She gets swept up in giggles during a vacuum cleaning moment

Have you ever been all alone and said something or even had a thought that was so comical you stopped in your tracks and laughed out loud?

I can’t say it’s happened very often to me, but this last time was a real knee-slapper.

It all started with a dirty vacuum filter I realized I hadn’t cleaned in longer than I’d like to admit.

An easy run under the faucet and a good wringing and it was much improved, so I set it outside to dry. At this point, I realized I had removed a crucial part of our vacuum cleaner that I’m not sure my family knew even existed.

Hey Siri, shhhh: The Siri scenic route is not what she ordered

I wasn’t sure if there was some sort of built-in feature on the machine that wouldn’t allow it to operate unless this filter was in place, so just to be sure I started writing a note to tape to the vacuum, in bold print on a bright piece of paper:

“Do not use! Filter is being cleaned!”

And then I started laughing

In all my years of parenting and being married, I don’t think anyone has ever voluntarily used the vacuum cleaner. I’m not sure they’ve even used it when they were instructed to use it, and come to think of it, I’m not even sure if they know how to turn it on. Why in the world would I think that for the first time in over 20 years, someone would be inspired to use the vacuum cleaner when I wasn’t home on their own free will?

My husband and our children are all very capable of doing things around the house, and truthfully, they could master cleaning the floor because they’ve done it before. They all pitch in when asked and even sometimes when not asked, but even I would rather do a million other things besides clean the bathrooms.

But it is rather funny to think about certain chores around the house and the other warnings I might leave.

“Warning! Please don’t unload the dishwasher!”

“Don’t put your clothes away — just live out of your laundry basket! Thanks!”

“I know the dogs are filthy, but do NOT wash them!”

You get the picture.

I did not end up putting the note on the vacuum. I instead made sure the cord was wrapped up nice and tight and returned it, incomplete, to the closet where it lives. In time, the filter has dried and been returned so the machine is ready for use, but I’m happy to announce there were no attempts to clean the house in the interim.

Tiger Woods once said, “If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?” I say you can laugh at me, worrying about rouge and unplanned vacuum sessions. I’m certainly still giggling about it.

Reach Karrie McAllister at mckarrie@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: McAllister: Warning, vacuum disabled. Wait, who am I talking to!