Don't date the dust! I did a little spring cleaning today and I have to tell ya, 3 dogs and a wood-stove, well lets just say it wasn't Easter Bunnies I was finding! Those darn bunnies find there way into every nook and cranny too. Hubby told me not to feed them, but they keep coming back!

My mother always said "I'm going to be under 6 feet of dust when I'm gone, I'm not chasing it while I'm alive." She loved to garden and watch birds and be with family.

It is amazing just how long it takes to get a house ready for sale. Not only clearing clutter and dust bunnies-but getting rid of tonnage (sewing room is excluded from tonnage- there is no junk in there) Who wants to move tonnage when it can be cleared out- old files with info that is no longer relevant or required to retain and shredding if need be. We have been doing this for awhile as well- getting floors refinished, powerwashing sidewalks, patio and driveway, cleaning the outside fixtures, changing out light fixtures, taking stuff to Goodwill, book resale stores, redoing the garage so it looks great, consignment shops, removing wallpaper, painting, scheduling pick of old refrig in garage (our electric company will pick up and give us $35 for it since it is a power hog), etc... All the things new buyers will see that we choose not - probably because I would rather be sewing.

Charlee, Treat yourself to a cleaning lady. It cost me under $100 for 1/2 day service. I did it for son's wedding, and did it for one of the graduation parties. I was working on cleaning other things while she did the main stuff. I still can't figure out how they can get things so sparkly. I just work on making them clean enough to be safe.

Have to say I've always been a pretty good housekeeper, clean and neat but not obsessive about it.
Age and arthritis have taken their tolls - the house still is clean and neat looking but the dust does build up on the furniture, hamper is overflowing, rugs haven't been vacuumed in awhile, the closets are jammed packed with lots of old stuff that needs to be given or thrown away but I prefer to spend most of my time quilting or doing stuff out of the house like lunch with friends. I'll get to that other stuff sometime soon, I think.

LOL
When my daughter was little, and down at Grandma's, Grandma had a visitor she was talking to. Somehow the conversation went to the housekeeping topic. My little girl, knowing interrupting was not polite, tugged on Grandma's pants, and when acknowledged, asked(in a quiet whisper)
"Grandma, what's dusting?"

That story so demonstrates my cleaning philosophy

I'm with you. I have 9 rooms and some I barely visit never mind clean.

I hate to dust. When I gave my son the shadow box and the knick knacks that were on it I told him he had to take the dust as well. He asked me if I ever dusted and I told him that the dust was serving a purpose and he asked me what that was; I told him that if anything fell off onto the floor it had a protection barrier around it to keep it from breaking. I try to do away with the knick knacks unless they are behind glass then I can let my grandson (who loves helping) use the dust wand to do my dusting for me. I have so much going on in my life with a full time job, I watch my grandkids on my 3 days off to help my daughter be able to live under her own roof (saves us both some sanity) not to mention quilting and other things going on. My grandkids will only be little once so they take the front seat where there will always be something that needs to be cleaned waiting for me to get to it. I try and keep the main things done; the kitchen, the vacuuming (I have pets) and bathroom but I quit stressing about the little things. I'd much rather spend the day with the kids while I can than in the future wish I'd spent more time with them.

The only time I worry about cleaning big time is when I don't want anyone over. They never come when it is clean. The rest of the time I say excuse the mess, it is always like this. Besides, if they don't like it, then they can leave. I kept a better house when the kids were home. Now I just tell myself I'll do it later. Would rather spend most of my time quilting.