World's Cleanest Bathroom

Listen to Blog Post

My apartment building has a cleanliness problem. The stairwells are filthy. The hallway carpets have stains. The elevator has a new spill AND a new smell every day. The refuse room is stacked with bags of trash due to a broken garbage compactor. It’s disgusting!

The building manager told us the garbage compactor was finally fixed. She told us to not leave garbage in the refuse rooms and to use the garbage chutes instead. She threatened all of us by stating “we have cameras and can see who’s leaving their trash.”

The way she handled this got me thinking.

When things are broken, dirty and smelly, it’s easy to keep adding to it. “What’s one more bag of garbage?” “What’s one more spill or stain? It’s gross already.”

It’s the same with our minds, self-talk, and attitudes.

If we allow negative thoughts and self-doubt into our minds, the trash starts to pile up. “What’s one more negative statement about myself? I already suck”

And if in response to this garbage filled mind, we start to judge and shame it – where does that get us? It doesn’t clean up our thinking. Alas – it probably brings on MORE garbage and self-doubt. “I’m such an idiot for judging myself so much!”

It made me think of when I was on a walk with my friend. We stopped so he could use a public restroom. He came out stunned and said, “That is the CLEANEST bathroom I have ever been in.”

Well, now I was curious, so I went into the women’s restroom to check it out. I was blown away. Not a single scrap of tissue was on the floor. No hairballs in the corners. No water spills on the counters. It made me WANT to keep it that clean. I actually wiped the counter down after washing my hands to ensure I didn’t leave any water droplets. It was breathtaking.

Back to my building manager’s handling of this garbage issue. If the building were well-maintained (no broken garbage chutes, no trash piling up) and it were kept clean (mopped, vacuumed, stain-free floors), I wonder how many residents would start to feel good about where they live. I wonder if more of us would WANT to do our part to keep it clean.

If we see that our minds are filled with garbage self-talk and negative thoughts, don’t judge. Don’t shame. Simply take a paper towel and wipe the counter. Soon it will be sparkling once again.

Now go take out the garbage.