The Bag Lady has been ‘head down, ass up’ for a good portion of the weekend. She was bitten by the house-cleaning bug…not really hard; more like a nibble. The weather has been relatively mild, so she tore her furnace apart and cleaned the filter and the cold-air returns, and washed the covers for same. She tries to do this on a semi-regular basis – every couple years or so! (At least, that’s what the Cowboy thinks, because he is never home when she does it!) She has a washable furnace filter, which she really likes. She vacuums the hair off, washes it in the sink, then sprinkles it with essential oils.
She also sprinkles essential oils inside the cold air returns when she is finished vacuuming them. When the furnace comes on, the house is filled with a lovely scent - this time she used a Kiwi/Strawberry/Melon combination that reminds her of spring.
She also got a bit of a work-out by washing her floors. She has carpet in the living room and the bedrooms, and has linoleum in the remaining million square miles… She washes her floors the old-fashioned way, using a string mop (yacht mop) and really, really hot water. The Bag Lady is ashamed to admit she doesn’t wash her floors as often as she should. She finds it discouraging to go to all that trouble and turn around to find the dog and cats have left little footprints all over her nice clean floors! So in between thorough washings, she uses one of those Swiffer wet pads to wipe up any mess. She has linoleum that looks like black and grey marble tiles, so the dirt doesn’t show as much as it would on a lighter floor. The Cowboy picked out the flooring, bless his heart – he knows how much the Bag Lady despises housework!
One good thing about living in this part of the country – it is traditional to remove one’s shoes when in the house. The Bag Lady has heard rumors that there are places where it is common to leave your shoes on in the house! In this part of the country, the seasons aren’t conducive to leaving your shoes on – we have snow boot season and rubber boot season - "winter" and "mud" (or, if you are driving somewhere, "construction") - neither set of footwear would be welcome, even on the Bag Lady’s mostly black floors!
What about where you live? Do you leave your shoes on in your house?
15 comments:
Nope, I was brung up right. Well, okay, sometimes, if I know they are dry and clean.
You should try to find some green tea scent. It quite nice on my bed, even though you can't smell it as much now that it is dressed.
I'll look for that. I have a bunch of scented oils that I picked up and use in an oil burner. They work quite well in the furnace ducts, too. Of course, they probably won't last too long, but for now my house smells nice!
Growing up, we always took our shoes off when we came in the house and I think most people around here do. So you'd think I would be one of those take-your-shoes-off people. I do when I go to other peoples houses. But at home I tend to leave my shoes on.
Granted, this time of year when I come in wearing snowy boots I take them off. But then I will put on a pair of slippers, house shoes or sneakers. I just like having something on my feet. Not sure why that is, but I do. Of course, I am also a shoe-a-holic...Maybe that has something to do with it.
The Bag Lady has a similar addiction to shoes. Unfortunately, she suffered through a long (3 years!) and tedious struggle with heel spurs, requiring orthotics in her shoes, and eventually shock-wave therapy. The inserts didn't work well in anything other than sneakers or similar sturdy shoes.
She has closets and boxes full of pretty shoes she may never be able to wear again. Sigh.
She wears moccassins around the house. Finds she can't go without them any more, she is so accustomed to wearing them! The Cowboy gave her some for Xmas one year - the slipper kind with the fur around the top - and she gets pouty if she doesn't get a new pair every year!
(She also seems to be suffering from an identity crisis in the comment section today - her previous comment was written in the first person...)
It seems more and more people I know are going shoeless in their homes, but generally, such sensible behavior has been considered eccentric hereabouts until very recently.
It sure makes sense and as more of our friends are starting to take up the habit, the Lobster and are thinking of adopting it too.
But almost 50 years of habit might be hard to break.
Heavens yes I take my shoes off and woe betide any fool who comes to my home and wants to leave outdoor foot gear on.
I have indoor sandals that I wear, but sometimes I am in sock feet. After a bath I may be barefoot. It creeps me out to think my nice, clean feet are walking where someone tracked in the Great Outdoors.
We take our shoes off here too. Though I did live Europe and were it was expected to keep shoes on.
I had heel spurs at one time - painful!!!! I just work open heeled shoes (clogs) for a long time and the the spurs eventually went away.
I'll have to try the essential oils in the furnace filter... I never would have though of that on my own. Thanks!
Crabby, one wonders if the habit of removing shoes in this neck of the woods is mostly due to the weather. It just isn't practical to wear outdoor footwear inside when it is either designed for slogging through snowdrifts, or covered with mud!
dfLeah, gosh, you and Reb and the Bag Lady must be related...or Japanese...
Hi, carpe diem - we were commenting at the same time, didn't mean to ignore you!
It seems to be pretty much the custom across the board in Canada to remove your outdoor shoes.
Heel spurs really are terrible, aren't they? The Bag Lady helped her podiatrist's children through University with hers!!
The essential oils also work on the filter in the vacuum cleaner.
The housecleaning bug? Hmmmm, I think I was vaccinated against that one long ago. And shoes? That's something we wear to protect our feet from my floor!
(I finally made it here. Love your blog AND your blog template!)
We live in a shoes on house and it drives me nuts! My husband is the biggest culprit! Just do yard work? Walk right in, no problem. It's raining outside? Walk right in, no problem. He always says he'll steam the carpet and then guess who's on her hands and knees spot cleaning with great care.
I am with you Lady, mopping the floors is my least favorite activity. Then hubby brought home the Eureka Enviro Steamer and now it isn't nearly as much of a chore. No soap, just steam cleaning.
Amy - glad you could make it over. The Bag Lady was immunized against the house-cleaning bug years ago, too, but it must be wearing off...
SB - Might have to look into getting one of those steamers, so it can sit in the closet with the rest of the cleaning tools and gather dust!!
Ok, If someone wore their shoes in my house and they didn't ask permission (the only reason I have ever granted this permission was to furniture movers who were carrying EXTREMELY heave objects) she would ask them to leave!
Dirt on my floors because you're too good to take your shoes off?? I don't think so!
I am jealous of your dark linoleum, mine is white and shows every bit of dirt, I hate it!!
Shoes off. My Mum would kill us if we didn't. I actually get on my friend's cases who try to keep their shoes on in the summer...drives me nuts. They tell me "oh it's OK, they're clean!" and I have to remind them that no it isn't...it's in my house :)
But in the winter we have slippers...but they never go outside. In the summer it is barefoot as much as possible...
Great idea about the scented oil on the furnace thing. I'm actually (serioualy) cleaning the furnace and such tonight, so I'll add some vanilla oil and see how it works for us.
Sarah & Geosomin: yup, sounds like it's a Canadian thing to take your shoes off in the house.
It's definitely the way I was raised!
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