Keeping a Peaceful and Clean Home

Hmmm, this is a controversial issue in most homes. It brings about conflicts and arguments on who does what around the house.We all know by now, who the clean and messy one is, especially if you leave or are married to the opposite one. If you have ever got into an argument over cleaning( I'm guilty of that too). Here are tips to help alleviate the problem.

Household chores are often a battleground for breeding mis-communication and resentment if problems are not addressed and if a plan or compromise can't be reached. In fact, according to a 2007 Pew Research Poll, sharing household chores was in the top three highest-ranking issues associated with a successful marriage—third only to faithfulness and good sex. But it's not just marriages - living with a roommate that thinks about cleaning in a completely different way than you do can be a source of great stress!

1. Patience: Realize that a person's attitude to cleaning results from upbringing and habit and will take awhile to instill changes on both parties. You need to realize it is a matter of PRIORITY and not of CHARACTER.

I believe we all are sloppy in some way and neat in another. What you may consider clean may be messy to another person, because we all see it in different ways.

2. Talk about it: Talk to your spouse or roommate on what is clean , dirty or mess to each one. Describe what an ideal home is like regards to cleanliness and the reason why you need to have a clean home. Eg. It could be that, it is important for you to have a clean kitchen because it motivates you to cook more or it is important to you to have a clean and tidy bedroom because it helps you relax. This discussion will help reduce NAGGING especially in marriages.

3.Be Practical: Create a list of chores that needs to be done everyday, things that needs to be done weekly and monthly. Assign responsibilities accordingly to avoid stepping on each others toes and avoid resentment.

4.Compromise: Differentiate between common spaces and personal spaces. If your living room is agreed to be your common space, decide to clean this space on a regular basis and if your bedroom is chosen as your personal space  be okay with it not being clutter free all the time. Another way to compromise, which is mostly applied, is hiring someone else to do the cleaning, if you can afford it and have an extremely busy life. This will reduce the stress and quarrels.

5.Motivation: Motivate each other to try and meet up with the cleanliness. I realized in most homes, couples tend to be on the same page regarding cleanliness especially when expecting guests.

So go ahead and live a clutter free life, find ways to alleviate the issues and live a peaceful and stress free life.

Your environment goes along way in helping your psyche.

What other ways do you think you can help alleviate this issue of cleanliness. Please share your comments.

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