MamaSheep Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Wait....I'm supposed to CLEAN my house? :confused: (Just kidding) I find it works better for me to do one or two things every day instead of trying to do it all on one day. And I've also discovered (because there's only one of me, and there have been times when it was physically impossible to keep up with everything due to ds's...um...circumstances) that yes indeed the world keeps on turning even if things don't get cleaned "properly" as often as I would like. I remember on one desperate day talking to my mother (who raised 7 kids in a 3 br house) on the phone and sobbing that I hadn't even vacuumed the living room in two weeks and I had company coming (it had probably been at least that long since I got to sleep more than three or four hours at a stretch too). She said to take a deep breath and remember that if I vacuumed tomorrow nobody would be able to tell if it had been two weeks or two days or two hours since I vacuumed, because the carpet would still be clean when they got there. Same with the bathroom sink that had toothpaste all over it. After it was clean, nobody would even be able to tell. She also reminded me that in 20 years my son would not remember how often the kitchen got swept, but he would remember that his mom was there for him when he needed me. And you know what? She's right. I also read the other day that research now shows that reasonable exposure to bacteria helps develop the immune system, and being obsessive about keeping things hygienic actually weakens the immune system. It said that aiming for "reasonably clean" while allowing life to happen was the best approach (it's still a good idea to wash hands regularly, etc., but not a good plan to disinfect the whole house every day). I thought, hey, "reasonably clean" I can handle. I've never been good at hygienic. Maybe that's why my kids are so healthy (physically anyway....mentally, well, they are related to me after all....). Anyway, for what it's worth, I hereby give you permission to let it all go for a little while and clean next week. Don't worry, the dirt will all still be there waiting for you. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violingirl Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Between DH and I we have a daily list that gets done- beds made, 1 load of laundry, kitchen always clean, wood floors dust mopped, and general pick up of any stuff or toys that come out during the day. One of us is typically at home while the other works so whoever is at home makes sure those things happen. If it happens to be a day we both work nothing is done around the house, but also no one is home making messes. :) Otherwise we try to make sure weekly cleaning is done by Friday so that the weekend isn't spent cleaning. Sometimes that means spreading the work out during the week and sometimes we take 2-3 hours on Friday and do it all at once as a family. It depends on how our work/schooling schedules are for that week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2Ride Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Each day has us doing just a little something (the kids and I split things up). The bathrooms get hit twice a week with the tub on Saturday, the floors are vacuumed twice a week with a swiffer on a third day. The bedrooms are vacuumed everyother week (though we shoot for weekly...someone just ends up forgetting about it, lol). Mopping gets done on the wood floors every other week (except the kitchen). Kitchen is multiple times a day (I can not stand a dirty kitchen) Laundry is every couple of days or as needed. Kids fold towels and their clothes. Bed sheets are changed weekly so those get washed regularly too. The dusting is 2-3 times a month (we don't have a lot of furniture to collect dust. It's mostly a shelf, desk, piano and ceiling fans in the main part of the house. Our rooms get dusted once a month). Other than that...there's not much more....deep cleaning to me is removing the window blinds and scrubbing them (usally happens once a year in the spring), removing, washing and rehanging curtains. Washing walls, baseboards, doors (twice a year or as needed), vacuuming around edges of baseboards, getting under bedroom furniture, cleaning out dressers and closets, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandaceC Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Honestly, I have girls your girls ages and they do a LOT!! Their daily chores help me keep the house clean for the most part. On their lists: Mop kitchen (1x per week) Sweeping - daily Wipe sinks and toilet with Clorox wipe - daily Dusting - 1x per week Dishwasher, dishes, etc. - daily Wiping down kitchen counters - daily Mirrors and glass doors - 1 x per week That's off the top of ,y head, they also clean up their room daily. I sometimes feel like its a lot, but I also think its important for them to learn all these things AND it truly helps me keep sane. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 My house is too big to do everything in one day or I'm too old to do it that way any more. My kids are big, we have no pets and the places stays pretty clean most days with regular cleaning and laundry. When mine were little...I needed to deep cleaning very often. I don't think I put the vac away many days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I voted weekly, but... Here's how it actually works. Every day, I do some cleaning. Enough to keep the house somewhat tidy. I do it before going to bed at night so that it looks better when I have to get up in the morning: dishes, folding any laundry, picking up the last few scattered toys and books, things of that nature. Once a week though, I do the "big cleaning" as my kids call it. And yes, I'm making them help. We vacuum, steam-clean at least once a month, dust everything, tidy everything, mop the kitchen, scrub the toilets, etc. I'm trying to break it down more... one room per day of the week, so that I can do more yard work than cleaning on weekends, especially with spring/gardening. We'll see how that all goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwallowTail Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 All day everyday. I am cleaning up, picking up, wiping up, putting up and washing up nearly all day long. This! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamsFamily Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 Honestly, I have girls your girls ages and they do a LOT!! Their daily chores help me keep the house clean for the most part. On their lists: Mop kitchen (1x per week) Sweeping - daily Wipe sinks and toilet with Clorox wipe - daily Dusting - 1x per week Dishwasher, dishes, etc. - daily Wiping down kitchen counters - daily Mirrors and glass doors - 1 x per week That's off the top of ,y head, they also clean up their room daily. I sometimes feel like its a lot, but I also think its important for them to learn all these things AND it truly helps me keep sane. :D Mine do have chores - chickens, dogs, cats; clean glass on back doors; sweep; dust; vacuum; pick up their bathroom, bedroom, and playroom. I don't let them mess with cleaning chemicals yet and if they mopped, I would have to replace my flooring regularly. :001_huh: Other than that...there's not much more....deep cleaning to me is removing the window blinds and scrubbing them (usally happens once a year in the spring), removing, washing and rehanging curtains. Washing walls, baseboards, doors (twice a year or as needed), vacuuming around edges of baseboards, getting under bedroom furniture, cleaning out dressers and closets, etc... That would be REALLY DEEP cleaning! :) And also part of our spring cleaning routine. I think sometimes you need that freeing feeling of just saying I'm DONE even if you do it 5 minutes later. Lol! I've done that with homeschooling. Just decided we are finished and they are going back to school and that's that. The next day we are right back at homeschooling but it feels therapeutic to let your brain refuse to do it for a moment. :D This is so TOTALLY me! I have to have the "pity party" or "venting session" and then go on with what I needed to do in the first place. And after subbing today, although my bathrooms are still pretty clean from last night, I now have stuff out in EVERY room. And more work to grade. And a few lessons to teach (or save until Monday since Monday starts ps's spring break.) And... :glare: MIL is not going to judge my house, although her cleanliness standards are much higher than mine. Thanks for the responses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamsFamily Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 BTW, how do you post something with the original poster's name in it? I have only figured out how to quote someone (copy/paste), not attribute the quote to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneddmanybooks Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 You are hearby relieved of your housekeeping responsibilites until next week ;) :iagree: I haven't read all the responses, but obviously those of us (like me!) who don't clean as often as we would prefer (due to health and other reasons) probably aren't going to spell out how often we clean. I think some of this depends on the size of your family. I have one girl and no boys, so that helps a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I clean a lot more often than I used to. Why? Strangely, it's because the house is cleaner than it used to be! I have made great strides in getting rid of excess stuff, and making sure that all stuff has a place in the past year. I have got rid of things like cushions and floor rugs that complicated cleaning. I probably mop the whole house twice a week at the moment. The bathroom and kitchen get a quick "once over" almost every day, and a better clean (scrub bath, clean mirrors, move stuff on kitchen counters) once a week. I am terrible with dust - dusting on stuff and under the furniture that the mop won't fit under happens about once a month or whenever it really starts to bother me! Real cleaning - inside cupboards, say, happens every 6 months or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I'm obviously a slacker. That's all I'm going to say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Under normal circumstances everything gets done once a month. Somethings are done daily, some weekly. Some monthly. We do a biggish clean on Wed, but only do a full scrub down all at once if we are having company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sctigermom Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 All day everyday. I am cleaning up, picking up, wiping up, putting up and washing up nearly all day long. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I clean up everyday but my house gets deep cleaned every other week. My cleaning lady charges $60 to clean three bathrooms, the kitchen (or master bedroom), dining room, living room, and three bedrooms. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 It depends on what part of the house...I clean floors 2x weekly. I clean the kitchen DAILY because I live with a bunch of messies and it drives me crazy. :tongue_smilie: I do the laundry weekly, and I change sheets 2-3x month. But as far as deep cleaning goes, I hardly have time anymore since I work AND homeschool. I've been delegating more and more, but there are certain jobs that seem to fall on my shoulders and I have the hardest time getting to them. Things like cleaning and defrosting the fridge/freezers, cleaning the oven, washing windows, etc. I guess I've had no choice but to let some of that suffer for a season. As much as I try, I just can't be Wonder Woman. It's okay....my family still loves me. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I clean up everyday but my house gets deep cleaned every other week. My cleaning lady charges $60 to clean three bathrooms, the kitchen (or master bedroom), dining room, living room, and three bedrooms. :) Lucky bum!! Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I clean mine daily. I use the Motivated Moms app so everything is spread out into a daily list, most of which I can crank out during the kids' breaks and after school. I would NOT be into doing everything in one long weekly session. No way. :iagree: although I don't use MM. I have my own routine of daily chores that amount to everything getting cleaned weekly (and bathroom 3x/wk). I would rather have a lighter load of work everyday than a whole day of lots of work. It is also easier to get others to pitch in and lighten the load further if there are daily tasks that look simple and short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolamum Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I didn't answer in the poll because I tend to do some of this on a daily basis. :) Some Every other Day. Sometimes once a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punks in Ontario Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I voted weekly, but I do some everyday. Tidying happens to some extent daily as well as hot spot cleaning. If I'm busy, some thing only get done when they become "hot spots" which could be every 10-14 days for some vacuuming and mopping. Just remember that as long as the laundry and dishes are kept up, the rest can slide for a bit. Also you might consider getting kid help to do the cleaning. It's more work to train them initially, but it'll pay of in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 All day everyday. I am cleaning up, picking up, wiping up, putting up and washing up nearly all day long. :iagree: I have a three year old boy!! It never stops! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Each room gets cleaned about once a month... but that is not in one big session. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I'm obviously a slacker. That's all I'm going to say! Nah, it is EASY to have a perfect house, be a perfect mom, a perfect wife, a perfect homeschooler, a perfect citizen, and a perfect saint.... online;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Nah, it is EASY to have a perfect house, be a perfect mom, a perfect wife, a perfect homeschooler, a perfect citizen, and a perfect saint.... online;) I agree! Sincerely, Mrs. Cleaver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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