The Bliss of Spring Cleaning

If there’s one thing I love it’s a clean house, and if there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s house cleaning. It’s an endless, thankless task. It’s never done. As soon as the breakfast dishes are washed and put away, it’s time to prepare lunch, and the process begins all over again. We sweep the floor at 8:00 a.m. and by bedtime it’s ready for another swipe with the broom. How does this happen?

           

I live alone unless you count the cat, Little T. If I have a difficult time keeping my trailer neat and tidy, how do women manage with kids, dogs, and a husband? Do they give up, admit defeat, and wade through the wreckage? I’ve always been a neat freak, but as I rapidly head towards 70, I’m beginning to see the merit of throwing in the towel.

           

Keeping a house clean is impossible. As my kitchen table grows stuff, so does everything else. Maybe I just have too many belongings. Do I really need 45 cookbooks, eight throw pillows on the couch, four ottomans in the living room, nine lamps, and five magazine racks? Yes, of course, I do. Without the comfort of my familiar things, I might as well live in a tent.

You know what I mean. We grow accustomed to the piles of old newspapers and kids’ toys scattered throughout the house. Pets sometimes stain the carpet, leave a trail of food behind them, and turn a table leg into a scratching post. We overlook these irritations because we love Spot and Ms. Kitty and wouldn’t dream of parting with them. Getting rid of a spouse is one thing. Banishing an animal is entirely another.

Every spring and fall I do what women of generations before me did. I give the place a thorough cleaning. I dust and polish and spray and vacuum until everything sparkles. I wash the furniture shrouds where Little T left enough cat hair to knit a sweater. The tub gets a good going over until it looks like new. Dust is removed from cloudy mirrors. Uncarpeted floors feel the squirt of Holloway House’s Quick Cleaner and Quick Shine, the best floor care products on the market. The dust mop discovers miscellaneous items from underneath the beds. Even the leaves of my philodendron are rubbed free of grime.     

When I’m finished, I congratulate myself on a job well done. There’s only one problem. I know perfectly well within a few days dust will descend, cat hair will float from chair to chair, and tamarack needles will litter my shiny kitchen floor.

There’s no way around it. Living is a fairly messy business.