The Mom Sweep
It’s not just for moms
You know what I’m talking about. It’s that general cleaning that gets done, absentmindedly, as one walks through a room.
I pick up the socks to deposit in the hamper upstairs. I grab the discarded snack-food bags that litter the recliner so I can throw them out.
Moms aren’t the only ones who perform the sweep. Dads do it; older siblings, the ones that prize neatness and order, will do it. If one has roommates, the neat roommate will do it.
We walk through the rooms, and impose a small amount of order. We put the remotes where they go and reshelf books. We don’t even think about it. We grab the miscellaneous detritus left on the staircase and finish bringing it up.
Yes, we’ve had the conversation about cleaning up after yourself, with our kids, partners, and roommates. We’ve asked that they take their own socks to the dirty clothes depository, return the dishes to the sink, wipe the bathroom counters after brushing their teeth, and stop leaving stuff on the stairs.
The requests stick for a little while, but ultimately lapse. In the grand scheme of things, it’s okay. They do the big chores that we ask, like cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, walking the dog, shoveling the sidewalks. It’s the little things that are below their notice that snag our attention.
So, when we take a “bio break” from our work-from-home space, we gather the small junk and garbage as we walk through a room or two. We place the cap on the toothpaste or sweep up the cat litter trail.
Learned Behavior
When I visit my parents house, I watch my mom do the sweep. She’s probably where I learned it. My mother has High Standards of neatness and cleanliness, and in my own home, I fall seriously short.
In my mother’s house, all the dishes are rinsed and placed in the dishwasher or washed, dried, and put away. No glass is left out overnight, nothing is on the stairs, and tables are cleared of clutter. Since the kitchen and dining room are the only rooms we are allowed to eat in, no garbage is discovered when walking through the living room. Beds are neatly made, and dirty laundry is sorted into baskets in the basement.
I am jealous of homes where everything has a place and there is no visible clutter. I do not live in such a home.
So, I sweep. And dream of decluttering.
Are you a sweeper?
