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Decades ago, spring cleaning was a serious task. The homemaker, adorned in her housedress, apron, and feather duster—think June Cleaver, and you've got the picture—would clean and reorder the house from top to bottom, shaking out every rug, drapery, and slipcover.

Today with our busy lives, we're doing well if we can find time to clean out a sock drawer, let alone organize and sterilize our entire home. Surely in the big picture of life, dust balls don't really matter. But taking time to clean out and clean up our homes can do more than clear away the cobwebs. It can actually clear away some stress. Creating a home that's orderly and clean can bring a sense of calm and peace to our overloaded lives. And that can't help but enhance our marriages. So if you want to freshen up your home without frustrating your marriage, try these helpful hints.

Write down on your calendar what tasks you want to do and when. Break down the chores into realistic pieces so they don't become overwhelming. For example, if you want to clean and reorganize the garage, you might do one side on one Saturday, and the other side the next. Or tackle all the outdoor stuff (lawnmower, bikes, sports and camping equipment, gardening tools, etc.) one weekend, and all the indoor stuff (closets, drawers, cabinets) the next. Remember, God didn't create the world in one day. He did it one step at a time. If this is your first year to do a spring cleaning, just tackle a few jobs that are frustrating you the most.

We each come into marriage with different role models, personalities, and priorities. Talk with your spouse about the homes you grew up in and what your expectations are for a comfortable, clean home. I know a couple whose marriage didn't survive in part because of their differing home priorities. The husband had expectations of coming home to a house similar to the one in which he was raised—clean and orderly. And the wife grew up in more of a disorganized, "tidy-challenged" home, so she didn't understand his need for orderliness. Rather than communicating their frustrations and being solution-centered, they bottled it in and the marriage unfortunately dissolved.

Which partner can tackle a "to-do" list faster than a speeding bullet, getting things done in a reasonable order, even if they're not perfect? And which of you is more detail-oriented, painstakingly laboring over every part of the process, such as getting out the brass polish before putting that candle holder back in its proper place? In most marriages, there's one partner who can get more done faster and another partner who gets less done but will do an immaculate job. We need each other.

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