Keeping House

When I was a little girl, I loved to play house.  Did you play this game?  I don't love it quite so much now.  I am not a "Clean Nazi" by any stretch of the imagination but I am not fond of living in a sty either.  The problem is that I live with someone who has to be the messiest person on the planet.  I guess I should have known what I was in for when we were dating and I would visit his bachelor pad.  He told me that he used to lie in bed and watch his friend Ms. Spider make her daily circuit back and forth across the ceiling going from web to another.  I know spiders help keep the insect population under control but, between you and me, they give me the creeps.  I prefer them outdoors rather than hanging over my head.  Sometimes, I wonder if I will make it to a happy old age and be like the elderly couple below:

Thrifted vintage sweetness.  If you have any information on the elderly couple, please let me know.



Then I think of the decades  and decades of cleaning that faces me and I begin to feel a little alarmed.  I would like to end up like this but a bit less wrinkled:

Thrifted vintage Quebec folk art



I think I need to call in the big guns.  I was so thrilled when I found out that Williams-Sonoma carries my best friend, Bar Keeper's Friend.  I'd heard about it from other vintage loving bloggers who use it to clean off years of grime off things like vintage Pyrex.
 

I panic when my supply begins to run low as the Williams-Sonoma near my home is constantly selling out of it.  And no, this isn't an infomercial for the stuff.  I use it and I have no idea what's in it but it's like magic.  I think part of being able to complete a job successfully is having the right tools.  And having good looking tools is a bonus.  Lately I have been obsessing over Kaufmann Mercantile.  Why have I never heard of this mecca before?

Kaufmann Mercantile Enamel Dust Pan & Hand Broom

One of their slogans is "Products That Will Outlast You."  Whoa!  Those are fighting words.  And no, this isn't an infomercial for Kaufmann either.  The shipping to Canada is quite hefty and so, for the moment, I can only ogle the dust pan.   I asked one of my best friends once how she dealt with the housekeeping.  I've always remembered her answer which was 1) Forget about attaining perfection and be happy with "good enough" and 2) Get a housekeeper.  Haha, I think the second option is out of the question or rather has already been taken care of because I AM the housekeeper.  Tell me, do you live with a messy person?  How do you deal with it?

I am linking up with Apron Thrift Girl, A Stroll Thru Life, A Living Space, Sir Thrift A Lot, Ivy and Elephants and Thrifty Groove.