Housework

 

My plastics for doing housework. Can you guess what they are for? Answer at the end of the post!

Plastic items abound in my part of Togo. There are containers of all shapes and sizes used for nearly every household chore. I watch the young people cook with interest, marveling to see how many plastic objects will be used in the preparation of the sauce or meat they are making. Back in November, when I spent a Saturday at the church, I watched Hélène empty her house near the property. She had an impressive collection and I remember wondering how many things I would acquire when I settled into my house. The photo above shows all but one of my cleaning plastics.

Viviane has just left after cleaning my house. She comes twice a week. Thursdays her main chore is my laundry; Sundays she dusts, washes windows, and mops. I am grateful for her work, for many reasons.

First, I feel terribly ignorant concerning how one cleans here. I would not know what equipment or products to use. I gathered my plastics based on my observations, but even so, did not have enough. Viviane added the white bucket in the front row. Karen helped me find a dust mop, mopping rags (which I use as bathroom and entry way rugs as well), and a duster. 

Second, it is slow, hard, and never-ending work. The dirt here is reddish-brown on the road and is of a sandy consistency. It makes its way into the house through the open windows and settles on every flat surface, where it turns a very dark brown. I took a picture of the dust rag after dusting just a portion of my couch and here is what was on it. I could dust everyday and get just as much dirt.

Finally, I just don't like looking at that dirt! I dust the living room furniture a couple of times a week and will dust/sweep the floor as well. But I don't like seeing the dirt that I am moving out. When Vivian mops, the water turns a very muddy brown color. Again, it is not a pleasant sight to me. A selfish reason, but I am happy to help Viviane's finances in order to indulge my selfishness. 

Explanation of containers:  The back row has my washbasins. The two large ones on the left are for laundry. The two smaller ones on the right fit in the kitchen sinks. There is no drain plug, so I have to have the basins in order to wash dishes. The front row contains the buckets. Viviane uses the blue one to hold the water for washing windows and furniture. The clear one is for mopping. The buckets may also play a role in the laundry, but I haven't seen her do my laundry so I don't know. Finally, the gray bucket on the left is one of a pair--its twin is in my bathroom, complete with the lids that came with them. They are for holding water. Now that it's the dry season, they may turn the water off from time to time. So I fill the buckets and put the lid on in order to have water for flushing toilets or washing.