You may already be familiar with the four daily routines I use to keep my home “clean enough,” but I have a small ritual that turns cleaning from a chore into something I actually look forward to. Want to know what it is?
My secret ritual
First, I make myself a delicious, fragrant cup of coffee. Then I gather my favorite cleaning products, put on some music, switch on my diffuser, and begin puttering around the house. That sequence of small pleasures brings a calm focus to ordinary tasks and makes them feel more like a ritual than a burden.
Why this ritual works for me
I’ve long admired Alexandra Stoddard and how she emphasizes engaging the senses as part of daily routines. In her book Living a Beautiful Life she writes about stimulating the senses to make ordinary tasks more enjoyable. I’ve found that tricking myself into enjoying chores is effective: the right music, attractive products, and pleasant scents transform cleaning from an obligation into something almost meditative.
For example, once my husband used a counter cleaner I hadn’t chosen. The scent was so unexpected it annoyed me — the counters smelled strongly of basil and, to my surprise, reminded me of Italian sausage. That experience taught me the importance of choosing scents that suit the home. You want your house to smell clean and welcoming, not like an unexpected meal.
Sometimes I look forward to cleaning simply because I enjoy taking out my pretty bottles and inhaling the scents. A good fragrance can lift my mood so much I joke about wanting to carry a candle everywhere. Recently my diffuser was running when my daughters returned from college; they paused in the doorway and commented on how wonderful the house smelled. I’ve been enjoying lemon and geranium blends lately — fresh, bright, and comforting.
Quick faux-cleaning tip: spray a small amount of your favorite counter spray on a doorframe. Each time you walk through, the brief scent will make the house feel freshly cleaned, and visitors may assume you’ve been hard at work. It’s an easy way to create the impression of a tidy home without much effort.
My Favorite Natural Cleaning Product