scrub scrub scrub

My friend posted this article on facebook the other day, with a "whoa" as the subject:

"In the Hispanic community, a clean home is a happy home, but during the holidays, it is critical for the home to be reluciente — or sparkling clean!" So says a bizarre and misguided press release issued by Clorox.

http://jezebel.com/5692397/clorox-claims-cleaning-is-a-rite-of-passage-for-latina-women#ixzz16dhEXzpo

 I braced myself to read it, but I was shockingly, not as insulted as I thought I would be. 

Was it a stupid press release, yes. It was a little dramatic for lack of a better word. 

I also didn't necessarily like  how it was aimed at Latinas specifically.

BUT. Can I say that I did find some sort of truth in it? Absolutely.

Hear me out.

I wholeheartedly believe that things like cleaning are taught by whomever it is that raised you. Would I go so far as saying that it's a "rite of passage"....er no. You're not a "woman" BECAUSE you clean. But is it a taught practice...absolutely.

Growing up, Saturday was cleaning day at home. Every Saturday. Without fail. My mom would take the heavier work while I got small tasks like wiping all of the tables. Once I tried to bamboozle her and I wiped AROUND everything on the table. Yeah she checked and made me do it all over again. Lesson learned.

When my dad got mad, I was given the dreaded chore of cleaning the bathrooms. Probably the easiest area to clean in regards to size but the worst because you have to do manual labor, like scrub. A lot. And I couldn't reach.

When I got older, I was taught how to do laundry and I did it a couple of times a month. And by laundry I mean both mine and my parents.

My go to chore though was doing the dishes. I did them every single day. My parents do not believe in leaving dishes in the sink for the next day. I tried once, gave them the whole spiel on the water helping to take out the spots, and just found my dad doing them later that night.

See? All of those things are things that I did growing up. It became ritual, normal, and expected. When do I clean in my apartment? Saturdays. For the most part I do the dishes after I'm done eating. Sometimes I'm really lazy and leave it for the next day but it'll get done then.

One thing that isn't mentioned in the article directly but that a lot of people commented on was the part about being embarrassed about the cleanliness of your home. My mother hated if I had a friend over and my room was a mess. She would smile and be nice, but the minute they left or we were in another room alone, she would rip me apart and ask me how can I be so disrespectful to my friend. How can I let them see my room like THAT.

As a kid I used to roll my eyes and walk away. Now as an adult...holy crap I totally get it. I HATE having people over and my apartment is a mess. I HATE IT. If I know company is coming, I go into overdrive. If my room is messy, I either apologize profusely as my friends look at me like "this isn't really messy but ok" or I close the door and don't let them in.

Maybe I'm wrong but I see it as such an extension of me. I won't lie when I say that I have seen my share of dirty bathrooms :: shudder :: and I have completely judged the people who live there. [I also believe that if any place should be cleaned weekly it should be the bathroom...just think about what happens in there! Ugh so gross.] You can be the nicest, most intelligent, and attractive person I have ever seen, but if your tub's floor is black...I JUDGE YOU. I do.

I also realized in college that the current messy status of my room pretty much directly correlates to how I feel in life. Everyone knew when I was stressed in school. Finals week my room was a hot mess and I felt like a hot mess. Labs, homework, studying, work, repeat. I still feel the same. When I slip and let my room get really messy...I feel like one. I hate nothing more than coming home from work and walking into a mess. It just stresses me out.

Now that I work, I've applied the same thinking to work. When my desk turns into a mess, it's because I'm all over the place at work. Cleaning it is somewhat therapeutic. It helps me get centered and focus on what I need to do. All of the physical clutter is gone and my brain can think again. It makes me calm.

And I think I just realized that this whole post makes me sound OCD. Oh well.