As one's heart becomes more and more purified by the bhakti yoga process, one desires to constantly cleanse their surroundings. This is due to the transcendental association of the Supreme Pure Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, and a desire to make one's home and heart His suitable residence. Thus Srila Prabhupada says that a devotee is always very clean, that cleanliness is godliness. It is one of the four principles of religion and a sign of true knowledge(Bg. 13.8-12).
Cleaning is courteous; it shows you care, not just for that which is cleansed, but for the people around you. It is a loving maintenance which gladdens the heart while beautifying all things.
Cleaning feels good. It may be hard to get started at times, but when you are finished and look up at that ceiling fan that got thoroughly dusted and washed, or that stainless steel shelf that got restored to its original shine, you feel not only satisfied within, but your body feels more energetic from a good workout which is vital for good health.
One can never get bored, either, because there is always some type of cleaning to do. And the more it is done out of affection for Lord Krishna, the more one wants to do it over and over again.
"The ladies in the Vaikuntha planets... are sometimes seen sweeping the marble walls, which are bedecked at intervals with golden borders, in order to receive the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
"In the Brahma-samhitä it is stated that the Supreme Lord, Govinda, is always served in His abode by many, many millions of goddesses of fortune. .. [Bs. 5.29]. These millions and trillions of goddesses of fortune who reside in the Vaikuntha planets are not exactly consorts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but are the wives of the devotees of the Lord and also engage in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is stated here that in the Vaikuntha planets the houses are made of marble. Similarly, in the Brahma-samhitä it is stated that the ground on the Vaikuntha planets is made of touchstone. Thus there is no need to sweep the stone in Vaikuntha, for there is hardly any dust on it, but still, in order to satisfy the Lord, the ladies there always engage in dusting the marble walls. Why? The reason is that they are eager to achieve the grace of the Lord by doing so." SB 3.15.21p
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING:
CLEANING ROUTINES AND SYSTEMS
A clean house is easy to clean. Cleaned regularly, it is so much easier to maintain, and you won't feel embarrassed about any drop-in visitors. Routines make work go easier, too. You become more proficient at it, saving time. There's no question of what to do next, it’s in the routine.
It's helpful to keep a notebook to decide and list what needs to get done when. Especially there should be an established routine each morning and evening for getting household work finished.
A good program to follow, for at least a few months, that teaches about routines and gives helpful advice is FlyLady.net. She gives lots of encouragement like, "If you mess up, just start over. You are never behind, just start where you are" or alerts how to avoid "CHAOS- Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome".
After establishing routines, systematic cleaning is also helpful. For example, whenever it is time to clean an area (whether its a general clean up or maha cleaning mentioned below), you begin from one spot and work your way around the entire room, cleaning as you go. Next, you can work from top to bottom, finishing off by wiping the floor. Another example is to do extra cleaning in one part of the kitchen (a priority) and in one other room each day.
TWO TYPES OF CLEANING
There are two types of cleaning to do every day:
1. General Daily Cleaning:
These are the things that must or should get done each day:
the kitchen, bathroom, floors, beds and bedding, laundry, hotspots and trash.
Hotspots are any places where clutter is accumulating. Putting out the fire means taking 10 minutes morning and evening putting these piles of things back into their designated places. I use a crdbord box to dump it all in and carry it where it needs to go.
The cleaning above may be further broken down to:
a. General Kitchen Cleaning: the sink, stove, fridge, counters, pots and dishes
b. General Bathroom Cleaning: the shower, toilet, sink, floor and mirror
c. Floor Cleaning: including porches
d. Beds and Bedding: includes couches, reclining chairs, airing out bedding...
e. Laundry: includes sorting, washing, drying, folding and putting away.
f. Trash: includes taking it to the dumpster, rinsing out trash cans; taking out compost, too.
2. Maha Cleaning:
This is the second type of cleaning to get done. It can be after either cleaning a specific room or after cleaning the entire house in general. It should be done only after each room or each day's general cleaning is finished. You can set a timer with whatever is the allotted time and work on one of the following :
dusting top to bottom
spot cleaning (smudges, fingerprints, wiping doorknobs, handles, phones...)
walls
windows
decluttering (see the "House Diet" below) and taking stock of what you have
special missions (see "The Guest Test" below)
polishing- wood, metal, appliances....
THE GUEST TEST ~ Examining one's home as if a first time visitor is the way to perform "the guest test". For example, one can take a look at your entrance way. How does it look? Whatever it is that arrests your attention and needs working on can become a special mission for the day or added to a list to get to a little each day. Perhaps the walls need a good cleaning or your welcome mat needs replacing.
PUTTING ONE'S HOUSE ON A DIET:
Maha cleaning includes decluttering or getting rid of unnecessary accumulation of possessions as you go along. Less stuff makes a home easier to clean and maintain, and gives peace of mind. Here is a suggestion how to go about it. You will need:
Three boxes- one for giving away, one for throwing away and one for putting things away.
