There’s nothing quite like coming home to a clean house. I’m by no means a neat freak, but I like things to be clean. I can hold my own, but I’m just not a particularly proficient cleaner… and no, it’s not because I’m blind.

A few times a year, I splurge to pay for a cleaner to come and do a deep clean on my house. I started this a couple of years ago when my husband moved out. I felt so overwhelmed by all of the stuff – nearly a decade of stuff – and dirt and grime and junk in my house. Two years ago, with no judgment, my housekeeper (Kendra) and her partner came and scoured my house. They spent an embarrassing amount of time here (while I spent 1/3 of my most recent paycheck), and I vowed I would never let my home get that badly neglected again. I’ve stuck to that. It hasn’t been perfect, and at times I’ve felt so overwhelmingly exhausted that I’ve done only what needed doing until I couldn’t take the state of my house anymore. But it has never again gotten to the point where I felt ashamed of where and how I’ve been living.

Over the past two years (more or less once a season), Kendra comes to clean. She cleaned on my birthday last year. I’ve recommended her to my friends, and she’s brought magic into their homes as well. Normally, I try to be there when she’s cleaning – she’s just such an amazing person to be around – but my new job hasn’t quite given me the ability to work from home yet. No matter when she comes, she’s always left my home sparkling clean and organized… which is wonderful, except when I’m trying to find something (it wasn’t where I put it yesterday or last week or a month ago). The flip side? She can find things I’ve replaced, given up for lost, like the black ring I wear on my right middle finger that I could’ve sworn a certain black kitten (who shall remain nameless) took to her toy hoarding palace under the couch.

Speaking of couches… why had I never seriously considered replacing mine? I mean, aside from the fact that furniture and delivery is expensive, and the logistics of getting rid of my old ones? But, seriously… Over the past few months, I’ve noticed my love seat just not being comfortable anymore. My partner found a set of leather couches on Kijiji, and they were just perfect for us. Within less than 24 hours, we’d located the couch and love seat, had it delivered, and Kendra had sent me a text hoping I was as happy as she was with her work in the house. I walked in my door to the smell of… clean. And leather. And my home is once again an oasis of calm and clean and comfort. My biggest thanks to Kendra for her help along this journey, and wonderful seller of leather couches (sorry, I never knew your name). My home once again feels like a place I want to be.