Would a Rose Covered in Dust Smell As Sweet?

I would venture to say that most people enjoy a nicely decorated home. I have not met many people who chose to leave their walls, shelves, and cupboards bare.  Even though everyone has different tastes, there is usually a row of decorative vases on a mantle or a Def Leopard poster above a bed.  Decorating is what turns our house into a home and makes us feel comfortable and at ease.

But how does it make us feel if our decorations are dirty?

I have been in homes where every flat surface was covered with nick-knacks and every square inch of wall had a picture on it.  This style can certainly work in many homes, but the first thing I noticed was the inch of dust on the fake tulips, the finger prints on the wall mirrors, and the cobwebs taking over the antique clock.  No, I don't make it a habit to search for filth in other people's homes, but when it is obvious, it is obvious.

I tend to decorate my home in a "staged" style.  Essentially that means I decorate fairly scarce, much like you would see in a model home that is staged for sale.  While I mainly do this because I like simplicity, I also enjoy how quickly I can clean and dust beneath every artifact in my home.  Time is limited when you have children so I prefer to spend no more than 20 minutes everyday cleaning.  If I filled my shelves and walls, it would take me an hour just to dust.

My sister loves a lot of decorations.  She is a woman who can fill all twenty of her television cabinet shelves with decorations and it looks straight out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  It is unique, it is beautiful, but most importantly, it is clean.  Decorating is important to her, so for her it is worth the effort to spend a little extra time cleaning each piece.

Whether you prefer scarce decor or like to fill your shelves, you should always make sure you have the time to clean it.  If you find you cannot keep up with dusting all of your decorations, maybe it is time to put a few away for now.

So I challenge you today to look around your home.  Is there visible dust or build-up on any of your decorations?  If you can see it, others can see it.  Make a mental note to start cleaning your decorations or purging some nick-knacks from your shelves.  Remember, beauty is quickly stripped away when filth reigns.