We deep cleaned the house today
“Danes try to keep their homes nice all the time” says the real estate agent in Helen Russell’s book The Year of Living Danishly. It’s easy to see the truth in this statement. Every Nordic home I’ve seen is pristine. I’ve never actually been inside a real Nordic home, so my sources tend to be staged photos. But a quick trip to IKEA reveals that cleanliness for Nordics is not just a habit, it’s a lifestyle.
How do the Danes and other Nordics keep things neat?
Lots of Storage
A place for everything and everything in it’s place, as the saying goes. Nordic homes are full of unique storage solutions. Every extra space is used to tuck away some household item. Once everything has a place, it’s a simple enough task to put things back where they go.
Streamlined Design
Furniture and decor meant to blend into the surroundings make a home easy on the eyes. The room doesn’t feel cluttered when it’s not stuffed with mismatched chairs and too many competing colors. Focusing on design allows a home to appear calm and relaxed. And it lets you focus on what you’re doing, not the furniture around you.
Minimalist Mindset
Less things in the house equals less things to clean up. If it doesn’t have a home, it shouldn’t stay. If you want it to stay, you need to make a place for it. Even if you have to kick something else out to make that space available. Keep the things that you love and get rid of all the junk taking up your time and energy.
Good Habits
Our family has followed something called the 90/10 rule for years now. The rule is to keep the house clean 90 percent of the time, and have it dirty only 10 percent or less, as we’re using things.
This rule has helped our family keep the house close to Nordic clean on a regular basis. Although the Gamers – our two teenage boys – have gotten a bit out of the habit, cleaning up once a task is over can keep a home clean the vast majority of the time. It’s helpful in two ways. There is no extra effort to go back and clean up something left out earlier, and the clutter doesn’t pile up and become overwhelming.
Clean habits do require some effort, but the payoff is worth it. Having a clean home can keep your mind clear and help alleviate the stress that clutter and mess can create. Leaving you free to be creative and focus on what makes you happy.
What did I learn from this?
Clean homes can help us feel calm.