Why Our Housekeeping Habits Matter More Than Ever

Why should we clean our homes during these days/weeks/months that we’re home all the time? Nobody will see them except for the people living here!

Exactly.

My argument for keeping a tidy home during quarantine comes from one of my homemaking heroes – the woman described in Proverbs 31:27 –“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”

It doesn’t say “She looks well to the ways of her household when she’s having company.” She just does it. Unsurprisingly, she also isn’t idle – verse 18 indicates that she works into the night.

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t found my days suddenly filled with free time. I’m still working my normal hours (although from home, giving me an extra hour in my day without the commute). Paul is still working, filling the laundry basket with dirty clothes. We are eating all of our meals at home, messing up the kitchen 3 times a day and more.

While I currently don’t have loads of extra time for organizing projects or things like that, I want to be careful to maintain my daily housekeeping schedule. Today is Wednesday, which means that before the end of the day I will clean both of our bathrooms. Yesterday I did a load of laundry and vacuumed the carpets.

Why am I doing this? Why should we all maintain order in our homes right now?

#1 We are home more than ever

This means that the home will be “lived in,” so it won’t be perfect all day long. However, I find that spending my waking hours in a tidy, clean house improves my mood so much! I can sit down at the end of the day and enjoy watching a show from the couch or my bed and look around at the lovely, peaceful setting that makes me so happy to be here!

I’ve always preached that home is where everything begins. It’s where my day starts and it’s where my day ends (and now for many of us, it holds the middle part of our days, too!). Everything that we need to be successful during the day can be found at home: a good night’s sleep, clean clothes, good food, reminders that God loves me and is in control, and reminders that my family loves me. When my home provides all of those things, life goes a lot better.

When there’s chaos, disorganization, confusion and dissension at home, the day isn’t going to be as great. There is so much about life right now that we cannot control, but we can do our very best to make sure our time at home is pleasant and full of the things we need.

Read More: My Intentional Morning Routine

#2 We need peace more than ever

The peace that rules in my heart isn’t dependent on my circumstances. The peace I experience comes from a relationship with Jesus, who never changes and who rules over all. Because of that, I don’t have to be paralyzed by fear of the unknown.

A very practical way to demonstrate the peace of God in my heart is to maintain order and routine in my home. The daily tasks of making meals, straightening the living room at night, folding laundry and putting away dishes might take more energy than before, simply due to the fact that we’re all home all day long. The house gets dirtier and there are so. many. dishes. But continuing to perform those tasks and maintain order in your home communicates to your household the testimony of a woman who has the peace of God ruling in her heart.

This is also a wonderful way to create a haven for members of your family who, like my husband, are still working outside the home. They’re hearing the fear and anxiety of everyone around them all day long. By continuing to care for our homes, we have the ability to offer them a calm, peaceful haven at the end of the day.

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25

Read More: How To Have Peace In Your Heart and Peace In Your Home

---

Next week I will share a few homemaking “extras” that will hopefully help you enjoy your time at home. Until then, will you join me in committing to maintain our housekeeping habits?