Okay, some not so deep. But sometimes a muse comes upon and the immenseness of the thoughts must be preserved
The Tidy Nest-Part 2
I refer yon reader to part 1of this missive where The Wise I illustrates, using the birds of my backyard, why the male of most species cannot be charged with designing and maintaining the nest, such as it may be.
Now I ask that sweet Kaityn, as well as yon reader, pay attention to the cleaning wisdom about to blossom before amazed eyes.
There will be no espousal of particular cleaning products as there are no such advertisers on the Blog. Although some cleaning products might deserve mention but only if Grandmother has uses it, approves it, and recommends same to sweet Granddaughter. Not, understand, based on advertising revenues and not the sort of gentle cleaning advice one might receive from the more dignified ladies’ magazine journals.
Because first thing, Kaitlyn Mae, before beginning any plan as regards regular cleaning and maintenance of any living abode, there should be a distinct plan. Which should start before the purchase and placement of any objects, either useful or decorative, in the living areas.
What I’m saying here is that certain objects and designs tend to attract dust and dirt more than others not to mention their very placement in the house can affect future effort as concerns the time spent cleaning them.
Dried flowers, for instance, or those ubiquitous twiggy things so popular with the decorators, are magnets for any dust or debris floating in the air. Which is not to disdain these objects if one so admires, but adapt a proper cleaning attitude about these things before any impromptu purchase.
Grandmother has learned this lesson the hard way throughout her years. There was a time when I loved froufrou and gadgets spread across the walls or placed artfully on the coffee tables. I would always choose the most scrolled or decorative handles of course as part of the wooden curlicued furniture I tended to be drawn to. With the purchase of my more modern home and after a thirteen year stint in the Adams Family house, I applied my hard-earned lessons that I not spend my nights and weekends Q-tips in hand to remove the grease and dust from the nooks and crannies of my elegantly carved furniture.
As a result my new home, one that also required an almost full house purchase of new furniture that old junk not be transported across state lines, has taken on a more sleek and lean look of late.
Not that it was my choice to eschew any sort of knob on the kitchen cabinets as the previous owners built the place to their personal specifications without consulting with me. But if I had any advice to give to any young women with a choice about such things, I’d always recommend elimination of knobs on the kitchen cabinets.
Now Grandmother understands that specific sensibilities would require proper knobs on the kitchen cabinets so this is where that attitude thing kicks in. Because nothing gathers greasy dust more than the knobs on the kitchen cabinets and if one has a choice and if one so chooses, be prepared to spend many minutes each week delicately cleaning the objects.
Same rule applies given any choice in the building and decorating of the abode. Give the time required to clean the object equal weight with the decorative or practical value of the object. After such thought, adjust the attitude to match the choice so equitably made.
Froufrou requires more cleaning attention, Kaitlyn Mae, and there’s no easier way to put it.
Yes Grandmother has seen many elegant houses in the rotogravure and on the home decorating shows. Grand vases sit proudly sprouting pussy willow branches, gleaming white rugs embrace handsomely polished hardwood floors and fine collections line perfectly polished shelves.
These people have someone come in and clean for them, Kaitlyn Mae. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but it’s a foregone conclusion that the more space in the house, the more area to clean and the more froufrou the more dust and dirt all about. Anyone with five thousand square foot of living space can afford cleaning help is what I’m saying here.
Most of us clean our own homes and most times it’s the female in charge of such a thing. Thus by including cleaning needs as consideration before all purchase and placement, some of the cleaning tasks can be avoided in the future.
Now we must come up with a cleaning plan, Kaitlyn Mae, and the plan should consider all things to include time budget allowed for such tasks, sensibilities offended by certain sorts of dirt and clutter and , well, just how clean do you want it?
Grandmother doesn’t consider the cleaning task all that much fun although, like most women, when the dirt starts to shout and scream too much then such as wiping and mopping are much like finally waging a much needed war.
Once a month, I decided, one entire day could be devoted to cleaning and the task could be effectively completed.
