Italians Give New Meaning to Clean
If you want your house cleaned properly, ask an Italian.
When it comes to being clean, Italians top the European Charts. A recent poll found that Italians clean their houses more often than any other Europeans. This does not come as a surprise to me, as since I moved here I have marveled at the level of cleanliness inside Italian homes.
We all like to keep a clean house and I am even lucky enough to have someone help me with the chores, yet still in my home there is always the telltale hairball from the dog (I hope), dirty laundry on the floor, or some other incriminating evidence lying around.
When Italian friends invite me over, I sometimes just sit in awe of their sparkling floors, shiny appliances, and the sheer lack of even one grain of dust anywhere. Their doors are polished, their windows are spic’n’span, and you would think that each Italian woman has been crowned the queen of clean. A few brave girlfriends have confessed that if you open up a drawer or the doors to the armoire, a tsunami of clutter will spill out all over you. I have my doubts about this.
The study reports that most Italians clean (that’s CLEAN, not tidy) their homes at least four times a week. This means a full top to bottom scrub with this pure alcohol solution that smells horrid. I’m lucky if I manage to bathe my children four times a week, let alone a full Martha Stewart clean-off! Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the occasional declaration of war on dirt, but I have miles and miles to go to even come close to catching up with my Italian cohorts.
Confession time: mainly while looking at my cluttered house, I sit and curse at my neighbor, who is awake and cleaning her windowsills EVERY MORNING at 6:45 AM. Shouldn't there be a law against that?
If only I could stick to organizing Rome sightseeing and have an Italian mamma around to get the job done right!
Worth mentioning is that this obsession with all things clean does NOT apply to the Italian streets. Particularly in Rome, the streets remain a public dumping ground full of trash, dog poop, graffiti, and worse.
If only we could find a way to balance what you find inside and outside Italian homes, life in Italy would be ever so much better.
Study results from Reportbuyer.com
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This is oh so true! I work from home here in italy and I find it hard to keep up on work, cooking and the epic requirements of a clean house by Italian standards. Another thing I've had to learn is how to clean Italian style. I always thought clean was clean, but after three years in Italy I know that is not true. There are specific ways to clean here and things that Americans would commonly do that would horrify any normal Italian. That being said, I just clean when my Italian guy isn't home most of the time! :-)
And, yes, there should be a law against cleaning windows every morning at 6:45 am!!