A kitchen time set for 10-60 minutes at a time.
A section of the house that needs this kind of help.
1. Removing everything from the chosen area come first. For example, a book case. All the books should be removed and anything else.
2. After removing all items, the area is cleansed thoroughly. In this example, that means dusting and polishing the book case itself.
3. Putting things back in order is the next step, decluttering as you go along.
It helps to ask the following questions for deciding what is worth keeping and what needs to go:
Do I really need it?
Have I used it in the past year?
Do I have another that is better?
Do I really love this item? Does it bring a joyful feeling or memory?
Another suggestion is to pretend you are moving long distance, able to keep only what you need and love. That means useful and beautiful things used to serve and remember Krishna with.
4. While doing the above, you can make notes about what needs fixing or changes. For example, the bookcase could use a new coat of paint.
5. When the timer goes off, the the box of “give away” stuff can be placed near the front door ready for take out, stuff from “put away” box should be put away while anything else should be tossed (or put in the recycle bin).
This gets easier once you know exactly what needs to be dusted. You can make a checklist at first, to become aware of what to dust, either in each room or the entire house as a whole, one thing at a time. For example, dusting all pictures or all baseboards or all ceiling fans, etc.
There's lots of help on the Internet also for effective dusting.
MAKING IT SHINE
Here's a helpful rule while doing maha cleaning or extra cleaning: "If it's dirty, clean it. If it's clean, shine it. If it shines, keep it that way."
.
Shining gives that extra special touch to many items around the house. For example a refrigerator, after washing it thoroughly, may be dried very well with a soft cloth until it shines. The same goes for all appliances. Wood furniture also appears more beautiful from being polished with natural oils. Metal items of copper and brass and deity paraphernalia may be shined and polished in various ways. This includes keeping the bottom of cooking pots very clean without a speck of black on them. Non toxic cleansers for this purpose will be added in a future post.
CARPETS
I've tried to avoid carpet and rugs whenever possible because of allergies. Otherwise, to keep a carpet beautiful- besides the number one rule of wearing no shoes in the house- is "constant vacuuming and diligent spot removal." If mud ever does get on the carpet- you can let it dry first and then brush it out with a broom or vacuum.
One may have to tolerate when a nondevotee guest shows up with shoes on or else ask him politely to remove them, since one’s home is actually a small temple of Krishna, especially when a deity is kept there. I usually explain this to my guest and keep a shoe rack near the front door as a hint.
WOOD FLOORS
Avoid harsh chemical cleansers.
Wood floors should be dry mopped first to gather dust and dirt. Next, water should be sprinkled over the area to be cleansed. Then an absorbent cloth can be used to dry the wood immediately. Water should not be allowed to sit on the wood for long.
How to remove ink from wood floors? Nail polish remover works well.
VINYL FLOORS
The worst enemies for vinyl floors are dust and dirt, sand, and water (these lift the glue).
They should be swept, washed and dried similar to the wood floor.
Heavy furniture should be lifted instead of dragging or put pads under the legs to ease friction and prevent scratching.
Using floor mats near the sink area avoids drips from getting onto the floor. Using a dish rack or towel catches the drips on the counter from washed pots and utensils.
COUCH CARE
Couches need regular vacuuming and prompt stain removal to keep beautiful.
Also there should be a strict rule to not eat, drink, sleep, write with ink or put feet on the couch without a durable cover for protection.
Keeping couches out of direct sunlight prevents color fading.
ALSO SEE: The Little Things
MORE QUOTES:
"In the morning, a woman’s first business is to cleanse the entire house." Bg 16.10 lecture
“She should sweep and clean the household with water and other liquids so that the entire house is always pure and clean. She should collect the household paraphernalia and keep the house always aromatic with incense and flowers “--SB 7.11.26-27
"Deity worship means to be very, very clean...The Deities should never be approached without having bathed first and changed to clean clothes after passing stool, etc.... Be sure that your hands are clean before touching anything on the altar or the Deities. And cleanse the Deity room, altar, and floor daily thoroughly. Shine the various arati paraphernalia after arati ... The idea is summit cleanliness-that will satisfy Krishna." -letter, 3/20/70
DON'T FEEL LIKE CLEANING?
The hardest part really, is getting started. Making a beginning- just cleaning a small section -gives energy to go on. Setting a kitchen timer for just 15 minutes, it’s amazing how much can get done and that will give you the motivation to do more. Whatever got cleaned will make you smile and... able to go on.
Breaking each task into chunks and working step-by-step is also helpful. In other words, instead of thinking, "I need to clean the kitchen", you can go one step at a time, thinking, "I need to clean the kitchen, but first I'll clean the sink." That thought may also be broken into smaller steps: "First, I'll scour all these pots while I take them out of the sink to be washed...Next I'll clean the sink."
