I’m excited to start off a new series, “Spring Clean Your Marriage” with a guest blogger Sarah Rollandini today! Check out her bio below to find out more about her and her blog.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. —Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
I stared aghast at the orange ring in the guest bathroom toilet. How long had it been there? When was the last time I’d forced the kids to clean the toilet?
More importantly, who had recently visited our house and noticed this epic cleaning fail? 😉
And my toilet bowl faux pas was only the beginning. The evidence of a winter’s worth of frigid snow days spent cooped up inside our house threatened to overwhelm me.
Stacks of junk mail lined the counter, dust caked the windowsills, and the dingy carpet sullenly bore witness to our rescue mutts’ muddy paws. Perhaps we could sell the house “as is”, I mused, and start fresh?
Nope. I needed a game plan for tackling the mess, preferably one that didn’t leave me with a broken back and a chip on my shoulder at the end of the day.
Spring and the spring-cleaning season have finally arrived, but with the advent of sunny skies and warm temps, who wants to spend weeks inside dusting and scrubbing?
The truth is, unlike grandma’s spring cleaning, sprucing up our homes in the 21st century shouldn’t require the Herculean effort of one family member, nor perfect rooms which beg for inclusion in a magazine spread.
In fact, beautifying our homes for springtime can be accomplished quickly with a practical list and a team of able-bodied family members.
Here’s a strategy that works for us …
1. Make a Tidying List that Fits Your Family’s Style
Unless you find meaning in Martha Stewart’s spring-cleaning checklist, which includes items such as “polish metal door and window hardware” and “wax wooden furniture”, following her lead will do you no good. Since most of your recruits are likely joining the cleaning team by force, ask yourself what tasks actually matter to you.
Do you …
- Love the smell of fresh linens? If so, you’ll want to add “laundering sheets and window treatments” to your list.
- Get a kick out of sparkling counter tops? Include a thorough kitchen and bath polishing.
- Change décor by season? Remember to work in creative and fun tasks, such as trading out your winter throw pillows and tablescapes for those with fresh spring colors.
Yes, I know that the women who came before us waxed the floors, polished the silver, and cooked chicken cordon bleu for their families all in the same day.
However …
[bctt tweet=”When it comes to spring cleaning, there is no right or wrong way. Discover what your way should and shouldn’t include at messymarriage today! @SarahRollandini #personalizeyourstyle #springcleaning” username=”BethSteffaniak”]
You are the CEO of this house tidying operation. As such, you get to choose which household tasks bring your family the most joy at the finish.
2. Divide and Conquer
Still taking on cleaning tasks by yourself? There’s no need to be the martyr.
Sure, leaving your family out of the spring-cleaning equation will get the job done, but it won’t teach your broody teen to be part of a team, nor will it keep your energetic preschooler busy.
Handling tasks alone will also foster resentment toward your spouse and kids that bubbles up later. Plus, enlisting extra hands will substantially cut your time spent cleaning and allow for more family fun times.
- Do little fingerprints spackle your walls at 3-feet height? I’ll bet your vertically-challenged cherubs can wield a sponge and a bucket quite nicely.
- Do your porch and yard look like they’ve barely survived the zombie apocalypse? Have your husband or teen scoop poop, hose down doors, and touch up trim.
- Is your tween’s closet a fire hazard? Motivate her to pare back to the essentials by donating gently-used items to your church rummage sale or local charity.
3. Make Peace with “Good Enough”
Since saving time on cleaning means delegating tasks, learn to make peace with good enough.
It’s unlikely that your spouse or children will mop the floor or organize the bookshelves exactly like you would and that’s ok.
The goal of “spring cleaning” with your family is improvement not perfection.
Rather than pointing out your son’s unorthodox organization style, praise him for his creativity. And remember: if you want every job done just as you would do it, you’ll have to commit the time to teaching the task alongside your helper.
Say it with me now: It’s good enough.
[bctt tweet=”Find out how to make peace with spring cleaning that’s good enough rather than perfect. Free up time to be with your family, rather than wasting time impressing your friends! @SarahRollandini #SpringCleaningTips #familymatters” username=”BethSteffaniak”]
4. Make it Fun
Sprucing up your home does not have to be drudgery …
- Set a timer for five minutes and see who can pick up the most items and return them to their homes.
- Have a contest and hand out awards for “Dirtiest Job”, “Best Attitude”, and “Most Improved Cleaner”.
- You could even host a family fashion show and have everyone weigh in on what needs to go.
5. Follow the Tortoise
The tortoise was much slower than the hare. But in the end, his persistence won the race. Believe it or not, spring-cleaning does not have to be done in a day or even a weekend. It’s ok to break up your list into increments and accomplish a few tasks at a time.
Sure, adopting this approach to cleaning takes longer, but it still hits the mark.
Instead of attempting a 12-hour “cleaning-palooza”, tackling chores together over time will build family relationships and conserve energy as you steadily strive toward the goal.
Tortoise-style cleaning also allows plenty of leftover enthusiasm for celebrating once you’ve crossed the finish line!
[bctt tweet=”Beautifying our homes for springtime can be accomplished quickly with a practical list and a team of able-bodied family members. Here’s a strategy that works for us. @SarahRollandini #SpringCleanYourMarriage” username=”BethSteffaniak”]
Wasn’t Sarah’s post great? To find out more about her and/or to read more of her insights and perspectives, visit her blog – sararollandini.com, where she often shares about her journey of infertility and adoption. You can also find her hanging out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Be sure to join me for another post in the, “Spring Clean Your Marriage” series, with Aimee Imbeau up to bat next week. She will be sharing how to correct messy mothering methods, like undermining a spouse’s parenting, and/or putting your kids before your spouse, etc. You won’t want to miss it!
Check out the graphic below to see who else will be sharing in this series in the weeks to come!
Which of these 5 tips is your favorite?
What spring cleaning tip would you add to Sarah’s creative and practical list?
Here are some other lovely linkups I join – Inspire Me Monday, Literary Musing Mondays, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith, Tell His Story, Recharge Wednesday, Porch Stories Linkup, Welcome Heart, Worth Beyond Rubies Wednesday, Encouraging Word Wednesday, Sitting Among Friends, Destination Inspiration, Tune in Thursday, Heart Encouragement, Moments of Hope, Grace and Truth, Faith and Friends, Faith on Fire Friday, Fresh Market Friday, and DanceWithJesusFriday
[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]
amzn_assoc_placement = “adunit0”;
amzn_assoc_search_bar = “true”;
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = “messymarriage-20”;
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = “manual”;
amzn_assoc_ad_type = “smart”;
amzn_assoc_marketplace = “amazon”;
amzn_assoc_region = “US”;
amzn_assoc_title = “My Book & Favorite Marriage Picks”;
amzn_assoc_linkid = “f374f7a454307005f479fafe1640a73c”;
amzn_assoc_asins = “1095488856,0310243149,0310332796,076420405X”;
//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US
I am a member of the Amazon Associates Program. So please be advised that this post and website contain affiliate links that earn an advertising and referral commission for me, if and when you make a purchase through various links found on site.
However, this comes with no extra cost to you and will not increase the price you pay for any items you decide to buy on Amazon. It is simply a way for me to earn some support for the ministry expenses of this blog. Thank you in advance for being willing to use any Amazon links as searching tools!
WORTHY Bible Studies 
Leave a Reply