The words tidying and cleaning are often used interchangeably, but they indeed mean two different things. Honestly, I blame “The Clean Up Song” from Barney & Friends for this mix-up. The 90’s children’s tv series features a purple dinosaur named Barney and his friends. Often, at the end of the episode, Barney and his friends sing, “Clean up, clean up everybody everywhere. Clean up, clean up; everybody do your share.” While the song encourages kids to “clean up,” the lyrics of the song don’t match what the kids are physically doing. In fact, there is no cleaning happening at all.

Japanese Organizing Consultant and Author, Marie Kondo, defines cleaning as the act of confronting nature and tidying as the act of confronting yourself, and I fully agree with these definitions. To put it simply, tidying is decluttering and organizing. Cleaning is removing dirt, grime, or dust. So, for example, washing your kitchen pots would be cleaning but deciding which pots to keep would be tidying.

While the terms are different, the two together make for a joyful home. Here’s how tidying cultivates a clean home:

• CLUTTER-FREE

Naturally, choosing to declutter your home results in you owning less stuff, which allows you to clean your home more thoroughly.

• REDUCES DUST

Did you know that experts recommend you dust your home once a month? Take a moment and think about your home. How long would it take to dust it, all of it? As a Professional Home Organizer, I encourage my clients to focus on what they desire to keep rather than what to discard. However, the truth is that while they are choosing what to keep, they are also deciding what to discard. Simply put, reducing the number of items in your home will reduce the amount of dust in your home.

• A TIDY HOME IS A CLEAN HOME

By tidying your home, you can create a system where everything has a place and everything in its place. Imagine cleaning your home, knowing that everything in it is all the things you desire to keep. How refreshing would that be?

Remember, tidying and cleaning your home is not about perfection; it’s about creating a space that brings you joy. It’s about cultivating a home that brings you peace, solace, and restoration.

Don’t know where to start? Start with a drawer, tidy with a friend, start a group, or I may actually know of someone who can help!