Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Mrs. Clean Busted

Who keeps moldy TP in their bathroom?
There is a grave false perception in our society, one which discriminates against women, which is insidious in its roots, and which, I am frustrated to say, will never go away.
Simply put, it is this:  
If a house, apartment or other dwelling is untidy or unclean it is due to the failing of a woman.
 When you go into some one's home and the floorboards are missing or the ceiling is falling down, you tend to think the male head of household is not doing his job. But if you discover, in that same home, dust bunnies frolicking  around the sub floor, you KNOW who's at fault. His wife/mother/female caregiver is a pig. Admit it. You immediately decide she is responsible for all dirt, grease, grime and all the other slimy souvenirs of sloppiness. Have you EVER seen a TV commercial where a guy is mopping the kitchen floor? Mr Clean is a fraud.  All he does is stand around in his T-shirt, with folded arms. yukking it up with the lady of the house. What a jerk.
Never is this false and unfair perception about cleanliness more humiliating than when a female comes to visit. Why? Because they're the first to make this assumption about their own kind. I should know; I'm one of them. If I go in a friend's bathroom and her husband's underwear is on the floor, I blame her for not picking it up.
One of our daughters-in-law is staying with us. Her home is tastefully decorated, impeccably clean, and it is safe to eat there. Now I am seeing my home through her eyes and I am convinced this place is a pit. For instance, who keeps their washing machine clean? She does. My washer will deposit more dirt on your clothes than it will remove. Since 2010, Our dryer has been leaving a little sample of grape chewing gum on all the clothes that pass through it. I keep thinking it will be gone soon.
Today, my embarrassment has peaked. I noticed the stack of extra toilet tissue rolls in the bathroom smells of mildew. I can explain that. I know what happened. It wasn't my fault. But nothing I can say will erase that negative impression of me branded on the mind of my innocent house guest. I will remove the offending product today, but it's too late. The damage is done. She probably thinks our house is infected with lethal mold spores.
There's only one happy part of this story. Tonight I'm going to have fun Tee-Peeing some one's house. I have plenty of paper, and I know where Mr. Clean lives.

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