So. Cleaning.
Not my most favorite activity. Yes, I know it needs to be done, and I try to keep up, but it is very much an uphill battle. I’m usually busy taking care of the wife and dogs and cleaning up the many messes they make. (The day just isn’t right if I’m not cleaning up pee, poop, or vomit). But for overall general cleaning, I’m not the best.
The wife says I’m messy. I like to think of it as living in organized chaos. If I put something down, even if it’s in a pile, I know where it is. I can come back to get it. Unless someone else moves it, then it’s as good as lost for the ages. Yes, I have piles of things all over, but they are messy, not necessarily dirty.
The wife decided that we needed some help with household cleaning. She got in touch with a lady who could help through our church. She came by last night to get a idea of what she is facing, then came back today to get started.
Before she got here I had to do the “pre-cleaning”, you know, the straightening up so the cleaning lady doesn’t think we’re really as bad as we are.
And I admit, if I got rid of a lot of the shtuff I have in piles everywhere, the cleaning lady would have an easier time and be able to get more actual cleaning done. I usually have ulterior purposes for collecting the things I do, mainly creative pursuits and making things. I’ve got things I want to make, like converting plastic bags into a Tyvek sort of material to make a canvas. You can also turn them into rope. Cardboard boxes can be turned into building material to make furniture, or for papier-mâché projects.
Anyway, I collected up most of the plastic bags and boxes and got rid of them. I’ve got enough stored away to make a good start on my projects, and I can get more later if I need it. I also got rid of some old receipts that were cluttering things up. I did the dishes and emptied out the sink. I do them on a daily basis anyway, but this got them out of the way. I also put away all the pots and pans.
I wiped off the crumbs and things on the counters.
Things were not perfect, but much better and decluttered enough to make it easier for the cleaning lady to do her job.
She got here, and after saying hello to the dogs, she got to work. The dogs really liked her. Major Tom and Sirocco jumped on the couch to get up in her face, and Magdalena sat directly in front of her and leaned in.
She tackled the cabinets. She got them more organized and was able to get a lot of stuff that remained on the counters (because I couldn’t get them in the cabinets) put away, which made the counter tops much easier to deal with. I made sure I knew where she moved everything so I could find it again. If you move something in my environment and I know where you moved it to, I can at least update my mental map with the new location so I can find the thing again. She also got started on he stove and oven, as well as cleaning up a few older pans that were stored away and dusty.
She had to leave to head to another job (she got to our house later than she expected) but she made a very good start on the kitchen. She’ll have to finish the next time she visits, as well as getting to other parts of the house.
For now though, I’m going to try to keep up with the kitchen in keeping it cleaner. Maintenance is easier in the long run than the initial effort to clean things, at least if you actually do it and keep it up. Although, I’m beginning to see the wisdom in a minimalist lifestyle, as the step-kids have adopted. Much easier to keep clean.
I hope all is clean and organized in your realm, my Hordeling.
If you’d like to support my efforts, why not buy me a chocolate chip cookie through my Ko-Fi page? https://ko-fi.com/jhusum