This past summer, when my best friend went on vacation for a month, I offered to clean up her house. *Note: I always knew that she was messy. I always had helped her clean her room when we were little, and it was never anything that I couldn't handle.
This time, I really couldn't handle it. I actually wrote 16 pages of the heart wrenching- ew ew experience that was my summer. There was so much. SO MUCH STUFF. In my journal, I wrote this:
Day 1, 3:30 to 7 pm with $60 cash
Horrible Mess. Used two bottles of windex because there is nothing else to clean with in this house. Stuff everywhere. Everywhere. Needs paint job, as to there are unmentionable species growing on the wall. New oven, since I can't even see what color it USED to be. New couch. Matching chairs that aren't lawn furniture. Bedframes. Need to throw EVERYTHING AWAY.
Note: When she comes back, teach her how to clean. Give her list of phone numbers for cleaning lady services.
Wanted to go home to take a bath immediately. Held my pee pee in until I drove 5 minutes to my parents house to do just that.
Need for tomorrow: clorox, bounty, red bull (or i'll die), air freshner, air deodorizers, dish soap, baking soda (10 of them!) brillo, comet, toilet bowl scrubber, gloves, contractor bags, mop, folders for organizing.
Then need to: paint the house, clean the floors, jewelry boxes to fill, put frames on walls, draw living room layout, coffee table, 4 matching chairs, place rugs, curtains for living room, vases, kitchen list, bed frame, twin sheets, wash clothing, throw garbage out, towels, sheets, to buy and then put in linen closet.
This has to be compulsive hoarding. Interesting that there is a show starting on compulsive hoarding.
The experience is still traumatizing to me. Sometimes I think about how before she left to go on vacation, she told me to let it all rot. So basically...20 garbage trucks later, one visit to IKEA, multiple visits to Target and Dollar stores later, she had this:
Good grief...why did you have to do all that...she sounds just like my youngest sister...she would leave plates of rotting food under my bed...and snarly tissues everywhere...very gross!
ReplyDeleteI guess some people just are that way.
You deserve a medal sweetheart...she deserves....(I'm too polite to say it!)
Hey...the verification word is Squash...!
Wow. Plan on turning any water to wine later?
ReplyDeleteSeriously- my list making skills came in handy this past summer. I saw things I never thought I would see. Anyone watch the show, How Clean is Your House? This was worst.
ReplyDeleteCelia, I don't know how some people could be that way. It's shocking to me. I like piles of books and magazines...but eeewww to the stuff that I saw.
Traveler: water into wine? lolol...that's next :)