Like they say, "Inch by inch, life's a cinch."
Go to The Art of Work for more
Cleaning is courteous; it shows you care, not just for that which is cleansed, but for the people around you. It is a loving maintenance which gladdens the heart while beautifying all things.
Cleaning feels good. It may be hard to get started at times, but when you are finished and look up at that ceiling fan that got thoroughly dusted and washed, or that stainless steel shelf that got restored to its original shine, you feel not only satisfied within, but your body feels more energetic from a good workout which is vital for good health.
One can never get bored, either, because there is always some type of cleaning to do. And the more it is done out of affection for Lord Krishna, the more one wants to do it over and over again.
"The ladies in the Vaikuntha planets... are sometimes seen sweeping the marble walls, which are bedecked at intervals with golden borders, in order to receive the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
"In the Brahma-samhitä it is stated that the Supreme Lord, Govinda, is always served in His abode by many, many millions of goddesses of fortune. .. [Bs. 5.29]. These millions and trillions of goddesses of fortune who reside in the Vaikuntha planets are not exactly consorts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but are the wives of the devotees of the Lord and also engage in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is stated here that in the Vaikuntha planets the houses are made of marble. Similarly, in the Brahma-samhitä it is stated that the ground on the Vaikuntha planets is made of touchstone. Thus there is no need to sweep the stone in Vaikuntha, for there is hardly any dust on it, but still, in order to satisfy the Lord, the ladies there always engage in dusting the marble walls. Why? The reason is that they are eager to achieve the grace of the Lord by doing so." SB 3.15.21p
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING:
CLEANING ROUTINES AND SYSTEMS
A clean house is easy to clean. Cleaned regularly, it is so much easier to maintain, and you won't feel embarrassed about any drop-in visitors. Routines make work go easier, too. You become more proficient at it, saving time. There's no question of what to do next, it’s in the routine.
A good program to follow, for at least a few months, that teaches about routines and gives helpful advice is FlyLady.net. She gives lots of encouragement like, "If you mess up, just start over. You are never behind, just start where you are" or alerts how to avoid "CHAOS- Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome".
After establishing routines, systematic cleaning is also helpful. For example, whenever it is time to clean an area (whether its a general clean up or maha cleaning mentioned below), you begin from one spot and work your way around the entire room, cleaning as you go. Next, you can work from top to bottom, finishing off by wiping the floor. Another example is to do extra cleaning in one part of the kitchen (a priority) and in one other room each day.
TWO TYPES OF CLEANING
There are two types of cleaning to do every day:
1. General Daily Cleaning:
These are the things that must or should get done each day:
the kitchen, bathroom, floors, beds and bedding, laundry, hotspots and trash.
Hotspots are any places where clutter is accumulating. Putting out the fire means taking 10 minutes morning and evening putting these piles of things back into their designated places. I use a crdbord box to dump it all in and carry it where it needs to go.
The cleaning above may be further broken down to:
a. General Kitchen Cleaning: the sink, stove, fridge, counters, pots and dishes
b. General Bathroom Cleaning: the shower, toilet, sink, floor and mirror
c. Floor Cleaning: including porches
d. Beds and Bedding: includes couches, reclining chairs, airing out bedding...
e. Laundry: includes sorting, washing, drying, folding and putting away.
f. Trash: includes taking it to the dumpster, rinsing out trash cans; taking out compost, too.
2. Maha Cleaning:
This is the second type of cleaning to get done. It can be after either cleaning a specific room or after cleaning the entire house in general. It should be done only after each room or each day's general cleaning is finished. You can set a timer with whatever is the allotted time and work on one of the following :
dusting top to bottom
spot cleaning (smudges, fingerprints, wiping doorknobs, handles, phones...)
walls
windows
decluttering (see the "House Diet" below) and taking stock of what you have
special missions (see "The Guest Test" below)
polishing- wood, metal, appliances....
THE GUEST TEST ~ Examining one's home as if a first time visitor is the way to perform "the guest test". For example, one can take a look at your entrance way. How does it look? Whatever it is that arrests your attention and needs working on can become a special mission for the day or added to a list to get to a little each day. Perhaps the walls need a good cleaning or your welcome mat needs replacing.
PUTTING ONE'S HOUSE ON A DIET:
Maha cleaning includes decluttering or getting rid of unnecessary accumulation of possessions as you go along. Less stuff makes a home easier to clean and maintain, and gives peace of mind. Here is a suggestion how to go about it. You will need:
Three boxes- one for giving away, one for throwing away and one for putting things away.
A kitchen time set for 10-60 minutes at a time.
A section of the house that needs this kind of help.
