Clean windows offer a moment of clarity: In a foolish spurt of enthusiasm the other day, I decided to tackle window cleaning in our home. I knew for sure that window cleaning time had arrived when I pulled open the drapes one morning to see what the weather was going to be like for the day. The sun was just poking its head out for the day too. That's when it seemed like a zillion fly specks and a smoggy film showed up its best on my patio door. I hurried to the cleaning cupboard, grabbed the liquid sure-to-make-them-sparkling- clean window spray and started squirting my windows. Nothing was going to stop me until every window in the house was done, inside and out.There seemed to be no point in washing the windows, without washing the curtains too, so I took down the kitchen and bedroom curtains after spritzing those windows and crammed them into the washing machine . . . before I could change my mind. After I had rubbed the indoor panes until both arms ached and the tips of my fingers were sore, I grabbed another roll of paper towel and headed outside. Although tempting to just turn the garden hose on to the windows and let them dry, I wisely decided against such action, knowing full well after they had dried they would be more streaked and spotted than ever before.
Determined to have sparkling clean windows just like in the advertisements, I got out the ladder, took off the screens and began scrubbing. By the way, any advertising that claims certain products make window cleaning fun and easy should be against the law. There's no such thing as fun window cleaning. Easy is questionable too. Some of those outside windows at our house aren't the easy things to get at, or to reach when you finally do get close enough. I didn't realize the ground in the one flowerbed was still as moist as it was from the previous night's soaking and when I went to step on the ladder one side of the ladder began to sink. I knew I was losing my balance but could do nothing to save myself without wrecking the clean screen I had in my other hand.
I felt rather foolish -and probably to passersby looked even more so! - as I attempted to hang on to the ladder with one hand, the screen with the other and straddle a shrub . . . without stepping on any of the lovely red geraniums below. By mid-afternoon, all of the windows had been cleaned, the screens washed, window trim scrubbed and the curtains ironed and put back in place.
By bedtime I had aches and pains in muscles I didn't even know I had. I couldn't wait for the next morning to arrive so I could pull back the curtains and admire the newly-polished windows. What I failed to realize though was that a few drops of water had flipped on to the kitchen window when I put the screen back. The morning sun caught them though, for when I yanked back the curtains there was a lovely big spatter, a few smaller spots and a streak stretching from the top of the window to the bottom. That's okay though. Later that day I was using my hand mixer to make some vegetable dip. The mixer slipped in my hand and splattered dip all over the bottom of one of the freshly-cleaned-and- ironed kitchen window curtains. No point in having clean curtains if the window isn't clean either!
Determined to have sparkling clean windows just like in the advertisements, I got out the ladder, took off the screens and began scrubbing. By the way, any advertising that claims certain products make window cleaning fun and easy should be against the law. There's no such thing as fun window cleaning. Easy is questionable too. Some of those outside windows at our house aren't the easy things to get at, or to reach when you finally do get close enough. I didn't realize the ground in the one flowerbed was still as moist as it was from the previous night's soaking and when I went to step on the ladder one side of the ladder began to sink. I knew I was losing my balance but could do nothing to save myself without wrecking the clean screen I had in my other hand.
I felt rather foolish -and probably to passersby looked even more so! - as I attempted to hang on to the ladder with one hand, the screen with the other and straddle a shrub . . . without stepping on any of the lovely red geraniums below. By mid-afternoon, all of the windows had been cleaned, the screens washed, window trim scrubbed and the curtains ironed and put back in place.
By bedtime I had aches and pains in muscles I didn't even know I had. I couldn't wait for the next morning to arrive so I could pull back the curtains and admire the newly-polished windows. What I failed to realize though was that a few drops of water had flipped on to the kitchen window when I put the screen back. The morning sun caught them though, for when I yanked back the curtains there was a lovely big spatter, a few smaller spots and a streak stretching from the top of the window to the bottom. That's okay though. Later that day I was using my hand mixer to make some vegetable dip. The mixer slipped in my hand and splattered dip all over the bottom of one of the freshly-cleaned-and- ironed kitchen window curtains. No point in having clean curtains if the window isn't clean either!
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