Thursday, August 30, 2007

Executive Decisions

What's the point of being home on disability if you don't get to splurge a little and milk the pain for all it's worth?

Even though we do have a slight cash situation since I'm not getting my usual paycheck, I've make the executive decision to hire a house cleaner while I'm down and out, and today the living room, stairs and upstairs hallway carpets are getting cleaned.
We've talked about a house cleaner for a while now, since both of us are working and just can't seem to keep up on everything. And now that I'm home recovering, but still can't do anything, and I am a bit of a clean freak, I have to sit and stare at the cobwebs, the dust, and the dirty bathtub, so a hundred dollars seems worth my sanity. Even though I want everything to be clean, we still tend to be clutter leavers, where within a day or two of de-cluttering a space, there will inevitably be crap strewn about. I have no problem leaving stuff around, but that surface under the crap had better be clean! So we are hoping that by having a house cleaner come every other week, we will be motivated to keep the clutter to a minimum so we don't have such a mad dash to throw everything into a closet somewhere the morning they are due to arrive. The current plan is to just do this while I can't clean myself, but we'll see.
And the carpets, well are disgusting due to kitties with tender tummies, and a husband that likes to eat in front of the TV, and can't seem to get the food to his mouth consistently. For years he has had the argument that we are just going to replace the carpet with wood anyway (well, fake wood) so he said we could put the carpet cleaning money toward the new floor. Well, that was 3 years ago he started saying that because we can't do the floor until we do the kitchen remodel and we have been putting that off for those 3 years. He has reasoned with me about renting a Rug Doctor and doing it himself, and he did that once, but it just didn't work very well and the stains came back up within a week. The professional carpet cleaning is another 100 buckaroos, and well.... I got a few bonus' this year, so again with the executive decision.

Yes, I realize that executive decisions about money are not the best for a new marriage. I mean, Eric does get to say his opinion, and I weigh that opinion with my wants and desires, so ....

The house is now clean, and the carpets are back to a lovely light beige with only 1 or 2 light spots they couldn't get out. The only bad room in the house is the home office, as Eric's new business plus his organizational style has taken over that room. Perhaps hiring a professional organizer could be my next move.... Hmmmm.

7 comments:

J said...

Yay for Chem dry! I'll bet even Eric will be thrilled when he sees how much better the carpets look!

ML said...

I'm right with ya on hiring a cleaning person while you're laid up. Not being able to clean my house would drive me crazy! Great executive decision.

Tracy said...

Freshly shampooed/steamed carpets do make such a great difference!

xoxo,
Tracy

Gina said...

I hate beige carpeting, because I have it and it stains in five seconds flat.

Karen MEG said...

We're ripping out our carpet now that G's (almost) toilet trained. We've had the carpets done twice, so now we're biting the bullet and going for wood! It's so bad my husband won't let me turn the lights on without dimmers in the family room! We've done the rug doctor thing - a lot of work, and you do save money, but it's nothing like the pros.
I have a regular cleaning lady come in every 2 weeks - she's been with us for 7 years, it's my one "luxury" I've kept since staying at home - it's actually more of a necessity as I spend the rest of my time just picking up after the kids.
Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

We tried Sears and they did a good job, but they couldn't get some of the stains out. So we went with Chem Dry and they did a great job of getting out old dog barf stains. Glad to hear you went with Chem Dry 'cause it is the superior choice. :-)

Cherry said...

Py - oh yes, definitely Chem Dry. Afterall, I did consult with J before making the appointment! She said the stains came back with Sears, plus the added benefit of the carpets being dry so much faster!

And.. it was pretty cheap if you think of how much better the carpets look!