Second Cup: Clean for yourself

Maintaining a functional home is about being kind to your future self

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to clean for yourself. Think of cleaning as
an act of kindness to your future self, because it

(00:25):
makes your home a place where you can lead the
life that you want. Today's tip comes from an episode
of n PR's Life Kit featuring a conversation between host
Mariel Cigara and Casey Davis, a therapist an author of
How to Keep House While Drowning. Casey Davis noted that

(00:47):
what we want from a space may vary from person
to person, but cleaning tends to let us use our space.
It is hard to enjoy great meals if you can't
find a clean plate, it is hard to relax and
wind down for bed if your bed is covered with
dirty laundry, and it is hard to stay on top
of papers and tasks when bills and mail could be anywhere.

(01:13):
With that in mind, cleaning isn't something required to impress
an external audience, and cleaning isn't a moral obligation. Having
a messy house doesn't make you a bad person any
more than having a clean house makes you a saint.
I imagine there are some mean people with spotless houses. Instead,

(01:37):
having a clean house simply lets you use your house.
In other words, you don't exist to serve your space.
It exists to serve you. What matters, according to Davis,
is whether my house is functioning and whether I'm able
to live the kind of life I want to inside

(01:58):
of it. I love that if you are able to
find what you need, gather with friends and family and
the way you want to relax, sleep well, get work done,
and do whatever else you ask of your home, then
your home is in good shape. Davis offers a helpful

(02:19):
shift in language that reinforces the reason for keeping house.
Rather than cleaning up after yourself, clean up for yourself.
After all. You will appreciate clean clothes that you can wear.
You deserve a kitchen with plenty of clean dishes and
clear surfaces that make it easy and pleasant to cook.

(02:45):
You will feel healthier in a home free from dust
and animal hair other allergens. You will be more productive
in a workspace where you can do your job. Cleaning
sets the scene for your future self well. When you
think of cleaning your home as something that makes your
life better, you can let go of any sense of

(03:07):
guilt for not doing it well enough, for any sense
of obligation to clean to standards that don't serve you.
If you tried thinking of cleaning up as something you
do for yourself instead of an obligation, I'd love to
hear how it goes. You can reach me at Laura
at Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.

(03:34):
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've
got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

(04:02):
production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
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your favorite shows.