Daily Cleaning Routine-is this normal, too much, too little?

[Halcyon]

I need some perspective. All this talk about chores, housecleaning, etc has made me wonder what a "typical" day of cleaning is for you ladies. I was hoping you could take a look at what I do on a typical day, and tell me if it is similar to what happens in your household. I am only including MY stuff, not what the kids do.

 

Also, could you post what YOUR day looks like if it is significantly different and you consider your home neat and clean most of the time.

 

 

• Wake up, have coffee.
  
• Clean kitchen (DH has often made breakfast, or I will first). wipe down counters, dishes in dishwasher, put away clean dishes from dw if any, wipe down front of fridge, dw, stove, clean out sink, polish. Sweep kitchen and dining room. Wipe down dining room table from breakfast, sweep under table. Feed dogs and cat.
  
• Put a load of laundry in.
  
• make bed, put away any clean laundry. Wipe down and neaten night tables
  
• Sweep deck (animal poop accumulates nightly)
  
• Water outdoor potted plants
  
• check pool water for ph etc (3x a week) add chemicals if needed
  
• School from 9-12, lunch break, clean kitchen again, school from 1-3ish. Laundry throughout as needed--folding, moving along, etc.
  
• With kids, put books away, file papers, grade work, clean up any projects.
  
• Start dinner if crockpot. Clean kitchen up.
  
• Wipe down bathrooms (boys help). Empty cat litter.
  
• Vacuum ground floor or upstairs.
  
• Dinner, clean kitchen, sweep floor, wipe down counters etc. Boys empty dishwasher.
  

 

Okay, obviously this isnt' EVERYTHIGN but this is a typical day. Deeper cleaning happens throughout the week (for example, emptying and tidying food pantry, mowing lawn (once a week, 2 1/2 hours), garden work, weeding, organizing closets, cleaning out garage, organizing school room, dusting, window washing, filing paperwork, paying bills etc). Boys are responsible for their laundry, wiping down bathroom (although I often have to follow up), and help with vacuuming, sweeping, and garden work.

 

What do you think?

Edited July 30, 2012 by Halcyon

[stripe]

Can you do mine when you're done?

 

What does wiping down a bathroom mean? Countertops? Floors? Walls?

[Halcyon]

Can you do mine when you're done?

 

What does wiping down a bathroom mean? Countertops? Floors? Walls?

 

Wiping a bathroom means a surface clean-wiping counters, mirrors, toilet seat. It doesn't mean hands and knees scrubbing of tub, toilet and floors.

[Carrie12345]

I voted other. It sounds pretty reasonable to me, but I'm not a good reference point. Some days I do nearly nothing. Other days I have to clean like a crazy person to catch up. Right now, I'm mostly just trying to keep my fearless toddler from seriously harming himself! :001_huh::tongue_smilie: Cleaning totally takes a back seat to that!

[TammyinTN]

Sounds about like my days minus the cat part. We have a dog and recon the yard daily for mines. ;)

[Halcyon]

Sounds about like my days minus the cat part. We have a dog and recon the yard daily for mines. ;)

 

 

LOL. It's those darn raccoons. They love to come up to our windows, put their paws on them, and then poop. IT's ridiculous. Why not poop out in the woods? Why on our patio?

[TheReader]

That is a lot more than I do.

 

On a typical day, I rotate laundry (usually 1 load per day, sometimes 2 if I am really on the ball; my washer/dryer take FOREVER) and do dishes (no dishwasher), do school with the boys, and we follow a "clean as you go" policy, where any activity that involves a mess of some kind is cleaned up when it is done, whether that be cooking, or the boys brought legos to the table, or whatever.

 

I sweep/mop/vacuum/clean bathrooms once a week only, except for spills or special circumstances (rained a lot, so the dog tracked in mud, or we have an extra dog who sheds a ton right now, so sweeping daily-ish, or things like that). I do wipe the kitchen counter every time I cook/do dishes, but not the stove/fridge/front of oven.

 

I have a gardener who does my yard/pool, he comes 2x/week and we water the lawn (the area where the dogs pee...) the other days. I'm spoiled in that regard.

