do you have to clean house before you leave?

[Kimi313]

I am so glad you posted this I thought I was the only person in the world who does this.

ME TOO!! I have never shared this with anyone before! We drive 10 hours down so we leave around 5:00 and yes there are some years I am vacuuming at 4:00 in the morning! I also clean fridge out, run dishwasher the night before and then hand wash any glasses that might have gotten dirty, and wash and put up All clothes. I hate to have clothes in dryer waiting on me. I also can not leave for work in the morning unless my bed is made, never cared about DD bed, I just didn't want to die and people come over to the house and see my bed not made.

 

[Gigi22]

Usually I arrange for our cleaning lady to come in while we are away--or just after we get back. I do make sure that I throw out anything in the fridge that could go bad. And that the garbage and cat litter have been tossed/cleaned out.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Yes, clean and do laundry!!! I don't want to come home and have to do the laundry that was left here (and it would probably smell) AND the laundry we accumulated while @ Disney.
We usually leave 1st thing in the morning, I have DF load up the car with our luggage and take our trash and then I clean out the actual garbage can. We have a Target plastic bag by our garbage can for whatever trash we accumulate before we go and just take it out when we leave.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My house is not spotless--but whatever condition it is in, I will clean up to improve it though it may not be "shiny?" and span. (the other word got starred out---not a clue as to why)

My idea for doing so is a bit more morbid. If something were to happen on the trip--I don't want folks seeing how messy my house can get. It's all about my image.

The absolute half to do items are dishes, litter and washer must be empty (yes, have forgotten a load...not a pretty smell to come back to ).

My house has been in flux for a while, but I do dream of the day where everything is back to neat and tidy on a regular basis.

My youngest is due in about 4 weeks....so I figure I have 18 years, 4 months and change until she is off to college and my house will be neat and tidy on a regular basis.

 

[Plannin'Shannon]

Absolutely. I have been known to vacuum while the luggage is being loaded in the car. The last thing I want to do when returning from vacation is to clean. It all gets done before.

Same here. In fact, we're leaving today for a wedding this weekend. What am I doing now (besides DISing, of course)? Cleaning!

 

[RadioFanatic]

Me too! In fact, I really want to clean before DS and I go away Sunday, but know not to bother bc DH is home and he's going to destroy the place anyway.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Definitely!

I clean everything top to bottom before I leave.

Funny thing - I still have the cleaning people come in before we come home.

We're gone three weeks so I just don't want everything dusty when we come home.

 

[design_mom]

I plan to, but usually run out of time. I like to come home to a clean house.

This describes me, too. I'd *like* to clean before we leave, but it doesn't always happen.

 

[disykat]

if something happened to us while we were away (in the hospital or worse ) I would be really embarrassed for people to come into my messy home. I know it's totally illogical but .....

Me too! I'm claustraphobic enough without having to worry about trying to roll over in my grave!

I also think it's just practical. Why ruin a good vacation high coming home to a dirty house? There's enough to do with the laundry, mail, etc.

 

[Carly_Roach]

Add another one to the list. I do make sure all the dishes are done, vacumn AND change the sheets so we come home to a freshly made bed. Once we get home, the first thing I do is unpack (on my nice, freshly made bed) while DH goes to the store. By the time he gets back with provisions, one load is drying while the other is washing, the suitcases are back where they belong and if we brought back souveniers we can go through them together remembering our vacation and deciding what to do with them.

We're not so worried about what others might think about us (people seeing the house when we're not in it). I clean because my concern is strictly creature comfort for DH and me.

Yes! And right before I walk out of the door, I pour Pine Sol in all of the toilets. When you come home, there's this great smell of "clean" all through the house!

What a great idea! Thanks for the tip!

 

[GingerJay]

I am absolutely obsessive about cleaning before I leave for vacation..I clean everything from top to bottom. I hate coming home from vacation (esp. after being cramped in a car for the 10 hours it takes to get home from WDW) to a messy house

 

[Wishing on a star]

YEP, count me in with the 'cleaners'!!!

It's tough, with all the packing and preparations, but I do my best to make sure the place is clean and tidy as much as possible!

I do NOT want to come back from a nice vacation to dirty dishes in the sink, musty dirty towels and laundry, unvacuumed carpet, etc..

 

[Silent1CB]

Clean the house, laundry, dishes, emptry fridge & trash, clean bathrooms & change the sheets. Who wants to return to a dirty house after having housekeeping service for a week?

 

[MIGrandma]

Looks like cleaning the house before a vacation is normal for many of us.

I like to have the vacuuming and dusting done, dishwasher run and clean dishes put away if there's time, any other dirty dishes in the sink get washed before we go too, clean out the frig of anything that will spoil before we get back and usually give any extra milk, eggs, bread etc. to the kids. I like clean sheets and the beds made, all the laundry put away, bathrooms clean too. I don't necessarily have to do laundry on vacation. If we're gone a couple of weeks or more we usually do it at the halfway point so we don't have to pack so many clothes, but I don't mind coming home with dirty clothes. Doing the laundry at home is not a household chore I hate doing.

 

[nmmom95]

Clean the house, laundry, dishes, emptry fridge & trash, clean bathrooms & change the sheets.

I do all of this, as well. I'm already coming home with a mountain of laundry in the suitcases, I don't want to have to clean, too!

 

[gator75]

ia'm so happy that i'm not the only one with this addiction to a clean house post vacation. we are going to disney at the end of may,and i'm already planning when i will make sure the house is spotless.

 

[crz4mm2]

when you go on a vacation weather it's to disney or some other vacation are you like me ,and have to clean your house before you go? .

I hate cleaning. And I don't wash the sheets before I leave either.

 

[720L]

Yes! I have to have everything perfect before I walk out of the house. Beds made, counters clear and cleaned, everything in its place.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

totally! for both reasons given: in case something and happens/for the pet sitter if we use someone other than family and so that I come home to as clean a house as possible.

 

[HsvTeacher]

Another cleaner here! I always make sure the house is clean, laundry is done, and clean sheets are on the bed before we leave. Then, on the last night of vacation, I make sure all the clothes are washed, so I just have to pull them off the clothes rack in the car and put them right into the closet.