s/o How clean do you keep your house?

[Jennifer in MI]

In the allergy thread, it was mentioned that allergies may be on the rise because people keep their houses too clean and sanitized. I mentioned that I deep clean my house once/week and others thought that was a lot. So, how often do you deep clean?

 

By deep cleaning, I mean:

 

Picking everything up

Dusting

Vacuuming

Mopping

Cleaning the bathrooms

 

I do each of these things once/week. (Well, vacuuming in the kitchen/eating area gets done daily.) Is that really a lot?

 

I also ask because a friend of mine told me that she thought the reason my kids were so sick this past winter was because I keep my house too clean. Yes, I keep it picked up and do the things above. I should mention that I clean with natural products - vinegar and water mostly.

 

Just curious! If I can get out of more housework, I'll do it!!

[lllll]

In the allergy thread, it was mentioned that allergies may be on the rise because people keep their houses too clean and sanitized. I mentioned that I deep clean my house once/week and others thought that was a lot. So, how often do you deep clean?

 

By deep cleaning, I mean:

 

Picking everything up

Dusting

Vacuuming

Mopping

Cleaning the bathrooms

 

I do each of these things once/week. (Well, vacuuming in the kitchen/eating area gets done daily.) Is that really a lot?

 

I also ask because a friend of mine told me that she thought the reason my kids were so sick this past winter was because I keep my house too clean. Yes, I keep it picked up and do the things above. I should mention that I clean with natural products - vinegar and water mostly.

 

Just curious! If I can get out of more housework, I'll do it!!

 

 

I've always done just like you do. As did my mother. No allergies here. Unless you count the cats - if I pet them and then rub my eyes, my eyes swell.

 

We sweep vs vacuum daily, too.

 

We're rarely sick, except for dh who catches things at work when people go to work sick. :glare:

[Jennifer in MI]

Okay. Good. Glad to see others who clean like I do!!

 

We're usually VERY healthy and I've always kept my house this clean.

[usetoschool]

I just kind of clean whatever is dirty these days. When my kids were growing up they always had chores and we always cleaned well and regularly. We never used anti-bacterial anything though. It was usually pretty clean but only sterile when we knew company was coming.

 

We also spent a lot of time in the dirt - gardening, camping and such - and I think that makes a positive difference.

 

No allergies at all here (and we are all generally very healthy) but don't really have any history of allergies either so one may not have anything to do with the other.

[Snickerdoodle]

Well, "freak" would be one of the words used to describe how I clean my house.

[snickelfritz]

We keep things picked up. We keep the kitchen VERY clean. My dh worked in a fast food restaurant for 7 years and he likes (NEEDS) the kitchen to be spotless. Since he's willing to maintain it....:D

 

I spot: mop, vaccum, and clean bathrooms as needed.

 

The house gets, what you call "deep cleaned", every 2 weeks. Every floor mopped or vacuumed, every surface cleaned, etc.....

 

We are rarely sick and dh and 1 of my dd's have some seasonal allergies, but none to pets or food. dd had a bad cold about 3 weeks ago and our whole family just got over a stomach bad. That's the first illness we've had all winter. I don't think that's too bad.

 

FWIW: I have heard "something" about studies that children that grow up on farm (running around with no shoes, exposed to dirt and poop and stuff) do have better immune systems. Maybe that's where she's getting it?

 

That doesn't mean I'm going to keep my house a pig sty to replicate the advantage.

[Lovedtodeath]

We have a lot of allergies, especially food. I only get that deep cleaning done once a month if that.

 

My mom's reason for life is to keep a clean house, so my allergies could have been exacerbated by that and then my kids got them from my genetics.

 

????

[dangermom]

The "too-clean" theory has some problems. It's possible that not running into enough germs may make some people vulnerable. (OTOH, I'm a terrible housekeeper and my oldest child has severe food allergies.) However, many allergies start in infancy, which is a little early to be saying that it's because they are kept too clean. Allergies also run genetically, and are somewhat mysterious right now (as are all auto-immune disorders, all of which are on the rise).

 

And there are obvious problems with dirty homes--our modern wall-to-wall carpeting and warm, well-insulated homes are dust traps and havens for dust mite growth, and dusty homes encourage dust allergies and asthma. Polluted air also causes asthma. That isn't a hypothesis, it's known to be true. Mold causes similar breathing problems and allergies. Modern homes are one reason for the rise of dust allergies, since in the past everyone had drafty homes (that is, lots of fresh air all the time), and human beings are designed for fresh air, not stale, dust-laden air.

