Cleanliness IS next to godliness
ONE of my broadcasting colleagues, a household name, regularly shows up in the studio with her Marigolds, an array of cleaning products and cloths and dusters aplenty. She’s paid to hold forth on topics from personal to political, not to expend elbow grease polishing computer screens and brushing crumbs off desks.
Professional cleaners are employed by the august organisation for which we ply our trade. No one would object if she simply swept in and out of the building without giving a thought to the state of the skirting boards. Yet this exceptionally busy individual draws no line between her domestic conduct and her work behaviour. She wouldn’t tolerate dust, smudges, mess or noxious odours at home and she does a good impression of the Shake n’ Vac lady at the office too.
During the news bulletins she pitches up in the tiny kitchenette, scrubbing tea stains off neglected mugs and swabbing down the worksurface. Standards are maintained at all times and, guess what, the atmosphere feels fresher and more fragrant even when she turns on her vertiginous stilettos and leaves.
Frankly, I’m an enthusiastic convert to the gospel of cleanliness being next to godliness. I am entranced by the news that pupils at the Grove Primary School in Totnes, Devon are being requested to vacuum their classrooms before home-time. The idea emanates from Japan and headmistress Hilary Priest provides cordless hoovers, which are shared on a rota basis. Ms Priest says: “We are a new school and we are very proud of it. It is a good way for the children to respect their school and their environment.” A six-year-old called Noah added that the vacuums were “fun to use” and he felt their cleaning task was “protecting our school”. Cash is being saved on the caretaker’s overtime. Heads are held high as sparkling classrooms promote stellar morale. Each tidying child has a stake in keeping the environment pleasing.
Most importantly of all, no pupil is permitted to stalk in and out of lessons with the lordly view that cleaning is something lowly, assigned to someone else of lower status. In Grove Primary School there is no lesser layer of humankind whose job is to pick up after other people.
THE longer I linger on the planet the more joy I take in order, harmony, a pristine tabletop and a mess-free zone in which to sit calmly, untroubled by chaos, gather my thoughts and concentrate. Creating a neat sanctuary is essential if we are to flourish and focus. Respecting our surroundings is part of valuing ourselves. Disposing of our own mess before we begin is a vital part of the creative process.
Chores at school and similar tasks at home are at the core of moulding resilient self-sufficient adults. Congratulations to Grove Primary.
THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WHITENING
WHITE boots are a thing. In fact they are THE thing this season. Anyone who is anyone is sporting polo mint white boots in patent, leather or synthetic facsimile. Therein lies the problem. Anyone who is anyone probably has “people” to keep their whites bright. If they don’t, they can afford to chuck their tarnished and sullied boots straight into landfill and replace them with another Persil-white pair. The rest of us are doomed to slap on the white boot polish, attempt emergency remedials with a white make-up pencil and eventually give up and revert to good old reliable black.