This Vexes Me #12

I'm trying to clean. I have company coming at the end of September and this whole pain in the joints thing really hampers what I can do in a day. I tried cleaning windows yesterday and my hands just ache after only a couple of windows. I sat down in the recliner and just burst into tears. My frustration level is very high. I need to pay off the medical bill or pay it down substantially and go back to the doctor for a next step.

But it doesn't help matters when you want to clean in a fashion that's not hard on the body and contraptions conspire against you.

On the left is the old sponge mop. I don't sponge mop all that much. I sweep. I have hardwood floors and I damp mop them once in the spring after the fall and winter dirt and mud have been brought in. I wash the bathroom floor once every 6-8 weeks and the kitchen floor once every 4 months unless I spill something. Plus, I don't have that much square footage to mop.

After 2+ years, the sponge is coming apart. Time for a new sponge. Of course the brand I have is no longer made. I went to the grocery and the hardware store and Walgreens and none of them had this particular brand of mop. So, that means I have to buy a completely new mop. This happens all the time.

I am convinced, somewhere, mop manufacturers sit around a big table every 3 months and say, "Okay, it's time for a mop redesign. Lets make the sponge 3/4 of an inch longer. We made it wider last time." This forces the consumer to buy a whole new mop because there are no sponges in the size they have.

I suppose I should have purchased a replacement sponge when I bought this mop. I have ants in the kitchen again so I had to get more Terro and I bought the mop at the hardware store. If I need more Terro this coming weekend, I should get another sponge so, in two years when this one wears out, I'll have a replacement.

So, who wants to help move some furniture so I can mop?

Beverage:  Boston Harbor tea

Deb