The cleanest our house ever was were the years it was cleaned by the lovely Benedetta. I miss her. She was always kind to me. When she retired to take care of her aging husband my mother hired Lisa to clean her house. The first day Lisa started she said to me in broken English with a Portuguese accent, “mama say no clean your room” accompanied by a quizzical look on her face that read, ‘I don’t know why I am cleaning the entire house including your brother’s room (who was also living there) but not your room’?
That was how I was informed that my room would be no longer cleaned. Strange as it may seem, I was actually grateful to be informed by my mother’s cleaning lady. Her telling me meant I was not abused while being told. By that standard, I now live in filth. Not because I do not care but because that is what my muscles can manage. It is embarrassing.
Certainly, some things are more regularly cleaned around here than others. I focus on keeping things clean for health reasons. I decided that it is best way to use my limited muscle energy. So…the kitchen counter is cleaned with every use. The sinks and cloths are sanitized after every set of
dishes are washed (washing dishes is very hard and seems to be getting harder recently). Things like the bathroom sink area and places were hands regularly go are sanitized. That means that things like my floor are not regularly cleaned. Furniture is not regularly dusted. Depending on how I am doing, parts of the apartment at times can look like my own personal haunted house. Seriously. I do two things which help keep things cleaner in here and therefore help me. I do not wear outdoor shoes in the apartment (though the Superintendents do) and I always put the toilet seat down before I flush (though my Auntie Beth refuses to, for some reason).As already said, some things are more regularly cleaned around here than others. The bathtub is not one of them.
If I could, my bathtub would be cleaned once a week.
The first time I tried to clean my bathtub I fell. The next day I cried all day like a baby. I believed that I would never have a clean bathtub again because I would never be able to clean it. The next day it was also clear that I had hurt my back when I fell. I spent the next week sitting in a chair accomplishing nothing.
I do not remember when I next tried to clean the bathtub but I know that it was many months later. I eventually realized that the ONLY way I was ever going to be able to clean the tub was to actually sit in it to do so.
So, I did that, sat in the tub and worked my way round it with vinegar and baking soda. It took me three to four days. When I was done my arm muscles were more tired than I can possibly describe. I couldn’t brush my teeth for a few days afterwards so I used mouthwash.
The first time I cleaned it I was just so grateful it was cleaned that I did not even think to have a bath in it before it became dirty again.
The second time I cleaned it, I had a bath the day after I finished cleaning it.
That brings me to the second reason I cried the day after the first time I tried to clean the bath. Until I moved here, Lisa,while not cleaning my room was cleaning the bathroom once a week so I was able to have regular Epsom salt baths for my muscles. When I feared I would never be able to clean my tub again, I also realized I had lost that coping mechanism for my muscles.
I have now cleaned the tub for a third time. I am so proud of it that I took photos. Seems silly to be proud of cleaning a tub but if you ever become serious ill and experience an enormous change in what you can do…I use to run up to two hours day before I became ill…then you will sadly feel pride at what seem like small accomplishments to normal people.
Here is my clean tub:
Here is my tub with magnesium salts in it for only the second time since moving here: (look closely, white salts are just in front of tub stopper)
Here is my magnesium salt water bath filling: :)
And even the not so hot water in this building turned out to be a good thing, as I know you really should only stay in a magnesium salt bath for 20 minutes or so I believe. If the bath water had been hot-tub-hot I would have stayed for an hour. I wouldn’t have been able to resist, it being only my second bath since moving here. It wasn’t hot-tub-hot so when my 20 minute alarm went off I got out. My muscles had one of the best sleeps they have had since moving here, so noticeable that I am determined to get that tub cleaned again sooner next time.
When you have regular struggles with your muscles you have to develop coping mechanisms where you can. For a long time now I have used a power toothbrush because this former star at cleaning my teeth became aware that I was no longer cleaning them well enough to let it go long term.
Recently, I have also been struggling to clean a spring form pan that I bought after I moved here, my first spring form pan. It has been in the sink for a couple of weeks. It has been cleaned many times during that period but I still could not get all the food out from the folded over ridge part. I had tried everything and finally managed to clean it today with a brand new grout brush, which is now my spring form pan brush. Here is what I used:
So, if you have muscle issues and have been attempting to clean a springform pan with little success, you might want to buy one of these.
I will never buy a SECOND springform pan.
God Bless!
Elina Grace Edwin
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