Housekeeping Questions

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

I hate folding and putting away laundry. I have loads of clean laundry everywhere. It makes me look far messier than I am. When I put away laundry, the house is surprisingly clean.

I cook lots so I do lots of dishes. I have kids so always putting up toys and cleaning kid messes. I hate things really out of place in the living room, and I hate magazines and newspapers because they just look messy to me.

Once could say I spend half my day cleaning and it looks like I have done nothing because of my issues with putting away laundry.

Chief_Rocka

I log being a slob as exercise

rhall9058

We are by no means clean freaks. I have a dog, a cat, and 2 kids. Clean is what it was 5 mins ago when I finished it. That said, wifey usually does "something" daily. Toilets, bathrooms, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, etc. That way, when it's done, by the time you've made it through the rotation, it's time to do it again. I usually do the Carpet Steam cleaning every month or so on a weekend, and the dishes are done nightly before we go to bed. Other than that, the rest of it is cyceled through when we get to it. A lot of it also depends on how well behaved or not the kids. are. When not behaved, we have an exceptionally clean house that week.

whatjesseats

1. Somewhere between neat-freak and once-a-week cleaner

2. Big things like the kitchen floor or bath tub I only do every few weeks, vacuuming, toilets and major dusting once a week, light dusting and laundry multiple times a week

3. a tidy house is important to me, a messy house makes me stressed out. Tidy is more important to me as long as everything is reasonably clean.

4. I'm big on just microfibre cloths for dusting as I have allergies so I don't like using sprays and chemicals.

This is pretty similar to my habits.

I do "maintenance" on the kitchen after every meal--rinse dishes and put in dishwasher, wipe up any spills, put away appliances. Kitchen counters and bathroom surfaces generally get disinfected daily.

I usually spread tasks out throughout the week, so it's hard to say how much time I spend cleaning. On average, maybe 15 minutes per day?

BlueObsidian

1.. Describe the kind of housekeeper you are (neat-freak, weekly cleaner, clean sometimes, get behind on housework, or a bit of a messy).

2. How often do you do various chores, like mopping kitchen, cleaning oven, scrubbing toilet and tub, etc., and how long does it take you?

3. How important is keeping a clean house to you? Would you rather let it slide and do more fun things (I mean, really, does the floor have to be freshly mopped every day?), or do you really think it needs to be squeaky clean?

4. Do you have any favorite cleaning methods or cleaning products you would like to share?

1. I'm fairly neat. Definitely not a clean freak, but I like to have things organized. My significant other is much neater than I am, and he's probably rubbed off on me a bit.

2. It really doesn't take much time to keep things clean. I spend about ten minutes a day picking things up, plus ten or twenty minutes doing dishes after meals. If you make keeping things tidy part of your routine, it won't be a noticeable amount of time out of your day. Just get in the habit of putting things away one you are done using them!

Once a week I do a bigger clean (vacuum, scrub the toilets, wipe down countertops, etc). I probably spend an hour or two on that. Maybe once a month I will clean the windows and shower.

3. The floor doesn't have to be mopped every day. We probably clean the tile and hardwood once every two weeks and vacuum the carpets once a week. A few little spots don't bother me. However, if it's been longer than that, it does start to bug me. I'm very compulsive about keeping the kitchen and bathroom clean, although I tend to completely avoid cleaning the oven. It's my least favorite chore.

4. For our hardwood floors, I love Bona. It's like a Swiffer Wet Jet, but specifically for hardwood (they also have a tile formula). It has microfiber pads that you toss in the washing machine. It takes very little time - I can get the living room and dining room done in about five minutes. Speaking of Swiffer, I also love their dusters. I take five minutes every now and then to dust all the flat surfaces.

There is a cleaner called Barkeeper's Friend that I swear by. It was meant for cleaning kitchens and cooking tools, but can be used on just about anything. I've even scrubbed my bathtub with it. It's amazing. I also keep Clorox or Lysol disinfecting wipes on hand in the kitchen and bathrooms. You can wipe down the counters in a matter of seconds. It's an easy way to get cleaning into the daily routine.

Tip: I want to echo all the advice to check out FlyLady! It's all about starting small and building good habits. Like anything else, learning how to be organized can be a little overwhelming. Starting small and incorporating more positive changes can be a great way to get there. I wasn't always a tidy person, but I decided to make it a priority and add in one small (five or ten minute) chore each day.

MSam1205

Not sure how to classify myself. It depends on the area. I do my toilet and sink once a week, but clean up any messes as they happen, tub is probably more every other week or once a month. It's only me!! Stove, dishes, counters I clean as I cook, hate a dirtly stove and hate leaving dirty dishes in the sink. Towels and Clothes are washed weekly, sheets every two weeks.

As for vacuuming, I do a quick pick up with my handy vac, especially in the laundry room where the litter box is. but I absolutely hate it, since I have a dog that sheds all year round, and a medium to long hair cat so it's at least every other week! Same with floors and washing, but I will touch up with clorox wipes if I see dust bunnys, etc.

I will do a major cleaning job if my mom is coming to visit (she lives 8 hrs away so I always have notice. And I also have found now that I finally own my own place (4 yrs now) I am better about keeping it picked up. It may not be spotless when you come by unannounced, but I won't be ashamed to let you in the door, that's what I try to maintain......

Best product? I love my shark steamer for the bathroom, laundry room and kitchen. It cleans without chemicals, get's super hot steam, and easy to throw the mop heads in the wash to clean.

digitalbill

For me, it depends on the room.
Kitchen and bathrooms MUST BE PERFECT.
As a result, my wife normally just backs away and I take care of these rooms.

As for the rest of the house, I like them "neat and orderly" but a far cry from a model home.
Because we have dogs, the floors downstairs are vacuumed/mopped every day. Upstairs MIGHT get a vacuum once a week or so.
As far as a lifestyle change goes, I totally understand that it takes more time to prepare a healthy meal but, please allow me to help:
1: Before getting started, lay out all of the stuff you are going to need. Salt, chicken, lemon, whatever an put it to the side (this keeps you from hunting in the middle of prep.
2: Grab a few small bowls and measuring cups so that they are also handy.
3: Once the meal is in the oven or wherever it is going, WASH THE DISHES ASAP!!!
You can have a clean kitchen and it is SO satisfying to step back, view the clean kitchen, and smell whatever it is that you are cooking.