Makes You Think…

Ok, so I think we can all agree that the worst thing about visiting friends or relatives is that some of them just don’t have the same standards when it comes to cleanliness as the rest of us do. I’m not anal-retentive about my house being spotless, and I don’t do the dishes immediately after finishing a meal, although I normally do at least put them in the dishwasher. Doesn’t everyone?

But seriously, I maybe vacuum my floors once a week or once every other week, and I can go to bed not having done the dishes. I just do them the next morning. I do have my favorite carpet cleaners clean my carpets at least once every 6-8 months. THAT I am a bit anal about. It makes such a huge difference though!

I went to college. I lived the young bachelor lifestyle that consists of always going out and rarely being home. When I was home, there was a party to be had at my house any opportunity available! Which does not help matters in the least.

Let’s just say I grew out of that phase…thankfully!

Not everyone does, so I see my graduation into adulthood as an indication that I’ve matured…at least on some level. There may be some work to be done in other areas, but at least my home LOOKS like a place that a fully realized adult would live.

I have my ex-girlfriend to thank for helping me become a more organized, more presentable person. SHE was anal! But not in an aggressive way. More like when I left my shoes in the middle of the living room floor or under the dining room table, she wouldn’t say anything about it but would subtly and quietly pick them up and place them by the door where they belonged. Most times I didn’t even realize or witness her doing it. She wasn’t one to harp on me for much if anything. She was cool….wonder what she’s up to tonight?

Ahem….sorry. Anyway, so I picked up these subtleties and adopted them for my own sake. She was also very particular about having her home very feng shui. She bought very nice furniture and had all matching decor that created a very warm, homy feeling. Even in her one bedroom apartment she managed to make it feel like a real home.

I learned a thing or two from her. After our eventual split, she basically took everything, not because she was a vindictive B-word, but because nearly everything in our home was hers. She had nicer stuff than I did. My stuff was a random assortment of furniture and mismatched decorations that looked like a college kids found at 10 different garage sales and chucked into a room.

With her moving out, it forced me to have to refurnish my home almost completely. But, this time I was much older and had a different desire for the presentation of my home. I remember when we had company over to our place how many compliments “we” got on the hominess and comfort level of our home. I never had anyone compliment my home before that. I was determined to make that change this time.

I went all out. Got all new NICE furniture. Dark leather suede couch, caramel colored leather recliner (MY chair!), expensive artwork to put on my walls, and proper dining table that could accommodate 6 people comfortably.

To maintain all of this niceness, you have to be a clean person, which I hadn’t always been. I went through phases. But at this point in my life, and considering the cleanliness that I got used to expecting in my home, I am a very clean person. I don’t let a week go by without doing a thorough cleaning of the entire house. I keep the level of dirty dishes at a minimum, which is tough sometimes because I cook a lot. Also something I picked up from my ex. At the very least I get my carpets cleaned once a year, sometimes twice depending on how often I have company over. It’s important not only for the cleanliness factor, but it helps keep your carpets from wearing down. I bought an awesome/expensive vacuum to also help them last as long as possible.

The payoff is definitely worth the work and money invested. I have received so many compliments from friends and family about how clean and presentable my home is and how comfortable it makes them feel. It’s not a pride thing or an ego thing. Ok, maybe a little bit about pride. But it’s more about feeling like an adult. Your home is, at least to a certain degree, a reflection of where you are in life. If it is messy and unorganized and dirty, people will assume that you are the same in your personal life. It’s embarrassing to bring a woman home and have her immediately look uncomfortable and unsure about which piece of random furniture is the least dirty.

Think about THAT peeps!