English: 1907 postcard image of the Family Dining Room at the White House as deisgned by Charles Follen McKim. Source: Collection of Jim Hood. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Be very happy that your house is so easy to clean…
Can you imagine a crew of 4 cleaning a house for 9 hours and not finishing? That’s what we dealt with today.
Many of you know that my sister has a cleaning business. Today I went to help out.
Now the normal clean for this house takes a crew of 3 about 3 hours. But this wasn’t a normal clean. It was more like what most of us would consider a spring clean.
This house is an old mansion. It was our job to make it shine for an upcoming party.
Our main target was the main floor. Every piece of woodwork was to be washed. Every picture and figurine wiped down. The interior shutters got washed as well as the interior windows.
The main floor has a living room, dining room, library (family room), kitchen, and one bath. Doesn’t sound too bad, right?
You walk in the heavy double doors into a little entry way, and then head through another set of heavy wooden 8 foot tall double doors. You then have 2 sets of heavy wooden doors with ornate woodwork across the top. The set on the right opens to the library. The set on the left opens to the living room. Or you can head up the stairs, or down the hall past the grandfather clock to the kitchen.
Being in the center of the house, the hallway is very dark. But when you swing open the doors to the other rooms, they are all sunny and bright with all the huge windows.
In the living room there are 2 separate seating areas, each with sectional couches, a piano, a harp, a marble fireplace, 3 curios, and numerous statues. I couldn’t tell you how many pictures are on the walls from memory. Let’s just say it’s somewhere around 15. The windows are floor to ceiling with walnut shutters that tuck away into the wall when not in use. Very cool. Almost all of the windows in the house have these shutters.
Its almost as if the house was designed for parties, allowing for small groups to congregate in different areas. You could almost picture the wait staff making the rounds with trays of drinks and appetizers.
Every table in the living room and dining room is a work of art. The dining room table is a piece of glass on 2 carved pedestals. The coffee table by the white sectional up front is a more modern piece with a large rectangular piece of glass positioned on sort of triangular pedestals. In the second seating area by the black sectional is the oval oriental ebony coffee table with pictures made with jade and mother of pearl, and the 6 little stools nestled underneath.
The floors are wood with different area rugs to distinguish each seating area.
The library also has 2 seating areas. The book shelves go to the ceiling. Yes, all of the books and knick-knacks were taken down and shelves washed.
Then there were all of the 10 inch baseboards and the cove molding to be washed. And the 8 foot tall doors. And ornate wood carvings above the main doors in the hallway. Most of the wood is rich dark finished.
Then there are the 2 separate stairways leading to the second floor. I washed and shined all of the banisters, posts, and spindles. Those babies looked great when I got done.
Most of the second floor is unremarkable, and most of it out of the public view. We did our normal cleaning in the bedrooms, bathrooms, and workout center.
There is a balcony on the second floor that runs with width of the house. It has 2 sets of furniture. That was all washed down.
Then there is the forgotten third floor. This floor only gets cleaned for events.
There is a cute one bedroom apartment that doesn’t get used. I could live there. It’s bright and sunny and pretty spacious. I think there is more square footage in that apartment than the main floor of my house. I’m assuming they will have guests staying.
Then there is the pool room, as in pool table – not swimming pool. Very pub looking. All dark wood walls, pub tables, and floor.
Then there is what used to be the ballroom. It is now more of a play room with a ping pong table and toys. I don’t understand why the ballroom would be on the third floor, but I’m hearing that’s the way it was done in the early 1900s. I would have to do some research on it.
There’s only 2 TVs in the house. One in the library, and one in the master bedroom.
I’m going back tomorrow to clean the 5 chandeliers scattered through the living room, dining room, and library. My sister estimates that will only take me an hour apiece.
Can you imagine having to clean all this? Yes, its a grand old home, but this is way too much for me! I’m telling you – my body is feeling it!
Now don’t you feel good that your house is so much easier to keep clean? Its a piece of cake in comparison! Thank your lucky stars.
If your house isn’t a piece of cake to clean, I can help you with that