Writing Prompt's Making Me Dig Deep

Writing Prompt for 12/13/2016:

Is there anything you are ever a snob about?

I had no problem coming up with the answer, however, the thought of writing about it made me uneasy!  So many images began pouring into my mind that I decided, "Well, why not?"

Yes, I am a snob about cleanliness!  I must clarify, I said cleanliness, not messiness or clutter!  There is a difference!  When you have children, clutter is part of the package and honestly, I began to enjoy the toys Corbin would line up all over the house.  Cleanliness is much different.  

My dear, German cleaning freak grandmother would say "If you have a bar of soap and water, your body can be clean, your clothes can be clean, and your house can be clean.  Being poor is not an excuse because a bar of soap does not cost that much and lasts a long time."  We are talking about a woman, in her 70's,  would scrub her wool  room rugs (yes, wool) from the 1940's on her hands and knees at least once a week.  She cleaned, washed and scrubbed every day.  Grandma Vincent (Mabel) was up, cleaning, baking, and sewing or ironing at 3 am every day.  As a small child, I remember she not only scrubbed the  floor but scrubbed me!  She also had the whitest and most beautiful sheets and pillow cases I have ever seen, and they were also ironed.  Even though she eventually had an electric dryer, she always hung her sheets and towels on the  clothes line.  I can smell them now!

So, as a young and poor mother of a son, I was faced with living in an apartment that had a laundry, but we had no money to wash clothes and when we did not enough  money for drying I dried everything in the apartment.  Remember the old wooden clothes racks you could dry clothes on?  I had two plus every area available space I could find to dry clothes, diapers (yes, kids diapers).

Those words of my grandmother came through loud and clear when I was faced with the situation of dirty laundry (and diapers) and no money.  We had hot water and fortunately I did have laundry soap and my bathtub and my hands became my washing machine!  I actually one time washed a baseball uniform for my  young and athletic husband, by hand, in the bathtub!  I was not about to let him play another game with a dirty uniform!  I cleaned and scrubbed something every day!  Including my child of course!  

I did not realize the impression I was making on my son until the day I was in the bathroom, cleaning, and my son (18 mo) comes running into the bathroom with a can of Comet cleaner in his hand.  He was squealing, "I help, Mommy!" as he was taking my hand and pulling me to the kitchen. The can of Comet was empty and every drawer and cabinet had Comet inside, as did the floor and sink.  He was tall enough to even sprinkle some on the counters.  My kitchen had never been so clean and fresh after I cleaned it all up.  

So, yes, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to cleanliness.  I have even had to use bar soap to wash my hair in times when I couldn't buy shampoo.  My grandmother would be proud!  And, as I said, "I can still smell and feel those beautiful white sheets and towels of my grandmother."