Walking in the door from work today I was sorting the mail, junk, bills, recycling, Kohl’s coupons. I let the dog out and emptied my lunch bag, trash in the trash can, dishes in the sink to wash later.
I ran upstairs to use the restroom (over sharing, I know) while in there I noticed the toilet paper roll holder needed dusting, so I dusted it. I washed my hands and wiped the sink off, grabbed the towels from yesterday and threw them in the laundry.
As I moved through the house doing all the things I do when I get home from work, it hit me. I’m constantly cleaning. It really never does stop and now it’s such a habit that I don’t even realize it.
It’s how my house stays clean and what I’ve been trying to teach my daughter. I’ve been keeping house for thirty years and there are so many things that I do automatically.
I’ve been trying to teach my daughter the finer aspects of housekeeping. I didn’t understand why she always complained that as soon as she cleans, it’s dirty again. I forgot about all the little maintenance that gets done every day without thinking about it.
Of course there are the obvious things, hang up your towels, put your laundry in the hamper, take your dishes to the sink. But more important are the little things we forget we even do, like dusting the toilet paper holder.
Picking lint off the carpet. Sounds like a fun job doesn’t it? I never realized that I do that when I’m talking on the phone. I also water the plants then, and straighten my desk.
There are so many little things we do to keep our homes clean, and it’s hard to teach that part. The scrubbing and polishing and vacuuming are easy to teach, it’s the daily little maintenance that really keeps a house clean.