NitroClean

As promised, here follows my philosophy of cleaning. Stop snickering.

• Spring is Not for Cleaning!--whoever invented spring cleaning was definately selling something. Here in northern Illinois (and on a farm to boot!) we have two phenomenon in the Spring that make cleaning a more pointless exercise than usual--Mud and Wind. The dog with the paintbrush attached to his rump and the hubby with the boots bring the mud and the 30+ mile an hour winds bring the dirt and dust off the surrounding fields. Go plant something instead. This applies to Autumn as well.


• If you can get the kids to do it, it's good enough. They might not vacuum and wash windows as good as I can, but then again, it's one less thing I have to do, right?


• "Give a portion to your maidens" (Prov. 31:15) Quick Bible lesson--the virtuous woman in Proverbs rose early in the morning, fed her household and gave a portion to her maidens. This is quite often mistaken as meaning that she gave food to her servants. In reality, it likely means that she delegated tasks to her servants for the day so that she could concentrate on her own work. I don't happen to have servants (I also am not equating myself with the virtuous woman here!), but I do have machines that take the place of hired hands. One of the first things that I do early in the morning is get them started--washer, dryer, dishwasher, bread machine....


• The List and the Mantra--I live by lists. My to do list always starts "laundry, dishes, garbage, fridge, fixtures, floors". That covers most of the cleaning that needs to be done. With that mantra in my head, I don't really need a list for much of the day. Laundry is regularly sorted, washed and ignored. The dishes and gargage are dealt with. The fridge is regularly attended to, not only because unintentional science experiments trigger the gag reflex, but it helps me keep track of meal planning and groceries much more efficiently. "Fixtures" includes sink, showers, etc. Vacuuming and mopping falls under Floors, but so does finding the floor when it disappears. I don't do all of these things everyday by any means though!


• What is the point of making the bed? I'm just getting back in it later tonight anyway! I only make the bed when I'm going to fold laundry and need a flat surface. So you know how often that happens!


• I'm organized because I'm lazy. It's less work. When the snow clothes are in the right place, it takes alot less effort to leave the house than when they are scattered all over the place and you spend 27 minutes looking for the other boot and end up being late for the dentist appointment and get a speeding ticket on the way because you are late.....


• Don't look where the lights aren't on.

That about does it. Just remember that a philosophy is system of thinking, a set of values, or a discipline. All of which are intangibles and require a bit of work to actually implement.

Next post, I'm going to save you some money!!