My house is usually pretty clean … and while I don’t take all the credit (my wife does a ton of cleaning), I do contribute every day in many ways. Because I love cleaning.
I do a good amount of dish washing, and I put away almost all the dishes. I clean the yard and garage whenever I notice they need it. I clean something in the bathrooms or kitchen pretty much every day. I do it because it makes me feel good.
Why do I love cleaning?
- I find it deeply satisfying to take things from messy to clean.
- I don’t really like a mess, so if someone has left a mess on the kitchen counter, I’ll often just tidy it up because it feels nice to have it tidy.
- It’s a mindless thing I can do if I’m talking on the phone, or thinking about something, where my mind can be occupied elsewhere but I’m making the house nicer.
- I like the challenge of figuring out how to clean something that’s stubbornly persistent. I don’t always win, but it’s like a puzzle.
- I like that I can clean in little bits throughout the day or week, and it keeps things nice. I like that I can also take on a big cleaning project for a weekend and feel exhausted but satisfied at the end of it.
I’m not a neat freak, and I don’t have OCD … but I do enjoy the process of cleaning, and the result.
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This post was previously published on Zen Habits. Uncopyright courtesy Leo Babauta.
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