I am flying to the TCI tomorrow, so to allow myself more time for trying to remember what I'm forgetting, here is an old blog about something I'm going to be doing very soon.
A few axioms of Cleaning Things in the Turks and Caicos Islands:
1. It's an endless job. Salt air and winds that pick up dust conspire to make sure that what's clean now won't be an hour from now. So...
2. Forget perfection. If you are someone who insists on everything being sparkly clean, you will go crazy here. Susie Gardiner said it well when I despaired of getting the windows of Aloe House in a synchronicity of clear: "Jody, those windows are never going to be clean-clean."
3. If a cleaning product doesn't make your fingernails fall off, burn your eyes with fumes or eat through rubber gloves, it probably won't work.
4. Bleach is your friend. Diluted, it boosts your laundry detergent, cleans toilets better than those fancy products, takes that sulfur smell out of cistern water and cleans up shells from the beach. Use it liberally.
5. Bleach is not your friend. It stains clothes, eats away at anything rubber and seems to splash inopportunely. Use it carefully.
6. Gecko shit happens. They find favorite corners to use as their toilet, and you will be constantly cleaning up after them. But don't make the mistake of thinking the solution is to get rid of them. They eat bugs. Which would you rather have - a houseful of mosquitoes, or a houseful of cute little geckos. Think of them as insurance (ha, ha).
7. Everyone's an expert, and everyone has their own solutions, either serious or tongue-in-cheek. Vinegar's better than Windex (or vice-versa). Always mop twice (or don't). My favorite is by Dave Kennedy of Sandy Point on cleaning window screens: If you just don't clean them, the sand flies can't get through.
8. Get over it. Don't go overboard. Remember that it's an endless job, and learn to live with a little dirt. Take frequent breaks (have a beer!), renew yourself and remember that tomorrow is another day.
A few axioms of Cleaning Things in the Turks and Caicos Islands:
1. It's an endless job. Salt air and winds that pick up dust conspire to make sure that what's clean now won't be an hour from now. So...
2. Forget perfection. If you are someone who insists on everything being sparkly clean, you will go crazy here. Susie Gardiner said it well when I despaired of getting the windows of Aloe House in a synchronicity of clear: "Jody, those windows are never going to be clean-clean."
3. If a cleaning product doesn't make your fingernails fall off, burn your eyes with fumes or eat through rubber gloves, it probably won't work.
4. Bleach is your friend. Diluted, it boosts your laundry detergent, cleans toilets better than those fancy products, takes that sulfur smell out of cistern water and cleans up shells from the beach. Use it liberally.
5. Bleach is not your friend. It stains clothes, eats away at anything rubber and seems to splash inopportunely. Use it carefully.
6. Gecko shit happens. They find favorite corners to use as their toilet, and you will be constantly cleaning up after them. But don't make the mistake of thinking the solution is to get rid of them. They eat bugs. Which would you rather have - a houseful of mosquitoes, or a houseful of cute little geckos. Think of them as insurance (ha, ha).
7. Everyone's an expert, and everyone has their own solutions, either serious or tongue-in-cheek. Vinegar's better than Windex (or vice-versa). Always mop twice (or don't). My favorite is by Dave Kennedy of Sandy Point on cleaning window screens: If you just don't clean them, the sand flies can't get through.
8. Get over it. Don't go overboard. Remember that it's an endless job, and learn to live with a little dirt. Take frequent breaks (have a beer!), renew yourself and remember that tomorrow is another day.