Over the last year, I have spent more time in my house than ever before. You probably have, too — and it has probably made you realize exactly how much of a slob you are. Sometime around the six-month mark of the pandemic, I began to feel like my house was closing in on me — the closets were shoved full of crap, the pantry was piled with random odds and ends, and there seemed to be a never-ending procession of mess everywhere.
It turned into a cycle for me; I would put off cleaning all week, all the while making lists of the big cleaning projects I planned to tackle on Saturday and Sunday. Then, when the weekend rolled around, I would try to clean the kitchen and barely make a dent in the mess. I was cleaning up after dinner, or putting away laundry, but nothing ever really felt clean to me. What I came to realize was this: There are really a few elements at play when trying to achieve that sparkling-clean feeling in your house. Those elements are disorganization, dirt, and clutter.