A clean home is more than a luxury, it’s a necessity. That’s right, a necessity. We need a clean house (office or desk) for all that it offers us: efficiency and relaxation. Efficiency, because a clean house means you can find what you need when you need it. It also means you’ll spend less time worrying and getting frustrated about the clutter in your home.

A clean house offers relaxation, because clean houses look better, smell better and feel better, and that is what makes you relax. A disorder everywhere makes us tense. Even the hidden masses worry us. What does it take to have a really clean house? In a word, discipline. No one likes to hear that word anymore, but it’s true.

A clean house takes work, plain and simple. Ironically, the less a house is cleaned, the more work it requires. Yes it’s true. If you don’t stay on top of your house, the house will be on top of you, with piles of paper and trash everywhere, not to mention dirt and grime.

Look around. Does your outer experience reflect the inner experience? What does your house say about you and your life? Now, how does a clean house improve your luck? Think of all the “old” and “failed” energy you have in your home.

If you have Great Dane-sized dust bunnies, it’s time to get down to business. Dirt and dust equal stagnation and clogging. Remember, a routine is just a grave that is open at both ends. How to get out of your dirty routine? Good old fashioned elbow grease. Here’s a quick guide to cleaning up your space and getting you out of your dirty rut.

1. Go to the bathroom.

Because? Dirty bathrooms are germ fests waiting to make you sick. Wipe it off and you just might feel better or get out of cold and flu season unscathed!

2. Take charge of the kitchen.

This is where you eat, so it must be clean. Nothing attracts bugs faster than a dirty kitchen. Make it a point to give your kitchen a two-hour refresher. Spend two hours in there and really clean: refrigerator coils, oven, floors, ceilings, windows, everything.

3. Go to the bedroom.

When you sleep, you breathe in everything in the room, ie pet dander, dust, bed mites, you name it. Be sure to clean under the bed, vacuum the blinds, and wash the curtains, bedspreads, and blankets. Then vacuum, yes vacuum, the mattress and flip. Ahh… clean. It feels so good.

4. Create a paper record.

To the recycling center that is. Haven’t you read that magazine? Then you’re not going to do it, so get rid of it. Perform your own “paperectomy” and get rid of all that paper that’s just taking up space.

5. Focus on the corners.

This is where everything drifts towards… the corner of the bedroom, the corners of the ceilings. Corners are a magnet for stacks of papers. On the ceiling, the corners attract cobwebs. Clean all the corners you have, including the corners of the closets.

6. Go outside.

Rent a pressure washer and wash your house, sidewalks, patios, and driveways. Pressure washers are a house’s best friend. Think of it like a scrub for your home. You will love your sparkling home.

7. Head to the top.

Clean the top of everything. This includes dressers, tables, counters, refrigerators, anything with a lid. It also means dusting the tops of windows, door trim, and the tops of baseboards. Dust loves to hide on top of things.

8. Get steamed.

Once a year, STEAM clean your carpets and upholstery. Why steam? It’s hot and it’s water, so it will clean VERY well without damaging anything or leaving any kind of soapy residue. That’s right, soap scum.

Many people clean their carpets or use carpet cleaning products from grocery stores only to find they need to do it over and over again because carpets get dirtier and dirtier.

Hmmmm… a conspiracy? No. Just soap that stays behind. And soap is sticky, right? Well then, that’s where all the dirt is coming from – it’s getting stuck in all that soap left over from those cleaners. And while you’re at it, throw out all soap-based carpet cleaners.