The Gospel of Good Cleaning
A good clean is never glamorous. It will bleach-stain your favorite satin pajamas and make you question those $700 pants you got in Mallorca when contemplating what goes into your ‘keep or toss’ pile. In my humblest (and clearly most superior) opinion, there is no greater confrontation to the truth of your being than vacuuming under your bed and realizing: this is your life. Dust bunnies, broken earrings, maybe even a sock from two houses ago. The mess is real. And yes, I’m talking about your soul.
We’re days away from my honey’s thirtieth birthday. Family is driving in, group chats are buzzing, and I’ve entered cleaning lady mode. The kind that turns “I’ll just tidy up” into rearranging furniture at 2 a.m. There’s a kind of sacredness in the scrubbing and sorting. Preparing a space for joy is also preparing yourself for it—and I wasn’t quite ready to face that part.
So, while I spiral through spring-cleaning and soul-searching, here are a few truths I’ve gathered in between bins and mental breakdowns:
Don’t expect others to help you clean up (your life). And don’t get mad when you have to do it alone. Some people aren’t avoiding responsibility—they’re just not bothered by the mess. You are. So pick up the broom and bless yourself with the change you’re craving.
Be prepared to part ways with things (people and places) that once brought you joy. Whether it’s the pants that no longer fit, the shirt your boyfriend bought you during the honeymoon phase, or that one friend who hasn’t visited in years—what served you then might be weighing you down now. Be extra diligent with those giveaway bins. Personally, I do a home-cleanout once per season. Most people think I’m nuts, but they also think our home is beautiful.
Empty your closets. It doesn’t count if the rooms are tidy but your closets are chaos. No one likes a ‘Monica’s closet’—especially not when your psyche is the one being stored in there. Hidden clutter always has a way of bleeding out. One emotional tug, and it’s all on the floor. So, face it. Fold it. Or let it go, girly.
You gotta get your hands dirty to get your house clean. Deep cleaning is not an aesthetic. It’s sweatpants, not La Perla. Rubber gloves, not rings. So, stop waiting for it to feel sexy or poetic. Just do it. Give it your full attention. Clean with your whole self. Then, and only then, will lighting your candles and relaxing in clean sheets at the end of the night feel like true luxury.
So, no, a good clean isn’t glamorous. But neither is growth, ladies. Both require effort, honesty, and the courage to let go. Because if there’s one thing that never lies, it’s the grime you’ve been avoiding.
In the end, the goal isn’t perfection… it’s peace. A lived-in home, a clear mind, and most importantly, a soft place to land after doing the hard, holy work of facing your own mess.
Just like healing, cleaning is quiet work. You'll likely never get an applause for it. But when the house is quiet, the sheets are clean, and the candle flickers just right, you'll feel the kind of peace only earned by doing the work. And you’ll realize it was for you all along.
Share your Cleaning Confessions
What’s something you’ve let go of recently—physically or emotionally? Have a cleaning ritual, truth, or tip that changed the way you see your space (or yourself)? Share it below—we’re all sorting through something.
xx,
Sarah Elle, Editor-in-Chief