 

I do a lot of 'picking up' -- making sure the boys pick up their toys, picking up the dog's toys, etc. throughout the day, and we have only enough dishes to go 2 meals (on purpose so that they do not ever stack up like crazy, since we don't have a dish washer) so I'm washing dishes all the time. The boys help. But a LOT of the stuff on your list I do only once/week.....

[Parrothead]

Seems similar. I don't have the same chores (no pool, no carpet, no garden) and the timing for them is different but about the same amount.

 

On a typical school day I:

 

Wake up and have copious amounts of tea

Make bed

Shower

Get dd started with math

Tidy bathroom

feather dust

dust mop

tidy up kitchen

Start laundry (keep in mind that bathroom through kitchen takes about 15 minutes total.)

Help with school

Prepare lunch

Eat

Clean up from lunch

Finish laundry

Continue school

prepare dinner

Eat

Family clean up - dishes done, kitchen tidied, downstairs tidied. Takes about 15 minutes with three of us working.

Relaxation time

Bed

 

Grass gets cut once a week, plants (inside and out) get watered twice a week. Saturday morning we have a family clean up where furniture gets polished, bath and kitchen gets a deeper cleaning. Semi annually I'll do a "spring cleaning' type thing.

[NotSoObvious]

Sigh. Now I have to go clean my house...

[Ellie]

I need some perspective. All this talk about chores, housecleaning, etc has made me wonder what a "typical" day of cleaning is for you ladies. I was hoping you could take a look at what I do on a typical day, and tell me if it is similar to what happens in your household. I am only including MY stuff, not what the kids do.

 

Also, could you post what YOUR day looks like if it is significantly different and you consider your home neat and clean most of the time.

 

 

• Wake up, have coffee.
  
• Clean kitchen (DH has often made breakfast, or I will first). wipe down counters, dishes in dishwasher, put away clean dishes from dw if any, wipe down front of fridge, dw, stove, clean out sink, polish. Sweep kitchen and dining room. Wipe down dining room table from breakfast, sweep under table. Feed dogs and cat.
  
• Put a load of laundry in.
  
• make bed, put away any clean laundry. Wipe down and neaten night tables
  
• Sweep deck (animal poop accumulates nightly)
  
• Water outdoor potted plants
  
• check pool water for ph etc (3x a week) add chemicals if needed
  
• School from 9-12, lunch break, clean kitchen again, school from 1-3ish. Laundry throughout as needed--folding, moving along, etc.
  
• With kids, put books away, file papers, grade work, clean up any projects.
  
• Start dinner if crockpot. Clean kitchen up.
  
• Wipe down bathrooms (boys help). Empty cat litter.
  
• Vacuum ground floor or upstairs.
  
• Dinner, clean kitchen, sweep floor, wipe down counters etc. Boys empty dishwasher.
  

Okay, obviously this isnt' EVERYTHIGN but this is a typical day. Deeper cleaning happens throughout the week (for example, emptying and tidying food pantry, mowing lawn (once a week, 2 1/2 hours), garden work, weeding, organizing closets, cleaning out garage, organizing school room, dusting, window washing, filing paperwork, paying bills etc). Boys are responsible for their laundry, wiping down bathroom (although I often have to follow up), and help with vacuuming, sweeping, and garden work.

 

What do you think?

 

:blink::svengo:

 

Actually, although my first thought was that you're a crazy woman for wanting to do that every day, the thing that really put me over the edge was your morning kitchen routine. And the more I think about it, the more I realize it isn't the amount of work; it's the time of day. I do those kinds of things in the evening when I clean up supper, so that in the morning it's all nice and tidy, and I only have to clean up breakfast.

 

I think that many of us homeschoolers are caught off-guard about homeschooling and its effects on keeping our homes orderly. Many of us were not trained by our mothers (or others) to keep house properly; we're off balance already as soon as we start having babies; our children are home all day long making messes instead of being at school all day which gives us time to put it altogether before it falls apart again.

 

And then as homeschoolers we tend to think that doing the schoolwork is more important than life training and keeping our personal spaces clean (and pleasant, because let's face it--a clean home is more pleasant than a messy one). We get into the habit of schlepping around in our jammies all day, because we can, and then...we wonder why our homes should be a reality show on HGTV.

