Time To Clean House!

   Whenever someone moves out of their home into another, and I have to help with cleaning, I am always reminded of the need to keep our houses clean.

   I am not talking about having OCD, but just to take the time, each day or every other day to keep up with cleaning. If a person does not keep up with keeping the house clean, guess what happens? First of all, dirt is harder to clean if it is left on surfaces. And if you are moving out, you are expected to leave the house you just came out of, clean! If it is not found clean, you will not get your deposit back!

   Let's talk about cleaning. There are two aspects of cleaning. One is the organization of our possessions. The other has to do with removing dirt from countertops, floors, toilet bowls, and bathtubs. You could have a very organized home, but with a crust of dirt 1 inch thick! Or, you could have a home where stuff is lying everywhere, but underneath all it is basically clean. The goal is to have some organization of the 'stuff' we have, and to have as much of the dirt removed as possible.

   I know there is a debate about the dirt issue, for if you continue to use products that will kill germs, you will kill both bad germs and good germs. If you kill good germs, then you will kill the germs that help build immunity. If you have bad germs around, then eventually, good germs will come around to fight the bad germs and that is how you build a good immunity. But, I reason that if you have some bad germs around that could cause you to be very sick, you might not have time for the good germs to come around to help build a good immunity system. So, you have to take the whole picture into consideration.

   The key to organizing 'stuff' is to have a place to put everything. That's where bins and bookshelves come in handy. Stores are big on selling bins, and we really can use them! That's something we didn't have in the olden days! But today, we can organize things better and not leave them out to get lost or broken.

  Why should we pick up after ourselves? It is part of being responsible. What causes us to not be responsible? The main reason is laziness. God does not want us to be lazy, but industrious. Let's say we just take off our socks and leave them on the floor. Is it any wonder that we can't find the right match to our socks when we need them?

   I just don't think we really know how to clean our houses today. When I was little, the houses we lived in were small and my mom spent a lot of time cleaning the house and ironing. I remember her in front of the ironing board continually. But I also remember other women coming over and just sitting there watching television. Maybe their houses were already cleaned or maybe they hired a maid to clean the house. I'm not sure, but there is a whole lot more for women to do than to just sit on a couch every day and watch soap box operas.

   A big issue with being clean is sanitation. There is a case of just being not overly clean, but it is another story when the house is filthy. People get diseases because of the unsanitary conditions in a home. Sometimes, children get impetigo or other diseases like ringworm. Being immaculate doesn't necessarily mean you won't get these things, but it does help. Being overly clean does not really mean you are more protected from germs though, as I already brought out in another paragraph. But there is a good balance of being on the clean side that is good protection and not extreme.

   One thing to note is that we do have to be careful about the cleaning products we use. Many contain bleach which is carcinogenic. I'm sure if we are trying to clean something really, really dirty it can be justified, but there are a lot of good cleaners out there that do not contain bleach or other harmful ingredients. Look for these products at the stores. You can also make homemade cleaning products that contain safe ingredients.

  Here is a list of suggestions of what to clean in a house:

1. Floors - can be mopped, vacuumed, or 'Swiffered' (A mop kind of implement with a duster attached, which can be moist or dry).
2. Kitchen and bathroom counter tops - Need to be cleaned often. Should not be left uncleaned as they are a haven for germs. Never leave sitting water on them. Use a different sponge for the bathroom and kitchen.
3. Toilet bowls - There seems to be controversy concerning how to clean these. There are toilet scrubbers that can be used for the inside of a toilet. If I am cleaning my own toilet, I just use my hand if necessary. Make sure hands are washed thoroughly afterward. All parts of toilet need to be cleaned, including the top and bottom of the seat as well as the outside of the bowl and tank. This doesn't have to be done everyday, but should be done often, or as needed.
4. Dishes - need to be washed after using. If you let food stay on dishes, it is hard to wash off later on. Some dishes can go in the dishwasher. Use a safe dishwashing soap. Put clean dishes away.
5. Sheets - Sheets should be washed in cold water because of shrinkage. They should be changed every week. Air drying sheets is nice to do, if your HOA doesn't have a fit about hanging laundry outside.
6. Towels - Need to be washed at least once a week. Check the label to see what temperature to wash them in. Fold and put away when dried. Have a place in a linen closet to put them in a pile so they will be easy to find.
7. Laundry - This covers a lot of things from towels, sheets, clothing, and underwear. Sort clothing out according to colors and temperatures. For example, wash light color clothing if the sheets are light colored and the clothing is supposed to be washed in cold water (check tags to see what temperature to wash at).
8. Cleaning up after preparing a meal - This is done often! Keep the crumbs off the counter unless you want ants to come and visit! It is not a good idea to leave dishes in the sink to be washed sometime tomorrow! Rinse them off and put them in the dishwasher or wash by hand and let them dry, then put away.
9. Cleaning the refrigerator and oven - This needs to be done, but not necessarily every day. Sometimes, there is a spill in the fridge and it can just be wiped up with a paper towel. Clean the refrigerator with soap and water. Clean the oven with soap and water as well. But use the automatic oven cleaner too. Be careful of using spray oven cleaners though as they contain harsh chemicals. Air out your house when you use the automatic oven cleaner.

   This is just a start of ideas of how to clean a house. You can probably add other things that need to be done. Please don't use nice smelling sprays to cover up bad odors. Air the house out and if possible, try to get rid of the cause of bad odor. Also, be careful in mixing certain household cleaners together, such as ammonia and bleach, as you could have a type of explosion on your hands!