Spring Cleaning When You Don’t have Time
It might seem that sharing about spring cleaning is a little off track from what I normally share with you.
Maybe it is but I think it’s not!
The struggle to keep your home running smoothly is real!
Even if you aren’t the woman who is inclined to keep it sparklingly clean all year round, things like dishes, dust bunnies, and clutter will call your name just like they do me.
It seems like the world is spinning faster and faster leaving me less and less time to clean, let alone clean a little deeper once or twice a year.
If you are going to serve your family to the glory of God . . .
If you are going to serve the Lord through homeschooling your kiddos . . .
If you are going to serve the Lord on a job from home or your community . . .
You will find yourself cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking to some extent each day.
Since I have rarely been known to actually do a ritual of spring cleaning my home, I thought I would share what I do to keep my home looking like it’s clean.
There are things that I do whether it’s spring or not to maintain my home in as little time as possible.
Most of the time it was almost impossible to clean at all!!
When You Don’t Have Time to Spring Clean
There are all sorts of reasons that it’s hard to find a solid week to clean and turn your house upside down to deep clean.
But did you know that our great-great-grandmothers took a whole week in the spring to deep clean their home? We can learn from them and change it up to meet our current needs.
My reasons (I mean my excuses) have changed depending on the season I was in.
- I worked full time for the first ten years of marriage . . . So I didn’t have time for spring cleaning!
- I homeschooled . . . so the house always had dust, toys and books scattered all over!
- I work from home (A.K.A. blogging) and still don’t have the time!
Here are some ways to get your home clean enough without taking a whole week off from work, homeschooling, or life.
Maybe you need your home cleaner but cleaning just isn’t a priority!
- Clean for 30-60 minutes on five days each week!
- Concentrate on one room each week!
- Rotate what room you clean!
- Vacuum upstairs one week and downstairs the next week!
- Make a list of all the things you need to clean and do one each day!
Spring Cleaning Anytime of Year!
Spring cleaning is what we call it but can be done any time of year!
I like spring cleaning for an hour or two when the mood hits me rather than feeling like it has to be done in the spring!
It is easier to fit in an hour or two of cleaning rather than cleaning for days on end like our grandmothers once did.
Giving Yourself Grace and Getting Down to Business!!
Cleaning has to be done whether you save it all up for the spring or clean a little all year round.
When you can’t keep up because of your schedule or your littles . . .
Give yourself grace!
My desk (coffee table or kitchen table) has always been like a black hole. Anything can get lost in the piles of papers and books!!
Legos!
School books!
Odd socks!
Five huge piles of laundry were on the sofa every single day!
Dirt tracked into the house!
These things could easily derail me!
No one told me to give myself grace.
I was hard on myself and those around me!
I am going to tell you what no one told me . . .
GIVE YOURSELF GRACE!!!!
Don’t be so hard on yourself!
Yet . . .
Get down to business and start cleaning in baby steps a little each day!
I love thinking about how a tidied house (not necessarily a cleaned one) is sort of like my heart.
That always helped motivate me to clean it up.
Don’t obsess, just clean it enough!
Since cleanliness really does have something to do with godliness, I am going to share a few verses that you can copy out in your favorite version on Sticky Notes.
Then you can put them where you will see them as a reminder of why cleaning will glorify God!
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully. Psalm 24:3-4Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7
These verses don’t say anything about cleaning your house but you can see the importance of having a clean heart before the Lord.
You can see how spring cleaning your heart once a year will not be as effective as daily keeping your heart right with God.
How do I access the library. I have subscribed to your newsletter but I don’t have a password. Thank you.
It should be in each newsletter that I send out. I will make sure to put it in but in the meantime, could you Privat Message me on Facebook so I can give it to you?