 

Yes, you go for it. I think it can be done. :cheers2:

[mom2scouts]

I said other because I couldn't answer that my house was clean. I'm doing a big clean and declutter this summer and trying to develop some better routines.

[kricau]

I voted you do more. But I am sure your house is cleaner LOL

[Lady Florida.]

• Wake up, have coffee.
  
• Clean kitchen (DH has often made breakfast, or I will first). wipe down counters, dishes in dishwasher, put away clean dishes from dw if any, wipe down front of fridge, dw, stove, clean out sink, polish. Sweep kitchen and dining room. Wipe down dining room table from breakfast, sweep under table. Feed dogs and cat.
  
• Put a load of laundry in.
  
• make bed, put away any clean laundry. Wipe down and neaten night tables
  
• Sweep deck (animal poop accumulates nightly)
  
• Water outdoor potted plants
  
• check pool water for ph etc (3x a week) add chemicals if needed
  
• School from 9-12, lunch break, clean kitchen again, school from 1-3ish. Laundry throughout as needed--folding, moving along, etc.
  
• With kids, put books away, file papers, grade work, clean up any projects.
  
• Start dinner if crockpot. Clean kitchen up.
  
• Wipe down bathrooms (boys help). Empty cat litter.
  
• Vacuum ground floor or upstairs.
  
• Dinner, clean kitchen, sweep floor, wipe down counters etc. Boys empty dishwasher.
  

 

 

I don't do quite as much, but it looks fine. All 3 of us clean the kitchen as we go, including wiping the counters or table. We only eat breakfast together on weekends, and we don't eat lunch together, so everyone is responsible for cleaning up when done (obviously when ds was younger this was different). Dinner is the only time I need to do a full kitchen clean-up. I do it most of the time, though a few times a week I make ds do it, and sometimes dh offers to do it.

 

Things I don't do daily that you do: vacuum, water plants, sweep deck (it's clear you need to do this though), and I only sweep the kitchen floor once a day. We have an above ground pool that dh checks daily, but either ds or I use the net to clean out leaves, bugs, etc. I also don't do laundry every day since there are only 3 of us. I wash sheets and towels once a week, and clothes as needed.

 

School is mostly independent now. I give ds his assignments and am there to supervise, offer help, and ask questions (we still do a fair amount of oral narration).

 

Ds mows the lawn weekly this time of year, dh edges, but all garden work is my baby by choice.

[Lady Florida.]

Sounds about like my days minus the cat part. We have a dog and recon the yard daily for mines. ;)

 

We have both, so we have to clean the litter box and sweep for land mines, but we all pretty much take turns at these tasks.

[Soror]

Similar to here but I divide kitchen chores between morning and evening. This keeps our house pretty clean fairly effortlessly(well as effortlessly as keeping house and cooking w/ 3 small kids).

[missmoe]

I have five teens who help with chores, so I think you do more personally than I do. I made three chore lists-daily, weekly, and monthly. We work from the daily everyday. It doesn't include kitchen or bathroom chores because my oldest is in charge of both of those jobs. Everyday we also try to complete something from the weekly one as well. If we don't finish everything or anything on that list, we finish it on Saturday. We also try to work on the monthly list each week, but we have been known to bust it all out on a Saturday.

 

Here is a list of daily chores that happen at our house.

 

Daily Chores to Be Completed

Sweep downstairs

Wipe down ledge

Dishes

Wipe down counters

Sweep and Mop Kitchen Floor

Take out Trash

Pick up Rooms

Put away school books and supplies

Clean lunch containers

Clean up after yourself! in kitchen, dining room, bathroom, living room, laundry room, and bedroom

 

Chores To Be Completed Weekly

 

