Tonight I was mopping my kitchen floor, something I do about once every three months, and I got to thinking about how different my cleaning philosophy is compared to how I was raised. When I was growing up, one of my chores was to wash the kitchen floor, something that took at least an hour. My mother taught me that the proper way to wash a floor was on your hands and knees with a scrubbing brush. I even remember a time, before she worked outside the home and the kids were too young to help much with chores, when she used an index card system for tracking monthly, weekly, and annual chores. I recall that this reminded one to wash the windows and to apply lemon oil to the furniture.
I don't mean to imply that my mother is an obsessive cleaner. We were never chastised for making a mess (although we probably had to clean it up) and our house looked like everyone else's. But I'm quite aware of how cleaning standards change - on the 1940's radio programs I listen to, they are forever advertising waxes and polishes for floors, furniture, and cars. I think the combination of modern finishes and the lack of a full-time homemaker spelled the end of polishes.
Nowadays I never spend more than 90 minutes per week cleaning, if you don't include dishes or laundry. I attribute this to my patented three-part system: have no children, own as few belongings as possible, and lower your standards. No one ever spills juice on my floors, and I never have to pick up before vacuuming. That gives me an hour vacuum the whole house and clean two bathrooms, and then I do whatever else I notice. My house probably isn't perfect, but it's good enough and then I have lots of time for all the other fun things in life, like gardening and sitting by the firebowl with friends.
6 comments:
I have finally convinced my mom that cleaning with the bone spray mop is a better way to clean the kitchen floor than on hands and knees. And she, like your mom, also used those index cards with chores.
oops - bona, not bone.
Hire a cleaning service is my answer. Less work and stimulates the economy.
Sounds like a well-balanced work-life strategy.
I am intrigued with cleaning as it evolves over the years. Some form of cleanliness is an indicator that you are in control of your life and probably to a degree a sign of your affluence (either you have time to do it yourself or pay someone to do it). But we certainly don't clean to the degree people did in the generation or two before ours. I would definitely suspect that part of it is also not having someone full time at home to do it!
I do remember the card system. I,too, have changed. Now I hire someone to clean and if, because of our schedule, it is once a month, it is in dire need of the cleaning.
With the card system, I remember oiling all the furniture as you mentioned. Now mine is covered with dust until Lizzie comes to clean.
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