If you have a planned visit to my home, rest assured that you will have an extremely clean toilet to sit on, should the need arise.  I always clean toilets before anyone comes over.  It’s my thing.  There is a difference between messy and clean.  I sometimes fail the messy part, but I never fail the clean.  Dirty base boards and a dirty kitchen sink bother me, a lot.  I keep my dogs’ hair shorter than I would prefer because it means my hardwood floors are cleaner.  I would much rather walk down the street nude than go to bed without cleaning up after guests.  I think one of my mother’s proudest facts about her children is that we all are this way.  Some of us, ahem David, hire it out, but we are all fastidious.  There are moments in life that have stuck out for me regarding my need for cleanliness.

1. Patrick and I took a fabulous trip throughout France, concentrating in Paris.  I was appalled that Notre Dame and other religious, historical houses of worship were not dusted regularly.  How can you invite tourists in and allow them to see mounds of dust collecting EVERYWHERE?  Patrick asked me how I supposed they would clean regularly.  I did not have an answer, but is it not embarrassing for the tourist board?
2. I shared an apartment with my beloved C and another lovely girl, and I was the bath tub cleaner.  I was also the only one who sat in the bath tub.  C came home and found our roommate bathing her python in the bath tub.  C assured her I should not know about this and she should scour the bath tub after the python exited.  Thank the Lord I did not know about this until much, much later.
3. A selling point in the ad for my first apartment in NYC (34^th and 9^th) was that it had a dishwasher.  When we looked at the apartment, it was filthy.  There were animal excretions on the carpet and the dishwasher had standing water and dead insects (the worst kind) inside.  The landlord assured us this would all be fixed by the time we moved in.  I came from renting apartments in Texas, so I believed him.  Nothing had changed when we moved in.  I referenced the selling point of the ad being the dishwasher and he said that I still had one; it just didn’t work.  I sat on the curb and rocked myself while sobbing.

One of my very favorite go to products for quick cleaning is Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Oil soap.

It comes in a huge bottle and I squirt 1 big squirt in a spray bottle, mix it with water, and use it for a million things.  I clean my counter tops multiple times a day, clean T’s high chair, wipe up spills off the floor, clean the living room table, and my base boards!  It leaves zero residue, but a fantastic minty clean smell.  It is my most favorite cleaning product.  A big bottle lasts 2 years.  They make several scents, and while reading about the company, I learned that many of the ingredients are certified organic and the company fully supports fair trade.  I love that you can use it to clean your home and your body.  They have an unscented version that I plan to try with the tiny one the next time we need soap for him.  They have a fantastic website I recommend checking out as there are many products and interesting articles to read.  www.drbronner.com.  Would it be presumptuous to email this to “whom it may concern” at Notre Dame?