Me on Monday

So, I came across this article and thought I would share it. 

Nine Things People with Spotless Houses Do Every Day

You can bet I’m going to add a tenth! Nine things—you mean whoever wrote this couldn’t come up with one more? Well, I definitely can!

First, let me start with saying that I don’t claim that my house is spotless—but pretty darn close. Anyone can drop in on us anytime, and I won’t have anything to be embarrassed about.

Okay, here goes:

1. Take off your shoes.

I do take off my shoes. I wear slippers in the house at all times. And I wash them once a week. Part of it is because of the icky stuff you walk into the house, but the main thing is my white carpets. I’ve calmed down about them but can easily get myself worked up. I never expect visitors to take off their shoes. I don’t even think about it—well, unless they are workmen. I do not have a problem asking them to take off their shoes. Many have those “bootie” things to put over their shoes—which become totally useless if they are in and out of the house—not bothering to take them off when they are out and put them back on when they are in. Oh well.

2. Make your bed.

I confessed one time to my friends that I did not make my bed every day. They shamed me, so now I do. But it is kind of in a haphazard way—meaning I don’t put all the decorative pillows on, and I don’t really care if the sheets aren’t pristine/tight. I just don’t. I’ve come a long way from that teenager who never made her bed and had it piled high with clothes!

3. Wipe down the kitchen counters.

I really don’t understand this one. Don’t you wipe the counters every time you use them? It’s not like I have to say to myself, “Oh, I better go wipe down the counters!” They are always wiped down—always!

4. Clean as you cook.

This one I do faithfully. In fact, my cooking sessions begin with a sink full of hot, sudsy water. I cannot cook without one!

5. Wipe down the shower.

Oh, heck no! I am not doing that. When we remodeled our master bath, I specifically told my friend/designer, Christy, that I did not want to do that, nor ask visitors to do it when staying with us. She provided the perfect solution. That girl knows everything! She had some sort of coating put on all the glass so that you don’t have to squeegee them. All of our shower doors look clean and clear ALL the time. I think it cost about $500 at the time—totally worth it.

6. Swiffer before bed.

Nope, not doing it. There’s just the two of us. Nothing needs swiffering. Actually, I don’t swiffer ever! Yes, we have one, but I don’t think anyone uses it. Not even Margarita. She has a crazy way of dusting the hardwood. She takes a rag, puts a hole in the middle, wets it, and places it over a broom handle. I actually like that since she’s catching the dust rather than just moving it around. Maybe she doesn’t know what the swiffer is.

7. Put your clothes away.

Okay, I don’t always do this. But, there are a couple of reasons for that: 1. I have a big closet so you can’t see that the clothes aren’t put away and 2. I usually wear everything twice before I wash. If I were to put everything away, I wouldn’t remember which things I’ve already worn once. I really like it when I can wear the same thing two days in a row because then the closet stays tidy—but only if I’m not with the same people. Well, except for Connie. She’s been known to wear the same thing for three days—usually on the weekends. On weekends, you might find me in pajamas! Butch, on the other hand, has “the chair.” His closet is absolutely perfect, but he might have a half-foot pile on his chair that sits out for the world to see!

8. Wipe the mirrors and the sink.

What? I haven’t wiped a mirror since 1982. Granted, I have a cleaning lady who does it once a week. That’s enough! Ditto on the sink. We rinse them as we use them. They are never unsightly or require cleaning more than once a week.

9. Obey the two-minute rule.

Okay, first, I’ve never heard of this. And second, I thought it was the 2 second rule and applied only to dropped foot or pacifiers. So, the two-minute rule is: if you can do something in two minutes, then just do it and don’t procrastinate. I DO NOT procrastinate—ever (or mostly never.) I would have the thing done in the time it would take me to decide whether I should do it or not! What a waste of time! Just do it already.

And now for my number 10—I cannot believe that whoever made this list didn’t think of this.

10. Do more than one thing at a time!!!

This is exactly how I accomplish a lot. I’ll peel potatoes, sort things, or make lists while watching TV. If I’m going upstairs, I’ll take everything at once-same coming down. Sometimes that’s a little dangerous as I have to use my elbow on the rail to keep me grounded when I am not hands-free. If I get up to use the bathroom, I’ll carry my empty cup to the dishwasher and hit the recycle bin with errant papers, grab the cookbook I want to browse through, oh, and maybe I’ll stop and wipe down the counters! (NOT!)

None of this is all that hard!! Anyone can have a spotless house. If you start doing, it becomes second nature. (I’ve always heard this expression but don’t really know what it means. Maybe I’ll look it up when I’m watching tv. Or not. Uh oh, I’m procrastinating! I could have already done it by now but I won’t!