Waiting for Mr. Clean
To make a long story short, it has been possibly seven years
since there was a decent cleanup around here. Recently embarked upon a journey
to redress this sin for a visit by an old friend, and there are surely lessons
learned:
No matter
what you thought there is a lot more stuff to throw out. Every room, every
closet, every drawer and shelf have 40% stuff that it makes no sense to keep
and get out all manner of crud that requires cleaning. Throw it out.
Then throw out another 20%.
Once you
start you are trapped into finishing. One clean area adjacent to a cruddy area
is unacceptable and you are intimidated to keep going.
No
housekeeper will come near the place until it is already cleaned. I have had friends and their mothers run
laughing……
Painting
over dirt is not possible. You still
have to clean first. And then the
painting merely reveals how filthy the unpainted areas are. You cannot
partially paint.
Many
things are easier to replace than clean.
Toasters, coffee makers, some rugs, lamp shades, and houseplants need
more than a revitalization….they need a deep six.
Some
cleaning is simply awful and has to be done as in ‘taking castor oil’. Ceiling fans top the list, but screen
door/storm doors and the thresholds are tedious. Appliances (damn that
Cuisinart) are better tucked out of sight.
So we are getting there…it will be easier now with no
daylight. Might even consider dusting…..
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