Grandma's wisdom on cleaning

Because I own a professional cleaning company, most people assume my home is perfect. Maybe this is a secret I should take with me to my grave but here is the truth- it isn't. The fact is no one's home is perfect. The act of trying for perfection is very stressful. This morning, I was e-mailing a friend about cleaning. It seems guilt and judgement are emotions deeply rooted in how clean our homes are or at least what we think others will think about our homes.

The fact is our homes are gifts. This is a place we should be able to deeply relax, enjoy our families and let go of the days troubles. Of course, it should be clean enough to be healthy and look nice enough to let you enjoy it. But to fret and worry and press on to create a perfectly clean home all the time is an act of stress.

Last spring I was in AZ visiting my grandma and grandpa. At the time my grandma was 96 years old. As we were visiting one morning, the topic of cleaning came up. I can't remember why, maybe there was a cleaning task that looked like it needed attention. She told me to not to worry about it, that cleaning would be there all my life, we should spend our time enjoying each other's company. Present at that visit last spring was my grandpa, my mom, myself and my aunt Velma- who as I write this is 102.

We did in fact enjoy the entire visit. Cooking for the sure joy of sharing, we ate with gratitude as thick as gravy and we loved every moment together. Worrying and fretting about a perfect home would have wasted precious seconds.

Two months after that visit my grandmother passed away. This December my grandpa followed her. You never know how wonderful a moment is until it is taken away. So on behalf of our grandmothers everywhere, I beg of you not to fret over the perfection of your home, to let go of any self imposed judgments and go enjoy the day. Cleaning will be there again tomorrow but the moment will not.

As always wishing you a healthy and happy home,
Denise

There are two types of residue in your home

Did you know there are two types of residue in all our homes? There is the physical kind of residue and the one which we are all familiar with. It goes by the name of dirt, soap smears, dust, drips, spills and occasionally drool left from our four legged friends. Removing residue from your stone uncovers the essence of your home. When our slate is clean the texture comes alive, the colors are brilliant and it feels true. A clean slate makes our home feel good.

The second and less obvious form of residues in our homes are the mental and emotional residues. They go by the name of regret, worry, fear, longing, disappointments and sorrow. The beauty of a new beginning is it gives you a time to let go of that heavy lingering residue that fills our air. Sometimes this residue gets so heavy it turns into physical residue and lands on our floors. Just as cleaning our slate floors is essential for a healthy and beautiful home, so is cleaning out the residues of our emotions and brains. Deep cleaning isn't only good for our home, it is also good for us. Start this year and give yourself a clean slate - free of all residues.

We have been in the business of removing residue from homes for over 20+ years. Trust me when I say there is a natural and powerful gift in a clean home and a clean slate!!

Wishing you and your families a new year full of clean starts!
Denise Frakes
Healthy Home Specialist
Co-Owner of Blue Sky Services