How important is a clean apartment?

[Yossarian]

Is it truly a health risk to live in a dirty home?

I think "dirty" is an ambiguous term here. Growing up, my mom was working full time, earning her PhD in Chemistry, and raising me and my sister. I remember she had a sign in the kitchen that said "A clean home is a sign of a misspent life." There was never a health hazard, and who knows by today's standards maybe it was even above average. But for sure there are choices to be made about how to allocate time and energy. Not everyone prioritizes Good Housekeeping. So I'd say make sure there is no risk to her, and from there just let her be her.

[iris lilies]

Rodents:

Gene Hackman‘s wife died of a virus spread by rodents. The Hantavirus that killed her has a high mortality rate, somewhere around 30% to 40%. This news was shared today.

This virus is spread through direct contact with rodent carriers through their excrement or being bitten.

It is prevalent in the four states that make up “the four corners “out west. It’s the same area that harbors bubonic plague. When I worked in a New Mexico library I used to scan the disease report we got every month from the state because I was fascinated that the plague still existed in Western Society.

And I am now wondering, why do these sorts of diseases hang out in the dry west? Bubonic plague is also spread by vermin. Appalachia doesn’t seem to have bubonic plague and the instances of poverty seem just as severe in Appalachia as in New Mexico. Maybe I’m wrong about that. I suppose Appalachia has its own diseases. But maybe the dry desert West is especially hospitable to these rodents.

[catherine]

Rodents:

Gene Hackman‘s wife died of a virus spread by rodents. The Hanavirus that killed her has a high mortality rate, somewhere around 30% to 40%. This news was shared today.

Yeah, I saw that and then thought of this thread, too!

I didn't know about its prevalence in the Southwest, though. Very interesting. The CDC map shows most cases in the Four Corners, as you said, and California and Washington State.

[nswef]

That is interesting. I imagine it is a horrible way to die.

[early morning]

Most mice in houses in the midwest/eastern/southern US are a different species from the deer mice that are more prevalent in the west. The house mouse does not carry hantavirus. Rodent does not equal carrier, in this case. We have "field mice" here, and I think that some of that population ARE deer mice. Deer mice can be carriers, but Ohio hasn't had a hantavirus case. House mice like houses, and they make a mess, but they won't give you any of the hantaviruses. Field mice come in sometimes when it's really cold but don't like to stay in, so they're more likely to be in sheds, barns, etc. Often these areas aren't closed tightly, making it less likely to breath in contaminants, I would think. Sort of like in my leaky drafty old house, we were never worried about radon. Anyway. Dirty/mousy does not always equal lethal, in any case.

[Klunick]

I have been on both ends of the clean house spectrum. Years ago I would have dusted or vacuumed my house only when expecting company. Sheets would get cleaned once a month. Bathtub cleaned when it started turning colors. House was always picked up and dishes done so the dirt was only when really inspected.

Fast forward to a few years ago when we completely remodeled our house. Now the house is spotless always. Dusted and vacuumed weekly. Bathrooms scrubbed weekly. Windows, baseboards, floors cleaned weekly to bi-weekly.

I much prefer the current state of my house and could never go back to having dust piled up and surfaces not spotless. If something happened where I was no longer able to do it myself, I would definitely hire help just because living in a clean house is better for my mental health overall. I wouldn't fault anyone who doesn't think like me because I know most people aren't as particular about the amount of cleanliness required in their house as I am.

[iris lilies]

Wow, Klunick, that is an ambitious cleaning schedule. While I sweep floors almost daily because of cat hair and dirt, that’s about the only regular cleaning I do besides of course, keeping dishes and countertops clean. But dishes do pile up on my counter for more than a day.

all of the surfaces in our house are new so it’s easier to keep new surfaces clean because grime hasnt settled in on the,

I completed deep cleaning on 4 rooms in our house and I have one more room to go, the living room. And then in April, I will set up a bi monthly cleaning service to come in and clean, and I doubt that I will do anything in between their visits other than sweep the floor and keep dishes and kitchen counters clean.

I’m already thinking about hiring window cleaners in about two years. In this house, we have big windows and big vistas to view, and I don’t want dirty windows interfering with that.