Cleanliness is next to godliness.

I think cleanliness is inherently good. Houses that are filled with mice, stickly spills, and neck high clutter are unhealthy and depressing. My own house is pretty tidy. I have a regular schedule to clean bathrooms, floors and such, we do dishes after a meal, and we pick up a lot. The toys and almost all our belongings are organized and put away regularly. Sometimes with two boys, the floor can get covered with toys, the dishes take a bit longer to do, and there can be paint on the floors and fingerprints on the windows that never quite gets cleaned up all the way. But I feel like my home is comfortable, I never feel too bogged down with housework, and I’m nearly always welcome to spur of the moment company.

I was at a friends house. She is not as tidy as me, with toys scattered in all the rooms. Where I like to have all my books in one place, there are books nearly everywhere in her house. It is not a disaster: there aren’t mounds of dust bunnies or foot high piles of clutter. While I was there and our kids were playing, the clutter of toys put me a little on edge. I wasn’t quite sure how to engage in play with my children, what toys to go for. But then I thought that maybe my neatness, and having toys organized into neat bins might be a little uncomfortable for her.

I have been to houses where I felt a little bad for touching anything, where it all looks a little too nice, shiny and perfect. I think we each have our own level of cleanliness we are comfortable with and that is what we should strive for in our own homes. For me, it means kitchen drawers in disarray, toys organized into bins, and ignoring most little messes until I get to them in my cleaning schedule. What matters most, is I feel comfortable in my home, and I am comfortable with the amount of housework I do.