How do you clean your house?

[can'twait]

But I like cleaning and love a clean house...I find it relaxes me and makes me feel like I have accomplished something.[/QUOTE]

Can you come to my house?

Seriously, I think I have to make a decision as to what is more important - spending the time scrubbing the house so that I can enjoy the way it looks, or ignoring it unless it's really gross and spending the time relaxing instead. There must be a happy medium! I'm definitely starting to recruit the kids to help. I've always just done it on my own. I want them to learn that mom/wife is NOT the maid, even if dad has that fantasy going on.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Also, I don't understand what people mean when they clean their kitchens? I wipe down my counters and stuff after meals. If things spill or splatter I wipe it up when it occurs. The only cleaning I do on a weekly basis with the regular house cleaning is sweeping and mopping the floors. So, not sure what people are cleaning in their kitchens.....

My motto is "A clean house is a happy house"

Our kitchen is a catch-all for everything - everyone hangs out in there. We also do a lot of cooking, and it can get very messy. I like to keep my countertops free of anything other than appliances and decorative stuff. So cleaning the kitchen for me is cleaning and putting away dishes, wiping down everything, sweeping the floors, and removing mail, toys, schoolwork and other clutter from the counters and table. Once a month I'll clean the fridge and oven. I have a countertop range so that gets cleaned on a daily basis, the microwave gets cleaned once a week, and only if it needs it.

 

[Ratpack]

If you never heard of www.flylady.net, I highly suggest you look at her advice on cleaning. It is a routine of basic things to do each day and then some monthly "in depth" chores to do. I am still a "flybaby" myself, but I sure am not running around like mad when someone stops by to make a nice appearance.

 

[MagicalMom]

I do it like tihs:

I vacuum, turn on the dish washer
I Dis
I throw some clothes in the washer
I Dis
I get up to get a drink & straighten up for a bit
I Dis
I get up to go to the bathroom, maybe make a bed or two while I'm up.
I Dis
Things get slow on the Dis, I get off & fold clothes while I talk on the phone.
Then I Dis
It goes on & on like that all day.

 

[can'twait]

I do it like tihs:

I vacuum, turn on the dish washer
I Dis
I throw some clothes in the washer
I Dis
I get up to get a drink & straighten up for a bit
I Dis
I get up to go to the bathroom, maybe make a bed or two while I'm up.
I Dis
Things get slow on the Dis, I get off & fold clothes while I talk on the phone.
Then I Dis
It goes on & on like that all day.

I like this method the best so far!

 

[Cthia]

I agree that having no clutter helps in the cleaning. I probably spend about 2 hours thoroughly cleaning on Saturday or Sunday but that is only because I do things during the week to save time on the weekends. Spending a bit each night tackling a few things in each room really helps so you aren’t overwhelmed with housework on the weekends.

I put a load of laundry in the morning 2-3 days a week before I got to work and put it in the dryer when I get home, sometimes DH may put it in the dryer. I may do two loads that night depending if I feel like doing that many loads. I save the bedding for the weekends, takes less time to dry.

Daily I wipe down the counters in the kitchen after each meal, the bathroom counters and toilets, and brush the inside of the toilet. I vacuum the first floor during the week and on the weekends. I have them take their shoes off at the door so less dirt is tracked thru the house. I vacuum the entire house on the weekends. As for dusting I save that for the weekends. I use the swiffer to get under the couches, etc. to get the dust and any toys that got under there. Of course on a nightly basis I am picking up my youngest DD toys.

Then you got your fall/spring cleaning for major cleaning: washing outside windows, go thru clothes that no longer fit, etc.

I joined flylady.net and have used a lot of their “advice”. I am no means a pro at it but the advice that is on there is very helpful.

 

[mickeyboat]

I keep up with clutter and laundry during the week. It takes about 2 hours on the weekend (I have started doing this on Friday nights) to get the whole house cleaned. DH vacuums, which saves me over 30 minutes.

The only room that does not get cleaned every week is the play room. I use it as a catch-all for all the stuff the kids drag all over the house. When it is time to clean the play room, the kids do most of it.

Before we remodeled the house, I despised cleaning, because no matter how much time you took, the place never looked clean. Now I get a lot more satisfaction out of cleaning because it actually looks clean when it is done.

Denae

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

We have a system that is by no means perfect, in fact i am on the computer in the playroom with toys up to my knees!!

I do laundry all week long: (M)Kids (T)DH (W)mine (T)Towels/bedding (F)anything that accumulated.

