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Lemon Adrenalin
If I lived in days of yore I'd be making my will, packing my bags and preparing to go ona long and hazardous pilgrimage to Rome any day now.
Instead, the snow and odd burst of sunshine have affected me in another way and, instead of indulging in the fever of spring cleaning, I am refurbishing.
Ignoring Peter's 'It's fine as it is -I don't know why you're bothering,' I've had the cloak roomtiled in mosaic mirror tiles; I've not got the disco ball but an Art Deco glass lampshade. (If I could put pics on I'd post a photo.)
I've also had a new bath panel tiled with grey glass mosaic tiles and one wall of the bathroom mirrored, so now every time someone calls I pull theminto thedownstairs loo before rushing them up to the bathroom.
That's not all: heavy new curtains in the bedroom resulted in the curtain rail crashing down, thus requiring athick new curtain pole. Then I hada large painting fixed on the wall behind the bed. Pleased as punch with myself, I am, andI do like having a handyman with various drills and screw drivers about the place, (not Peter; he hates DIY).
There was a time when UK television was fill of make-over programmes. I particualrly liked this American 'House Doctor' lady who told dirty Brits it was 'chavvy' not to clean theirhouses. She wrought near miracles by telling people tochuck out their junk and scrub, scrub, scrub,as though their lives swung on it.
WhereI disagreed with her was over the 'pot-pourri' she was so fond of (the sort of stinkystuff available in 1 shops). Some fresh flowers would have looked a whole lot better, but I suppose cut flowers die and thewater smells if it is not changed each day and you can't expect a whotoo muchfrom people who, like Quentin Crisp, don't notice the dust after a few years.
I was ruminating about this programme with afriend andshe said she and her partner used to watch 'House Doctor' when they'd just got together andwere doing up their house.
When theseries endedtheylost the intimacy they had developed, flopping onto the settee with curried prawns and lager each week. No other programme cut the mustard for them like that one. Who ever would have thought that you could spritz up your relationship by watching others cleaning?
WhenI was first married, I cleaned like a dervish becauseI had nothing else to do and because my husband is neat and orderly (he can fold a sheet and it looks as though it has been ironed. I have a press now but if I iron sheets, it's only the top third, the partyou can see. I do iron the pillowslips, though).
If I've been on holiday, to Cannes, they change the sheets every day and when I get hone - yes! I do too, for a few days. In the summer, Ichange the sheets every other day, but twice a week in winter. (My - these confessins make me look small- minded, but if I've been out shopping and come home and think the place needs it, I set to with a will, but then flop.)
Baking is a good way to feel busy and gives a glow of satisfaction, if it goes right. Today, I added too much condensed milk into a fail- safe ginger cake recipe, giving it a sticky top, which I rather liked. (I never keep to a recipe.) Happy cleaning and baking - after all it is spring time and Peter has noticed the birds have a different register now they are building nests!
Housecleaning has always been a tricky issue in my family. My mother was and still is something of a neat freak, so her house must always be clean - often to the point that it looks like a model for sale with no actual occupants! She has a sensitive nose, so nothing heavily perfumed or too strongly scented is ever used (e.g. there was never potpourri in my house growing up, and there certainly isn't any now), and some of this rubbed off on me as well. Any cleaning products I use I prefer to have a mild scent or none at all, even dishwashing liquid; my wife loves the smell of lavender, but I absolutely refuse to buy the dishwashing liquid we use in that scent, as it comes across much too strong (which is what happens when you combine certain chemicals to achieve that scent). Citrus - either lemon or orange - I find to be preferable for this task, as I do most of the dishwashing in our house. Fortunately, hard water is not a problem here in the suburban North Shore region of Greater Boston, but when we lived in upstate New York, it could be (or worse, sulphurous water, a particularly nasty problem in the Catskills).
Also have to be careful with the dust build-up here as I have two cats who do shed quite a bit - the dust-bunnies can get epic in this apartment!
I meant to say that I liked House Doctor too. She had a beautiful house of her own in Mexico. I don't like pot-pourri very much; a little lavender essential oil in a small bowl on the radiator gives out a lovely scent and is very calming too.
Feather dusters are okay but a goose's wing sounds a bit peculiar! I wouldn't be without bicarb; I live in a hard water area and my mugs/cups get stained with tea very easily - a little bicarb in the cup with some boiling water on top and the stains come off beautifully. The same goes for cleaning worktops, cutlery, stainless steel and enamel sinks. What's more, it's so cheap to buy.
Hi, Gaynor,
Thanks for the tip.
I've bought a bright pink feather duster and I'm setting to.My granddaughters love feather dusters and when I was young my Great-Aunt had a goose's wing for dusting (some people can't stand feathers, I know).
Best cleaning product is bicarbonate of soda. It's also safe to use as a toothpaste/mouthwash and for bathing your eyes! One of the best things ever.
Well, Todd, we don't do the work ourselves, we get someone in who is good at it. My problem is I don't know when to call a halt.
Ps Ceri, I do use a chemical bleach. (I contradicted myself by saying I used organic products only).
It is only ten o'clock in the morning here and I am not geared up yet. Must start thinking straight.
Must remember that tip, Ceri.
My elder daughter suffered severehayfever in her teens. We once left a fabric shop because chemicals in the cloth made her eyes stream. Chemist shops and beauty salons where perfume was liberally sprayed in the air also made her sneeze and her nose run. After having the twins she lost these reactions.
My younger daughter has a nose better than a bloodhound, no exaggeration. She can walk into my houseand give me a chemical breakdown of cleaning products I've used etc. Trouble is, I cannot use any scented products like hairspray, or bath essence orbecause she just hates a chemical smell.( I buy organic products only and use them sparingly) Sheavoidssitting or walking behind people who are heavily daubed in perfume.
I have a poor sense of smell, which is lucky in the circumstances. Will try the nutmeg, though!
Pot Pourri doesnt cut it imho.....Nutmeg is the thing! Get some of the half cut cloves and deposit them in various sundry corners of your room. Bugs hate it and your rooms will have a delicious woody aroma