What kind of need does cleaning meet?

The last time I cleaned I decided to clean out my whole room. This included dusting, doing my washing, putting things away where they belonged, and vacuuming. I started by gathering up all my dirty clothes and putting them into the washing machine. While that was going I started on the dusting. I began with the shelves, then my draws, my desk and finally my bed side table. While I was doing the dusting I picked up things that needed to be put away especially around my desk where I had all my school books and paper around that needed to be sorted out. I make my bed every morning once I get up so that was one thing I didn’t have to worry about. Once everything was cleaned I had to vacuum the floor because I don’t vacuum my floor that often and it really needed a clean. Once my room was done the washing machine was finished so I had to hang up that on the drying rack as it wasn’t going to get dry on the washing line outside.

The first need cleaning has for me is time to myself. Having time to myself is important because otherwise I start to get tired and grumpy. Although I am not always alone when I clean most of the time I am as I only clean with my flat mates when we are all cleaning the whole flat. This time to myself gives me the chance to think about things while I am cleaning, it gives me the chance to relax, the chance to turn my music up loud and just sing along, it also gives me the chance to forget about my school work or get away from the flat mates for a while. 

“Humans are characterised by an intense need to do things...Humans doing exists in the framework of time. Humans are moved to occupy time with the things they do. This doing marks time’s passing and fills the present” (Kielhofner, 2008).  This brings up my second need for cleaning. I have a need to do things otherwise I feel as though I have wasted my time and not gone anywhere. I am able to sit and watch tv but this is only for a while as I get bored and start feeling like I should be doing something else.

References:

Kielhofner, G. (2008). Model of Human Occupation: theory and application. Baltimore. MD: Lippincott. Williams and Wilkins.