I do dishes as they get dirty no matter how tired i am
DH cleans the bathrooms every saturday top to bottom in the AM
I keep pretty baskets in each room (LR/DR/etc) and at the end of the day before DH and i go to bed we toss all the toys and stuff in the baskets and in the AM before the kids are up i put it all away.
DH cleans the kitchen and sweeps.mops on saturday after the bathrooms while i clean the playroom/kids rooms/our room

DH must help it's the only way to get things done AND it teaches the kids that no one can get out of chores.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I absolutely hate cleaning.
I've been looking at other people's houses, and I often wonder how they get their homes that clean and how they keep them clean. What am I doing wrong?
Not investing the right time? Or effort?
What do you all do?

I also hate cleaning.
People that have immaculate homes keep them that way and throw things away. No clutter at all. Makes it very simple to keep things clean if there isn't junk lying about. And they just "Do it" till it is done.
Time, is your biggest issue it sounds like. If you hate it that much, you had to schedule it.

I am a SAHM. Right now we are in a slump. DH is a packrat which does not help.
He wants "clean" then he has to clean. And he does now.

You either have to get your dh to help or hire a cleaning person if you want a clean house. (Since you HATE cleaning).

 

[debloco]

We have a cleaning service that comes every other week, even though I am a SAHM. DH and I got to the point where we decided that neither one of us wanted to spend the necessary time to do the heavy cleaning and it's worth the money to us to have the time instead.

There's enough to do with keeping things picked up, the laundry, running errands, paying bills and keeping the budget, grocery shopping, paperwork for insurance/school stuff/etc., home maintenance, DD's extracurricular activities, serving at church...etc, etc.

This way it's not hanging over our heads and we have some time for family activites and relaxing.

 

[Buttercup26]

If you never heard of www.flylady.net, I highly suggest you look at her advice on cleaning. It is a routine of basic things to do each day and then some monthly "in depth" chores to do. I am still a "flybaby" myself, but I sure am not running around like mad when someone stops by to make a nice appearance.

Definitely check out Flylady's website. You do a little each day. It is the best system ever!! I not only do this at home, but also at work. I have totally adapted her routines and zones for my office as well. Love Flylady!!

 

[mickeysgal]

I think the key is to not let the house get out of control. We try to keep things picked up and put away as much as possible. That saves a lot of time from the cleaning.

I agree. You can't get around to cleaning when you have to declutter first. By the time you're done with the decluttering you're too tired to really clean. I try to have the house always picked up so that when I'm ready to clean, I'm good to go. It doesn't take much time...I do it here, there, and everywhere. If I'm going upstairs, I try to take stuff with me. I try to make every trip up and down the stairs worthwhile. Flylady helps in the decluttering and basic cleaning process. I have found that keeping the house (drawers, closets, countertops, etc.) decluttered, the cleaning is a breeze. Its a "hobby" of mine to find things around the house to donate. Less to clean!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I also agree about the Flylady website. You can tailor it to you, taking whatever will work for you from the site.

The 2 things that have helped the most from Flylady is the timer idea and the feather duster. The duster has cut the time that it takes to dust way down and the timer keeps me motivated. It's amazing what a person can accomplish in 15 minutes. I also keep a list of what needs to be done and take frequent breaks. Sometimes my house is in better shape than other times, but it's rarely a mess.

I have set things for different days. Monday I dust everywhere, clean the powder room, and vacuum the front of the house (foyer, living and dining rooms). Tuesday I vacuum the family room, the stairs, and the upstairs hallway. Wednesday I wipe down the kitchen counters and cabinets, microwave, cooktop, etc. If there's time I vacuum and mop the kitchen floor--if not I do it the next day. I try to save errands for Friday. I grocery shop on Saturday, but am trying to get it done on Fridays.

On the weekends we pitch in as a family to clean the upstairs (every other week everywhere upstairs and then the things that get dirty fast every week). On the weekends we're not detail cleaning the upstairs we do another area of the house (basement, outside weeding, detailing the kitchen more than the weekly cleaning, etc).

My family is required to help out and even though I'm a SAHM, my DH helps out as much as possible. He doesn't really mind doing it and even if he did, he knows that it needs to get done. He likes things cleaner than I do, so that works out well.

I try to keep up on the laundry so I never have to have a true "laundry day". When we wash the sheets that takes more time, but otherwise I try to do a load or 2 on a regular basis.

