The Tao of Ben Franklin-#10 Cleanliness

Virtue #10: Cleanliness “Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.”

Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian doctor working in Vienna General Hospital, is known as the father of hand hygiene. In 1846, he noticed that the women giving birth in the medical student/doctor-run maternity ward in his hospital were much more likely to develop a fever and die compared to the women giving birth in the adjacent midwife-run maternity ward. He decided to investigate, seeking differences between the two wards. He noticed that doctors and medical students often visited the maternity ward directly after performing an autopsy. Based on this observation, he developed a theory that those performing autopsies got ‘cadaverous particles’ on their hands, which they then carried from the autopsy room into the maternity ward. Midwives did not conduct surgery or autopsies, so they were not exposed to these particles.

As a result, Semmelweis imposed a new rule mandating handwashing with chlorine for doctors. The rates of death in his maternity ward fell dramatically. This was the first proof that cleansing hands could prevent infection. However, the innovation was not popular with everyone:  some doctors were disgruntled that Semmelweis was implying that they were to blame for the deaths and they stopped washing their hands, arguing in support of the prevailing notion at that time that water was the potential cause of disease. Semmelweis tried to persuade other doctors in European hospitals of the benefits of handwashing, but to no avail.

In fact Semmelwies was all but shunned from the medical profession for years. 

We often think of cleanliness as a virtue. There’s even a saying, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” This is not in the Bible by the way. There are benefits beyond general hygiene to being clean.

Being clean makes you feel better about yourself. There’s something about being clean and fresh. Personally, I like the act of self-care being very clean provides. I’m actually a bit of a diva when I bathe. I pull out the luffa sponge, the salt scrub, I have this random device that allows me to massage my shampoo into my hair. It’s a whole ordeal. However, I look at it like taking care of the most precious thing I have in my possession to do life; my body. I need to take care of it. I always tell business owners when I’m coaching them to take care of their body. It’s the most valuable piece of business equipment you own, and it’s the only one that goes with you everywhere you go.

Cleanliness like good health is a signal of self discipline. How you take care of yourself physically is reflective of how you take care of other matters. Here’s another thing. You don’t have to be wealthy to be clean. Ben Franklin was well off. However, the poorest person can be clean.

Here’s another aspect of cleanliness I don’t think gets enough attention. Though I don’t think it’s what Franklin had in mind, I think it’s worth mentioning. A clean mind is a healthy and more productive mind. To be healthy we try to “eat clean.” We should also consume clean intellectual content.

We should be cautious about the music we listen to, the books we read, the social media we consume. The longer we listen to filth or wrong headed thinking the more numb we become to it. This is dangerous. James Allen famously said, “As a man thinketh so he is.” The mental pictures, words and messages we consume have a profound impact on our thoughts. 

What we put in our mind sticks. It’s either going to dirty up or clean up our thoughts. Proverbs 4:23 reads, “More than anything guard your mind, for life flows from it.” There is so much dirty noise in the world to read, watch and absorb. It is imperative that we keep a clean and tidy mind.

There is absolutely a mental aspect to being clean. Cleanliness can re-energize us. One of my favorite scenes from the classic film, ‘The Hustler’ is when Paul Newman’s character, the young cocky billiard player, Eddie Felson is playing a marathon match with Minnesota Fats played by Jacki Gleason. 

Eddie was amazing. He was a virtuoso pool player. He was one of few people on earth who actually had the talent to beat Fats. However, he didn’t take care of himself. Throughout the match he was drinking hard. 

Finally, in the early hours of the morning after the two of them had been going for what seemed like an eternity, they took a break. Fats went to the bathroom. He washed his face, straightened tie, brushed his hair and came back looking fresh and ready to finish Eddie off. That’s exactly what he did.

Washing your face, straightening your tie, tucking in your shirt, washing your hands it all sends a signal to your brain that you are prepared. You're put together. You’re ready. 

What about where you live? Is it clean? I don’t know about you, but when I visit someone who lives in a house that is filthy it just makes me look at them differently. It says something about one’s personal dignity. I’ve said before, I have a problem listening to a fat preacher. I have a problem spending time in a dirty house.

Franklin wisely includes habitation in this virtue because where we live is equally important to what we wear. There’s something artificial about a person who in personal appearance is sterile and well put together but then you find they live in utter squalor. This makes them seem phony. Are they someone who only appears clean on the outside but is really filthy inside? 

Keeping your home clean and tidy is good for your physical and mental wellbeing - or so the science says.

A 2010 study by researchers at the University of California used software to analyze how 30 cohabiting couples talked about their homes. Those describing their living spaces as “cluttered” or complained of “unfinished projects” were more likely to be suffering from depression and fatigue than those who described their homes as “restful” and “restorative.” It was also found that those living in cluttered environments displayed higher levels of cortisol, a hormone that’s released into a person’s blood from their adrenal gland, often in response to stress.

In their 2011 study, researchers at Princeton University concluded that a cluttered environment makes it more difficult to focus on a specific task due to a person’s visual cortex being overwhelmed by all the task-irrelevant objects in the room.

A 2014 study published in the journal Mindfulness found that participants who took part in ‘mindfully’ washing the dishes reported a 27% reduction in nervousness, along with a 25% improvement in ‘mental inspiration’. Mindfully washing the dishes means to do so contemplatively, by inhaling the scent of the dishwashing liquid and enjoying the sensation of warm water on your hands.

So it’s worth considering how you go about cleaning your home, as different approaches may lead to different outcomes. A more energetic clean may be more beneficial to your physical health, while a meditative approach could benefit your mental wellbeing.

Keeping a clean habitation will lower stress, and serve as a constant reminder we don’t allow filth and disorder in our lives. Life is messy enough as it is. Having a neat and tidy habitat gives us the sense that while much of life around us is uncontrollable there is a world closest to us we can keep clean and orderly. 

On a final personal note. My maternal grandfather was not a wealthy man. He became the head of his household at the age of 11 during the great depression. He left school in the seventh grade. By all accounts he was nothing exceptional. However, he was as clean  as a whistle. I don’t think I ever saw him with a hair out of place or wrinkled clothes. 

My paternal  great grandfather on the other hand worked his way up to become very wealthy. Once he did, he took his appearance very seriously. I remember long after he retired he would still wear a suit every day. When I would go to see him, I always greeted him with a handshake. He was a man to be respected.

There was a great chasm between these two men financially. However, when it came to cleanliness they were on equal footing. Both employed this virtue mightily. While one was rich and clean the other was simply clean. Both were respected and projected self dignity.

Life’s a game folks. Keep it clean.