No Longer a Clean Freak
The guilt is creeping up. I can feel it. I’m supposed to be cleaning our house while our Guatemalan cleaning person is on maternity leave. When she offered up her friend in her absence, I said, “I’ll just do it myself while you are gone. Take as long as you want to recuperate.”
That was over 2 weeks ago and it is past time to start cleaning. I had this idea I would do the bathrooms one day, the kitchen the next, vacuum the downstairs next, etc. until it was all clean, and then of course start over again because it never stays clean.
But so far my only progress has been to buy some rubber gloves and all-purpose cleaner from CVS.
Granted I have had a few other things on my mind over the past week, but now it is all about making excuses. I think if I just did one thing it would at least seem like a start.
I’m embarrassed to say how long it has been since I cleaned a toilet, but I seriously doubt I have forgotten how to do it.
What I most hate about cleaning is no one ever really remarks about a spotless house. Instead they just tell your friends if your house is full of dog hair and the counters are dirty.
I’m hoping by the end of the week to report some progress...
posted by Barbara at 3:50 PM
16 Comments:
Here's what I do:
Set a date to have some friends over. You'll be sure to get it done by then! :)
Aileen -- How about August 9, want to come? But beware that my cleaning standards are slipping, so don't look under the furniture...
Good luck! There always seems to be a good reason not to clean, but I agree with Aileen. A deadline helps.
Kristin -- I'm pleased to report I just hunted down all the necessary bathroom cleaning supplies and I am about to get started. I love the smell of all those products!
I'm happy to report 2 bathrooms cleaned, including washing the rugs, bathmats, etc. I learned embarrassingly that we don't even own a toilet brush. But did I let that stop me? Absolutely not. An overall grade of maybe a B+. I'm glad this is not my regular job...
Sounds familiar and inviting peole over realy will motivate you. Glad all your tests were fine..I can't believe how fast you had all those lined up! It would take a lot longer here.
Still just doing the odd update post so I'm popping in to say HI!Posted some pics of the reno and others.
Take care!
MOI -- So good to hear from you! I just checked out your renovation and it is beautiful!
I just put the vacuum cleaner in the middle of the living room floor. That way if someone pops in it looks like they interrupted my cleaning....and, I don't look like such a sloth.
I spend all of my time outdoors now anyway...my yard is spotless.
Now, if the dogs will just brush themselves I'll be a happy camper.
Gewels -- I think positioning the vacuum cleaner in the middle of the floor is an excellent idea. It might even inspire me to occasionally turn it on. I've given up on the dog hair, especially this time of year. Your God-dog has a nasty ear infection, poor boy.
See, I love cleaning. Not toilets so much, though.
I'm not much of a cleaner... and since I've started this phd... well, things have gotten a little crunchy. The worst, in my opinion, is when I throw all the dishes from the studio into a box so I can run them through the dishwasher in the weekend house!
AUGH! Luckily I will have a few weeks to get both places back to a more sanitary situation. -K
mY ONLY REDEEMABLE DOMESTIC VIRTUE IS THAT i DO CLEAN THE tOILET (excuse me) once a week whether it needs it or not. Of course with us guys it always needs it...especially with me because I am blind as a bat and when i get up at 3am, the odds of me hitting the toilet are about 10-1. sometimes I think I should just piss in the tub...
BUT I DON"T!
hell, i'd probably miss that too!
Best suggestion is like aileen says...have some friends over.
HEY BARB!
Kelly -- I'm sure many things in your life underwent a change as you committed to a phd program. You would never earn a phd in housekeeping even if your house was thoroughly cleaned once a week, so I think you got your priorities straight.
Steve -- You crack me up! I'm glad I didn't have to clean your toilet yesterday YUCK!
You were right about just starting one job and getting your inspiration going from there. I leave the vacuum in the middle of the floor, too - spiders are EVERYWHERE except outdoors where they belong so I am constantly in a state of, "OMG there's ANOTHER one!" Having the vacuum handy keeps me feeling safer and looking, as gewels said, as though my cleaning has just been interrupted. Which in a sense, it has, because when I'm not at work I'm out of doors (I wonder if the spiders feel equally vehemently about my trespassing).
Pauline -- Do you really suck up a spider with the vacuum? I would get hopelessly lost in trapping them and releasing them outside. I have trouble killing most anything but mosquitoes!
I can tell you myself - my house is full of dog hair (but the counters are clean).
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