Cleanliness should be your mantra

Finding a mucky mug or half-filled water bottles on the dining table first thing in the morning, baskets of soiled laundry, kids' toys thrown around the floor, pet beds...broken taps. Shudders! It's spring-cleaning time and time to wake up to the challenge and get started in tidying your homes. It takes nothing except some additional effort to actually accept the task at hand. Tidying or decluttering is quite therapeutic.

Many of us, including youngsters of the Gen Z fame and millennials, are in 'goblin mode' now; unapologetically self-indulgent and unbelievably lazy. And so, they tend to be messy.

It can reflect two things that a lot of us cannot afford: to live aesthetically and efficiently. Or we do not have the time to keep things spotless. 'Being lazy' is the box to tick off here, because 'being efficient' is not a matter of affordability, it is rather the aspiration and desire to live in an orderly environment. Money does not make a house look like a home, it is the conscious effort to work on aesthetics and neatness that matters.

Cleanliness is next to godliness is a cliched saying we have all heard since childhood but have miserably failed to take heed of this unoriginal saying. Though it means that we must keep ourselves clean, our homes spick and span and our communities unpolluted and dirt-free, sadly, we all know that is not the case.

Let's not stray too far off and talk about communities and roads, as we hardly keep our own garages or staircase clean. Even though we all live in big shiny apartments with modern facilities and efficient wet and dry kitchens, how many of us actually look after the house once it's handed over by developers and interior consultants?

Keeping the home tidy is a colossal task; this might be our fallback excuse. And the blame can be on anything from having small children around or tending to work, to no helping hands and of course, pointing fingers at the lazy, nonchalant partner.

An untidy, non-aesthetic home is not a pretty sight. It also pulls you down in terms of moods. Your home is littered with toys, the walls scribbled with multi-coloured crayons, plastic and polyethene stashed in corners, the spice rack greasy with spilled oil, the stove or even the fans dirt laden, dead plants and cartons stacked in the verandas or foyer. These are minute examples of the everyday things you fail to manage, and are all part of your cleanliness regimes. 

A simple curated corner with green ferns and a few souvenirs can perk up your home, clean tablecloths and bedsheets make you happy, and an organised spice cabinet makes life easier.

Well-orderedness is a lifestyle; do not think of it as a chore. Aesthetic homes were never about showing off money, they were always about the extra effort you put into having your home full of clever storage solutions and hyper-neat drawers, and pleasing decor. The scented candles and chic coffee tables are optional, make do with whatever you have.

Special thanks to NB Mansoor