French-style husband’s cleaning method
My French husband Carl is from the small town of Evian, France. Before I got married, I considered many factors such as nationality and culture. I didn’t expect that the biggest difference after marriage would be hygiene.
In addition to their reputation as the most romantic, French men also top the “world’s worst lovers” list for not being clean. Carl is one of the best.
The first time I went to Carl’s house, as a welcome to me, Carl bought brand new bedding. The problem is, when you buy new bedding, you unpack the bag and make the bed. I told him that the newly purchased bedding needs to be washed before it can be used. He said that he has never heard that new bedding needs to be washed before it can be used. Only then did I know that whether it was underwear, socks, towels or swimming trunks, he unpacked them all and put them on directly.
On the dining table, on the top of the refrigerator, and on the countertop of the cabinet, the unpacked baguettes are just like this. When you want to eat it, you can cut a piece with a knife and throw the rest back; the fried mushrooms fell on the carpet during the meal. He picked it up and stuffed it into his mouth quickly; the strawberries and apples he bought home were not washed, but he grabbed them and stuffed them into his mouth…
I saw him wash the dishes once, filling the sink with hot water, squeezing A few drops of dishwashing liquid went in, and then the water was stirred up into white foam, and the dirty cups, plates and dishes were cleaned inside, then he picked up a dishcloth, and took the washing cloth with him one by one. The tableware with dish soap foam was wiped back and forth until it was as shiny as new, and it was neatly put into the cupboard. I secretly asked Carl: Don’t those dish soaps need to be rinsed off? He stared at me again and said: My mother has always washed dishes like this!
Carl could have bought a large bouquet of roses, the bright petals of which spread from the front of the hall to the bed. But it belongs to looking forward and ignoring the future, just letting go and not accepting. After I was touched by him, I had to pick up the vacuum cleaner to clean up all the petals all over the sky.
Carl hates soap, water, and toothpaste. He only brushes his teeth once a day, takes a bath every two days, and changes his underwear every three days. He regards bathing as a hassle that has to be done. I finally understand why the French like to use perfume, because it can cover up the smell of not taking a bath.
I don’t even bother to do my own hygiene, let alone the hygiene of my home. After I got married, I vacuumed once every two days, cleaned the floor with a steam mop every week, waxed it every month, and wiped the furniture every day to avoid dust… Of course, I was playing a one-man show, and Karl would not help. Quite a bit of criticism, saying that I am so diligent in cleaning is a manifestation of a morbid cleanliness.
I felt a bit exhausted and powerless. No matter how hard I tried with words and actions, Karl persisted in his French living habits. In desperation, I can only settle for the next best thing, start from external factors, and minimize the risks caused by all kinds of unhygienic reasons… I used to
buy fruits and put them in the refrigerator directly, and eat them again when I want to eat them. Wash, now buy apples, raisins, strawberries and other fruits that can be eaten directly. The first thing to do when you get home is to wash them all before putting them in the refrigerator. Because Karl has no habit of washing and eating, he always opens the refrigerator door, grabs it and feeds it into his mouth.
Many vegetables also have to be cleaned as soon as they enter the door. Tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, cabbage… If there is a slight negligence, these vegetables with an unknown amount of pesticide residues will be quickly stuffed into his mouth by Karl.
The floor next to the bed was sprayed with 84 with a watering can every day and then wiped clean. Carl threw his clothes on the floor every day before going to bed, and put them on again the next morning.
After he’s in bed, I have to toss his panties and socks in the laundry basket, and put the clean panties and socks next to his undressed clothes.
The hand sanitizer at home has also been upgraded to a disposable one. Squeeze it on your hands and rub it and it will evaporate. It is sterilized and does not need to be rinsed with water, because Carl doesn’t like to wash his hands before meals and he likes to suck his fingers after eating.
……
Having been married for more than a year, Karl is still the same as the bridegroom officer, grabbing it, eating it, taking it off, throwing it in the shower, asking to brush his teeth, and forcing him.
But in some ways, he did better than I thought. I have chronic asthma. Since I got married, he has cleaned the air conditioner every half a month. Use a household air conditioner cleaner, open the air conditioner panel and remove the filter screen, spray up and down on the aluminum fins, turn on the air conditioner to cool after 5 minutes, and black sewage will flow out of the drain.
I was a little surprised when I saw him clean the air conditioner like this for the first time. I didn’t expect that there is such a serious dirt in the air conditioner. Carl said I wasn’t busy enough, that the dust mites in the ventilation system were the real enemy of asthma.
The washing machine is also washed by him every two months. He uses a detergent like washing powder, pours it into the washing machine to set a high water level, soaks it for 1 hour after the detergent dissolves, and then runs it once according to the normal washing procedure.
Washing the refrigerator is very fun. It is a deformable detergent. After the power is turned off, open the refrigerator door and spray the nozzle on the inside. The sprayed spray will instantly solidify into a mousse shape and expand rapidly, filling the space of the refrigerator. fully. The drawers of the refrigerator and freezer were all filled with foam and the door was closed, allowing it to expand and decompose inside. After tossing for an hour, wipe it gently with a clean rag, and the work is completely completed.
Clean the laptop at home once a week. Use special cleaning and disinfecting wipes to wipe from the display screen to the keyboard to the inside and outside of the casing, which can kill more than 99% of bacteria.
There are many things that I didn’t think of or overlooked before, but when I arrived at Carl’s place, they all became the focus of my work…
He sprays my hair dryer with a water-free formula disinfectant once a month, and then lets the hair dryer run for 3 minutes ;The hairdressing stick will be regularly sprayed and cleaned with a watering can filled with alcohol; he bought me a special cosmetic cleanser from France, and asked me to spray it on every time after using lipstick, eyebrow pencil, eyeliner and mascara. Eliminate bacteria contaminated after contact with the human body; the shower will be disassembled once a month, gently knock off the scale accumulated in the water outlet, and then put in a pinch of potassium permanganate, turn on the faucet after installation, and it will spray out The purple potassium permanganate solution, when the purple color becomes colorless, the cleaning work is complete; the toothbrush shelf is airtight, like a mini version of the wine display cabinet, with a plug-in design, the toothbrush will A small ultraviolet light is automatically turned on, and the toothbrush is thoroughly disinfected…
When doing these things, Carl’s cynical look is gone, his brows are slightly frowned, and his mouth is often rambling. I’m complaining about my illness, but I have troublesome asthma. If I don’t pay attention, it will be a big deal. A man who makes him so careless has to do these trivial cleaning tasks.
Today, our family strikes a delicate balance. I was in charge of cleaning the visible places, and occasionally complained that Carl was dirty on the outside; Carl silently insisted on his unsung hero’s hygiene work, and occasionally complained to myself that I was a fake and inferior product.
We all find it quite interesting to complain to each other like this. The so-called water is clear and there are no fish. How many couples in this world are very satisfied? Knowing each other’s shortcomings, being able to tolerate and do some preventive work for this shortcoming, and living day by day amidst complaints, this is a husband and wife!
