Cleaning up in the "aftermath"

It happens every time I am out of commission. The house goes to pot. I am not a picky housekeeper. I don't even like housework or anything domestic, but I don't like to live in squalor either so it has to be done to maintain a certain level of cleanliness.

I don't know how such a mess can happen in a two-week time span. There is smooge everywhere! I am baffled at how two grown men can make such a mess in just two weeks when both work full-time and have far distances to drive to and from work, and one of them was up at the hospital visiting me in his free time.

Since I am able to get up and around to do stuff again, the things that have taken priority is cleaning up the aftermath of two males living alone without a woman present for not a very long time, but long enough for things to get sticky, dusty, goopy, crumby, messy and even downright dirty. How do bachelors ever survive?

It's all so easily maintainable if that "later" word wasn't stuck in their heads. When you make a sandwich, or anything for yourself and others to eat, wipe up right away while the food particles are easy to clean up. Then eat. It only delays your meal a few seconds and you don't have to scrub encrusted crap off the countertops and floor later. But the guys can't seem to grasp that. And do they go back and scrub it off later? Of course not. They are too busy surfing the net or channel flipping on the television and then when they see the smooge that has concreted itself it's bedtime and they do need that few minutes it would take to clean up their mess to build up strength to get up for work the next day.

Then, the next day they just compound the problem by making more food on top of the old food and it builds and builds. Then when I am well, it is up to me to spend days and even a couple of weeks getting things scrubbed, cleaned, dusted and sanitized and back to normal.

The other thing I finally got a grip on were the piles (which I have written about before). There were piles of unopened mail, most of it junk. There were piles of paid bill receipts, and every kitchen towel was used and dirty and thrown in piles around the kitchen and diningroom. Piles of newspapers, piles of sale papers, piles of blankets, clothes, and HOUSEHOLD TOOLS are still everywhere from his water heater ordeal.

So, that is what I am up to as part of my recovery exercises....housecleaning and restoration of some kind of order around here. What would they ever do if I left for good?