While I liked the idea of doing all cleaning task in one day of the month to have about 30 other days to do important things like compose my Blog, this scenario didn’t work out for Grandmother.
Goodness, Kaitlyn, the mere fact that there are six cats and two dogs living in this house adds to the cleaning burden and keep this factoid in mind sweet Granddaughter before obtaining pets willy-nilly.
The floors kept filling with debris brought in from the dogs after their romp in the yard. The toilet bowls, even with the addition of vaunted blue and bleach chemicals, didn’t make it through the month without a distinct and ugly ring. And huge piles of cat hair would fall like black raindrops against the beige carpet defying another vacuum until the scheduled monthly time.
Still there was no dismay on Grandmother’s part. It took some time and thought, but Grandmother came up with a cleaning plan that kept her sensibilities unoffended while keeping time spent cleaning to a minimum. Every female should spend some time on such thought as the house will always get dusty again, the grease will land on the counter tops and the pets will shed endlessly unless they are all hairless.
Thus the bathrooms are now cleaned bi-weekly. The tile floors are swept thoroughly once a week and the vacuum runs through, also once a week.
During the monthly clean up, the vacuum also goes behind and under all furniture, the broom gets at the dust bunnies hidden under the dog feeding table and the rims under the toilets get a thorough cleaning along with the bowl. In other words, Kaitlyn, we get along with a lick and a promise until the time when we will more thoroughly clean those areas that can remain not quite so clean without offending our sensibilities.
But Grandmother took it further than this. Such as the ceiling fans tend to slice the dust right out of the air as they spin through the air. Cat litter pans, even though emptied daily, get yucky and icky given enough time. Light fixtures give off less light as the bulbs get coated with a thin layer of grease.
Thus we have quarterly cleaning sessions that require attention to these details along with the more mundane.
As for the cleaning products used, Kaitlyn, Grandmother has tried them all. To include magic erasing sponges, specially designed wands that would clean windows with a mere swipe and one cleaning product called, I’m not making this up, Mean Green.
All you need, Kaitlyn, is some ordinary household cleaning ammonia.
Okay, throw in a bottle of Windex but even then, in a pinch, the cleaning ammonia will do the trick.
Indeed, Grandmother buys cleaning ammonia by the gallon and has a slew of spray devices, some purchased for that purpose alone and one being that empty bottle of Mean Green. Fill the container up about 25% with the cleaning ammonia and fill the rest with plain tap water, Kaitlyn Mae.
Boom. Spray this mixture on anything requiring a removal of grease and dirt and wipe with a paper towel or wet rag.
Of course one must have a decent broom and dust pan. A handy feather duster is nice. A supply of clean rags, some scouring pads and plenty of paper towels. That’s it, Kaitlyn Mae. A decent vacuum and if you have pets and carpet, consider a carpet cleaning machine.
Forget the Endust thing. A naked feather duster does just as well and besides, if one dusts before vacuuming and sweeping, the dust from the furniture and fixtures will fall to the floor to be collected in vacuum bag or dust pan.. Oh, and get a dust pan with a long handle, Kaitlyn Mae. It’s one of the wisest investments you’ll ever make.
So there you have it, sweet Granddaughter. How to live your life with a plan for some semblance of cleanliness without sacrificing time and more desirable pursuits for the time spent cleaning.
Give some plan to the design and decor as regards the cleaning required. Calculate the amount of time the ceiling fan whirls until the accumulated dust on the blades stops it completely. Figure out your personal sensibilities and adjust cleaning time accordingly. Be skeptical of manufacturer claims of effortless cleaning should one use their product.
Come up with a scheme and a cleaning plan to match your lifestyle, Kaitlyn, then get on with your happening life.
MONDAY: It was a creative person who came up with this innovative web site of the week. Who knows, the scene enacted might possibly be the norm in Kaitlyn Mae’s adult life.
Be sure to review The Week Just Passed. President saves SS man, Dan Rather gone, and what is PEST?
Also, TV picks of the week, posted early in the day.
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