Household-y Delights!!!

Ah, guilty pleasures. We all have them. There’s the lavish ones; chocolate, angora socks, veal. The funny thing is, when revealed, guilty pleasures have a certain cache and give their owner an air of luxury and magnificence. We all know someone who has a fabulous shoe collection, or who always brings Piper Heidsieck on New Year’s Eve. And even as we think “I would never” there’s a part of us that whispers “Wish I would.” Let’s be honest, we grudgingly admire someone who indulges in their heart’s desire.

Now, all that being said, there’s another form of guilty pleasure that, curiously, is a little harder to own up to and raises more eyebrows than pricey treats. These activities would normally be considered mundane, boring, dull, even…work. Housework, to be exact.

Sparkling faucets. Sweeping behind the sofa. Perfectly folded towels. These things may seem unremarkable to some, but to many they are simply thrilling. I personally love waking up the morning after going on a cleaning spree and seeing the sun spilling in on perfect, smudge-free floors. Or coming home, opening the door and smelling the sweet scent of clean.

Which leads to another dorky guilty pleasure, cleaning products! For some, clean has a distinct smell. Bleach for some. Lemon or pine for others. Many like to use the trendy scent du jour. I did this once. I purchased everything lavender. Cleaner, dish soap, laundry detergent and softener. Even disinfecting wipes. Body wash and hand soap and lotion. Scented candles. I did this while my husband was away for a few months since he’s, well, allergic to lavender. My goal was to get lavender out of my system and de-stress while I was at it.

Of late, I’ve become more concerned with green methods of cleaning my home than with designer fragrances. As the owner of four pets, I’m concerned with what they are picking up off the floor. And I’m thinking a lot about what all six of us are breathing in and absorbing. So I’ve been using a lot of vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice.

We’re planning more ways to go green as well. Back home, we had curb-side recycling, including organics. We don’t have this here so we have fallen out of the habit, and it really bothers us to see so many bags going to the curb. So, one of our next household projects will be to start recycling again. It will be more work for us since we’ll have to haul our recyclables to the depot ourselves, but it’s something that’s important to us. We are also planning to purchase a manual push-mower and to plant a garden.

This could become my newest obsession. Enthusiastically going green, while still a glamour-less guilty pleasure, is something we can all benefit from and aspire to. After all, a healthy, happy environment should be everyone’s heart’s desire.