Does a clean house give you a peaceful feeling?
April 23, 2012
A recent survey conducted by Working Mother magazine revealed that 68 percent of women say a clean house helps them feel calmer. However, as almost every busy mom - working outside of the home or not - can attest, keeping your house clean can instantly zap any feelings of peacefulness.
The survey, published in the magazine's April/May issue, also revealed that moms tend to have a lot of guilt when their homes are not as clean as they want them to be. Two-thirds of working moms (68 percent) said that they feel "very guilty" when their homes are not clean enough.
We're our own biggest enemies on this subject as well. The "Clean House" survey found that 67 percent of working moms say their biggest messy-house critic is themselves. About one-third (30 percent) listed their mother or father as judgmental about their home's cleanliness, while 26 percent blamed their in-laws and 25 percent their spouse.
"The more I visit other moms, the more I realize we're all doing the best we can," working mom Allison Light told the publication. "With two young children in the house, clutter is a given. So I'm giving up on trying to beat the dirt."
But as much as having a clean house might please many moms, the process of doing the cleaning is definitely not on the list of enjoyable household duties. The survey found that more than half (53 percent) of moms surveyed said they don't love cleaning.
"What it means to be a responsible parent, spouse and worker has ratcheted up to an impossible level," Dr. Jennifer Glass, a professor in the University of Texas at Austin's Sociology Department, told Working Mother. "Employed women bring in 40 percent of the income in two-earner families, but they're also expected to come home and play LEGOs on the floor with the kids, drive them to sports practice, cook gourmet meals and keep an immaculate house. The women I talk to never think of themselves as doing a good job as a parent or spouse by bringing home money."
The magazine offers some tips for moms who want their spouses and kids to pitch in with the housekeeping duties. Among the suggestions are creating a responsibility chart, a chore wheel and turning cleaning into a game. Offering kids an allowance for helping out around the house is another method many moms use to get everyone to do their part.
While hiring a professional cleaning crew can help alleviate any anxiety about finding time to clean, the expense may be prohibitive for most student parents.
Luckily, the expense of college can be offset thanks to grants for parents, college scholarships and other financial aid.