Mop wood floors

Wipe down baseboards in dining and living room

Wipe down baseboards going up stairs

Wipe down baseboards in upstairs hallway

Wipe down baseboards in bedrooms

Wipe down stair railings

Vacuum couches

Dust TV, desk, lamp, tables in living room

Dust your bedroom

Wipe down window sills

Wipe down kitchen cabinets

Wipe down stove, fridge, dishwasher

Straighten and dust downstairs closet

Straighten and dust bookshelves in living room

Clean glass on bookshelf

Wipe down front door inside and out

Wipe down door frames

Wipe down garage door front and back

Clean out fridge

Polish mirrors

Sweep front porch

Sweep back patio

Sweep balcony

Wipe down switch plates

Mop front hallway

Straighten and dust desk in front hallway

Straighten Drawers and Cabinets in Kitchen--pick one to do

Straighten Drawers and Cabinets in Kitchen--pick one to do

Straighten Drawers and Cabinets in Kitchen--pick one to do

Straighten Drawers and Cabinets in Kitchen--pick one to do

Clean Cat Dish

Straighten Bedroom Closet

Vacuum bedroom

Water Plants

Clean out Car and Vacuum Car

Mop Wood Floor

Clean out fruit bowl

Scrub stove top

Clean out shoe closet

 

 

Monthly Cleaning List

 

Clean Oven

Vacuum Corners and Tops of Walls in Living Room

Vacuum Corners and Tops of Walls in Dining Room

Vacuum Corners and Tops of Walls in Kitchen

Vacuum Corners and Tops of Walls in Bathrooms

Vacuum Corners and Tops of Walls in Hallway

Vacuum Corners and Tops of Walls in Your Bedroom

Vacuum Corners and Tops of Walls in Laundry Room

Vacuum Corners and Tops of Walls in Garage

Clean light fixtures

Clean Vent and Hood

Clean under kitchen sink

Clean under downstairs bathroom sink

Straighten bathroom cabinets and drawers--and wipe down interior

Straighten bathroom medicine cabinets--and wipe down interior

Wash sheets and bedding

Wash windows in living room

Wash windows in bedrooms

Wash window in laundry room

Wash window in kitchen

Wash glass door in dining room

Flip mattresses

Vacuum under beds and closets

Clean fingerprints off door and walls in bedrooms

Clean fingerprints off walls downstairs

Wipe down top of washer and dryer

Clean gunk from washer detergent area

Sweep and Mop laundry room

Check behind washer and dryer

[Slipper]

I think it depends partly on what type of "neat freak" you are :) and partly on how much you need to clean. I used to vacuum 2 x a day when the kids were smaller (particularly oldest dd) and the floor under the table (carpet *sigh*) was horrible after every meal. (Then we had a roomba which literally zoomed over the carpet non-stop. We named him Max and he deserved a medal.) Now I vacuum once a week (well, our housekeeper does and honestly, she deserves a medal, too.)

 

Daily basis - dishes, tidy bathrooms, tons of laundry, kitchen at the end of the day. The girls sweep and swiffer. We tidy the living room/den at the end of the day. Bedrooms as needed. I cook a lot, so the kitchen is the focus of our home and our cleaning. :)

[SKL]

You do a lot more sweeping, vacuuming, and laundry than I do, and you wipe down the bathrooms more often than I do. Then again, I have neither pets nor males in the house.

 

My house is not spotless, but it's usually just a few minutes away from being presentable. Presentable to me allows for a little bit of naturally occurring dust.

[Cassy]

That's much more than I'd do on a typical homeschooling day. I'd like to do it, and probably could do it, but I've found that working flat out keeping the house spotless, while homeschooling, while cooking most meals from scratch, and shopping, etc, etc, over the long term is exhausting to the point where I get ill and cease to function.

 

During schooltime I do the very basics to keep the house tidy and hygienic, then I do more thorough, deep cleaning when we're having breaks (I only wipe the front of my fridge every two to three months).

 

I'm sure a lot also depends on the size of your home, and maybe your family. We have a big house, and four messy boys (and I'm not very good at delegating).

 

If you can do it and cope, feel well and not too exhausted, then go for it. I've had to lower my standards for the moment, otherwise I work myself to a standstill. I probably only have another three years of homeschooling, so I can see an end to it.

[Gentlemommy]

That sounds about right...my house is reasonably clean and my daily routine looks similar to yours...here is what gets done daily.

 

Beds made

Kitchen counters routinely wiped after meal prep (since starting my LC/HP diet, I've been making all meals and snacks from scratch which takes bait more time. I do think in a few weeks I'll get into a groove and it won't be so time consuming.)