 

All that aside, you're a slightly better housekeeper than I am, but I do all those things on a regular basis and my house has lots of fresh air. My kids are disgustingly healthy, almost never sick, and one has severe food allergies, as I said. I have problems with dust and hay fever.

[Daisy]

Looks normal to me. I vacuum less often but that is because only 3 bedrooms have carpet. The rest of my house is cement tile (which by the way DOES help keep our allergies under control).

 

We have horrible allergies and I clean frequently (daily) but not obsessively (although some friends would disagree). We dig in the dirt and have our own garden. We are just susceptible to allergies. I've been allergic to orange blossoms and most lotions my own life. My husband has psoriatic arthritis and a whole host of auto-immune allergy issues. The kids are just so lucky to have the parents they do. What can I say.

 

Doesn't help that hubby's job (school teacher) has him bringing home all kinds of crud. Basically I'm more concerned with disinfecting him than I am the rest of the house. :lol:

[swellmomma]

I wish I could do the same. My kids are destructive little piggies it seems. I can do all that and that same afternoon it looks like I haven't cleaned in a month. I don't mean a little messy, I mean dirty again that afternoon. So If I want it to stay clean I have to do all that daily. However, I do not always have teh time/energy to do so, so sometimes I skip a day and then the house is just scary. No allergies here beyond 1 to medication my dd has, very few illnesses, but tons of stress too.

[TXMary2]

One of my boys has allergies. The rest of us are fine. We sweep tiled areas daily, vacuum carpets every other day. Bathrooms are deep cleaned every two weeks and maintained with clorox wipes in between. Mopping tiled areas is every two weeks unless mud has been brought in with the dogs.

[rdolphingirl]

Sounds just like what I do here too ... I also use vinegar/baking soda to do almost all my cleaning ;)

 

IMO - *climbs on soapbox* - People who clean with nasty chemicals, and have to have things spotless everyday ... etc ... are asking for health problems, be it allergies or even cancer and such. Most of the "regular" cleaners now sold are full of dangerous chemicals know to cause cancer, respiratory, and or nervous system problems!

Of course people who use these kinds of products are likely to see an increase of allergies and other health conditions.

*climbs back off soapbox*

 

I don't even HAVE bleach, and don't plan to ever have it. About the only "standard" cleaning item I have here is soap for my dishwasher. And that is the most natural I can find *no perfume/dye* .. and then I do an extra rinse cycle with plain vinegar.

 

However .. I do not call cleaning bthrms, vacuuming, picking things up, mopping, sweeping, etc ... deep cleaning. This is just my regular stuff to make the house more livable!

 

I think of deep cleaning as stuff like washing cabinets, cleaning out fridge, cleaning oven, moving furniture and cleaning behind it, etc

 

HTH,

[Lovedtodeath]

 

I wish I could do the same. My kids are destructive little piggies it seems. I can do all that and that same afternoon it looks like I haven't cleaned in a month.

:iagree:That is why once every two weeks or once per month is the norm around here. I can't do it every day and so it makes no difference if I choose between twice a week or once or twice a month.

[OnTheBrink]

It depends on who you ask! LOL

 

I have 3 cats and a dog, so dust/fur/dirt accumulates fast. I'm not always on top of it. I am working on being better about it, but fact is, having a spotless house is not high on my list of priorities.

 

And, we are pretty darned healthy. No flu shots, and we never get the flu. It's been over a year since my dd saw her ped. She's just not sick. It's been several (like 5) years since I saw a doctor for anything beyond the yearly woman stuff.

 

So, maybe we're so healthy because we're not spotlessly clean. :D

[Crissy]

I do each of these things once/week. (Well, vacuuming in the kitchen/eating area gets done daily.) Is that really a lot?

 

 

 

I don't think that is a lot. I do most of those at least once a week, plus sweeping and vaccuuming daily (I am usually bare foot in the house, and I hate the feeling of crumbs or dirt on the floor).

Actually, I think my house could be cleaner than it is.

 

Other than my older son's seasonal allergy to a couple of specific grasses, we are allergy free.

[LaissezFaire]

Is that deep cleaning? Those things listed I do every day. Some have to be done twice. Big family in a small house.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I don't think that doing that weekly is too much (and I wouldn't consider that 'deep cleaning'). I would love to get to that point, though. :) I'm just in survival mode. Our house definitely isn't overly clean... no allergies here.

