Wednesday, October 24, 2012

On houses and cleaning them

I've been browsing Angie's List frequently these past few months, getting ready for our big house remodel project.  (Did I forget to tell you?  WE OWN A NEW HOUSE!)


It is more than half as big again as our current condo, and it has three bedrooms.  I can't tell you how excited I am to not share a bedroom with a child...soon, very soon! :)  (First we have to fix it up.  So "soon" will probably be 2-3 months.  But still!)

But back to what I meant to write about.  In browsing Angie's List, I found an amazing deal for 3 hours of deep housecleaning.  I had been feeling so overwhelmed, and on top of it all had worked a 3 day birth (and thus had some extra money in the budget) so I bought it.  Monday morning a team of lovely women came to my house, asked a couple of questions, and got to work.  I took the boys to McDonald's and the park and came back three hours later.

My house?  It SPARKLED.  The place was spotless.  When they said "deep cleaning", they meant it...they had cleaned the baseboards, people.  And the overhead fan.  And the bathtub!  My stove, which used to have black crud crusted around the burner I use most, looks almost new.  They even stripped the beds and put fresh sheets on them. 

I feel like a heavy burden that I didn't even know I was carrying has suddenly disappeared.  I love living in a clean house.  Everything seems easier!  This morning after we finished school, I got out my old set of chore cards and actually did six of the "seasonal" cards.  Now my bathroom not only looks clean, it is actually clean inside the cabinets.  You can't see it, but I know it, and that makes a difference to me.  Tomorrow I think I may wash the curtains.  :)

So to any other moms who have been feeling dragged down and unable to get ahead: if you can afford it, hire a house cleaner.  It isn't just for super rich folks...and it is totally, totally worth it.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can feel the relief and buoyancy in you from this post. How wonderful, Em!

Amber said...

Congratulations on finally closing on the house!! And congrats on the clean house too. That sounds wonderful!

I would go for someone cleaning all the iron stains and hard water deposits in my house... I have found some things that help, but it doesn't work perfectly and it is time consuming - especially on top of all the other cleaning that needs to be done!

Rachel M. said...

YAY! Your house is beautiful! I'm so excited for you!

I'm new to house living, and I can hardly believe what a difference it has made. Nearly everything I do from day to day is simpler. And having a kid-free zone inside is so wonderful!

I also echo you on the house cleaning... once I started hiring help on occasion (because I work so much), there was no going back.

Dy said...

I'm so glad you went for it! A clean home is such a relief, and having that little bit of help does wonders. I might give this a shot when we're no longer living in a perpetual construction zone...

Speaking of which, *congratulations* on your new home! That is SO exciting! I hope it's as much a blessing for you as you fix it up as ours has been for us. :-)