Yes, sj, that's what I meant--sometimes I forget you're not all in my head and don't follow my verbal shortcuts. "Wrap the mattress in one of those plastic covers" came out "plastic wrap the mattress," sorry. Should have been clearer.

Happy to help. I love the plastic covers because they're also helpful in keeping dust out of the mattress. The plastic covers can just be wiped down. Also good when you move as often as I do to keep the mattress from getting wet in the rain, etc.

We *could* just, y'know, actually adhere to a regular schedule of cleaning so that the once-a-year freakout baseboard-scrubbing, wall-scrubbing, behind-the-toilet-scrubbing frenzy didn't have to occur. But we are lazy slatterns.

P'shaw. Housekeeper once a month. It's changed this lazy slattern's life!

Srsly, I only did it because of the "three roommates/one place" thing to avoid squabbling about who has done what... but it has spoiled me and I don't know if I could ever go back. Ever. She does the kitchen and the bathroom and the livingroom floor. In what's left of the three hours she does a "project"... the fridge, windowsills, garbage cans, whatev. I suppose in a house it would have to be four hours instead of three.

"Why don't you do this yourself, Trudy?" an entirely sane and reasonable person might ask? See above re: Lazy Slattern.

I always strip the sheets when I leave someone's house. It's been a while since that has been re: nookie, but I figure its a good policy in general.

But I have to say it is worth it to have a housesitter, and to not have to worry about it.

Yeah, on a short trip I'll use a dogwalker but more than a few days and someone stays here. I come home to a MUCH more relaxed pup after 10 days of housesitter than even 3 or 4 days of dogwalker. My new rule may be 4 days, actually -- I think it stresses her out more now that she's older.

ION, I woke up this morning with the strangest sensation. It wasn't unpleasant, just something was weeeeird. I realized I was lying flat on my back AND breathing. Last night I was bemoaning EVER feeling better and today I... am. ::knocks wood::

Boy, my doctor wasn't kidding when she said "You take the z pack for 5 days bit it takes 10 to work". This isn't modern medicine, this is Hogwarts shit. Day 9, still feel like ass. Day 10, wake up all frikkin better. Tired, but all better. ::runs around knocking wood wildly::

Happy Day Buffista Dads!

But I have to say it is worth it to have a housesitter, and to not have to worry about it.

Yeah, on a short trip I'll use a dogwalker but more than a few days and someone stays here.

We have a great petsitter who comes over 3-4 times a day to feed the pets and check on them, but we only use her for short trips. A long trip like this -- we really want someone staying here.

P'shaw. Housekeeper once a month. It's changed this lazy slattern's life!

I'm thinking about having a housecleaner in at least once after vacation to do a deep clean, because -- sweet Jesus. We are nasty people.

Yeah. we need to get back on the housekeeping situation.

I'm thinking about having a housecleaner in at least once after vacation to do a deep clean, because -- sweet Jesus. We are nasty people.

Heh. I feel ya. I'm a slattern living with two guys in their twenties. Horrors.

We have someone come in every two weeks. It's AWESOME. I use the weekend time I used to use cleaning to work on the garden. Most LA people with a yard hire a gardener, so I figure we save on that end. And I don't have to mop, which I HATE.

Does anybody use a steam mop? I kinda want one for my tile, but don't know if it'd be effective, plus I know it won't help my grout.

I do, but I don't have tile so I can't address that. Works great on the vinylly stuff on my kitchen and bathroom floors, fwtw. It's the bucket wrangling aspect of mopping that I hate, so the steam mop is great for me.

Hiring a housecleaner changed my life. Once a week, my house is entirely clean, and this forces me to pick up the week's floating detritus so that the horizontal surfaces are available to be cleaned. She vacuums the whole house, dusts everything including the paneling on the doors (!), cleans the kitchen and bathrooms, and even makes my bed. I hate housework and therefore don't do it, even when I promise myself I will. Lazy Slatterns R Us. For the first time in my life I can have people over with only a quick picking-up before they arrive, and I'm not ashamed of my house! Totally worth it.