Dr. Ivy-l:

My brother Brian made a concious decision not to clean his house until the
dust bunnies got so large they could no longer subsist on exfoliated skin
alone -- in fact, I think I recall him leaving Purina Rabbit Chow out for
them one evening. His philosophy was "Cleaning house is so much more
satisfying when the difference between dirty and clean is greatest." He's
married and has a seven-month old daughter. I haven't been to visit his home
in the charred hills of Berkeley for some time (he travels east with some
regularity), but my guess is his philosophy remains; the dust bunnies don't.
Is this what you were looking for?

A. Powers-Vacuum


P.S. Will ask around the office for a serious -- or as we say in my house
"cereal" -- answer.


-----Original Message-----
From: Met History [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 1999 12:33 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Mr. Clean ... or Easy Off?


Somebody else take a look at the cleaning underway on the Broadway
(limestone) front of the Apthorp apartments, at 79th and Broadway.  Not
about
the probably-over-aggresive cleaning, but about the removal of the ancient
flaky black crusts.

Yeah, I know the crusts are bad, just like that damn ivy stuff (Hey,
>>people<< are bad for buildings!),  but isn't something important being
lost?  I am interested in locating examples of masonry buildings where the
owners made a conscious decision not to clean.

Christopher Gray
Office for Metropolitan History
246 West 80th Street, #8, NYC  10024
212-799-0520  fax -0542