Dear House Honcho

Photo by Darwin Bell

Dear HouseHoncho,

I have 3 questions for you that I'm hoping you'll answer for me. One is, how do you get hairspray off of the bathroom door? I have daughters. Enough said. Two, I really struggle with not wanting to clean up every room every day. But I don't have time to clean up every room every day. So something has to give. I am too busy to clean every room every day, but it's hard to know where to draw the line. Finally, can you tell us an embarassing story about yourself? You are obviously very put together.

Jeanie
West Virginia


Dear Jeanie from West Virginia,

I will answer your questions in the order you asked them. First, I get hairspray off of my bathroom door using rubbing alcohol. I take a torn up T-shirt or old sock, dip it in the alcohol, and gently work the "gunk" off the door. It really is amazing--looking at the balled up goo on the door--that we put that stuff on our hair. Almost makes me want to shave my head. Almost.

Next answer. I always advise setting goals, reaching them, and stopping for the day. Now, obviously, if a vase breaks in the kitchen, it needs to be tidied--even if it's Monday and isn't the day you typically clean your kitchen. If toys have exploded all over the living room floor, they need to be put away. But if you have pressing responsibilities that don't enable you to fully clean every room the way you'd like to every day, just maintain a faithful routine and know that you will complete the tasks each week at an assigned time. Manage your home. Don't allow your home to manage you.

Finally, I have more embarassing stories than Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. If you think I have "arrived," (whatever that means), rest assured, I have not. One afternoon, I was running on a treadmill in the gym attached to our apartment. My back was to the door and I was watching Oprah explain personal safety tips. All of a sudden, I heard the door open and close behind me, and a few seconds later, a man's voice spoke--"Stop what you're doing and listen to me." I totally panicked. Thankfully, I had Oprah on the flat screen above my head telling me how to protect myself. I shut the treadmill off and turned around to face my would-be attacker.

And I saw he was talking on his cell phone.

Keep it simple!
HouseHoncho