Dishes loaded immediately into DW. I run it when I go to bed and empty it in the morning

Table wiped after eating

Animals fed and watered, litter box scooped, dog walked

Kitchen floor swept multiple times, spot cleaned multiple times, and mopped at least once

Living room and school room vacuumed

Bathroom counters and sinks wiped

Toilets wiped down and cleaned

Trash taken out from kitchen trashcan

Laundry usually 1-2 loads unless it's bedding day

General pick up, declutter

Spray shower and bathtub and quickly wipe down

School obviously lol

 

And twice a week-

Clean out fridge-just getting rid of old food and wiping the shelves

Vacuum bedrooms

Dust

Condition leather sofa

Wipe all kitchen appliances-microwave, toaster oven, fridge, dishwasher door

Mop living room and school room

Wipe cabinet door in kitchen and bathroom

Glass-sliding glass door, picture frames, front window, bathroom mirrors

 

 

And once a week-

Baseboards, light switches, window sills, scuff/fingerprint marks on walls get wiped

Wash bedding

Clean mice cage

Declutter something-last weekend it was my closet

get school stuff ready for the following week

Pick one thing that needs deeper cleaning, like this week I'll empty my freezer and clean it out

Edited July 30, 2012 by Gentlemommy

[BugsMama]

It's more than I do, and I wouldn't call my house clean. Healthy (most of the time) yes, clean, no way. Comfortably cluttered....

[Halcyon]

:blink::svengo:

 

Actually, although my first thought was that you're a crazy woman for wanting to do that every day, the thing that really put me over the edge was your morning kitchen routine. And the more I think about it, the more I realize it isn't the amount of work; it's the time of day. I do those kinds of things in the evening when I clean up supper, so that in the morning it's all nice and tidy, and I only have to clean up breakfast.

 

I think that many of us homeschoolers are caught off-guard about homeschooling and its effects on keeping our homes orderly. Many of us were not trained by our mothers (or others) to keep house properly; we're off balance already as soon as we start having babies; our children are home all day long making messes instead of being at school all day which gives us time to put it altogether before it falls apart again.

 

And then as homeschoolers we tend to think that doing the schoolwork is more important than life training and keeping our personal spaces clean (and pleasant, because let's face it--a clean home is more pleasant than a messy one). We get into the habit of schlepping around in our jammies all day, because we can, and then...we wonder why our homes should be a reality show on HGTV.

 

Yes, you go for it. I think it can be done. :cheers2:

 

 

Thanks ;)

 

The reason I end up cleaning the kitchen at night AND in the morning is because DH often works late, and then makes himself ANOTHER meal after I've cleaned up our dinner. And by then I am too pooped to clean the kitchen. He does a bit of cleaning (putting dishes in sink) but really, he's tired too. So when I wake up I have to clean up HIS mess before beginning breakfast.

[chepyl]

We clean the kitchen after dinner. Throughout the day dishes are rinsed and stacked. After dinner we unload and load the dishwasher and wash the pans from cooking dinner. I got bogged down cleaning after every meal. Our kitchen generally starts clean. I declutter an area daily, the kids pick up their messes daily. Vaccuming, and bathrooms happen once a week. We have a nonshedding dog, so we don't deal with a lot of hair. I like a clean house, I would like It to be a little cleaner at times, but I don't want all my home time to be cleaning. I want to swim with the kids, do puzzles, play games, and read books out sode of their school work. If I were to do as much as you list, I would always be cleaning when not doing school. I do have job 4 nights a week outside of the home.

 

DH helps a lot with the housework, that helps. He does dishes after dinner most nights, he miws, gardens, and tends the pool. He will also fold a basket of laundry and put it away if I dont get to it.

[Shellydon]

I need some perspective. All this talk about chores, housecleaning, etc has made me wonder what a "typical" day of cleaning is for you ladies. I was hoping you could take a look at what I do on a typical day, and tell me if it is similar to what happens in your household. I am only including MY stuff, not what the kids do.

 

Also, could you post what YOUR day looks like if it is significantly different and you consider your home neat and clean most of the time.

