It's almost turkey day and I am going to be cooking for the family, well part of our family. Wouldn't you know it, last week on Oprah she had a crew going around knocking on random doors. For those willing to let the gentleman in, he said he would help them clean up their clutter. The idea sounded like if your home was organized, so would be your life. If you are interested in the particulars I am sure you can find them on her Web page.
In the spring and in the fall I do my major cleaning before Easter and before Thanksgiving. This show gave me an extra boost of energy. For the most part my house is very organized but there are some areas that if this clean-up crew showed up at my door, I would have to admit I need help, like in our computer room/Davis' bedroom. Several years ago, thinking Jenee was the only child left at home, I turned our third bedroom into a game and computer room. I put in an L-shaped Formica countertop with one lower corner cabinet and two other lower cabinets just like you would put in a kitchen. This allowed us room to have both our computers and a television away from our living space. The only problem is that my side of the counter always gets full of the paper work I don't want company to see.
So Oprah's show last week inspired me to clean out the one cabinet. You won't believe the kinds of things I had stowed away behind these two doors. There were owner's manuals to things we no longer own (they should have been in my plastic tub marked owner's manuals that is out in the barn). There were indelible ink pens for crafts that should have been in my craft dresser. I also found a gift bag full of little Easter trinkets.
Now I am ready for my real cleaning. I like to pull all the stemware out of the hutch and run them in the dishwasher. While they are in there I clean the entire cabinet with lemon oil. That's a job in itself, but I know Aunt Cathy will appreciate a clean, fancy wine glass. Next I clear the kitchen counter completely and give it a good scrubbing. A coffee cup filled with water three quarters full into the microwave for two and a half minutes and then it's easy to wipe down with a cloth. I scrub the oven and dishwasher faces till they sparkle. The last big chore is to oil the kitchen cabinet with lemon oil that takes me a good three hours. Last I like to wipe down all my wood doors with Liquid Gold. It smells good and they look almost new.
Now all I need to do is my regular cleaning and I'll be ready to entertain. I do have a silly question after typing this article: why do I do all the cleaning before I make a mess in the kitchen? Shouldn't I clean after the company leaves?
n Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.
