Clean vs Tidy

In the past I have used both clean and tidy interchangeably. According to Webster there is a definite difference in the meaning of these two words:

Clean: 1 a : to make clean: as (1) : to rid of dirt, impurities, or extraneous matter (2) : to rid of corruption b : remove, eradicate —usually used with up or off

Tidy: a: neat and orderly in appearance: well ordered and cared for

I have a one year old. The two of us are home most of the day. He has the attention span of a squirrel. A squirrel has an attention span on normal things nearly a second and roughly four minutes on its food. Ironically, so does my son. Needless to say, a tornado of swirling toys surrounds us as he quickly moves on unless there is food feeding his almost 24lbs body. So, surprise: our house is not tidy!

Really? I know. It shocked me too. There is little order in the family room at any given waking hour, so I should have known. The question remains, is my home clean?

I admit after reading tidy and clean it seems the two are not intermixable I had to walk the rooms of my home. I would ask to have someone define clean, but I can scan up and refer to it on my own, thanks. I have to admit this is in the eye of the cleaner! On a regular basis I dust, vacuum, over work the: washing machine, dryer and dishwasher. I Lysol the kitchen counters 4 times a day. The bathroom is cleaned daily… I love my son’s bath time! I feel like I slave away within this house and yet would anyone know? Is how clean my home is my dirty little secret?

So, actually the words are intermixable versus interchangeable. It takes one to have the other. You won’t notice the cleanliness of a home through all of the clutter. Eek. I think I am in trouble.

Well, I guess in this house I see the ‘forest for the trees’. I see the cleanliness through the tornado. While others may see ‘the tree in the forest’ taking notice of only the play land and unfolded laundry. I am okay forgoing tidy… I love a good secret.