 

 

• Wake up, have coffee.
  
• Clean kitchen (DH has often made breakfast, or I will first). wipe down counters, dishes in dishwasher, put away clean dishes from dw if any, wipe down front of fridge, dw, stove, clean out sink, polish. Sweep kitchen and dining room. Wipe down dining room table from breakfast, sweep under table. Feed dogs and cat.
  
• Put a load of laundry in.
  
• make bed, put away any clean laundry. Wipe down and neaten night tables
  
• Sweep deck (animal poop accumulates nightly)
  
• Water outdoor potted plants
  
• check pool water for ph etc (3x a week) add chemicals if needed
  
• School from 9-12, lunch break, clean kitchen again, school from 1-3ish. Laundry throughout as needed--folding, moving along, etc.
  
• With kids, put books away, file papers, grade work, clean up any projects.
  
• Start dinner if crockpot. Clean kitchen up.
  
• Wipe down bathrooms (boys help). Empty cat litter.
  
• Vacuum ground floor or upstairs.
  
• Dinner, clean kitchen, sweep floor, wipe down counters etc. Boys empty dishwasher.
  

 

Okay, obviously this isnt' EVERYTHIGN but this is a typical day. Deeper cleaning happens throughout the week (for example, emptying and tidying food pantry, mowing lawn (once a week, 2 1/2 hours), garden work, weeding, organizing closets, cleaning out garage, organizing school room, dusting, window washing, filing paperwork, paying bills etc). Boys are responsible for their laundry, wiping down bathroom (although I often have to follow up), and help with vacuuming, sweeping, and garden work.

 

What do you think?

 

 

This is about what I do everyday. We have clean up time at 5:30, all the toys get put away, I sweep/mop/vacuum the kitchen and living areas. I run the dishwasher 3 times a day, we can't get by on just twice. I have 4 children, so I do 18ish loads of laundry each week, so folding takes up my late evenings when kids are in bed.

[iquilt]

All except for the pool chemicals part (ours is saltwater and stays balanced fairly easily and without much attention) that sounds like me. I do tend to want to go to bed with a super clean kitchen so that I don't have to face a dirty/messy kitchen in the morning.

[fairfarmhand]

Wake up, make bed and straighten bedroom

Kitchen--breakfast, unload dishwasher, reload with dirties. Wipe counters. (I windex the kitchen once a week.)

Throw in laundry and switch it over

Straighten my bathroom, hanging towels and wiping countertops. If I happen to see my kids bathroom is nasty, they get to straighten it.

School

Lunch, dishes counters again, check laundry

Afternoon stuff

4:00 straighten living areas and vacuum

Sweep every other day, unless needed more often.

Deep-Cleaning happens once a week, scrubbing out bathroom and mopping.

[AHASRADA]

My routine is similar, but I only clean bathrooms and vacuum once a week, twice at most, definitely not everyday, and I never sweep (just can't stand it, would rather vacuum). I also don't have a lot of your issues (no pool, no plants, no pets, etc.)

 

I put my changes to your schedule in parentheses:

 

Wake up, (eat breakfast, exercise)

Clean kitchen: wipe down counters, dishes in dishwasher (dc empty dishwasher, I don't sweep)

Put a load of laundry in.

(I don't make beds) put away any clean laundry. (I rarely touch the night tables)

(Dc or dh handle deck cleaning)

(don't have any outdoor potted plants)

(don't have a pool)

School from 9-12:30, lunch break, clean kitchen again, school from 2-4:30ish. Laundry throughout as needed--folding, moving along, etc.

Kids put books away, file papers, grade work, clean up any projects.

Tutor students 4:30-5:30

(I clean bathrooms once a week, don't have animals)

(Dc vacuum once a week, maybe twice).

Dinner, clean kitchen, wipe down counters etc. Dc empty dishwasher.

 

Also, your "deep cleaning" items are things I would do monthly or less. Decluttering, organizing closets, etc. might get done 2-4 times a year. I don't mow the lawn or do any outdoor maintenance whatsoever (don't have a garden); that's dh's territory and he often delegates tasks to the dc.