[Carrie12345]

We're constantly picking up (never ending battle), and I sweep and vacuum daily, if not more than once. We have 4 pets in tight quarters, so accumulation can quickly get out of hand!

 

But I rarely use commercial cleaners on any surface of my house. With the exception of raw meats and serious bathroom messes, I subscribe to a "Clear is clean enough" motto.

 

Full disclosure: Ds and I suffer from seasonal allergies. Mine have improved over time, his have worsened. I am severely allergic to my MIL's house, but I can't tell you if that's her dust or herd of dogs. 15 minutes and my face is dripping all over the place. No other known allergies. For a family with 4 kids, we don't deal with many colds or viruses. We did manage to snap up H1N1.

[nono]

Your weekly schedule is similar to ours. Now just don't ask me about the things that should be done daily...that's where it all falls apart around here! :tongue_smilie:

[Lovedtodeath]

 

I don't think that doing that weekly is too much (and I wouldn't consider that 'deep cleaning'). I would love to get to that point, though. :) I'm just in survival mode. Our house definitely isn't overly clean... no allergies here.

You worded that so perfectly!:)

[Penelope]

To me that isn't deep cleaning, that is basic maintenance and yes, I do those things every week. I vacuum twice per week, and with little kids, sometimes the bathroom needs to be cleaned more often as well. We

 

And my house doesn't appear spotless most of the time either!

 

Deep cleaning to me is washing windows inside and outside, cleaning the fridge and under the fridge and oven, dusting high up things like fans and light fixtures, cleaning the outside and inside of my cabinets, cleaning baseboards (rather than just dusting them), and decluttering closets and cleaning in the corners, cleaning inside the dishwasher, things like that.

[Jennifer in MI]

To me that isn't deep cleaning, that is basic maintenance and yes, I do those things every week. I vacuum twice per week, and with little kids, sometimes the bathroom needs to be cleaned more often as well. We

 

And my house doesn't appear spotless most of the time either!

 

Deep cleaning to me is washing windows inside and outside, cleaning the fridge and under the fridge and oven, dusting high up things like fans and light fixtures, cleaning the outside and inside of my cabinets, cleaning baseboards (rather than just dusting them), and decluttering closets and cleaning in the corners, cleaning inside the dishwasher, things like that.

 

See, I call that spring cleaning! :loll:

 

 

But, I do get the fans, cabinet doors in the kitchen, baseboards, under the fridge and oven nearly every week.

 

Windows and inside of the fridge happen much less regularly!!

[delaney]

Her name is Frances and she comes on Fridays.:D But I do wipe down sinks and vac in between. I also discovered that spraying cleaner on the hardwood and polishing them with rags using your feet gives your thighs a good workout!

[Orthodox6]

Although we do not succeed so well as do you, what you outline is what I was raised to consider the weekly "normal". "Deep cleaning" meant, for us back then, the additional chores of washing windows and curtains, checking the window screens for tears, and emptying/reorganizing closets.

 

Our allergies come from the local plants.

 

In the allergy thread, it was mentioned that allergies may be on the rise because people keep their houses too clean and sanitized. I mentioned that I deep clean my house once/week and others thought that was a lot. So, how often do you deep clean?

 

By deep cleaning, I mean:

 

Picking everything up

Dusting

Vacuuming

Mopping

Cleaning the bathrooms

 

I do each of these things once/week. (Well, vacuuming in the kitchen/eating area gets done daily.) Is that really a lot?

 

I also ask because a friend of mine told me that she thought the reason my kids were so sick this past winter was because I keep my house too clean. Yes, I keep it picked up and do the things above. I should mention that I clean with natural products - vinegar and water mostly.

 

Just curious! If I can get out of more housework, I'll do it!!

Edited March 25, 2010 by Orthodox6

[MariannNOVA]

In the allergy thread, it was mentioned that allergies may be on the rise because people keep their houses too clean and sanitized. I mentioned that I deep clean my house once/week and others thought that was a lot. So, how often do you deep clean?

 

By deep cleaning, I mean:

 

Picking everything up

Dusting

Vacuuming

Mopping

Cleaning the bathrooms

 

I do each of these things once/week. (Well, vacuuming in the kitchen/eating area gets done daily.) Is that really a lot?

 

I also ask because a friend of mine told me that she thought the reason my kids were so sick this past winter was because I keep my house too clean. Yes, I keep it picked up and do the things above. I should mention that I clean with natural products - vinegar and water mostly.

 

Just curious! If I can get out of more housework, I'll do it!!

