Ah, the sun has been shining here and that means that some of us are feeling the urge to get down on our hands and knees – and scrub the floors. We’re emptying long-closed cupboards, shuffling through old paperwork, and generally making a mess of the house before we make it look better. That’s right – we are spring cleaning.
I’ve discovered that there are a number of different sorts of housecleaners in this world. Normally I fall into the Avoid It Until Crisis style of housecleaning. This style of housecleaner does the bare minimum to get by. Sure, the laundry gets done and so do the dishes, because I’m not really a State of Perpetual Collapse type of housecleaner. The clutter even gets cleaned. That is, it gets cleaned until my daughter walks in the room again. However, I’m not usually one for good, deep scrubbing until the mood hits.
I am trying to convert myself into a different kind of housecleaner, one that I might call the Dutiful and Diligent house cleaner. This reminds me of my mother. She would spend several hours cleaning the house every weekend, and now I do too. I have a list. I scrub, I soak, I water, I sweep, and then I do it all over again the next weekend. I must admit that I am enjoying not reaching the crisis point and I am appreciating the shiny taps, although this system only works when my husband takes my daughter out to play soccer for a couple of hours.
There is also the Better Homes and Gardens sort of house cleaner. That type I only aspire to be. Perhaps I will become that house cleaner when I do not have a child at home, but I think that I may be too busy even then. I know a few people who have a gorgeous, very clean home. They do deep cleaning frequently. They have little clutter, and if they have it, their doodads are meticulously brushed. I am in awe of them. I am not one of them.
What sort of house cleaner are you?
Image courtesy of frequencia at Stock Exchange.