Confessions of a Clean Freak

    

The back patio is cleaned up, an ongoing task.
That's because most debris comes from bird feeders, seen at top left.

   The full moon shined brightly out back as I softly padded down the stairs, trying not to trip although it's pitch dark. My task is to open the dishwasher that had finished its cycle.

   I opened it, pulled out the shelves and shook them a little before I headed back to bed in the very early-morning hours.

    I slept dreaming of house-cleaning.

    This tendency, present to various extents all 63 years of life, has gone into overdrive during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is not a surface or item in this house that can't be cleaned, I think. 

    What else do I have to do?

   One might think that empty-nesters -- only two in a house -- might be able to stay pretty clean. I beg to differ: I choose/need to stay busy so that means I clean and sanitize items much of each day, basically from morning to night. 

    Some of the daily cleaning is caused by practices we enjoy: I feed the wild birds out here in rural Scott County, Iowa; husband Steve makes a fire most nights, in our living room fireplace. Bird-feeding and fires mean debris falls, both indoors and out.

    Here are some other examples:

    1. Sweeping: I sweep, sweep and sweep the various floors in our house. These days we have very little carpet so the hard floors need care with, say, a broom or Swifter. Maybe both. 

    2. Most vacuuming is done with a Shark, hand-held device. This is used on the steps. There are two sets going up and two sets going down. That Shark gets a work-out every week, or even more often.

    3. The focus is on four bathrooms and the kitchen. This is especially important during a pandemic. For a long while I cleaned bathrooms almost daily. It's not that often anymore but I still keep them tidy. 

    Add hair: I have thick hair and it's fallen all over the house. That gets swept up with the Shark or picked up with a wet tissue, several times a day.

    For the kitchen, I have a bottle of cleanser with bleach and use it on the countertops 2-3 times a day. At night I end up with a second spray of Windex so the countertops shine.

    For the black kitchen sink I basically use hot water and Dawn dish detergent. (That actually is helpful in cleaning all sorts of items!) I also keep handy a spray bottle of a bleach solution.

    4. Outdoors: I especially like to tidy up the outdoors in sunny, almost-spring weather. This involves sweeping off the driveway, front porch and patio. It can be done daily, or several times a day!

    The house is dusted every two weeks. I get through this admittedly tedious task a floor at a time, and using a dry Swifter sheet. The sheet is soft and attracts the dust; it's actually less messy than a rag. I kind of like to dust -- many items that get dusty are of sentimental value, such as family photos when everyone was young and healthy, gifts and books.

    What about rags? I have many; They are in a clothes basket, neatly organized as to sizes. Basically old towels, rags are used in myriad ways, especially outdoors. There is a second basket for dirty rags, and they get laundered when there's a full load.

    Doing laundry is a constant, daily task. My poor husband has to try to schedule the washer and dryer when the machines are not in use. I also clean the machines regularly.

    The last week of February 2021, is a cleaning week. So far husband Steve and I have cleaned three bathrooms, and I used Liquid Plumber on the sinks in the master bath. That means even the drains are pretty clean! I've dusted, swept the floors and shook out the rugs. There are two more floors to go.

    These tasks will all get done in the next two days. It will be ramped up in April and again in October when I do Spring, and Fall, house-cleaning. That is much more intense and thorough cleaning.

    A clean house is better for inhabitants. Less dust means it is less likely to cause health issues like allergies. It's as easy to keep a house clean and tidy as it is to ignore the tasks and have them become a "big deal."

    That's what Clean Freaks believe.