Thoughts on vacuuming: early-winter version

17 May, 2009

in at home,commentatrix,dogs

I group vacuuming into two broad groupings: preventative vacuuming and restorative vacuuming.
I have never done any preventative vacuuming, although I suspect this may be because I am childless.
The source of satisfaction in these two different categories is entirely different. With restorative vacuuming, you can see where you’ve been. With preventative vacuuming, you must imagine the difference.

Living with multiple inside dogs is likely good for the immune system, if you can tolerate it, but even then there are limits.
When I was swabbed for explosives at Auckland airport en route to Tokyo, and told the officer I had nothing on me but dust and dog dander, I was not joking.
The difference between the rooms in the house in which we co-exist with the dogs, and the rooms in which the dogs generally do not go, is extraordinary. Restorative vacuuming temporarily erases the difference.

The dustiest room in the house by far, however, is the toilet. Why? It’s as if we went in there to empty vacuum cleaner bags behind the pipes.
I have thought about it for a long time and I really do not understand the point of fixed floor carpets. They are primarily repositories for dust and stains. Had we not plain fibreboard underneath, I would have ripped them up years ago: and in truth, I am still tempted.
The difference in warmth provided by said carpets is negligible when your primary source of heat is piling Norwich Terriers on your lap.

Despite the infrequency with which I do it, I am proud that I vacuum at all.
It strikes me that the earlier pronunciation of “housewifery” sounds something like “hussy-free”. I would have had fun with this during my honours year when I took a Lacanian-theorised paper on feminist epistolarity.

Nothing Sucks Like An Electrolux

Tagged as: dogs, housework, vacuuming

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

make tea not war 17 May, 2009 at 18:05

I am so glad we got rid of the carpet in the lounge. We don’t have dogs but we do regularly spill red wine and coffee on the floor. Now we just wipe it away. Vacuuming is much more satisfying now too. [not bothering to hide my inner 50s housewife here] It was always quite a disheartening exercise before as it never made much visible difference so gross was the carpet.

harvestbird 17 May, 2009 at 18:41: A friend of mine in Glenfield has varnished fibreboard floors throughout her house, on which she and her husband have laid large and colourful rugs. I was impressed with the ease with which she is able to move her furniture around for her children as a result and thought of that as a short- to medium-term solution here while we consider whether we want to lay vinyl, or tiles, or what. To be honest, I don’t mind fibreboard at all, although I know this goes against Middle Classness 101.

Reply

Paul Litterick 17 May, 2009 at 19:59

For some time I have been trying to reintroduce the proper pronunciation of housewifery into the language, to little avail. Your post is the first indication that another human being is aware of this subtlety. I have had still less success with ‘seamstress:’ not only can nobody pronounce it, but it is being replaced by other words; one dress shop in Auckland is advertising for a ‘sewer.’

You have reminded me that my immediate surroundings are covered in crumbs.

Paul Litterick’s last post was All the dirt they can print

harvestbird 17 May, 2009 at 20:19: I was only aware of the pronunciation of housewifery because you had mentioned it–possibly at MTNW’s place or on your own blog, so it probably doesn’t count as being aware! I am wondering how one pronounces “seamstress”–is it with «ea» as «ĕ» ?

I have five volunteers who would see to your crumbs, pronto.

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Giovanni 18 May, 2009 at 08:49

Mindful of the house- and -mid- varieties, I’ve been trying to introduce the word wifery on its own, but all I get is funny looks.

Sewer is not only a perfectly cromulent word, but has the advantage over seamstress of being a-gendered. (Seriously, though, who uses seamstress these days? It’s sewer, sorry.)

Giovanni’s last post was Liveblogging the Apocalypse

Stephen 18 May, 2009 at 11:43