Here are a few of my cleaning neuroses:
- The back of the kitchen sink. To me, the whole kitchen can be spotless and shined, but if there's crud and water spots lurking on and behind the faucet or on the window sill, I'm totally grossed out.
(My sink was full of dishes when I took this picture, so you get the idea of what I don't like). - The stove. I hate spills on the stove. I hate cleaning spills on the stove, I hate cooking when there are spills on the stove, I hate looking at spills on the stove.
(This is actually my stove after Kraig made breakfast one morning. Eww.) In our first house we had zero counter space so our stove had to double as a work area. To combat the yucky spills, I invested in a set of these babies:
I love them! If used properly (sometimes I have to remind Kraig to put them on) they avert yucky spills that later turn into burner flambé. - Laundry. I'm very particular about my laundry. I got it from my mother who used to hang all our clothes to dry in color order :) It's a good thing I have such a killer washer and dryer to make my life easier, otherwise my week would be consumed with laundry.
Even though Kraig was the one who sold me my washer and dryer (and probably knows how to use it better than I do), I don't like it when he does laundry. I fear that something will get bleached that shouldn't be, or spun at too high of a speed, or dried in the dryer when the instructions say to 'lay flat.' - Dishes. I love a clean kitchen (see #1, although mine is hardly always clean--I'm married to a chef!). I love a full dishwasher and I love clean dishes. I have in my mind the correct way to load a dishwasher for maximum cleaning and sometimes catch myself reorganizing the racks after Kraig's done the dishes. It's a sickness really. This is the incorrect way to load the dishwasher:
All the plates and bowls must be arranged according to size and facing the same direction. This is the what my ideal dishwasher load looks like:
It's like there's order in the universe. - Don't even get me started on bathrooms. I live with three boys now so sometimes I just have to close my eyes (although I will give Kraig credit for being a fantastic bathroom cleaner when motivated to do it.)
What are some of your neuroses? What do you quietly check for when you go to a neighbor's house? The top of the fridge? The medicine cabinet? The toilet seat? Do tell!
8 comments:
Back in the good old days I used to have to pack the dishwasher just so. Now I am just happy that they scraped off the stuck on cheese or didn't just put the dirty on top of the clean to be washed again. I used to hate having toothpaste left in the sink or around it or anywhere for that matter. Now it is just a sign that the little pearls are being brushed!
Laundry. I hang dry a ton of stuff, but I don't color coordinate the hanging clothes. I don't think I have many other neurosis. Well, I like towels folded and hung up in the bathroom.
I don't check out other people's houses, mostly because mine is usually worse...
Ewww, boys and bathrooms...I hear ya girl. I remember going to someone's house with a designated 'little boys' bathroom that no one else-especially guests-used. Although, I imagine their mom did have to venture in to clean it-ick. I have started getting my older boys to occasionally give the sink and toilet a Clorox wipe down.
I'm pretty particular about my laundry...
I don't really check out other people's houses, and I hope they return the favor at my pad.
Oh my gosh, Rencher! Lol. I never look at a kitchen sponge without thinking of you and wondering how long its been since I've changed it! :) That and ziplock baggies - it always cracked me up how you put soup in them! Now I buy them in bulk and put everything in them (except soup, but I don't really eat soup!)
...My pet peeves... well now that I've got a place all of my own - I find that anything at all out of place bugs me!! I especially hate it when my roommate dries her hands on the bath towels and doesn't straighten them out again!
I know, I know - you're probably thinking - geesh, Warnick, try having kids, you'll never think of having straight bath towels again!
So many things bother me but I feel like I'm always so behind due to the kids. My number one thing is definately the kitchen. I love spraying it down with antibacterial kitchen cleaner and I just bought a little brush so I could scrub around the sink fixtures. I have a special brush to scrub out the sink (not to be used on dishes!). I feel like if the kitchen is a mess, the rest of the house will quickly follow suit. I would be mortified if anyone looked for their neuroses at my house. They'd surely find them!
The main thing I look for in people's houses is what they do with all the paperwork they have. If I don't see a stack of papers lying around, I'll always ask where they're papers are and what they're filing system is. I'm facinated by people who don't have paper clutter. Paper is so overwhelming to me and I never know what I can throw away and what I have to keep.
okay, I think I need to do a "Speed Cleaning" Blog.
But when we talk about neighbors, I look at their kitchens. Since I enjoy eating food, I like to know how their kitchens are kept, so I know if I am okay.:) I think I got that from my mission. Of course, sometimes, it is just better not to know.
Robin-I can't stand potlucks for that very reason...I never know who the cat lover is, and you know their cat walks on the kitchen counter. Yuck.
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