Cheryl's Quest for White!

BBC Entertainment

I am blaming the BBC show "Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners".  If you are unfamiliar with it, picture a bunch of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) people thrown into a living space where a Hoarder or Slob reside.  It's entertaining,   the first time.   But then it becomes repetitive.  Bottom line,  I believe we fall somewhere in the middle between these two extremes.

Guess who are the OCD people?

Cheryl is already a clean person. ( Far cleaner than I am) However,  after three episodes of this show,  we have found ourselves "cleaning"  more than our usual routine.  Cheryl has taken this a bit further and decided that the dingy parts of the under-sink need to be spruced up a bit.

It's difficult to clean when you can't see the dirt.

The OCD people clean.  That is pretty much it.   In most cases,  the people they "help" are either depressed ( and simply do not clean at ALL) or are hoarders:  Filling the rooms with so much crap that you can't see the floor or furniture.   Once the hoarders are able to rid themselves of their stuff,   The cleaning can commence and usually it is not too difficult after that.

Old paint on the back still there!

A suitable "Before" picture.  Note the Yellow Linoleum. 

For us,   the problem is the Antiquity of the place.   The style of "1950's apartment"  that has not been changed since its initial installation, shows it's age with yellow perma-dirt that can not be removed with simple hot water and intense labor.  Even harsh chemicals can not do the trick!   Time to think outside the box...

White, White, WHITE!  YEAH!

We already painted the apartment where we could.  However,   there have been places that were inaccessible at the time.  Also,  there were "situations" that required a bit of planning.   And after many distractions this year,   we are now finally able to address them.

Compare to the Before picture.

This brings in the Idea of Cheryl "re-tiling" the under-sinks.   She also has painted the backs of the bathroom and kitchen under-sinks,  even though you will probably never see it. (under-sink is a word I just made up.   What can I say?  It works.)

A "clean" space without actually cleaning.

 It actually looks pretty nice.   See,   I am a dis-believer in the idea of "spotlessly clean".  I know items get dirty and age no matter how hard you scrub.  Even harsh chemicals can only take you so far before damaging the item or surface.....and your lungs, hands and eyes.   Sometimes,  Things simply need to be replaced or thrown out.   ( or painted over!)

Cheryl will son be turning to the other rooms to replace the Red IKEA wall units with White ones.  I'm sure I will be on assembly duty when that time arrives.   In the mean time,  Chicago Marathon looms on the horizon.