The Case for One-Day House Cleaning

Written by Krista Smith.

I love homeschooling. I love that through schooling at home, Jesus gets to be the biggest, most important part of our day. I love that my kiddo’s interests get to take center stage and that state curriculums that don’t truly have my child’s actual education in mind get to take a seat. I love that, for us, a 4 ½ day schedule is a perfect fit and that on our ½ day (Friday) we get to wear our pajamas. All.Day.Long.

No apologies necessary.


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And while all of those things are right up there on the top of my favorite’s list, there is one thing we do in our homeschool on Fridays that has come to be an unlikely love.

One-Day-Housecleaning.

Yes, you read that right. We only clean the house one day a week. All of it. On the same day.

I know, I know…some of you just cheered and some of you threw up in your mouth a little bit. But hear me out on this one because it has been a lifesaver! (Important side note: My kids and I do our morning chores every day. We tidy, we do laundry, we wipe down surfaces. Because 5 people using one bathroom = one hot mess daily. But deep and thorough cleaning is reserved for Friday only!)

Here are the three things I love most about one-day house cleaning.

Freedom

I used to clean on the tried-and-true “a little bit here, a little bit there” schedule. What's not to love about Ma Ingalls and her cleaning routine as mentioned in the Little House series? There is nothing wrong with this type of cleaning! The house is always being cleaned; each area is always getting the attention it needs, just not all at one time. And I definitely think there is still a time and a place for this method in our house too. (It certainly seemed to work for Ma.) But overall, my one-day plan works so much better, at least around here.

Admittedly, there are some weeks I just simply cannot get everything accomplished on Friday. Sometimes there's a field trip that can only happen at the end of the week. Other times there's a play date or a sickness. Sometimes I just need to go with the flow and get things done when I'm able.

But when I make a concerted effort to clean on Fridays, I not only find that getting it all done on one day gives me freedom, but also liberates me from a mental load I didn’t know was burdening me.

If you're anything like me, having things looming and undone can cause anxiety. By doing all the cleaning on one day, I can enjoy the rest of the week angst-free. I know it’s done. I know it’s clean and I don’t have to constantly try to squeeze any of it into an already full afternoon. Instead, I can read another chapter (or seven) of the Wingfeather saga to my sweeties. Or just put my feet up and do nothing! (Did I just write that?)

Hospitality 

I love the spiritual gift of hospitality. I love being at someone’s house who has the gift of hospitality. I love learning from them: watching as they gracefully stir the simmering sauce with one hand, sip a glass of lemonade with the other, and pass a beautiful hand-painted bowl of cherries across the table to me with the third hand all while exuding peace and gentleness.

WAIT! I need to get me one o’ those third hands, post HASTE!

I LOVE the gift of hospitality. I just don’t possess it. Or maybe I do, but I haven’t honed the gift properly. Or maybe my inner introvert gets in the way. Whatever the case may be, hospitality is hard for me. But, I have found that having the whole house cleaned thoroughly once-a-week has made it so much easier for our family to open our doors and our hearts to folks the way I have always wanted to be able to.

And practically speaking, it has given me some “no-brainer” days to invite others over. I can walk in freedom of mind, knowing I don’t have a thing to worry about except loving the folks who step through our doors as Christ loves them.

So, if I am planning a Bible Study or a BBQ, I know the weekend or the first part of the week are going to be great days. I never have to do much scurrying around with a bottle of peroxide and a dust mop. Thursday, on the other hand? Nope. There will be crust. Conspicuous crust. Everywhere. But here’s the thing: as Christians, we have to be okay with mess sometimes. Life is messy. And life happens. Sometimes a friend going through a hard time finds her way to my crusty kitchen table on a Thursday night. So what!? Friendship is bigger than crust, amen?

Teaching

It’s hard teaching all-of-the-things-all-of-the-time to multiple kiddos. When it comes to cleaning house, though, I feel confident that my kiddos will know how to care for their own future homes (for Christ’s glory in their relationships) and create spaces that feel warm and inviting to the people in their lives. Friday affords me a day of minimized school work and maximized life-skills work. It’s a day when I can take the time to help my daughter learn to use the tricky attachment on our vacuum to clean the stairs. It’s a day when I can make a silly game for my son to help him learn to fold his clothes properly. I’m in no rush. I have all day. I’m in my PJs with my sweeties and the rest of the week is blissfully chore-free.

Except for the endless laundry.

And the tidying.

Ce est la vie.

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Krista Smith is blessed to be the mother of three beautiful children and is privileged to homeschool them using an eclectic variety of methods. She has a deep and abiding love for tan-colored coffee, spending time with her family, and seeing children find their forever homes through adoption. But above all of these things, Krista is, first and foremost, a lover and follower of Jesus Christ. So, may the Lord and His Gospel get every ounce of honor, glory, and credit for anything she writes, says, or does.

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