The Maid Was Here

A Maid Watering Flowers, painting by Franck Antoine Bail.

 

I woke up cheerful and happy this morning. It is a beautiful day. I put on my cutest outfit - A skirt, heels, apron, etc. and got to work. I have a radio in my kitchen. I turned on a cassette tape of some old-southern gospel music and enjoyed tidying my kitchen. I started to remember my work as a maid when I was a teenager. We would go into a house and methodically clean an entire house in 2 hours. These were gorgeous houses in nice neighborhoods. I loved cleaning those homes. But you see, they were not dirty! Everything was clean when we got there. Our job was not to get rid of clutter, or wash dishes. We did not have to remove carpet stains or wash windows. Our job was simply to do the basic deep cleaning, once a week, in order to maintain a house.

Here is what we did:

Kitchen-
Wash sinks and counters. Polish the outside of appliances (stove, fridge, toaster oven, coffee maker, dishwasher). Polish table and chairs. Wash the floor.

Bathroom -
Scrub tub, toilet, sink, vanity. Wash mirrors. Wash the floor. Straighten towels. Fold the toilet paper. (This was a triangle shape at the edge of the paper roll, facing out - it left a message to say - the maid was here.)

Bedrooms-
Dust and polish all furniture. Make beds or change sheets (if these were left out for us to do). (We would fold, and tuck in, the ends of pillow cases just like they do in hotels.) Vacuum carpet.

Hallway -
Vacuum carpet.

Living room / Den / Sunroom, etc -
Dust, vacuum.

The very last thing we did was vacuum the living room carpet, as we backed out of the room. You could see neat lines in the carpet and no footprints. (This was another sign to say - the maid was here.)

So this morning, as I cleaned my kitchen and bathroom, I remembered my days as a maid (from the ages of 15 - 17). I loved my job. I loved cleaning. To have an orderly, neat home, is such a blessing. When I finished my housework this morning, I could almost sense the cheerful "rainbows" which came from the awe and wonder of a tidy house. I walked out of the rooms, and nodded my head in approval and thought - The Maid was Here.


Blessings,
Mrs. White

 From the Archives -

Old Time Manners - Waiting for the Door to Be Opened.  

A Simple Life - How to Stop Buying Things that Clutter up the Home. 

Ration Books from 1942 and helpful advice - Adapting to the High Cost of Living.

 

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Find cleaning inspiration and encouragement in Mrs. White's book, "Gracious House Keeping."

"Gracious House Keeping: Advice, Encouragement, and Cleaning Help for the Christian Housewife."

Complete with Encouragement and Work Charts to cheer you along in your homemaking!

115 pages, paperback.