A cleaning confession

Dust makes me sneeze, and gives me a sore throat. You would think that would be a motivating factor to keep the dust down in my house by cleaning regularly.

<snort> Sorry, but if you came to my house on an average day, you might be hard pressed to see the dust because of the toys, books, and papers everywhere. There are days I find it hard to keep up with the details of life - clutter control, laundry, keeping Tristan uninjured and poison-free, teaching Daniel, and making sure Catie does her homework and projects. Dust? It doesn't demand my attention the way a crying toddler or a huge pile of toys or dishes does. So the dust settles. And builds. If you're picturing a light film on wood surfaces, I hate to gross you out, but picture big gross dust bunnies hanging out in hidden corners, under furniture, and dusty cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. The ceiling dust was what finally got me moving - I just couldn't ignore those dusty, dangling cobwebs anymore. Especially how they clustered at the top of my curtains.

A few days ago I mentioned that I gave my bedroom a medium-deep vacuuming. Yesterday I pulled the living room curtains down and washed them, vacuumed the main floor, and Jake helped me pull the couches away to vacuum behind and underneath.

Ya'll, it was a nightmare zone under there. Thankfully nothing dead or moldy - this time - but SOOOO much dirt, dust, and Lost Things. I had to empty the vacuum three times. And maybe that was the reason, or maybe it was just because we stirred the dust up, or maybe we're just catching Tristan's cold, but today both Daniel and I have the sniffles.

When I was in my early twenties, living in an apartment with the ex (who was a slob), I used to think cleaning was counterproductive for that very reason - the dust that was just lying there peacefully would become weaponized when I started cleaning and launched it into the air. So I'd have to stop cleaning until I recovered, and the dust would win another round. Nony at aslobcomesclean.com
recommends using a dust mask every time you clean for this very reason. A good vacuum really does help too - one with good attachments so you can just reach out with your wand and suck up the dirt at arms length. Donna Freedman recently shared how a Roomba keeps her home clean, and that's kept her asthma at bay. Unfortunately, with 3 kids and a big dog, it would take more effort for me to set up the house for the Roomba than it is to get out the regular vacuum.

That's two room so far that I've done medium-deep cleaning in - the dining room and kitchen get cleaned on a fairly regular basis, so it doesn't get so bad in there. I think I'll try tackling the kids rooms next week.