miércoles, 20 de febrero de 2013

Ironing, The Devil's Invention


Guilty, is decidedly how I feel.

My neighbor told me that she has just removed their spring clothing from vacuum bags and washed everything, ready to hang in the wardrobe. Just in case, she said, for that unpredictable Spanish March weather. An ex-colleague informed me that she removes dirt from between her bathroom tiles with a cue tip dipped in a special chemical she orders from abroad. Another few acquaintances apparently spend weekend mornings ironing.
The conclusion I draw from all of this, as I nod enthusiastically, insinuating that I too do all those things, that I must be one awful, slovenly, bad example of a housewife. I mean, these women are not ladies of leisure, they work and have kids. So where do they find the time and energy to do all this extra cleaning and ironing? It is a mystery to me.

My bathroom has never seen a cue tip, unless it's about to go into an ear, and the only times anything gets ironed in our house is if it's absolutely necessary. Even then it always gets done in a stressful rush, because we are the original lastminute.com family, permanently late for everything.

Luckily my husband shares my aversion to housework. He agreed to get a fortnightly cleaner when our baby was born, even though I wasn't working, and he doesn't seem to mind the fact that the duster and the mop rarely come out in between the blessed woman's visits. And he reckons that ironing is the Devil's invention. These are just two of the many reasons why I love him.

Please don't think that we are dirty people! I assure you that our house is hygienic enough. Well, at least for our liking. The baby is thriving despite the occasional clump of dog hair on the floor. Don't they say that regular contact with bacteria strengthens one's immune system?

So there, the truth is out! Whenever baby Felix falls asleep, unless I'm working, I don't rush to clean the oven after all... 

Nope. I put my feet up, switch on a soap and drink tea. Beats scrubbing floors any day.