Chase The Kangaroo

Cleanliness: The Order of the Outer and Inner Life

“Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

Historical and Philosophical Context

Franklin’s tenth virtue, Cleanliness, appears almost quaint today—less moral, more practical. Yet to Franklin, it was deeply moral. His list of virtues moved gradually from the appetites (Temperance) through the intellect (Sincerity) toward the habits of daily life. Cleanliness stood as a visible reflection of invisible order.

In eighteenth-century Philadelphia, hygiene was both rare and revolutionary. Public sanitation was minimal; disease was common. Franklin saw that external order reinforced internal virtue. To live cleanly was to live attentively—to refuse neglect, filth, and sloth.

Philosophically, Cleanliness is kin to what Aristotle might call katharsis, a purifying of life. In Stoic thought, the body and surroundings mirror the state of the soul. Epictetus advised that one’s dress, dwelling, and speech should each “become the person within.” Christian tradition echoed the same idea: “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51). The inner and outer cannot be separated for long.

Franklin’s Intent

Franklin did not preach vanity or perfectionism. His journals show that Cleanliness was for him a matter of discipline, not display. He believed that the habit of caring for one’s environment—body, clothes, and habitation—trained a mind toward care in all things. A cluttered desk, he noted, led easily to a cluttered mind.

The virtue was therefore less about scrubbing floors than about stewardship. Franklin saw life as a laboratory of order. To keep one’s surroundings in good condition was to honor the life one had been given.

Stoic and Christian Parallels

• Stoic: Cleanliness as autarkeia, self-command expressed through order and simplicity. Marcus Aurelius wrote, “Let your bath, your bed, and your clothes be clean, not for show, but for your own dignity.”
  
• Christian: Cleanliness as sanctification—the outer act mirroring the inner renewal. Monastic communities practiced daily cleaning and care for tools, robes, and living quarters as a form of devotion. Labor itself was prayer.
  
• Modern Psychology: The link between physical clutter and cognitive overload is well-documented. Cleanliness restores focus, reduces anxiety, and gives the mind room to think clearly.

Modern Relevance

Cleanliness today can mean clarity. It is not sterile minimalism or Pinterest tidiness, but the deliberate cultivation of spaces that help the soul breathe.

To live cleanly is to live intentionally. It is to know what belongs in your day and what does not; to keep your body healthy, your surroundings ordered, and your habits free of decay. Cleanliness, rightly understood, is an act of reverence.

A Week With The Virtue

This week, I found that truth unfolding through practice. Each small act of order brought a sense of relief, as though a hidden weight had lifted. When I clear a space, I can relax, think clearly, and create freely. Neglected tasks demand energy to keep ignoring them. Once they are done, that energy is released and redirected toward what truly matters.

Cleanliness extended beyond my surroundings. Caring for my body—moving, resting, nourishing—became its own form of attentiveness. We were created to move, and when we do, mood and focus improve. In that rhythm, I rediscovered what Franklin called stewardship: tending the vessel so that the mind and spirit can remain clear.

By midweek, the virtue took on moral weight. Taking care of what I already own, rather than replacing it, became an act of gratitude. We live in a culture where almost everything feels expendable. If something breaks, we replace it. But that attitude leaves little room for gratitude or stewardship. Cleanliness, then, is not consumerism’s cousin—it’s its counterpoint.

The focus soon turned inward, toward mental and moral clarity. When the mind is cluttered with ungoverned thoughts, peace cannot stay. As Paul wrote, “We take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Cleanliness of thought means staying present and engaged in real life, refusing to let worry or resentment spiral unchecked. It means paying attention to what I allow to live rent-free in my mind.

I’ve been practicing that through the Pause app by John Eldredge, repeating the prayer, “Jesus, I give everyone and everything to You.” It’s a daily act of release—a cleansing of heart and spirit. Transparency before God and others has brought a lightness I didn’t realize I’d lost. Hiding is exhausting; honesty is renewal.

By week’s end, the practice revealed a larger truth. Cleanliness isn’t about perfection or control. It’s about care—about honoring the life entrusted to me. It reaches back to Franklin’s earlier virtue of Order: order in physical spaces, order in thought, order in relationship, order in spirit. Cleanliness is order made visible; gratitude lived out.

Examples in Practice

• Outer Order: Clearing clutter brought relief and renewed focus. Each act of tidiness became an act of peace.
• Body and Movement: Daily movement improved mood and sharpened focus, proving that the body’s vitality shapes the mind’s clarity.
• Stewardship: Repairing or maintaining what I already own became gratitude in motion—a quiet resistance to disposability.
• Moral Clarity: Taking thoughts captive preserved presence and peace, echoing Franklin’s belief that order begins within.
• Transparency: Practicing daily surrender through prayer cleared emotional residue and restored lightness.
• Beauty and Simplicity: Clean space fostered creativity and ease, proof that order and beauty are kin.
• Gratitude: Recognizing order across body, mind, and relationships tied the week’s lessons back to Franklin’s larger vision of harmony.

Developing the Virtue

1. Begin Small. Clear one space each morning. External order steadies internal focus.
2. Move Daily. Treat movement as maintenance of both body and mind.
3. Practice Stewardship. Repair what can be mended. Gratitude grows through care.
4. Clean Thought. Notice what thoughts you entertain; release those that cloud peace.
5. Confess Quickly. Transparency before God and others renews the heart.
6. Notice Beauty. Simplicity invites creativity; clean spaces invite stillness.
7. End with Thanks. Gratitude keeps order from becoming control.

Practical Focus Map

Aspect	Practice	Reflection
Space	Tidy one area completely; keep it clear for 24 hours.	How does visible order affect your focus and calm?
Body	Move intentionally each day—walk, stretch, or train.	How does movement shape your energy and perspective?
Stewardship	Repair or maintain something rather than replace it.	What does care teach you about gratitude?
Mind	Identify one recurring negative thought and release it.	What happens when you refuse to let it linger?
Heart	Confess or reconcile one hidden strain with someone or with God.	How does transparency change your sense of peace?
Beauty	Simplify one corner of your environment; make it restful.	What kind of creativity emerges from simplicity?
Gratitude	End each day naming three things well-kept or restored.	How does gratitude sustain attentiveness?

Cleanliness: The Art of Care

Cleanliness, at its best, is the quiet practice of care. It transforms obligation into offering, restoring balance between the outer and inner life. The act of cleaning, mending, and tending becomes a daily liturgy—a way to live gratefully in the world.

Franklin’s virtue invites us to see that a clean environment, a clear mind, and an honest heart are not separate goals but one expression of order. Each restores dignity to the ordinary. Cleanliness teaches that life itself is sacred space, and stewardship is how we honor it.

Reflection for the Week Ahead

Let this week be a quiet return to order. Choose one small space, one thought, or one habit to clear, and notice how gratitude grows in the room that remains. Cleanliness is the art of tending what you’ve been given so that peace has somewhere to live.

Franklin’s Virtues