Clean Freaks Come Clean

After reading my post, How Do You Know You’re a Clean Freak?, a reporter from a lifestyle magazine called me for more clarification on what it means to be a clean freak today.

The following is the gist of what I told the reporter.

First and foremost, being a clean freak is no longer considered a negative or derogatory thing. In the past decade, the term has taken on a broader appeal. Where once it might have been reserved for extreme cleanliness, even up to the point of a disorder, today it describes a broader population of people who want clean, healthy, bad-germ-free homes.

I described clean freaks as having 3 Cs: calmness, comfort, and confidence. To clarify further, today’s clean freaks are:

1. Calmer (physically) in environments that are clean and uncluttered
2. Confident in their cleanicity; so much so that friends, family, and neighbors dropping by on a moment’s notice is met with poise (instead of a mad dash to clean up the clutter)
3. Comfortable with who they are; they take pride in being called a clean freak and often have a good sense of humor about it

 The old definition of “someone who cleans all the time” isn’t valid any longer. You don’t have to spend your daylight hours cleaning to have the desire for a clean, healthy home. And, often, cleaning is the ends to a mean. I’ve met very few clean freaks who “live to clean,” but rather clean to achieve their desired cleanicity, which makes them comfortable and happy.

Given the above definition, are you a clean freak?