Take our quiz and find out

I often get calls and comments from people who describe their homemaking expertise as either disastrous or phenomenal.

“My daughter would make a great home organizer; she knows how to fold shirts in a perfect rectangle!”

“This home needs serious organizing help. The toys are all put away, but there’s always garbage strewn everywhere.”

“You can literally eat food off my floors — I clean them a million times a day — but finding the cereal in the pantry? And the bowls and spoons? I never know where they are….”

There is a difference between a home being clean, neat, or organized. Though we strive to create spaces that are all three, it’s time to take the quiz and dive deep into which is YOUR strength!

The Quiz

It’s Tuesday, your designated day to tackle a kitchen project. You focus on:

• Wiping down the fridge, the cabinet doors, and the outside of all food canisters. Your Miele hose is your best friend for vacuuming out the pantry corners.
• Lining up the cooking utensils in drawers. You perfectly align pot handles and check that all cans and baskets are facing forward.
• Pulling everything out of the pantry and sorting snacks, cereal, and crackers, discarding the stale, and pouring new ingredients into containers.

Laundry time! When it comes to sorting, washing, and folding, you get passionate about:

• The nine different combinations of temperatures you use to wash clothing and linen, the myriad of stain-removal sprays at your fingertips, and the fragrance of dryer sheets.
• Folding. It’s all about the file fold, the trifold, the no-crease fold. You feel actual joy in lining up pajamas by color and seeing your magazine-worthy clothing drawers.
• Categories. Every child has their own hamper and laundry basket, so clothing is easily sorted. Putting away the clothing is a cinch since there’s no guessing where it belongs.

Lots of toys make happy children. What makes Mom happy?

• Germ-free baby toys and freshly laundered doll clothing.
• One toy at a time. Or two. Maybe. But play only in this room. And clean up right away.
• Matching containers and bold labels for easy system maintenance.

Your work desk is where the magic happens. Bills get paid, papers are sorted and filed, and you make it your space by:

• Vacuuming the keyboard keys and storing screen wipes in the drawer. No empty seltzer cans or used Post-its around here!
• Papers are neatly stored in a decorative magazine file, waiting patiently for you to process them.
• Your list of to-dos is prominent on the desktop and all related forms are stored away — who needs visual reminders when it’s all listed and categorized on the notepad?

You’ve taught your cleaning help so many skills. The one thing she can say she learned from the missus is:

Palmolive on quartz counters, dry mop the wood floors, stainless steel wipes for the fridge, and of course, absolutely no fingerprints anywhere. Ever.

All toys belong in the closet. Whichever container. Just. Put. Them. Away.

Do NOT mix the knives and the spatulas. There’s a divider in the drawer for a reason!

Results:

Mostly 1s: Mrs. Clean

You focus on hygiene and the actual removal of dirt. You find enjoyment in wiping down surfaces, vacuuming your floors, and the aroma of Mr. Clean. While it may be challenging in a cluttered space, you can say with certainty that your home is free of dirt, grime, and dust. You’re known as a savvy stain remover, a floor fanatic, the authority on all things dust related. And it fills you with pride.

Mostly 2s: Neat Freak

Having a clutter-free environment is of paramount importance to you. You’re calm when you see clear surfaces, tidy piles, and feel that neat-home sense. Happiness is your neat kitchen. There may be dishes in the deep sink but hey, they’re hidden from view, and they’ll wait until you have a spare moment to wash them. You don’t fear friends (or even your mother-in-law!) popping over for a visit — your home always looks spick-and-span. Just don’t open that junk drawer!!

Mostly 3s: Born Organizer

You find joy in creating designated homes for all your belongings, a place that makes sense within your system. You’re efficient, systematic, and focused on function. The floor may need a quick sweep and the toys should probably be put away, but when you choose to take care of it all, the bliss of having a hook for the broom and labeled containers within the toy closet trumps all else.

The Bottom Line

Though we all have our strengths (and weaknesses!) it’s helpful to remember that neat, clean, and organized all feed into each other in these ways.

Cleaning involves the actual removal of dirt and grime, a task that is difficult to do in a cluttered space. Tidying is the act of putting things in their assigned place to maintain neatness and a lack of clutter. You must organize (give things a home) before you can effectively clean or keep things neat.

And above all, a well-organized space makes everyone’s job easier: Once organized, it’s simpler to keep a space clean and visually tidy because everything has a place.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 963)