CLEANING THE FLOORS

Features » Twitters from Spain

Barrie Mahoney / 2012-07-31 14:28:49

I will not be forsaking our beloved Dyson

I rarely hear the irritating sound of vacuum cleaners coming from neighbouring homes in the Canary Islands, where I live. I often hear that relentless drone from British, German and Scandinavian homes, but rarely from Canarian or Spanish homes. It is something that I have noticed, yet has remained at the back of my mind until recently when one of our Canarian neighbours asked us to her home for a coffee.

Her home was spotless, and knowing what a busy lady she was, I commented upon the gleaming floors. “Oh, just a daily brush and a mop and bucket,” she answered, with a smile. I thought back to our own home, complete with marble floors, which we had so foolishly been taken in by when we purchased. Believe me, marble floor tiles are a complete nightmare and unless they are treated very carefully, always tend to look as if they are in need of a good scrub.

Marble tiles absorb red wine stains too, which is not good and they mark very easily. We regularly use a steam cleaner to bring them back to their original shine. It is a painstaking process, but well worth the effort. Next time we move, it will be to a home with the usual ceramic floor tiles, not marble.

Our neighbour went on to tell me that she has a vacuum cleaner, but only uses it to clean the inside of her car occasionally. She had always used a brush, just like her mother and grandmother, which still remains the preferred choice for many Canarians and Spanish families. She gave me a few tips on how best to maintain our marble floors in pristine condition, and I promised that I would give them a try.

I will not be forsaking our beloved Dyson though! I thought back to the days when we were living in the UK. Heaven knows what a forensic investigation would have revealed in all those fitted carpets! A Dyson with truly impressive suction really was the only answer to ensure a basic level of cleanliness in those days, and particularly with dogs as part of the family. After all, it was the development and widespread use of the original ‘Hoover’ that virtually wiped out human fleas in the UK population, almost overnight, so vacuum cleaners do have a lot going for them.

Whilst on the subject of cleaning, our young road sweeper still sweeps the paths and roads in our village with the branch of a palm tree. He claims that it is much more effective than a commercially produced brush, and the results that he achieves would certainly seem to bear that out.

I have recently been tempted by the new electronic floor cleaning robots that are currently available in many electrical stores. The demonstrations look highly effective and, as a dedicated gadget lover, I cannot wait to try one for myself. I will let you know how I get on!

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at Barrie’s websites: www.barriemahoney.com and www.thecanaryislander.com or read his latest book, ‘Threads and Threats' (ISBN: 9781843866466)