She's A Clean Freak

It all started in my twenties. A friend of mine named Crazy Mary really dazzled me. She was cool. Her house was decorated in antiques, Persian rugs, big huge Boston ferns and glossy green plants, and it was spotless at all times. I loved hanging out with her, she was hilarious. She was a clean smoker. She would smoke a cigarette and wash her ash tray. She never had a stinky ash tray full of butts. Her house didn't stink either, I don't know how she did that.

One day Crazy Mary was mad at Cool Charlie and she came over to my house. I almost fainted. Mary did not leave her domain you came to her house. We were sitting on the couch and talking and she piped up with, "Let's clean your house". I was a bit surprised because I thought my house looked pretty good. But not an idiot I would take some housework help in a New York minute. "Really, you want to clean my house"?
She did, so we did.

Mary showed me clean at a whole new level. Where you move things and wipe and wash, leaving no inanimate object untouched. We kicked my little places rear end. I couldn't believe the difference it felt simply mavalous. That was the day that I bit into the neurosis of a clean house hook line and sinker. I liked it. Sitting in a clean room makes me feel relaxed. Why is that? Any shrinks out there that understand this compulsion? Over the years my neurosis has developed a mind of it's own. When my house is not perfectly spotless, my nerves are jingled, and I get cranky. The two teen people do not join in with my clean freakiness. They like to be piggies, the little one is a wallowing in the mud rolling in dust and dog hair kind of piglet, hence her name.

This week it was war. I have been cleaning. DEEP cleaning, every nook and crannie, every book and every inch of this house, at least the downstairs has been washed, wiped waxed, and otherwise debulked of cat hair, dog hair and kids munchies. WHAT A MESS! The grand finale was having the rugs shampooed, and I took my couches apart and washed all the covers, had the rug man wash the frames. EVERYTHING. I entered the scary Piglets room and she was forced to clean her ceiling fan, look out below!
We cleaned her doors and blinds, washing away 2 years of dirt. She needs a paint job. It made her a nervous wreck because she has piles all over the clean rug already. My kids have the opposite affliction, they are content with messes. Let there be clutter for comfort. I hope one day while I am still alive they meet a crazy Mary and get my neurosis. I will just laugh.

While it's still clean, which may be just a day or two I am on the hunt for a big area rug. One rug the size of the room. Trying to think of what will work with these cats. We have long black dog hair, and copious quantities of white fluff from the Puffins. So what do I choose a black and white Flokati? Persian? Shag? Natural fibers? Well that is the question what would you suggest?