The West Wing Is Full Of Roaches And Mice
Almost everyone has wondered about what it's like to live in the White House. Apparently, it's pretty weird. For a First Family, living in the White House is like a cross between a resort, a fortress, and a museum.
The truth about what it's like to live in the White House is stranger than fiction. Between being billed for every meal, and kids sneaking up onto the roof, here are some facts about living in the White House that will definitely shock and confuse you.
During 2017, there were numerous requests for repairs and new equipment. However, the most eye-opening request had to have been the ones made for pest control to rid of the mice running around the Situation Room and the White House Navy mess food service area.
The Wi-Fi is Terrible
Along with mice, there's also a lot of roaches in the West Wing, too.
We wonder how the First Family kids feel about this little tidbit. The Obamas told CBS on Super Bowl Sunday 2016, that there are a lot of Wi-Fi "dead spots" in the White House and the Obama girls get "frustrated" by them.
Carpet Stains Are Hardly Ever Removed Immediately
Mr. President is hoping to fix the issue for the "next group of folks" who move in.
You would think that pet stains would disappear as fast from the carpet as the time they appeared there. It's unclear whether other administrations' pets made a mess, but there's one story that has been confirmed.
The President Is Billed Every Month For Food and Incidentals
The biographer of the Obama family, Jodi Kantor says that Bush's cats left stains on the carpet that were still there when the Obamas moved in.
Unfortunately, no meal comes without a price in the White House. All presidents and their families have to pay for their own food, dry cleaning, toothpaste, and etc. while living in the office, and they're billed for such things at the end of the month.
There's A Dentist Office In The Basement
Nancy Reagan claims she was caught completely off guard by this factor. She says that nobody told her or President Reagan that they would have to pay such charges.
The First Family doesn't have to go far to get a filling. Luckily, there's a dentist office both in the basement of the White House AND at the presidential retreat at Camp David.
There Is No Private Entrance or Exit to the Residence
President George W. Bush's personal dentist said that Bush "didn't require a lot of care," and "never talked politics." The basement which is like a strip mall, also features a flower shop, carpenter's shop, and engineer's shop.
It makes sense that the First Family can't just come and go as they please, but did you know that there is no private entrance or exit to where they live? It's one of the downsides to living in a combination fortress/museum.
The President's Honey Comes from an On-Site Beehive
Staff and tourists have access to the Diplomatic Room - close to where the entrance to the living quarters is located - during regular operating hours, so the First Family has to duck behind brown screens to avoid detection.
If the First Family wants to eat honey (or brew beer with it!) they have a sweet little honey factory right on the property. Around 35,000 "First Bees" live on the White House lawn and are taken care of by the official beekeeper.
First Kids Can Have Their Prom at the White House
The beehive was built in 2009 - the first of its kind - and is located near the First Lady's vegetable garden.
This sure beats a gymnasium or VFW hall: First Daughter Susan Ford threw the first and only (so far) White House prom in 1975. The 17 year old partied with her fellow classmates from Holton-Arms School - and her 21-year-old "college boy" date (!) - in the East Room until 1 am.
It's Easy for a First Kid to Sneak Up to the Roof, Apparently
It wasn't entirely a splashy display of wealth and power: the class actually paid for the prom with funds raised at bake sales and school fairs.
You would think that the roof of the White House would be off-limits, but plenty of First Kids have managed to sneak up there. Steve Ford brought a friend up there to listen to Led Zeppelin ("Stairway to Heaven," of course).
Presidents Can Get Nightly Massages
Jenna Bush managed to escape the mansion's "millions of ghosts" to sneak a first kiss with her now-husband.
White House ushers attend to the president's every need, right up until they go to bed. But what if they fall asleep outside of their bedroom?
Even the President Picks Up Dog Poop
Lyndon Baines Johnson used to fall asleep on a massage table during his nightly rubdown, meaning his usher would have to wait until he woke up to be officially off-duty. LBJ sometimes wouldn't wake up until 5 am.
President Obama relaxes by taking his dog Bo for late-night walks, but Secret Service agents aren't the ones picking up the poop.
Someone Will Record Your Favorite Shows for You (Even Before VCRs and DVRs)
The Commander in Chief takes care of Bo's little WMDs all by himself.
These days, video-on-demand services and DVRs make it easy for a member of the First Family to catch their favorite shows (and there is likely a member of the White House staff to help arrange viewings), but it wasn't always so simple. Lady Bird Johnson, for example, loved the show Gunsmoke, but attending official functions as First Lady prevented her from watching it.
You Can't Adjust the Thermostat in Your Home Office Without Sparking Controversy
Her daughter revealed in 2012 that somehow a member of the White House staff recorded it for her every week, even though there was no such thing as VCRs or DVRs at the time.
The Hawaii-born Barack Obama enjoys a warm room - and his critics have given him plenty of heat for it. The "green" President has been accused of "stunning hyprocrisy" for setting the Oval Office thermostat high.
The First Family Can't Open the Windows
How high? His Chief of Staff says, "You could grow orchids in there."
It makes sense from a security standpoint at the White House, but you have to admit that never being able to open a window in your home and feel a cool breeze would be a bummer.
Moving Into the White House Only Takes Six Hours
It's one of the things First Lady Michelle Obama says she's looking forward to the most when she leaves the White House: simply cracking a window.
Moving a new president into the White House doesn't take as long as you might think. Thanks to the staff of 93 dedicated ushers and movers, everything is moved in in only six hours. It's a feat that is only accomplished after extensive planning and a long walkthrough with the First Family.
All of the Wine Served at the White House Is American
Why so fast? The previous president is given the same extraordinary level of service on the final day that they do on their first one, so there's no "down time" for the staff.
While it's true that the First Family can special order just about any food or drink they desire, the only wine served in the White House is American wine, mainly from Virginia, Idaho, and California. Have a hankering for something European?
None Of The Original Furniture Is In The White House Thanks To The British
You won't find it on the property. French wine was taken off the menu during the Ford Administration.
While some of the furniture and art in the White House is very old, nothing except a single painting of George Washington is from the original house. This is because in 1814, British forces burned the White House down to the ground. James Madison's wife Dolley famously saved George Washington's portrait during the fire.
You Might Still Have to Make Your Own Bed
Before being evacuated out of the White House - thanks at looming British troops - she selected some personal items to take with her. She knew they would more than likely torch her house, and grabbed the portrait that hung above the White House's fireplace. Now, in the White House, Dolley's portrait looks upon Washington's - a symbol of what she did for him when she was First Lady.
Just because First Kids like Sasha and Malia Obama have White House staff members to attend to their every need doesn't mean they're exempt from chores. Their parents insist that they still have to make their own beds and clean up after themselves.
It's Cool to Slide Down the Banisters (If You're a First Kid)
Michelle Obama believes so strongly in this that it was the first thing she told the staff upon arriving at the White House.
Michelle Obama wasn't sure the White House would make a great home for her daughters until she saw them sliding down the banisters.
It's a rite of passage for a lot of First Kids: the Bush twins enjoyed the solarium's banisters the best and Teddy Roosevelt's six kids slid down the banister on the regular (as well as walking around on stilts).