Into the Deep...

Over the past few days I have learned a few things. Some I knew, some others were eye opening.

1. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are really - well - magic. I have no clue what they are made of or why they work but whoever invented them should earn a Nobel Prize.
2. I discovered something called "Mean Green" that is the liquid equivalent to Magic Erasers. *Don't tell the bald guy, but there are some times were this works better than the Magic Erasers.*
3. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you have no choice but to get up close and personal with dirt. It can be gross and disgusting, but it is the only way to get the job done.
4. The next time I need to fix something that breaks and Super Glue fails me, I am going to try to use Spaghetti sauce. Those little spats of sauce refuse to come off the walls, the tile, the stove, and any other object within a 25 yard radius of the pot. Or maybe spaghetti sauce could be used as an environmentally friendly dye-pack filling.
5. If something is really dirty, you can clean it once and move on. But be prepared that when you walk past in a couple of hours, you will probably need to clean it again. And again. It is amazing what you don't see when you clean something the first time.
6. When you start cleaning the cleaning supplies, you have officially met the criteria for deep cleaning.
7. If done right, cleaning is an aerobic exercise. Up, down, squat, stand. Repeat 2,000 times or more and it is exercise.
8. A career change to a cleaning lady is not in my future. I'm way too picky. Really, really picky. I must have cleaned the range hood 10 times over 3 days before I was finally satisfied. And I bet if I looked again, I would start cleaning it again.
9. Buying a box of latex gloves is a life-saving move. And you can never have too many. Really, they are cheap and you can just grab another pair.
10. The dog will still love you despite the fact that you have left him home alone for hours for days in a row. And you come home reeking of cleaning supplies and latex gloves. Even your husband understands!

Cleaning and Preening

When you live in the hot, humid midwest and you are lucky enough to have a pool in your yard, you ineveitably become the central party spot for family and friends. this weekend will be no exception.

My uncle recently celebrated a birthday. So did my sister-in-law. My niece is due for a big princess party this week. My aunt and uncle from the west coast are coming in for a mid-summer visit. My brother and his clan are coming in for the weekend from farm country. This calls for a party. And we have the prime location given that we have room - and a pool.

This means I need to clean. Even though I was told not to worry about making extra efforts, it is in some strange genetic twist that I feel the need to clean. Of course, I can't just focus on the normal dusting, vacuuming and mopping. Nooooooo! I feel the need to clean things like the top of the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. I haven't looked in my bathroom cabinets lately, but I felt compelled to purge and clean those (note to my guests, yes you can peek!) Mr. M spent his day off power washing lawn furniture and anything else that didn't move. Things are starting to shine around here.

I haven't dusted or mopped yet and the Animal (my beloved Dyson - not the dog) is still tucked in the closet. I work better under pressure so I'm sure it will all get done before Friday night's festivities! Let's just hope it doesn't rain so that we can enjoy the outside and we don't have to be stuck inside!

OMG! I'm in Love!

I am NOT a domestic diva.  I don't like to cook or clean - I do it but it is way down in priority on my 'to do' list.  I groan whenever my SIL stops by because I worry that my house isn't clean enough for her standards.  She is one of those people who cleans constantly.  I clean when I have to or I know company is coming.

A little while back, my trusty vacuum that my parents bought me when I got my own place gave up the ghost.  I looked around and picked out one that I thought would work perfectly.  It seemed perfect - it was bagless, an auto retractable cord, and all kinds of on board attachments.  But I hated it from the very first time I used it.  It was heavy and even though you could turn off the carpet brush, I had to use the hose attachment to clean my hard floors (the dirt, dust and whatnot spit all over the place).  The hose attachment is too short so I am forced to hunch over while I clean the carpets in 3/4 of my house.  After I spent an hour or so Sunday hunched over, vacuuming the same surfaces over and over again, I decided that I was done with this one.

I have always been intrigued by the Dyson commercials and everyone I know who has one raves about them.  I wasn't sure I wanted to spend the cash on one but I did some research online and decided to bite the bullet.  Target had one in their ad this week - pretty much the regular price but they were throwing in a free battery powered hand-held vac.  I also had a nice gift card from Mom that was burning a hole in my pocket from the holidays.  Plus, the ball is cool and it's purple!

I opened the box tonight and started to vacuum.  I was impressed immediately because I could vacuum the hallways without using the hose attachment and it was picking up the dog fur with ease. Plus it weighs 10 lbs less than my other vacuum which is a huge difference.  And I didn't have to bend over at all to clean anything.  Yeah, no more aching backs just to clean the house! Then I tackled the rug in the family room.  It is a 5 x 7 rug and Mr. M and I were completely shocked when we looked at all the dust, dirt, dog hair and fibers in the canister.  Plus, the rug was visibly cleaner than it has been in months (even after I steam cleaned the rug!). Remember I just vacuumed within the last 36 hours.  I was on a roll!  

We have berber in our bedroom and I have never been happy with any vacuum we have ever had.  None seemed to pick up the dust along the edges of the room. None until now.  I could see the difference immediately.  I even vacuumed the valance in our bedroom with ease!

I should be slightly embarrassed by this but here is all the dirt that was picked up in about 15-20 minutes even though I just cleaned on Sunday night.  

Here is to many happy days of vacuuming.  Maybe I will be more motivated to clean now that I have something that works, doesn't kill my back and it kind of fun to use.

Domesticated

Mr. Monkeygirl married me for a variety of reasons, but my domestic skills were not high on the list.  As the saying goes "I understand the concept of cooking and cleaning, but not how they apply to me."  Today, I did my best to earn my domestic diva badge.  

Dust bunnies quivered in my sight as I launched my attack. There are portions of my kitchen counter that saw the light of day for the first time in months.  In horror, I realized that I still had the Christmas table cloth on the dining room table. I could probably have pulled off a red table cloth for Valentines day, but the green felt Christmas trees were a dead give-away that I was a little behind. (Ooops, that reminds me that I still have hearts hanging on the front door.  Dang, I better get out the eggs before it's too late!)

Now, the bathrooms are shining and you can see yourself in the counter in my office. Heck, it was just a major improvement to even get to the point where you could see the counter top in my office!  Daylight can shine brightly inside now that some of the winter sludge and puppy nose prints have been wiped away from the glass doors.  

Of course, having a 65 lb puppy makes some cleaning chores a bit of a challenge. I can only wipe away nose prints for a matter of minutes before he decides that he wants to lick and smell the reflection of the puppy he sees in the glass.  Ninety seconds after I finish cleaning my white counter top in the kitchen (who ever installed the bright white, textured counter top in this house should be shot!), muddy paws prints were deposited to make sure I didn't forget he existed. How can you miss a huge black puppy rolling around under your feet?

It took me most of the day but I got the cleaning part of my diva badge but I steadfastly refuse to work on the cooking part.  Sorry, Mr. Monekygirl, looks like you are going to still be stuck in the kitchen!