Cleaning
Okay we're going for an absolutely honest answer here folks. Do you clean the top of your refrigerator? Bravo if you do. I tried to see if the internet had any statistics about top of the refrigerator cleaning - but could find nothing. I suspect the reason for this is that the numbers of actual cleaning occurrences would be so low as to be unreportable.
My excuse for not cleaning the top is and always has been - I'm short. I can't see up that high and can hardly reach anything up there so why bother. I am seriously trying to remember when I cleaned it last and it has been a looooooong time. I do think I remember that I cleaned it prior to a parental (his or mine) visit.
The inside of an oven is no picnic either. In order to clean an oven you have to get in a most unnatural bending configuration that leaves you feeling like a pretzel when you stand back up. I have a self cleaning oven and have even used it a few times but the fumes, even from a relatively clean oven, are overwhelming and pretty hard on Emma (parrot). So I always use the tried and true method that has worked for generations of women - SOS pad, knife and elbow grease. The key to keeping this job minimal is to wipe up after spills. Took me a while to figure that one out but I've got it covered now - literally. I bought one of those mats that sits at the bottom of the oven - brilliant. When it gets dirty you just toss it in the sink - piece of cake. I have a similar one in the microwave for catching spills and I wish I had invented one or both of these handy devices. If I had then guess what? I wouldn't be cleaning the oven or the microwave!
I'm not to wild about going into the dusty depths of my vacuum cleaner either. It'd probably run better with a good spring or fall cleaning but I can assure you that's never happened. There's probably even some kind of filter thingy in there but I know I have never taken it out to clean. I don't have allergies but they might start if I started breathing in wispy particles of dust and dog hair. The dog hair that I breathe in every day is different (I'm sure) than that yucky stuff stuck to the rollers of the vacuum.
Then there's the kitchen, recycling or outside trash cans. Cleaning up one of these babies can be downright nasty. Of course you use soap, a long handled brush and the nozzle of the hose set on firemen mode - but let's be honest - it's gross. I'm pretty sure plastic bags were invented to cut down on the amount of time people would have to spend with their noses stuck in a trash can. They even have plastic bags that smell - in a good way - if you're into wafting scents of vanilla every time you open up the garbage can. Like those kitchen mats - wish I'd invented the plastic bag.
At my house, but probably not yours, there is the birdcage cleaning. Jeff takes care of the input (feeding) and I take care of the output (I'm sure you can figure that out). It's messy and a bit on the yucky side but has to be done on a regular basis. Cleaning the bottom of the cage where all of Emma's food scraps go is a daily chore. There is, of course, an easier way to clean up the food bits - let the dogs handle it. Emma eats on the table each day (and yes, if you're worried, we sanitize afterwards) and the dogs hang around hoping for a crumb. Having dogs around does cut down on worrying about spills from the kitchen or dining room - Sam and Maggie are on the job!
It's Sunday and the day before the world returns to work tomorrow so cleaning today will be minimal. I need to sit in my chair and practice my zen in preparation for tomorrow. And while I'm zenning I'll be able to read a few chapters in my book or check my eyelids for holes as I doze off from time to time!
Have a restful day.
P
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