I have a weird thing with sweeping. Let me momentarily wax poetic about why I find sweeping the floors to be one of the more gratifying and meditative household chores. The careful strokes to form the little pile, the brushing of the pile into the dust pan until the line is unseeable to the human eye, and the final emptying of it into its garbagey-grave; the finished masterpiece of a speckless floor. The minimal effort of sweeping allows one to daydream a bit, clear the mind. And aesthetically, the general form of a broom is something I find very attractive. Do you feel this romantic about basic household cleaning drudgery? Do you think it may be because you haven’t yet stumbled upon the right tools that compliment your otherwise thoughtfully curated home?

Honestly, there are a zillion reasons why you don’t have time to clean. With the demanding and busy life you lead, it’s rare that you end up having a day to just relax, let alone scrub your tub. However, cleaning can be relaxing. And, even... beautiful. I’m sure you guys are softly laughing at your screens while a capricious child, maybe yours, is gleefully dumping their bowl of macaroni and cheese on the floor. But, isn’t it a little satisfying to tidy up a space? Beat the dust outta the rug? Wipe the sills?

A few more questions in the style of Carrie Bradshaw: Could it be that our woeful disposition toward cleaning our space is rooted in antiquated western modes of thinking that associate leisure with peace; could it be that our brooms, our trash bins, aren’t beautiful enough? Let’s go through how cleaning can be therapeutic, room by room.

Dining Room:

If there is one tool that I didn’t know I needed until I used it, it is the crumb duster. A tiny table brush made in Sweden by Iris Hantverk, a company made up of the visually impaired who craft simple cleaning and grooming products of natural materials. The brush is made of beechwood with horse hair bristles and it nestles perfectly into its loving pan for storage. It is a dream for a quick table sweep post-dinner and pre-dessert. But why stop there? One of our amazing shop girls Sarah, who is also an incredible seamstress, uses hers to clean-up her work table of bits and bobs of threads and scraps after a days work. Clear your table, clear your mind. Even the smallest tools are important.




Kitchen:

Of course, there are parts of cleaning I don’t prefer. Washing the dishes is the one chore that I could never get down with. I would never think it to be a therapeutic job but, lo and behold, my distaste for touching soggy leftovers has been mildly upended! If you have a beautiful tool like a wooden dish brush with a long birch handle that keeps your hand a *serene* distance away from the glob of bbq sauce swimming with whipped cream, it isn’t so bad. In fact, I’m learning to love doing the dishes. Side note: For the tough casserole gunk or your perfectly season cast-iron pan, use this gorgeous hand scrubber (no soap!).




Bathroom:

You must clean it to be zen in it. If you’ve read my previous posts about taking baths, you know that it is my obsession. Taking the time to create a gentle atmosphere in the bathroom is highly rewarding. Why don’t you go ahead and grab two of those scrubber I mentioned above? It’s great for cleaning the scum out of the tub and you don’t need to hide it away under the sink like those big home-depot plasticky ones. Let it’s beauty be known. Sometimes, I even do a quick scrub while I’m in the shower for efficiency purposes.

When it comes to the well-being of your toilet, may I recommend this: the world’s most beautiful toilet brush. It somehow makes your toilet look lovely and impresses your guests. It’s actually so pretty, you guys! I didn’t know a toilet brush could be so affecting, but here we are. Complete with matching toilet paper stand.

Bedroom:

A close second favorite to sweeping is laundry. I love a laundromat and find washing clothes to be incredibly meditative. Especially the bedding. Cleaning your whole house, including your bedding, taking an evening shower in your clean tub and then climbing into your fresh warm sheets is a pleasure unparalleled. The cherry on top of this perfect cocktail is a misting of pillow spray. The scent of hiba wood makes you feel you are utterly harmonious. And, it’s  anti-microbial! Ahhh. Pro-tip: spray on couches or rugs for a quick freshening up. It’s basically healthy febreeze.

I promise you will feel happily fulfilled after this very zen-cleaning ritual. Open all the windows and start! Any last minute odds and ends of trash you find toward the end of your cleaning journey can just go in this ever so lovely bin. Voila.