Housecleaning: Do You Do Your Own?
Since retirement and lack of funds, I can no longer afford a housekeeper, so I now get the honor of cleaning my own home. It is still not my favorite chore. I would rather mop floors than to dust!
Fallen behind
I had fallen behind on this duty so I begun to mentally prepare myself. (Yes, I have to prime myself to get ready.)
Baths & Master Bedroom
First, I cleaned and sanitized both bathrooms. Once finished with the Master Bath, I tackled the Master Bedroom. I dusted everything (Thank God for Swiffer Dusters) from top to the baseboards and cleaned the windows – inside only. Next came the carpets. Upon retrieving the trusty vacuum cleaner from the closet, I checked and the bag was full. I removed the bag, deposited it in the trash and set out to install a new one. There were no new ones! I looked everywhere and found none.
Not wanting to make the 1- Ã?½ hour round trip to town and back, I had a thought. I would use the “shop vac” to hit the top for now. So….I proceeded with the shop vac. Then I had another thought – since the vac had such good suction, why not vacuum under the bed and around the carpet edges? Good job! Once that was done I could not leave the walk-in-closet, so out everything came from the floor. By this time, you get the full picture. Having returned to the closet only the usable items, that was enough for one day.
Office and quest bedroom
The next day I tackled the office. (The most neglected room in the house) I did not do the filing, just stacked it up for another day and continued cleaning. I dusted, moved furniture, mopped the floors and even shook the computer keyboard upside down. It is amazing what comes out of there!
From the office I moved to the Guest Bedroom which is easy since it only needed to be dusted. (I had not gotten the new vacuum cleaner bags yet.) I refuse to allow it to become a storage room so there is no clutter. I hate clutter. Down the hall is mostly dusting and washing baseboards and floors. Enough for this day.
Break day
Since I needed to go to town for groceries and vacuum cleaner bags, the following day was spent doing those chores. My husband went into town with me and we ate lunch while there. I needed a rest anyway.
Living Room
After vacuuming the carpets with the new bag, the next day I cleaned the living room. It alone is a one-day job since it is big and includes a fireplace. Dusting from top to bottom, moving furniture and cleaning floors as well as “sticky rollers” to remove pet hair from the furniture (one more time) is enough for one day. The huge display cabinet with all the collectibles will have to wait for another time – I am getting tired.
The Kitchen and Utility Room
Finally, the last rooms. Thankfully I prefer a minimalistic approach to accessories so there are not a lot of items to be taken down from the plate rail to be washed. The counter tops are already clean so surface dusting is all that is needed, plus the floors. With a large “ranch style” kitchen that in itself is a big job.
Over the years I have used numerous products and purchased “tools” for cleaning wood floors. Nothing works better than an old fashioned string mop and water with some Windex added. It cleans, sanitizes and leaves no streaks, providing the mop is rinsed often.
The utility room is a room and here is where the clutter accumulates, so the first order is to dispose of the clutter. Then surface dusting, Windex the appliances, mop floors and it is done.
The last odds and ends
Sometime in the next four days I will oil furniture. We have many wooden furniture pieces and the chore of oiling the furniture, although not difficult, takes a lot of time. I have furniture that my father made before he died so I lovingly care for the wood. Cleaning inside the cabinets is for a rainy day or two.
Outside – that’s what it is all about
When all this is done, you will find me outside tending to the flower beds – which is where I want to be! Do I feel envy from someone? Good…..my work is done…..all because of a vacuum cleaner bag.
