Cleaning and Resetting

Cleaning, for me, has never been about perfection or control, but about intention, about returning things to themselves, about quieting the noise that gathers when life feels too full, too loud, too fast. I love to clean and organize in the same way some people love to walk or paint or pray, because it brings me back into my body, back into the present moment, back into a sense of calm that I cannot access when my surroundings feel scattered.

I clean when I am overwhelmed. I clean when I need clarity. I clean when my mind feels crowded and my heart needs somewhere soft to land. Whether it is gathering the boys’ toys at the end of the day, resetting the living room so it feels ready to hold us again, deep cleaning the bathroom or the kitchen, wiping down drawers, cleaning out the refrigerator, washing produce one piece at a time, these acts feel grounding, almost ceremonial, as if each small task is a way of telling myself that care is possible, that order can be restored, that things can be tended gently rather than rushed past.

I don’t mind mess…toys on the floor, signs of life, evidence of living, as long as there is cleanliness beneath it, a sense that the home is held, that it is safe and calm even when it is busy. I need the house to feel settled in order for my mind to settle, because when my environment is clear, I can think more clearly, love more patiently, move through my days with more softness.

There is something deeply satisfying about letting go, too, tossing what no longer serves us, whether it’s food past its time in the fridge, clothes that no longer feel like mine, or paperwork that has quietly overstayed its purpose. Clearing space feels like an act of trust, a belief that what we need will come, that we don’t have to cling to everything just in case.

Even when I travel, I leave with intention. I never leave the house messy. I wash the sheets before we go so that when we return, tired and full from wherever we’ve been, there is a clean bed waiting, a small kindness to my future self, a quiet ritual of welcome home.

The products I use matter to me because scent and texture and quality turn routine into ritual. I clean almost exclusively with Koala Eco, a line I truly love and keep stocked throughout our home, kitchen cleaner, hand soap, fruit and vegetable wash, all of it because it feels aligned with the way I want to care for my space and my family. The scent is lemon, bright and natural and alive, the kind that immediately reminds me of summer, of warmth, of open windows and light pouring in, of all the beautiful things summer holds, even when it’s winter outside.

Cleaning, resetting, organizing, these are not chores to me. They are acts of devotion. A way of saying this space matters, this life matters, and tending to it with care is not something to rush through, but something to honor.