This is yet another post about our floors. I’m not a particularly strict housecleaner, but lately I am sweeping the floor 2 or 3 times a day – completely out of necessity. Why is it that two little kids can track in so much dirt, spread cheerios a mile wide, and crush crackers so fine the crumbs just float in the air, all within the milliseconds I turn my back? It boggles the mind.
All this sweeping lately has me pondering (let’s just call it the delusions of a mom after too many days alone with the kids). Growing up, my mom always taught me to clean from the top down. This only makes sense. If you just cleaned your table, the last thing you want is cobwebs floating down on them. If you’ve swept and mopped your floors, you don’t want kitchen counter crumbs dropping on them, right?
This “rule” is so ingrained that in the past, I have actually told DH not to vacuum because the counters aren’t wiped down. Yep – I turned down help with the housework because it wasn’t going to get done in my “order.” Well, this past month I’ve seen a new light.
I still prefer to clean from the top down. But with kids, you have to do the floors when you can do them. If DS is about to take a nap, and there isn’t time to clean everything, it is preferable to vacuum first (since the vacuum wakes him up). Otherwise, they may not get done EVER.
So I’ve officially allowed myself to break the rule. And it is wonderful. Because now, even though the kitchen floor is still messy most the time, it is presentable for like 6 minutes a day. And that is a start.
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