Smoke Colored Glasses

Saturday was a harsh reality to this whole escapade. My husband and I went to help my uncle clean mimi's house. We needed to paint, mop, scrub and try to repair the past 8 years of inside smoking. I would have hated to have cleaned her previous home that had 20 years of two inside smokers. We probably could have contracted lung cancer just breathing the air. We came prepared with mask, gloves, and lots of cleaning supplies. There was no question about the fact we were going to have to paint the living room. The walls had changed from a bright white to a dingy yellow. The plastic shades were the same; from white to yellow they reflected the past years of smoking; cigarette after cigarette, pack after pack, day in and day out..puffing, puffing, puffing.

I spray Mr. Clean (with Febreeze) on the kitchen wall. I am disgusted as I see the brown streak the wall. The furniture, same story. After I cleaned the dining room table 6 times; the towels were still a dingy brown. I felt nauseous just knowing how many times I had eaten at that table, unbeknown to me that there were layers and layers of stale smoke on the table. I swear by the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser so I bought some to clean the kitchen cabinets. The nicotine coated on the kitchen cabinets DESTROYED the Magic Eraser. I could not believe it. I mean the product did clean but it took several because they would tear apart. I did take one to the refrigerator and it looked like NEW! I was sad that she had been living in this cigarette filth but excited that she was coming home to a cleaner, healthier home. The new carpet was to be installed on Monday and the freshly painted living room looked fantastic. The new blinds and clean curtains were much needed and looked great!

Then there was the coffee table that she had smoked over for 20 plus years. It was a marble top table that looked like a cocoa marble. As I swiped the Magic Eraser over the top of the table, it became clear that it was a white marble top rather than the cocoa it appeared. It was a beautiful table and I couldn't help but think how horrible her lungs must look and how I wish I could Magic Eraser them. Oh how I dared to dream. My body was beginning to ache so I popped opened another Busch Light and started to Mr. Clean the paneling.

The whole cleaning experience was rather surreal. We all felt like we were doing a cleaning product add. I felt like I was on Clean House (one of my favorite shows) and was getting excited about the reveal day. I hoped it would be refreshing for her to enter into a new, cleaner home and I prayed that it would help to cease or decrease her smoking. Dare to dream. We wrapped up the day at Yesterday's, a great dive in town that I had not been to in years. The yummy catfish and pitcher of Bud Light were just what the doctor order. I was exhausted and I knew Sunday at the hospital would mimi would bring new battles to fight. So I enjoyed dinner with my husband and an evening of relaxation, something that was becoming a rarity. The energy was needed for new challenges in the days ahead because the house was a sign that things were just getting started. But for now, I am cuddled with the pups on the coach with a big glass of vino enjoying the evening.