The Science of Mess

 

Mess is my nemesis.

Look closely, it's even in the word: ne-MESS-is. I fight a losing battle with mess, as we all do. It's like the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends.
But I've come up with a theory. It hit me the other day: why do I battle so much with mess? I have too much stuff.

 

There are too many toys and not enough places to put them. Too much dirty laundry and not enough room in the washing basket. Too many clothes and not enough wardrobe space. Too much clutter, too much stuff, too much mess.

 

I've come up with a scientific equation for it:

 

Too Much Stuff x Not Enough Space = Lots of Mess (TMSxNES=M3)

 

Think about it. Do you suppose that a village mummy in Africa spends all day picking little Woboubu's toys and clothes up off the floor? No. They have just enough for what they need (or sadly not enough). No excess. No mess.

 

Having too much has created this mess problem. I need to get rid of the excess; find someone who will use it, someone who needs it and give it away... thereby also reducing the potential for mess in my house at the same time!

 

If I get rid of all the stuff we don't use/play with/wear regularly I could drastically reduce my ongoing mess problem. I would have to do way less picking up of toys and clothes off the floor, way less growling and nagging... and spend lots more time doing productive things like... blogging, or writing books... oh yeah - and playing with my kids!

 

I feel a purge coming on.

 

 

Then there's the fact that science and the Laws of the Universe are actually working against us keeping things tidy as well. Did you know that??

It's true. It's called the Second Law of Thermodynamics or the Law of Entropy. This law states that "complex systems over time become more simple" - they break down.

 

In other words, if I left my house clean and spotless and went away for a year, I would come back to find that things had broken down. There would be dust on every surface, there would be rotten food in the fridge. It would smell damp and musty. Without even any people (read: kids) there to mess it up, the cleanliness of my house would deteriorate over time because of the laws of the Universe!
I am fighting against the Universe when I am cleaning! No wonder it's such hard work.

 

 

So I have simplified my cleaning regime. Why fight the Universe every day? It's a losing battle. It gets me down. Now I go into a cleaning frenzy once a week, every Tuesday. Yes, today is my cleaning day. I have dusted, polished, vacuumed, cleaned and spritzed. My house is shining. I am sweaty. Why?? Because cleaning is a great workout when you do it all at once! Oh yes.

 

Look at this is from MedicineNet.com:

Some estimates, based on a person weighing 150 pounds doing 30 minutes of chores:

• General cleaning: 127 calories
• Cooking: 92 calories
• Trimming shrubs: 157 calories
• Laundry: 133 calories
• Vacuuming: 123 calories

 

 

So if I am spending like 2-3 hours whizzing around cleaning, working up a sweat, well! It's not cleaning, it's exercise, baby!

 

Mess, you may be my nemesis but I will hunt you down (every Tuesday), contain you (in the Goodwill shop) and defeat you (for as long as the kids are out of the house).