Disgusting House Cleaning Challenge

This is the size of the bathroom. I vow it will look better than this when I am done! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve been thrown into a house cleaning challenge that threatened to overwhelm me.

I’ve told you about Bob. For those of you who missed it, Bob’s wife died of a stroke 6 years ago. It is Bob and his 2 should be adult boys in the house.

I’ve been there to clean once in a while. The best I could accomplish was to get the living room, family room and kitchen to where they were at least sort of presentable.

I did what I could in the bathroom, but it hadn’t been really cleaned in years. Believe me, you cannot imagine…

In an odd turn of events, I am now living there.

I had fallen behind on rent and could not seem to catch up. At the same time – Bob got a settlement offer from his mortgage company. His house has been in limbo all this time. I can help him save his house, and get it suitable for human occupants. We are long time friends.

The first couple of days were awful. I felt like I had to wash everything I touched. Everything was sticky. When I took my first shower there, I wanted to cry. The mold, the built up dirt and scum was more than I could handle.

I washed every pan and piece of silverware before using it. The cabinets have not been wiped out since well before Mary died.

I’ve been working my way through the house by disgust factor.

At this point, the family room is clean. Outdated, but clean. Even the ceiling fans and windows.

The living room is not bad except we have to find someplace to put the hockey equipment that is no longer being used. It needs to be painted, but its not terrible.

The bathroom is better than it was, but still requires a lot of work. I still have not gotten the tub completely clean. At least it looks mostly white instead of gray. And I think we’ve gotten all of the mold. The falling apart and moldy caulk has been replaced.

I still need to do another scrub down on the walls, prime them, and paint them. For now, I will paint the cabinet and medicine cabinet. The bathroom has to be my next project, as much as I don’t want to do it. Even though I know it’s clean, it still turns my stomach.

Men! It doesn’t seem to bother them at all. UGH!

One of my friends said I should have taken pictures, but I can’t find my camera yet. I don’t think pictures would capture the whole impact. I will update you with pictures as I go along.

At least, the areas that are cleaned, I am able to keep clean without a lot of effort using my system. I can’t wait for the whole house to be at that level.

The dining room…OMG. Filthy walls. Filthy and stained burgundy carpeting. And its the dumping ground for boxes of stuff, and now some of my furniture is in there. The goal is to have it ready for Thanksgiving, but I don’t know…

Their idea of dinner was everyone fends for themselves. Bob ate mostly instant packaged stuff. The oldest son would pick up food on his way home. The youngest son ate mostly frozen pizza.

I’ve been cooking a few nights a week. I usually have to make 2 dinners. Bob doesn’t eat many things to begin with, and he has had trouble eating since he got the new bridge last month. So, not only do I need to figure out what he’ll eat in the first place, it has to be not too hard to chew. The oldest son eats pretty much anything I make.

The youngest son is a problem child. He totally doesn’t want me here. He doesn’t want to have to pay any rent. He’s forever paying legal bills for all the trouble he gets in. He wants to have parties. He pretty much ran the house before I got here.

I miss my quiet, clean, little house on the lake more than you could ever know. But God has sent me where I am needed. I will do the best I can.

Want a house that’s easy to keep clean?