I did used to have a cleaning person, which was nice, but in general I don't hate doing it myself.

Clutter is a big problem of mine and I try to keep things picked up. That's hard for me, though.

 

[DisneyDotty]

I remember my grandmother, who used to spend her days cleaning, cooking, mending clothes, ironing, doing laundry, etc. No wonder she had to hit the schnapps so often!

Seriously, I have learned to lower my standards of cleanliness. (No wonder my DH keeps leaving ads for housecleaning services lying around! ) I usually don't tackle the big stuff til it totally grosses me out--like the black goop growing around the edges of my shower. I'm sure it's been there a long time, but since I wear contacts (not in the shower) I never really noticed it til I was checking something else in the shower. Yikes!
As a SAHM, I'm basically in charge of EVERYTHING--indoors and out--around the house. It can get overwhelming and depressing--the same stuff needs to be cleaned again and again and again and again. But it's my job, and I do it in small but consistent chunks.
Maybe if I could ever drag myself away from the DIS, I'd accomplish something!

 

[Feralpeg]

I never go to bed unless things are picked up. I walk around and put away anything that is not in its right place. Every other day, I dust and vacuum. I clean bathrooms twice a week. It doesn't take that long because I never let it go. It would be easier if the animals would stop shedding!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I hired a maid....and then took notes. We can't really afford a maid in a justifiable sense.

Start in one room--then follow the same pattern throughout hte house...which is counterclockwise.

Kitchen & bathrooms is done separately and I often do that first.

I'm surrpised b/c i have been overwhelmingly terrible in this area but it is working out well.

I:
dust in all rooms (ceiling fans included)
windows
vacuuming (including sofas b/c they need it)
mopping

I am surprised that if I go non-stop...I can get my 1500 sf home cleaned in 2 hours. Someday I would love to have a made.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I It would be easier if the animals would stop shedding!

I have the same issue--maybe we should try superglue!

 

[CEDmom]

Our house is on the market so it gets a once over every morning just in case someone comes in to look at it. Honestly, it was a real pain in the beginning but I'm amazed at how little real cleaning I have to do because of those 15 minutes each day. I also pick up at night before I go to bed so everything is in it's rightful place. I hope to keep this up in the new house.

 

[EthansMom]

I try to schedule bigger cleaning items, like cleaning the bathroom or mopping the floors, for my less busy days. On a daily basis, I do laundry (put a new load in the washer in the morning and then dry it later in the day), unload/load/run the dishwasher, declutter, make my bed, etc.

Right now, I'm cleaning the bathroom and washing linens on Weds. and mopping the floors on Friday, while DS4 is in preschool, which is working out pretty well.

 

[Disney Doll]

I clean the oven, the inside of the microwave, the toaster oven (inside and out) and wipe down the shelves in the fridge. I also wipe down the cabinets with Murphy's Oil soap, clean the top, sides and front of the fridge and scrub the sink with a disinfectant cleaner (I only wipe it out with Clorox wipes during the week).

Wow!!!! You do that every week in your kitchen????

I am impressed.

Meanwhile, I find that if I do a little evry day, and keep clutter to a minimum, that it goes along OK, for the most part.

I'll also do all the same tasks at once. If I ma vacuuming, I vacuum the entire housae. If I am dusting, I dust the entire house. Cleaning bathrooms?? Clean them all. And so on.

Ona daily basis, the kitchen usually gets wiped down, the papers get organized, discarded, handled in some way, I open mail over the garbage can, so that junk mail is gone immediately. I have a basket for DH's stuff...he tends to be a "clutter spreader", so if he left it somewhere and can't find it he knows to look in his basket. The bathrooms get a quick wipe down every day, especially around the toilet and sink. They get a good cleaning 1 or 2 times per week, depending on the amount of use. It's just DH and I, but if it's a week where we have had a lot of company, the bathrooms may get cleaned really well twice.

"Big" cleaning gets done as I notice it needs to be done...things like Murphy's oil soaping the kitcehn cabinets...usually about every other month or so. Deep cleaning the mini blinds...about every three motnhs... they do get dusted regularly but sometimes I hang them in the shower, spray on some scrubbing bubbles and spray them off and let them drip dry. Windows aten't bad because I have the kind that tilt in, so it's pretty easy...the big bay windows get done Spring and Fall with the ladder etc...the rest I tilt in when I notice they need it.

I truly think the key is to keep clutter at bay.