Lists to Conquer Labour?

Operation Be An Adult has slowed down a trifle; the employer for the cleaning position didn't telephone on the weekend. I hopped from one foot to the other on Saturday, but this excitement was tempered by the knowledge that 'there's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip'; and by now I have resolved to Be Patient. The cleaning position starts in August.

In the meantime I have begun again to skim through job postings without committing myself, to remain apprised of what is 'out there.' The process is familiar and straightforward, and most often hinges on two criteria: being sure that I could do the work, above all; and determining that the posting does not convey a jerkwad tendency. If a bakery, cleaning, etc. position demands excellent German, I see no reason not to assume that the employer is a raging xenophobe; and rhapsodies about a 'young team' or other age discrimination are thought-provoking for slightly similar reasons of general unpleasantness. Spelling is not so important for me;
for example, perfectly spelled sleaze is far from uncommon.

Anyway, if the cleaning does transpire, I intend to look for a second position as soon as I have settled into the work.

*

To prepare for the cleaning, I did hasty research on the internet and came up with two amateurish lists. The first is one of cleaning supplies, which I quote verbatim:

- pail
- cloths
- broom
- lemon cleaner
- vinegar with lemon
- print out schedule
- baggie to put vinegar in to clear up showerheads of calcium etc.
- newspaper, to catch drips!
- spray bottle

As cloths go, I find that old undershirts truncated beneath the arms are excellent for wiping windows, being soft and absorbent and streak-free; and — also in the process of spring cleaning this year — I've found that an old washcloth removes soap and dust quite well from tiles. I like vinegar considerably, as a disinfectant and an acid, and use it to wipe off the tops of our refrigerator and sinks, etc., but the siblings do not like its fragrance. Putting pieces of lemon rind in the vinegar bottle improves its olfactory characteristics. Besides I like using dishwashing soap, particularly where grease may be found, foamed in hot water; but I assume that this will be present in the household already. The spray bottle is meant to spread the vinegar evenly over surfaces so that I can let it soak in. This seems important because, for example, the calcium rings around our taps disappear best a day or two after I've been at them with the acid and the steel wool. Speaking of which, I read that steel wool can be too harsh, which is a little disappointing because of its occasionally magical effects . . .

On the other hand, I am fairly certain that each employer will have their own way of doing things, so listening to what she or he imagines is most important.

Anyway, since the employer specified in the posting that the cleaning is to be for 3 hours at a time, I scribbled down a tentative order in which to carry out the tasks, too, so that I don't arrive without any specific ideas in case the employer hasn't any timetable instructions. To paraphrase:

1. run hot water [N.B. In the bathroom, because the steam loosens the dirt in the shower.]
2. do other things: esp.
     i. windows!
     ii. dusting, cleaning furniture
     iii. dishes!
3. apply cleaning agents on kitchen, bathroom etc. surfaces
4. remaining tasks
5. wipe down surfaces with cleaning agents on them
6. In final hour: vacuum

It might be more of a headache if laundry is part of this process, too . . .

But three things I have not resolved yet are: 1. how to make a stainless steel sink look shiny and pretty, though rubbing the metal with wax paper to repel water stains is advised; 2. cleaning encrusted dirt out of ovens. Ammonia, which is recommended, scares me. Baking soda mixed with water must be applied liberally, and apparently even then be repeated to banish all the encrustations (such a lovely word!). 3. the pros and cons of microfiber and dryer cloths for dusting, etc.

Which is not to say that there aren't plenty of ways to screw the other processes up, too. Infamously, part of the plaster or at least glue from the old oil painting in our corner room — said oil painting being possessed of a vast gilt frame ripe with acanthus leaves and so on and so forth — vanished into the vacuum cleaner when I unwisely applied it. I also used the upholstery head of the vacuum cleaner to dust our computer screens, including Papa's work computers' screens, and I am too chicken to examine them to determine if this process left scratches on them. But I consider this experience to be a valuable stepping-stone to never doing that again.

Do I feel very prepared, despite the above? — not really. So I am a little scared about the job, if I do get it. And, if I don't get it, I'll have made an enormous to-do about nothing, though at least the aforementioned spring cleaning made the parents very happy so it might be worthwhile to pick it up again at home — also, on account of my own future domiciles and the salubrity of these, there is no reason not to progress in a lifetime learning process with assorted scrubbing.