1. Removing everything from the chosen area come first. For example, a book case. All the books should be removed and anything else.
2. After removing all items, the area is cleansed thoroughly. In this example, that means dusting and polishing the book case itself.
3. Putting things back in order is the next step, decluttering as you go along.
It helps to ask the following questions for deciding what is worth keeping and what needs to go:
Do I really need it?
Have I used it in the past year?
Do I have another that is better?
Do I really love this item? Does it bring a joyful feeling or memory?
Another suggestion is to pretend you are moving long distance, able to keep only what you need and love. That means useful and beautiful things used to serve and remember Krishna with.
4. While doing the above, you can make notes about what needs fixing or changes. For example, the bookcase could use a new coat of paint.
5. When the timer goes off, the the box of “give away” stuff can be placed near the front door ready for take out, stuff from “put away” box should be put away while anything else should be tossed (or put in the recycle bin).
DUSTING"If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." -William Morris
This gets easier once you know exactly what needs to be dusted. You can make a checklist at first, to become aware of what to dust, either in each room or the entire house as a whole, one thing at a time. For example, dusting all pictures or all baseboards or all ceiling fans, etc.
There's lots of help on the Internet also for effective dusting.
MAKING IT SHINE
Here's a helpful rule while doing maha cleaning or extra cleaning: "If it's dirty, clean it. If it's clean, shine it. If it shines, keep it that way."
.
Shining gives that extra special touch to many items around the house. For example a refrigerator, after washing it thoroughly, may be dried very well with a soft cloth until it shines. The same goes for all appliances. Wood furniture also appears more beautiful from being polished with natural oils. Metal items of copper and brass and deity paraphernalia may be shined and polished in various ways. This includes keeping the bottom of cooking pots very clean without a speck of black on them. Non toxic cleansers for this purpose will be added in a future post. CARPETS
I've tried to avoid carpet and rugs whenever possible because of allergies. Otherwise, to keep a carpet beautiful- besides the number one rule of wearing no shoes in the house- is "constant vacuuming and diligent spot removal." If mud ever does get on the carpet- you can let it dry first and then brush it out with a broom or vacuum.
One may have to tolerate when a nondevotee guest shows up with shoes on or else ask him politely to remove them, since one’s home is actually a small temple of Krishna, especially when a deity is kept there. I usually explain this to my guest and keep a shoe rack near the front door as a hint.
WOOD FLOORS
Avoid harsh chemical cleansers.
Wood floors should be dry mopped first to gather dust and dirt. Next, water should be sprinkled over the area to be cleansed. Then an absorbent cloth can be used to dry the wood immediately. Water should not be allowed to sit on the wood for long.
How to remove ink from wood floors? Nail polish remover works well.
VINYL FLOORS
The worst enemies for vinyl floors are dust and dirt, sand, and water (these lift the glue).
They should be swept, washed and dried similar to the wood floor.
Heavy furniture should be lifted instead of dragging or put pads under the legs to ease friction and prevent scratching.
Using floor mats near the sink area avoids drips from getting onto the floor. Using a dish rack or towel catches the drips on the counter from washed pots and utensils.
COUCH CARE
Couches need regular vacuuming and prompt stain removal to keep beautiful.
Also there should be a strict rule to not eat, drink, sleep, write with ink or put feet on the couch without a durable cover for protection.
Keeping couches out of direct sunlight prevents color fading.
ALSO SEE: The Little Things
MORE QUOTES:
"In the morning, a woman’s first business is to cleanse the entire house." Bg 16.10 lecture
“She should sweep and clean the household with water and other liquids so that the entire house is always pure and clean. She should collect the household paraphernalia and keep the house always aromatic with incense and flowers “--SB 7.11.26-27
"Deity worship means to be very, very clean...The Deities should never be approached without having bathed first and changed to clean clothes after passing stool, etc.... Be sure that your hands are clean before touching anything on the altar or the Deities. And cleanse the Deity room, altar, and floor daily thoroughly. Shine the various arati paraphernalia after arati ... The idea is summit cleanliness-that will satisfy Krishna." -letter, 3/20/70
DON'T FEEL LIKE CLEANING?
The hardest part really, is getting started. Making a beginning- just cleaning a small section -gives energy to go on. Setting a kitchen timer for just 15 minutes, it’s amazing how much can get done and that will give you the motivation to do more. Whatever got cleaned will make you smile and... able to go on.
Breaking each task into chunks and working step-by-step is also helpful. In other words, instead of thinking, "I need to clean the kitchen", you can go one step at a time, thinking, "I need to clean the kitchen, but first I'll clean the sink." That thought may also be broken into smaller steps: "First, I'll scour all these pots while I take them out of the sink to be washed...Next I'll clean the sink."
Like they say, "Inch by inch, life's a cinch."
Go to The Art of Work for more