True story:
After we were engaged my husband came to help me pack up my house (that had just sold) so that I could move cross-country to live in his city (14 hours away). I had cleaned and cleaned—first because the house was on the market & needed to be perfect for showings, and then later because it sold in less than 24 hours, because I was preparing it for the new owners.
I’d packed up 90% of the house when my future-husband and his parents descended on it and got to work. Instead of just loading up the moving van as I’d expected.. I was surprised to see them re-cleaning things I’d cleaned and my husband climbed up a step-ladder and DUSTED the tops of the valances in the living room.
I was a bit surprised and put-off, but hey—they were helping in their own way so I said nothing..and meanwhile me and a group of my friends loaded my stuff in the moving van.
Years later (after we were married) during a conversation about house-cleaning some mention of my old house (pre-marriage) came up and I overheard my husband remarking how “filthy dirty” it had been. (!!!!) I walked over and said: “WHAT?!” and he said: “You probably barely ever dusted the tops of your window fixtures or the crown molding. It was SO dusty!!” I nearly fell over laughing.. Luckily, our friend felt the same and said: “Who dusts the top of window frames, really??!”
So, my husband’s idea of what’s clean or not differs greatly from mine.
He can have crap (old mail, magazines, unread newspaper, his pajama bottoms) laying all around the house in plain sight (which I walk through the house picking up and putting away—because it drives me absolutely crazy)..but that’s “clean” in his mind..because the floor underneath is clean enough to eat off of and there is no visible dust.
So, clean to him = vacuumed 3X per week or more, dusted incessantly and kitchen floors scrubbed on hands and knees.
Clean for me is everything else—scrubbing out the sinks and toilets and stove top and oven and fridge and ensuring the cleaning with disinfectant of every other surface where food is served/touches/is prepared. Clean laundry, clean dishes…and EVERYTHING put away where it belongs when not being used.
So-just goes to show, one woman’s clean is another (wo)man’s “filthy dirty”... (and vice versa).