 

 

I do everything you've listed twice a week - sometimes 3x a week -- I do the bathrooms every day, i.e., wiping down with alcohol, toilet, etc.

 

I think you do what is normal or typical -- I guess there can be something like 'keeping one's house too clean' but I cannot imagine what that is -- my house is spotless and my kids are healthy, and I cannot imagine that can be a bad thing. BTW, I can 'hear' dirt. It's a sickness!:D

[Mejane]

What is this "deep cleaning" of which you speak? ;)

 

I wipe down my counters with bleach everyday and swiffer several times a day to keep down the dog hair. Bathrooms are cleaned and rugs vacuumed once a week. Other than that, I clean when something looks yucky or company is coming.

[myfunnybunch]

We do all of those things together on Saturday mornings, so once a week.

 

More often, and I feel like we're constantly cleaning; less often, I feel like things get out of hand and it's harder to get things clean again.

 

Cat

[Dawn in OH]

I clean the bathroom once a week. The sink or toilet might get an extra wipe down more often depending on how much mess the kids have made.

 

I clean the kitchen every night after dinner or the next morning; as in clean the stove top, the exposed countertop and the sink and sweep the floor.

I wash the floor once a week and do spot cleaning as needed. I also wipe down the outside of the oven and refrigerator.

Once a month I take everything off the counter and give it a good scrubbing as well as the refrigerator and freezer. I would like to do it more often, but we just always seem too busy.

 

I vacuum about every other day. The reason for this is the dining area is carpeted and the kids tend to leave quite a mess of crumbs and spilled food.

 

I dust weekly. Just surfaces. Once a month I dust the ceiling fan, corners, clean off the desk and dust it as well as the book shelves.

 

I vacuum the bedrooms and the hall once a week.

 

Deep cleaning to me means washing the windows, wiping down the top of the kitchen cabinets, moving the couch and vacuuming under it, moving the stove and fridge and cleaning under/behind them, scrubbing window frames, and washing down walls, etc. I just recently did this. It was a combination of a few days nice warm weather and nesting.

 

I have to admit I've been slacking lately, due to being pregnant. I'm normally pretty obsessed with the house being clean (clean not sterile). It seems to get really dusty where we live. Lately bathroom cleaning has been largely taken over by the older children so it's not quite as clean as it would be if done by me.

[Night Elf]

By deep cleaning, I mean:

 

Picking everything up

Dusting

Vacuuming

Mopping

Cleaning the bathrooms

 

I would call those things regular cleaning, which I do think should be done at least once per week. I clean my hall bathroom twice a week because everyone in the house uses it and it gets dirty fairly quickly.

 

To me, deep cleaning is doing things you don't do often. I've just deep cleaned my kitchen and I scrubbed the counters rather than just wiping them, wiped down the cabinets, put the square burner thingees from the stove into the dishwasher, wiped the walls above the counters, wiped the top of the refrigerator, cleaned out the toaster and coffee pot then rubbed them with a cleaning agent to get them shiny again, and went through my kitchen cabinets to get rid of some things we never use like a Christmas dip bowl and a huge stack of plastic tumblers. I still need to scrub the pantry door and floor and wipe the appliances which are black and hard to clean. On a daily basis, we do dishes, wipe counters and sweep the floor.

 

I'm too tired to do anything else in the house.

[TammyinTN]

I deep clean once a week and vacuum daily. We have a border collie that sheds like crazy. ;)

[elise1mds]

I wouldn't call what you described as "deep cleaning," either. That's just a regular clean. It happens every week or two around here - basically when the pet fur and dust starts building up to the point of driving me nuts. Not to mention the finger streaks on the bathroom mirrors. I do a real "deep clean" (steam cleaning carpets, reorganizing, etc.) once or twice a year, depending on the room and the situation.

 

DS has a pretty bad dust mite allergy, but I keep that one pretty well under control despite the fact that our house is probably 3/4 carpeted. I have a great (natural) spray that I use. Changing the air filters on a regular basis helps a ton, too.

 

All my cleaners except Pledge are homemade around here.

 

All our other allergies have to do with the great outdoors. We're all horribly allergic to ragweed as well as something that is blooming right about now - I suspect Bradford pear. Not that it keeps the kids indoors! They've been running outside barefoot for a week or two now.

[Pretty in Pink]

I do that sort of cleaning once a week on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. During the week I'm just on auto-pilot. I vacuum daily since we have wall-to-wall. Beyond that I'm doing well to keep us all in clean socks!:tongue_smilie: