White Glove

The in-laws are coming for the weekend, which means Bruce and I have been spending a good portion of each evening this week doing what we call “White Glove.” This is a term we picked up back in our PCC days which referred to the twice-a-year scrubbing of the dorms to which students were submitted in preparation for visitors College Days. It was usually a Friday Night, and all students were required to scour their dorm rooms from top to bottom (literally). The rooms were then inspected the next morning, and anything that was deemed “unsatisfactory” was then cleaned again, but only after demerits were dealt to the offender. Yes, you are right. This was an insane practice to an extent. I recall getting in trouble for not cleaning the soap scum from beneath the soap holder in the shower…. Nevertheless, we did it, and I guess our dorms were better off because of it.

Bruce and I just sort of shake our heads when we hear the term “white glove,” though that is sort of what we’ve been doing. Not that demerits will be given out, or that our in-laws will be inspecting our home.  It’s just kind of like spring cleaning on steroids.

In the process, I have learned and observed a few things:

• I will never, ever, ever have wood floors again. No matter how much I sweep or vacuum, there is ALWAYS dust and debris on the floor. It just cannot be contained!
• For the amount of fur they shed, I am surprised my dogs are not bald – or at least thinner. And how does that fur get trapped in those random places where the dogs never go? Again, I defer to the carpet-only decree I made above.
• Living in the woods = lots of bugs, though thankfully they are usually dead by the time I see them
• My stretchy slipcover is a Godsend. I LOVE that I can pop it into the washing machine and dryer, and it comes out looking brand new!
• I LOVE the way my Yankee Candle Water Lilies candle smells almost like fresh laundry.
• Finally, I am super thankful that my husband willingly helps around the house. He too is a Godsend.

Tonight’s tasks include folding laundry, bathing the girls, scrubbing the bathroom, and cleaning windows. I think we’ll get it all done. Bruce and I both have the day off tomorrow as we await his parents’ arrival around lunchtime.

Maybe I will have time to relax with a cup of coffee in the morning…