Cleaning

[lexin]

After Herculean efforts I bought a light bulb for the kitchen today (fluorescent, 1500mm) and discovered the dreadful truth. I live like a pig. For some reason, the new bulb seems to be brighter than the one it replaced, and the kitchen is now lit like the opening scene of a panto ("are we all happy boys and girls?") bringing into sharp relief my kitchen-cleaning failure of the past few weeks. (This may be a lie. It may have been longer – cleaning the kitchen rather went by the wayside when I got depressed. Don't eat at my house.)

I first tried to buy this thing on Sunday at the horrible shop near where gloria1 lives, and over a week since the previous one bit the dust. They had everything else, they sell kitchens let alone kitchen sinks, but not a 1500mm fluorescent bulb. Every other size, and shape, but not that. So, frustrated, I bought a Christmas tree. As you do, obviously.

The young man in the horrible shop told me strange stories of an electrical shop further down the road at Thatched House - which is near the place where the psychiatrist has his office – but obviously he was not open on a Sunday. It seemed to me therefore that I could roll two visits up together today.

Had I the sense given a billiard ball I'd have visited the psychiatrist first and then bought the bulb, but for some reason that obvious way round eluded me and I arrived at the psychiatrist's office clutching a fragile 1500mm of glass. And the psychiatrist says I'm not mad – really, he does. I asked him.

I also asked him what I should do about my generalised cleaning failure. He said, "Get a cleaner." Which is what gloria1 told me when I asked her. So I'm considering it.

Comments

[watervole.livejournal.com]

I have a cleaner - saves me wrecking my shoulder every week.

If illness, either mental or physical, means you can't clean, there is no shame (and a lot of stress reduction) in employing a cleaner.

[aunty_marion]

*sigh* If I were in better health, I'd offer to come round and help clean your kitchen. Then you could pay me something for it, and we'd both be better off.

Unfortunately, I'm standing guard against a new attack of the Cough O'Doom. I need to be completely healthy in three weeks' time to have my tooth extracted!

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

I love my cleaner!

Not just because when I was working crazy hours at least I didn't have to worry about the cleaning (and could therefore maximise my limited free time and reduce the stress a bit) but also because she's better at it than I am.

It's wonderful coming home to a freshly cleaned house, as well.

I don't know if she'll come out to where you are but if she will I can definitely recommend her, if you're interested.

She's not through an agency but is definitely honest. When I had a new bathroom fitted the place needed a really thorough clean as I'd told her not to come whilst it was being done and although I'd done what I could the dust had got everywhere and I hadn't had the time to do a really thorough clean. I left her £50 in order to clean the place thoroughly but when I got home she'd left me £22 change, saying £50 was too much as it hadn't taken her that long to clean the place!

She's lovely.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

If she would come to Leytonstone I would fall on her neck with tears of delight!

[lexin.livejournal.com]

That's what gloria1 said. Well, she used fewer words, but you know her.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

*sigh* If I haven't found anyone by the time you've had your teeth done, you're on.

[gloria1.livejournal.com]

Get a cleaner. And yes, the horrible shop is horrible.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Will text her and find out - she's Bulgarian and isn't fluent in English (although is definitely improving) but reads and writes English quite well and both her husband and daughter speak reasonably good English. Just as well as my Bulgarian is non-existant!

[julesjones]

And it doesn't have to be permanent.

Being depressed means the housework going to pot. Living in a tip makes you depressed. Having a cleaner for a few months can help break that cycle, even if you wouldn't want to have one permanently.

[gwendolen.livejournal.com]

I have a similar problem. I get depressed and my flat suffers, and then that drags me down even further. Occasional bouts of energy and attempts at tidying up aren't really helping. :-(

I like your psychiatrist's advise. If I could afford it I would hire someone to clean.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

Well, I can probably afford one for a time - it may not be a permanent solution as I'm not sure how my finances will stand up to it. I've been thinking about it, and I'm probably going to start by hiring someone for a day to help me do a proper clean, and then go from there.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

Not sure I can afford one forever, but I'm looking into it.

[manna]

I have a cleaner, with absolutely no excuse whatsoever, and no guilt. Personally, I think it's well worth paying someone to clean every other week when I get a clean house, and no stress about it.

[ev-vy.livejournal.com]

Just get a cleaner. Really. They're professionals, and however hard you may try, you will never clean your place as well as they could. When I had a cleaner, my guests actually noticed that it was clean.

[aliciajd]

Having cleaners is a wonderful way of pampering yourself a little bit and of keeping depression at bay. It does wonders for me to come home to a spruced up house. Also, it forces me to pick up a bit every two weeks, because my cleaners don't throw out trash that I've left out and only clean 'around' any blatent messes.

You're worth it, treat yourself.

[gloria1.livejournal.com]

You could try a one-off spring clean thing to get yourself all sparkling and fresh for 2010, and then see how it goes? Once a quarter or so? Thing is, as I've found (and I'm a pig) once I got my flat clean and tidy, it was easier to *keep* it clean and tidy. But let it go too far and I'm back in pig-town.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

My immediate difficulty is that cleaners clean, and it's the tidying up I haven't done for an eon. I am considering getting someone in for a day to help me tidy up and give it a spring clean, and then going from there with a regular cleaner.

[lexin.livejournal.com]

Thanks! My contact details are on the very first post of my LJ if you don't have them to hand.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Agreeing with everyone else here about getting a cleaner.