On Friday I mentioned over on my Facebook page that my normal friend had come over to help me clean my master bedroom.
You know on cartoons where there’s one character who moves slowly while the Tasmanian Devil is a blur all around? That’s pretty much what it felt like.
Honestly, watching her was fascinating. When I could get my eyes to focus on the blur.
Let me clarify a few things first, though. I’m not sure I should keep calling her normal. First of all, she likes to clean. As in, she kept making these little squeal-ey noises when a new spot was sparkly.
And she’s really good at cleaning. I think she’s a wonderful example of someone using their gifts to bless others. She does this often for new moms, sick friends, etc.
I guess my illness is Slob Brain.
Anyway, here are a few things I observed that I hope to process and work into my own deslobification process.
1. She’s fast.
Crazy fast.
First of all, she didn’t waste time making deep sighs or standing there paralyzed, staring into the abyss that was my master bedroom. She LITERALLY jumped on my bed and started cleaning the mirror that’s behind my headboard. The wall-size mirror that I’ve never cleaned.
Did I just admit to the world that one entire wall of my master bedroom is a mirror? Supposedly, this design (created in the 80s) was called the “romance package” because the mirror is supposed to reflect the fire in the fireplace that’s on the other side of the bedroom.
I know. TMI. I’ll stop now.
Anyway, my point is that she got after it. She didn’t pause to make fun of my mirrored room or to brush the tears from her eyes when she realized how bad it really was. She just got started. Hmmm, what a concept.
2. She did what the books tell you to do.
I’ve read in lots of different places that you should start in one spot and go clock-wise around the room. Honestly, I didn’t think they were talking about me. My room was SOOOOO messy. Surely, this wasn’t the way to do it when you were dealing with three-feet-of-clutter? I’ve always decluttered first, and then cleaned.
If I had time. Time to clean, I mean . . . after I spent all that time decluttering.
She just grabbed something to dust with and started moving things and dusting, all at the same time.
3. She was prepared.
She brought a cutesy carrying thing full of cleaning supplies. Not because I don’t have any, but because she’s a big proponent of having the right supplies to make cleaning easier. No self-righteous let’s-do-this-the-way-grandma-did-it attitude there. If something makes cleaning faster and easier, she’s all for it. And by having everything in one cleaning-tote, she didn’t have to stop between the bedroom and the bathroom.
OK. I’m stopping here for today. Tomorrow, I’ll share a Part Two post with at least two more observations.
Here’s a before/after of one area. She was so fast, I didn’t have a chance to get before pictures of all the sections. Which is really okay . . . because they were embarrassing.
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if i did not love you before i would now. First I love to organize and clean so that is awesome. second you shared your heart with me and made me feel good about the shape of my house right now. I honestly try to start my cleaning with my bedroom or i will never get to it
Hi there,
I loved your honesty in this entry.
I, long ago, made a decision to keep things off the floor. I reason that if there were ever a fire, a firefighter needs to get through the room. That is something I teach the kids, too. I think that reason works for us.
I hope that your friend’s habits rub off on you.
Rebecca G.
LOVE your blog! Thanks for letting me know that I’m not alone.
I bought one of those cleaning totes, obviously the wrong one, because it is too narrow to hold the cleaners, LOL. So it is in the back of the cupboard with cleaning stuff in front of it. LOL!
When I was growing up, my mother always told me that “cleaning is not something you love or hate, it is just something you do.” Whenever I am looking at a major clutter spot that just makes me want to sob hysterically, I always remember her statement and just start. Otherwise, I will spend way too much time crying, lol!
Wow, she can come to my house…
That’s so weird…. about her being ‘crazy fast’. My husband is ‘crazy fast’ when he does dishes – something I hate to do (the dishes, not the fast part). He can do a sink full (make that 2 sinks & a counter & the stove) of dishes in 10 minutes flat. All that would take me at least a half an hour.
How DO they do that?
BTW – my side of the bed looks like your before picture – only not so much clothes, but books & crafts.
Such a great post. Really. So often I get caught up thinking “if only I had this then it would be easy to clean” — I love the part where she just started cleaning that ginormous mirrored wall of yours.
Motivating. Just keep moving. That’s my saying.
Seriously, that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Maybe there is something wrong with me! Thanks for the kind words, and for being the kind of friend who was gracious enough to allow me to bless you. I’ve offered cleaning for people who are too proud to let me clean their bathrooms. Get over it! We ALL (yes, me too) have messes in our homes. And I’ve needed help cleaning sometimes, too. God bless all of you in your cleaning journeys…wherever you are in them!
Hello, Normal Friend! (and Nony!) I signed in to celebrate with ‘Nony’ over what a blessing you were to her. You are something very special.
And, my suggestion is, next time she needs a little blogging vacation, maybe you’d like to add some thoughts and tips for the rest of us slob brains, as well.
Thanks for the inspiration, ladies!
You are so gracious Normal Friend and so right. It is pride that keeps us from accepting help with anything (not just cleaning) when we need it. Thanks for the reminder to be humble and ask for help!
Hey! Who let you into my house to take those pics??! I mean seriously, if it weren’t for the mirrored wall, I’d think those photos were taken in my bedroom! I too was blessed with friend who has been helping me with this problem. She isn’t so much into cleaning but helping me to declutter and organize! I am SOOO thankful for her time! It has made a huge difference in my house. Now if only I could learn to do it alone!!!
Clockwise..never would have thought about that in a million years! Thanks for sharing that observation
Nony,
I loved this. I am going to use it to debate a past post though. Hoarders don’t let there friends come over and help them. Hoarders don’t look forward to hiring cleaners.
The fine line for me between slob and hoarder is that a slob is somewhere between wanting it to be better and too overwhelmed to make it happen, and not really caring that it’s bad but fine if someone else does the work.
Hoarder is when you stop wanting it to be better, and on some level need it to be that way.
I’m making a point of this because realizing that the mess did really bother me was a huge point on my deslob journey. I always thought making the bed was something I was supposed to do, and when I realized I liked coming unto a neat bedroom at night, that it made me feel better, I dropped the anti-authority part of my slob battle.
Anyway thanks for the ongoing inspiration.