One of my least favorite cleaning activities is dusting. When I do dust, I cheat. I use the vacuum cleaner – hose with soft-bristle brush attachment. Those other dusting methods, I avoid like the plague. If the vacuum cleaner breaks, well, I’m up the creek without a paddle, as they say.
Clean sweep
Outdoor sweeping is a breeze; indoor sweeping, on the other hand, and you’ll excuse me if I say so, ahem: something to sneeze at, if you get my drift.
You remember how I earlier said I hate dusting, well, sweeping outdoors makes dust. It can’t be avoided. But, whenever there is a “dust up,” so to speak, and I’m in close-enough proximity, I do my darnedest to not breathe in the airborne particles. Should I see a cloud of dust caused by my sweeping head my way, I move out of its way. Keeps me alert and on my toes.
I also mentioned the vacuum. You really must be skillful to empty its canister. I usually reserve this for a time when there is an outside breeze. When I dump the canister’s contents into the outside garbage bin, if I’m not careful, the loose dust particles can come floating up and out of the bin. If that happens and there is a wind, those will get carried away. Better them than me.
Now that I’m getting up in years, I leave the big yard projects to someone else. In fact, in Fresno we have this great trash-disposal program dubbed “Operation Cleanup.” Remember how I said I no longer do those big yard jobs? Well for those, once a year I hire a gardener. He does the edging, pruning, trimming, raking and cleanup. I insist that he not use the leaf blower. I also tell him that I’ll do the sweeping up and, in regard to those conditions, the gardener is more than happy to comply. It all works out just fine.
At any rate, utilizing the gardener’s services coincides with when it’s my day for Operation Cleanup debris curbside-placed pickup. The clippings and whatnot are placed curbside, usually just a few days before clearing time is scheduled. The City allows this. It’s a laudable program. Other neighbors do the same or similarly.
Take my incense, please!
I’ll be having none of that, thank you very much! You know, those smelly smell disguisers. Prefer a better term? Okay, how about coverup?
I see them promoted in tv ads and in online advertising all the time. I guess they think we don’t get the hint and that we need a gentle reminder from time to time.
Some even call for plugging into the wall. Seriously?! My utility bill is high enough as it is. I don’t relish forking out more dough, especially for silly odor maskers that in only so many days will have to be tossed anyway. No thanks. If I feel things need to be freshened up, deodorant works just fine for me.
What’s in a name?!
Oh and that title? Funning extra? Just in the mood for some good “clean” fun, is all.
Update: Oct. 10, 2023 at 6:32 a.m. PDT.
Cheers!
⁃ Alan Kandel
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Corresponding, connected home-page-featured image: Pearson Scott Foresman via Wikimedia Commons
Rather than disturb the dust and send some of it into the atmosphere, it is better to let it rest. I do not dust anything at all but very occasionally when something appears to be quite dirty, I can wipe away the accumulated dust with a wet cloth and rinse the particles of matter down the drain. Dust becomes the enemy only when we become compulsive and regard it as dirt.
Makes sense. Thank you for that insight.