Why We Invite People Over

I suppose there are some individuals who invite people over to their homes because they want to see their friends and family. And I do too. But it also gives me a kick in the arse to raise the housekeeping standards around here for at least a day or two. Housework is one of those things that gets noticed only if it doesn't get done.

Since my SO comes over a couple of times a week, I at least drag the vacuum around the house and check the status of the main bathroom on a regular basis. And laundry gets done. And sometimes that is about it.

I was commiserating with an old friend about the cleaning freak-out that was about to occur since a work friend was coming for coffee today. My old friend said what she does is make sure the kitchen and bathroom are spotless, pick up what she can, and, if there is time, vacuum.

My MO is to concentrate on the rooms that are in the least state of disarray, since it doesn't take much to get them in order, and leave the worst for last. The problem is I frequently run out of time and/or energy before I get to the worst. So the worst gets worse and worse until it looks the worstest.

The worst is my kitchen, but I decided to follow my old friend's lead and tackle that first. That took most of last night, but now I can find my breakfast bar, and the floor, while not clean enough to eat off, is looking good. This morning I took care of the lighter tasks, including cat box and rabbit cage. I even dusted!

I keep wondering why can't I simply spend about 20 minutes a day on housework? My house is small and I am the only two-legged living here. It seems 20 minutes a day would keep the place looking not just inhabitable but downright spring-cleaning clean. But I don't do that.

Another problem with having people over is the household quirks. Today's concern was the toilet in the main bathroom that sometimes does not refill after a flush. I checked to make sure the tank was full, then decided if my work friend used the bathroom, I would follow suit in a reasonable amount of time and make sure it refilled.

I baked banana bread and brewed coffee and my friend arrived and we had a nice visit, sitting in the new room and watching the birds. And now I have a nice clean house to enjoy, even if it looks like someone else lives here.