(619) Cleanliness next to godliness?

As a student, I have visited many households. Some are beautifully furnished. Some are so clean that one can not find a speck of dust. Of course there are some pretty untidy public areas too. Knowing my school friends, it is not surprising that the super clean houses do not shelter happier folks than the slightly untidy ones. For explanation I still subscribe to what Mr. Edwards said,"You see, when a homemaker spends most of her waking hours cleaning what is already clean, how does she find the time and energy to devote to her loved ones?" He was commenting on his mother-in-law's sparkling house. Funny that I still think of him and what he said twenty eight years ago.


Many people think that cleanliness is next to godliness. I am sure there is a certain amount of truth in that. But how clean is clean enough? For a double storey link house in the suburbs which windows and doors are closed most of the time, is there really a need to mop the floor twice a day? For that matter, why wake up at four thirty in the morning to wipe all the windows in the single storey house daily?


There is a very narrow line between being clean and being obsessively clean. Through the years, I saw how my long time neighbour crosses that line. It is very subtle. The yearly habit of clearing out the closets and cupboards and wiping down everything is good. Yet when doing that means using up precious leave and returning to work tired, I think the person concerned should re-evaluate her priorities. When the part-time maid just cleaned the entire house on a Monday, my neighbour would devote half of her Tuesday (public holiday) cleaning house again. Now is that really necessary? As age catches on, she seems to clean more, not less. Perhaps if she enjoys cleaning, and gets into really good moods after that; then it is worthwhile. But in reality she feels her aches and pains, gets agitated and moves from cleaning to banging her pots and pans. How does this consequence of an obsession affects others around her? As for me, I see the banging of crockery as a sign I should make my presence scarce.

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