My Name's Monica, and I'm a cleanaholic

Love it! (Disclaimer: not my hand, not my sofa.)

I make no secret of the fact that I like things neat and tidy. It's not for nothing that I've been compared to Monica from Friends in the past. In the words of the woman herself: 

"If it's not a right angle, it's a wrong angle!!"

OK I'm not quite that bad, aside from anything else I have precious little time to arrange things symmetrically like a crazy person, but I am a sucker for a tidy room, organised closets and orderly drawers. I just feel more calm and soothed when everything is in its rightful place, and will happily pad around the villa for an hour on Friday morning neatening things up after the usual whirlwind of the working week.

It's meant a few clashes with DH. He's a pretty typical man: ie just doesn't seem to SEE mess or be bothered by it all. He can step over pants on the floor for a full week without thinking: " what are these clothes in a heap here?" or "perhaps I should move them."

We've rubbed along ok - I've relaxed a little about high-jumping the pile of pants, he's learnt the route to the washing machine and dishwasher.

One thing that has bothered me for a long time (and is nothing to do with DH, god love him) is our sofa. It's been around for a few years, survived a few years, and it's textured grey nature has meant for me, it just MUST have been hiding a multitude of sins.

This being Dubai, one quick call, 25 quid later and a team of little men turn up to clean it. They arrived with what looked like a white dalek, and giddily went about what can only be described as 'wet vaccuming' the couch.

Their giddiness reached fever pitch when I got giddy about the whole process too. I was then treated to a description of the process so detailed and enthusiastic that I'm pretty sure I could now turn my hand to the career of sofa-vacuuming, should I wish to.

One hour later they left, the sofa was resplendent in its new, sweet smelling, sparkling glory. I swear it looked brand new.

"Look!" I exclaimed to DH!  "It looks amazing no! And smells fantastic, hey!"

He cast an eye over their results with a bemused expression. "This makes you happy darling?" 

"Yes!" I squeaked.

"Well in that case let's get it cleaned whenever you like."

Ah. His housework misdemeanors were all forgiven in a flash.