Cleaning the Studio

For some unknown and unwelcome reason, things get dusty & cluttered. Every couple of weeks, I vacuum the area rug, clean the wood floors, wash out the window ledges & reorganize the bins. Sometimes I dust. Sometimes I wipe down mirrors and windows. Today, I pulled out the next UFO projects. I didn't quilt, formally, yet, this behind-the-scenes work is vital to when I do engage in my projects.

I have a housekeeper who comes in once a month and stays for a few hours. According to expert Mary Starkey in her text book SETTING HOUSEHOLD STANDARDS, it takes 4 hours to clean 2,000 square feet for average standards when performed weekly (not including special requests). My house is small at 1,100 square feet, yet by those numbers, it would take almost 12 hours each week! Yikes.

Needless to say, I am not using Starkey's standards. I probably spent a couple of hours in this room, so the numbers do work for how long I was in here. While cleaning is ok to my standards & neat enough to have company, I would not say it is my activity of choice. If you enter your zip code at https://www.care.com/ and follow the links, it will generate a list of any type of home service providers & what you can expect to pay for them in your area. 

I used to clean when I expected company. I clean for myself now, not really caring what others who stop in might say or think; And not often, but only when the dust bunnies get to me. Having a housekeeper once a month is worth it. I don't have 10-12 hours a week to devote to housework. I don't WANT to devote that much time to it. 

Following (loosely) to the FlyLady system http://www.flylady.net/, I clean on average 15 minutes a day, which would total to a minimum of 1 hour and 45 minutes a week. THAT is more my style.

"Dammit Jim, I am a quilter, not a housekeeper!" (quote from Star Trek, if you didn't know)