Alexandria ~ Fergus Falls ~ Perham
Created by ewmlloyd on www.flickr.com
If your line of thinking is: “I can do it myself!” yet a “to do” list from last year still isn’t completed, you MAY need a housework fairy.
Skip your misplaced guilt & hire it done. Just because you know how to clean doesn’t mean it’s the best use of your time.
white terrycloth towel, originally uploaded by źéń.
Common home cleaning cloths are paper towels, yet they can fall apart before the job is done. Terrycloth rags are best for an efficient job, are re-usable, help keep our landfills from overflowing and cost less than 60 cents each. Check cleaning supply aisles where you shop. You’ll pay less for them than in the kitchen aisle.
Mex035D.JPG, originally uploaded by indigo56524.
Diane cleaning new dorm rooms at the Rio Bravo Mission Orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico during Christmas vacation ‘06.
This orphanage was literally created from real estate used as a dump & was donated by Reynosa’s Mayor in the early 90’s. Several years of volunteer work by church groups were required to clean out trash heaps. The orphanage is a haven for abandoned or abused children where they live with house parents, go to school, learn English and are given great amounts of love.
evidence removal squad, originally uploaded by sgoralnick.
A full-time homemaker once told me she always looked forward to cleaning her house as it gave her more time with friends. How could this be?? She and two friends cleaned at each others homes weekly. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings were spent together instead of each dreading isolation while family members were at school or work.
Washing stored patio furniture (or any large/messy job) can quickly make your bucket of cleaning water saturated with soil. To save unnecessary trips for fresh water, start with all the right tools: a bundle of terry cloth cleaning towels, a bucket of water with soap and a second, empty bucket. The first bucket is for wetting clean towels; the second is to hold soiled towels.
Wet and use each towel only once for very dirty tasks. Don’t bother rinsing them to use on this job again. When you are finished, throw the soiled towels into your washer with detergent and bleach. (They’ll need to be washed in a separate load from clothing or bath towels.) Let the machine do those rinsing and ringing steps for you.
This system uses less water, less soap but more towels. I usually wait to launder them until there is a full load as the disinfectant keeps them from smelling and there is no rush to use energy washing just a few cloths.
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chefranden/115106583/
“If I can do it with one arm, you can do it with two.”
Growing up in a family of 9 meant organization or anarchy. My mother, with the use of only ONE arm due to polio, had the cleanest home in the neighborhood. How? She had a Saturday morning cleaning list and no TV, friends or playtime was allowed until it was completed. We were taught that as a family each member must contribute for the good of all. Each of us wrote our name next to a small, medium and larger task so everyone knew who was responsible for a great job done or who was called back if it needed a touch-up. There were no gender-specific jobs: boys washed dishes and learned to sew, girls mowed lawn and cleaned the garage.
, originally uploaded by heatherparker.
As women’s time has become more valuable in economic terms (job), their unpaid work (housework) has been devalued. “Women do less of it, and men don’t pick up as much as women drop,” says Professor Godbey of Penn State who studies leisure time at the College of Health and Human Development.
The average American woman now spends about 11 fewer hours each week on home-related chores than she did in 1965 while the average man spends about five hours more than he did. (Housework includes dishes & laundry as well as outside work such as raking & mowing.) The math: six fewer hours spent weekly or 312 fewer hours annually.
Over the same period, the average American home size has grown substantially. There is more space to clean and less time spent doing it.
Are homes dirtier than they used to be? Godbey is not sure but he noted sales of cleaning products have remained flat while sales of plug-in deodorizers and scented candles have increased dramatically.
As Americans have become starved for time, too exhausted to keep up with our chores, we are drowning in clutter. We have too much stuff and don’t throw – or give – anything away. As a result, homes have become more private spaces. But what tail is wagging what dog? Are we not inviting people in because our houses are dirty or are our houses dirty because we’re not inviting people in?
With a little planning, homecoming can again be calm after the storm of a stressful work day. A few tips: -Replace your shower head with a hand-held type. Cleaning and then rinsing the tub/shower will be easier.
-Is your desktop overflowing? Scoop piles of paperwork into a large box. Now take file folders and your favorite movie into the living room to enjoy guilt-free couch time while you sort.
Amazing Graffiti by Banksy close to the Roundhouse – Camden Town, originally uploaded by canonsnapper.
This artist, Banksy, (http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/horizontal_1.htm)leaves whimsical graffiti art. His site is a little slow loading but worth the wait.
My cleaning attire is not this formal – but then, I won’t take short cuts as she appears to be doing.
Apparently a clean house is important to the French Government. A blog I enjoy is created by Amy, an American living in France. Below is her description of it:
“Laurent (Versaillais) and Amy (Alabamian) move to the French countryside from New York City to start a new life with their babies Max & Lucia and big red dog Ella.”
Click the link below to read her story of taxpayer dollars used for cleaning her home. Someday in America?
http://chitlinsandcamembert.blogspot.com/2007/05/spotless.html
cleaning_house_sept06 006, originally uploaded by martapiqs.
Photo found on flickr.com. Your home may not be a Berkely, California apartment housing several roommates but we all have messes at times.
Surfing flickr.com will de-stress you after a hard day. Click here: http://www.flickr.com/explore/ After that, email me for even more stress relief by scheduling your first of many house cleanings.
