the most of local campgrounds
Escape to the beaches of Mississippi and Alabama
The Laffertys enjoys hitting the road in RV
... and more !
April-June 2022
A publication of The Meridian Star
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PAGE 11 : Camping at Clarkco State Park
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