My family has always told me I was fanatical about the way I keep my home. "Everything is always to neat and orderly" my mother would often comment. "You're just a clean-freak to the extreme!" my older sister would say.
In an effort to prove to me how fanatical I had become about housekeeping, this same sister set me up by placing a rolled up small piece of Kleenex in the corner of the living room floor. She even bet my mother (who was there at the time) that when I came into the room, it would be less than a minute before I went to retrieve the tissue and toss it in the wastebasket. Well, it took less than a minute (probably all of 10 seconds). I had no idea what they were laughing about as I did this until my sister explained what she had done.
Now, that may prove I am a rather neat person, but I still don't see myself as a clean freak. I simply want to keep my home clean and tidy. I think this "I want nice things" and "I want to keep them that way" philosophy comes from my childhood. You see, our Dad was a religious man (a minister) who taught us the value of living the simple life. Generally speaking, that meant the family literally lived his 'Vow of poverty' so to speak.
Though we were provided with all the necessities for a healthy lifestyle... we simply didn't have any of the frills. Of course, I don't blame my father for this. In fact, I thank him for choosing that method of raising us. Those values helped me understand the meaning of "working to earn my way" in life.
As I got older, I not only realized that I had to work hard to be able to afford the "frills", I also knew I had to work hard to keep them. So, if I purchased a new appliance or piece of furniture, I kept it clean and well maintained, so it would last me much longer than the warranty it came with. The same idea was applied to all of my home and belongings.
My husband never complained about my "clean freak-ness" either. As a matter of fact, he delighted in my effort to keep our home and belongings ship-shape. "If there is a way to clean it," he would say, "my wife will find it!"
Which brings me to the subject in the title of this post.Yes, I do windows... twice a year -- thoroughly. Since my husband spent $6,500 for all new, triple-pane, pull-in, easy-to-clean windows for the house a couple years ago, I make sure they stay looking brand new. Mind you, it is quite an effort to get all those windows cleaned. It usually takes me two full days to do it, but I get it done.
The way I see it, there's no point of having windows if you can't see out of them. The same goes for cleaning/maintaining furnishings and your home in general.Keep it clean and in good operating order and it will last a lifetime...
So, if I am to be stereotyped a "clean-freak" by friends and family... Oh well. At least I am a happy one!