Spring cleaning in August.

[DCJenn]

UGH. My house is disgusting. I'm starting from one end and working my way forward to the other. After three hours fumigating the dude's bedroom yesterday (including those every once in a while tasks like washing the windows and polishing the furniture) and I'm about ready to tackle my room. The ceilings are 20+ feet tall so THAT ceiling fan is going just have to be gross for a while longer.

I had to iron all of my clothes to get the big pile off the ironing board in the corner so that it could ACTUALLY be put away. That alone took two hours.

I had this cleaning lady once a week, then I backed her to once a month and I'm sorry- she's canned after this. Apparently her major concerns are hanging up my sweaters which I hate because it stretches the shoulders, alphabetizing my spice rack- which I already had done except that I put all of the peppers together which apparently offended her sensibilities, and she likes to fold my sheets into little tiny squares. Dusting isn't part of her gig though. (Nor is vacuuming under furniture or washing mirrors or windows) Hell, I can fold my sheets (ok, not into little tiny squares but I can approximate a four sided shape.) I feel like I have spiders and dead bugs all over me. (I finally actually LOOKED under the island in the kitchen- ew)

I'm taking a mental health break right now- just made some banana bread and then I'll be back in the midst of the disgust.

Jenn

[Vanquisher]

Yuck. It's totally gross doing that kind of thing. As for the ceiling fan, I had this extender pole thingy for changing light bulbs that you could put a duster on if it was bothering you badly enough. They aren't that expensive. May the force be with you.

[ladymoreta]

Good luck! I so need to do that...

[v-girl]

We've been known to vaccuum our ceiling fans every few years. So gross, but it's the least gross way we've found to do it. Though we still haven't replaced the one in the living room that I broke with my laptop. I'm going to make it a goal to do that this month. Or hubby will do that this month. I'm not allowed near ceiling fans anymore.

[HouseofWool]

We've been known to vaccuum our ceiling fans every few years. So gross, but it's the least gross way we've found to do it. Though we still haven't replaced the one in the living room that I broke with my laptop. I'm going to make it a goal to do that this month. Or hubby will do that this month. I'm not allowed near ceiling fans anymore.

How the heck do you break a ceiling fan with a laptop?

[v-girl]

I knew that was going to be asked. It takes some real talent, you know. Umm...I had it open and was moving it. I lifted it up higher to avoid hitting my wine glass with the cord and the monitor of the laptop hit the fan. Blade flew across the living room -- thank God it missed my middle child's head -- and landed by the playpen.

Oh, and the laptop was fine.

[DCJenn]

Well, at least you didn't spill the wine. THAT would have been tragic.

J.

[v-girl]

That's what I told hubby. He did NOT agree.

[SoonerTexan]

What kind of laptop is that??

[v-girl]

Dell hand-me-down that my brother got from his old job. They told him to donate them to charity. I don't work. He gave me two laptops and two office chairs.

[ides]

Ick. Gross but totally necessary. I really need to deep clean our place too. I think the kitchen is smelling. Gross. Must be an old carrott or something the boy stuffed under the fridge. Can't say that I want to look. :0

LOL. I'm sure you showed that ceiling fan! tackling a house can be an exhausting undertaking: bravo! for attempting in the midst of summer.

How does a maid not want to dust or do things your way?? Isn't that what you pay them for?? Thoughts of replacing and getting a more competent one?

I did my house along with painting and gardening all in April before meeting SO's parents for the first time (they live on the other coast). Let me tell you, I was exhausted. I was determined to tackle all smells, all dust, all shelves! Alone as you know, SO was some help but his free time is small. Overall I felt pretty good once it was done, and vowed to never let it get that bad again. Now I try to catch up on small areas on my usual cleaning weekends. Plus I try to do small things like keep up on sweeping and dusting when I can thru the week, so that I have some time to focus on an area on the weekend. So far that is working okay, but it's not a perfect system.

How do you do it with a full house? I have to fend with a dog, and SO at times; which try to stay out of the cleaning machine way, but not always easy. How do you do it?? Secretly superwoman??

[Chrisada]

Cleaning really is never ending. I still have not mopped our upstairs floors. Ever. And we've lived here for over a month.

[Tenacious_D]

We had to fire our cleaning lady too because although she was a master of the vacuum, she never wiped down the walls and counters properly. I ended up being super stressed after every cleaning because it was blah! since we are moving tomorrow I bag been finding some interesting things behind furniture... The best yet.. An old cheestick E had stuck in between the couch cushions...eeeewww!

[DCJenn]

I was just on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen walls with a toothbrush.

So, in the list of things never to do: 1) cork floors in the bathroom 2) wainscoting in the kitchen. Sure it looks great but every drip, splatter, spray, tomato seed (ill-fated attempt to engage my child in eating involved squishing cherry tomatoes with our hands. I'm still finding tomato seeds, three years later) gets caught in the grooves of the wood.

My next house is going to be 100% tile and have a drain in the middle of each floor. The furniture will be recycled plastic products and no one will be allowed to wear clothes.

Jenn