Monday, January 18, 2010

Fun Monday - Chores We Hate



Fun (?) Monday is being hosted by Li'l Mouse Jill today.  As she gets ready to move, she is faced with a daunting task...  CLEANING and organizing.  I'm pretty sure that was her inspiration for today's topic:

What is your least favorite chore? Vacuum get you down? Dust bunnies saying, “oh yeah, you and what army?” Is there a chore that you neglect doing it until the absolute last minute when guests arrive? Do you just pray they won’t look ‘there’? Are you going green with your cleaning? Top tips?

Oh, Jill... a topic near and dear to my heart!!!!  Yeah, yeah... I know you all are scratching your heads over that one.  But really, I love to clean!

You probably wouldn't know it from looking at my rooms as I grew up - or even the rooms of my house now.  The real miracle is that we haven't devolved into one of those "How Clean Is Your House?" houses.   If I lived alone, with one little cat (like I did for a year or so), my house would be quite tidy and clean.  But I don't.  I live with one man, one boy, 4 cats, 2 dogs, 1 rodent and 1 fish.  Think Pig Pen.. but with hair instead of dirt.  My house is hairy.  And to combat that, I have two vaccuums!  I also have a carpet shampooer.  And brooms and mops.  And dusters.  Hair is a never-ending battle in my house.  I suppose it will be until we've all gone bald. 

I do love cleaning though and there is practically no job that I won't take on.  However, the one job that I do NOT love is mopping the kitchen floor.  I find that job so disheartening.  It's a white vinyl floor with those little pits in it (for traction?  I have no idea why) and it shows everything. Within seconds of cleaning it, it looks dirty again.  It shows crumbs and scuff marks and there are some permanent marks from wear that just look like dirt.  I hate this floor with a passion.  So I tend to ignore it.  Luckily, my husband has taken on the task of keeping it reasonably clean.  He gets down on his hands and knees and cleans it a bit at a time and it always looks marvelous for a few minutes.  Unfortunately, it's white.  I think it might also be magnetic.

The one thing I must accomplish in my kitchen is getting that floor replaced.  With anything.  Well, anything but a white vinyl floor.

Tips?  Yes!  Lots.  I use vinegar quite a bit.  It's marvelous for cutting scale and soap scum.  And cleaning windows and mirrors.  And I admit that I was hooked on "How Clean is Your House?" for a long, long time.  It always made me feel better about my own house, but it also provided me with different ways to clean.  Nasty toilet?  Try pouring a 2-liter bottle of cola in there and letting it sit for 30 minutes.  The link on "Tips?" goes to their website.  Check it out!

16 comments:

min said...

The last time coke went down my toilet was all just a misunderstanding (Caused by a patrolman who came by asking if I'd seen any kids dumping over trash cans.) I didn't notice the toilet being any cleaner afterward.

Molly said...

I recommend a ceramic tile floor. My husband and I put in a tile floors in our kitchen and 2 bathroom floors at our other house. Our current kitchen floor has a linoleum floor complete with those dirty little pits.

Pamela said...

I'm just gritting my teeth reading all the posts. ha ha ha.
I just want cleaning requirements to go away.

really -- coke in the toilet. Never heard of that. But I don't care for coke anyway -- so I suppose pomegranate juice wouldn't work. snort.

Anonymous said...

I found that if you use pinesol and amonia it will strip the dirt and finish off your floor. Then go back with the clear acrylic floor stuff to replace the shine and protect. It kept my floors decent with 4 boys bringing in everthing on their feet and clothes.
Stephanie

Faye said...

First, about you previous post "Not As Much Fun". I get you, Sayre. Go through times when I don't feel like I'm much fun to be around. Times when I'm jaded and don't have much to say. That's the great thing about blogging. You can lie low until you have something to say. It's your party.

As for cleaning, I dealt with a white kitchen floor and four hairy dogs for many years. Now my floor is dirt-colored and I could get away with not mopping for a month. When It is necessary, I use one of those twisty Libman mops so you don't have to put your hands in dirty mop water.

grace said...

thanks for the tips, will try them. I have lots of vinegar that I could put into good use. I used baking soda for the bathroom tub and it did work.

Jill said...

the coke is interesting. I think you really really need some different flooring! We went with a darkish brownish whatever. WE have lived in rentals with white EVERYTHING for so long that I am sick of it. I hope we made the right choice, we only got to see samples of everything, not the whole kit n kaboodle, so I will definitely post pictures when we have it all done. Thanks so much for playing today and if you have any tips otherwise, i'd love them, but I've got that tips site open and i'm going to check it out!

karisma said...

I do not like cleaning! I wish someone around here did! LOL! Having said that I have been giving stuff away for the last two weeks. its getting better slowly!

Jodi said...

I'm gonna try the Coke trick. I can never get the bathroom clean enough for Steven.

Also, the floor being magnetic comment made me laugh out loud. I think mine is too!!

J.

Mariposa said...

We use Mr. Muscle...and baking soda! But most of the time it's Mom who takes care of the cleaning part. Somebody told me about the coke and vinegar, but I drink coke every after meal so I'd rather it's down there in my tummy than in the bowl, LOL

Have a great week!

Living Life said...

My house is quite "hairy" too. I have to practically vacuum every day! It is hard to keep up a clean house with a hubby and critters and a kid!

Janis said...

I have heard of the coke in the toilet before...just never tried it. The white floor has to go...I also had a white floor in my kitchen and it drove me nuts...it showed every little speck of dirt or lint or whatever. Now I have oak pergo flooring and I love it. Cleans up so nice.

Gattina said...

Nothing wrong with that ! It's nice that you love cleaning at least you don't have chores ! and what I appreciate is that apparently you don't live in a clean museum but in a cosy home with pets, kid and husband and of course the hairs, lol !
The tip with the Cola in the toilet is great ! I'll try it out !

joanygee said...

Floor mopping is tough enough with muddy paw prints, but to have a white one! You have my sympathy. Ours is red quarry tile unearthed beneath vinyl flooring and takes all the hammer but still comes up gleaming.

gayle said...

Hate to do floors and dust!! Use to love to clean but it takes me so long now that I hate to...

wendishness said...

Great tips...oooh hairballs, my sister has a hairy house too!