Clean Your Ceiling Fans

Housecleaning has been the bane of my existence for as long as I’m able to remember. Eventually, I accepted  the truth that I would never ever be referred to as “Housekeeper of the Year.” I feel that my recalcitrance came from my belief that housekeeping was, to some large extent, pointless.

Consider the kitchen, for example. I would spend a couple of hours scrubbing it to spotless perfection, and then cook an evening meal and now have grease-spattered counter tops and smudged cupboards defiantly stare back at me. In my heart, I simply knew that all of the dust in the neighborhood selected my house as its final resting place. The stuff gathered around the blinds, on photo frames, on ceiling fans, on knick-knacks – not to mention on coffee tables and also the screen on the TV.

My kids ceiling fan is particularly of concern as she is very asmatic and incredibly sensitive to dust. Imagine my shock when one day I looked up at the once beautiful pink ceiling fan to discover that all the fan blades were just coated with dust! It is so hard to reach and then it is difficult to clean with a regular duster. I have found that the micro fiber dusting clothes or mitts really do fix this problem – even when you are somewhat less than perfect as a housekeeper.

My faults as a housekeeper were never more apparent than after I went to visit my two closest friends. To say they are neat is definitely an understatement. A dust mote would not dare cross the thresholds of their homes. I believe that one of my friends cleans her home with the thought that Martha Stewart will appear any day to give it the white glove check, while the other spends a part of each and every Saturday morning on a step stool, cleaning the tops of her door frames.

On more than one occasion, I found myself rolling my eyes, wondering if they didn’t have more useful ways to spend their time. Deep-down, however, I was just a little bit envious. After all, it isn’t that I do not take pleasure in the tranquility of a thoroughly clean home; housekeeping just never came out at the top of my personal list of priorities.

A year ago, my personal point of view shifted when the three of us ended up out to lunch and one friend mentioned in passing that she’d misplaced her cleaning mitt. My other friend was empathetic, and I sat back as the two talked about the wonders of an amazing cloth that made cleaning a piece of cake. As they waxed poetic about a micro-fiber cloth that is washable, and bleachable, I came to the realization that they did not spend an excessive amount of time on housecleaning. Rather, they had found a product that made house cleaning super easy.

Even though it went against my character, I made a decision to give this ultimate cloth a go. What I found out was eye-opening. Basically, I could thoroughly clean my whole home (and my car) with water and a cloth. I did not need to have an entire cupboard filled with cleaning products, and I did not have to waste paper towels. Rather, I could wet the cloth, wring it out, wipe down the surface I was cleaning up, and then leave knowing it absolutely was just about all streak free. I could truthfully eliminate everything from hairspray and grease to dust and soap scum without resorting to any harsh chemicals whatsoever. I even got a cleaning mitt, which performed well for window blinds, ceiling fans, and small objects.

I will even now never be referred to as “Housekeeper of the Year,” but with my amazing fabric, I found that keeping the house thoroughly clean does not have to be an unpleasant task. I do not have to choose between having a clean house and doing the things I really like. Right now, I can “clean as I go” and keep the house spic and span, but still have ample time for the things in life that are most important to me.