 

If your schedule is working for you, it sounds wonderful. I would love to feel that "on top" of cleaning and maintenance. I just personally can't do any more than I'm already doing. I'm sure if we had less stuff it would be easier to maintain, but it's hard to find time to declutter, so it's a vicious cycle.

[Karen in CO]

You do more than I do, but we have very different lives.

Major differences in our housework:

My kids empty and fill the dishwasher,wipe the counters and wipe the tables.

My dh washes the pots & pans and "cleans" the kitchen.

My kids do the sweeping and mopping, but do it once a week plus as needed. They also feed and water the dogs.

Nobody poops on my deck.

We have a split level house so the kids vacuum one level per day.

We don't have cats or a pool.

I'm super allergic, so my weeds happily grow in my garden until dh pulls them for me.

Edited July 30, 2012 by Karen in CO

[AngelaNYC]

Mine is similar, but I try to limit the cleaning to only 2x a day (with regular pickup/maintenance throughout). This is the usual plan - but of course life gets in the way many times:

 

6:30am Wake up

6:45 Drive Dh & dd to the subway

7:15 Older dd & I go to the gym

8:30-9:30 (I set timer for 60 minutes) Do AM routine (put on laundry, put away dishes, make bed, wipe bathroom = 20 minutes) then do 1-2 other chores (eg: windex, mop, dust ceiling fans, change sheets, clean out fridge, Pledge dust all wood, sweep & mop hallway stairs, wipe doorways & moldings, etc = 30-40 minutes).

9:30 Shower, get dressed, have coffee, check emails/boards

10:30-1pm Homeschool

1pm-4pm Go out with ds, have lunch, run errands, relax, watch tv, make dinner, or whatever.

4:15 Leave for work

9:20 Get home from work

9:20-10:30 Eat dinner, hang with the kids, check computer, watch tv.

10:30 PM routine (30 minutes): Clear table, wash dishes, sweep/swiffer kitchen, Shine sink, 10-minute pickup.

11pm-12pm: Relax and go to bed.

[Cassy]

Mine is similar, but I try to limit the cleaning to only 2x a day (with regular pickup/maintenance throughout). This is the usual plan - but of course life gets in the way many times:

 

6:30am Wake up

6:45 Drive Dh & dd to the subway

7:15 Older dd & I go to the gym

8:30-9:30 (I set timer for 60 minutes) Do AM routine (put on laundry, put away dishes, make bed, wipe bathroom = 20 minutes) then do 1-2 other chores (eg: windex, mop, dust ceiling fans, change sheets, clean out fridge, Pledge dust all wood, sweep & mop hallway stairs, wipe doorways & moldings, etc = 30-40 minutes).

9:30 Shower, get dressed, have coffee, check emails/boards

10:30-1pm Homeschool

1pm-4pm Go out with ds, have lunch, run errands, relax, watch tv, make dinner, or whatever.

4:15 Leave for work

9:20 Get home from work

9:20-10:30 Eat dinner, hang with the kids, check computer, watch tv.

10:30 PM routine (30 minutes): Clear table, wash dishes, sweep/swiffer kitchen, Shine sink, 10-minute pickup.

11pm-12pm: Relax and go to bed.

 

You only get six and a half hours sleep a night :svengo:. I'd die.

[AngelaNYC]

You only get six and a half hours sleep a night :svengo:. I'd die.

 

I catch up on the weekends - usually sleeping til 10am.

[Paintedlady]

It's similar ro what gets done in my house, but I delegate a lot of it to the kids.

[Verity]

That is a lot more than I do.

 

On a typical day, I rotate laundry (usually 1 load per day, sometimes 2 if I am really on the ball; my washer/dryer take FOREVER) and do dishes (no dishwasher), do school with the boys, and we follow a "clean as you go" policy, where any activity that involves a mess of some kind is cleaned up when it is done, whether that be cooking, or the boys brought legos to the table, or whatever.

 

I sweep/mop/vacuum/clean bathrooms once a week only, except for spills or special circumstances (rained a lot, so the dog tracked in mud, or we have an extra dog who sheds a ton right now, so sweeping daily-ish, or things like that). I do wipe the kitchen counter every time I cook/do dishes, but not the stove/fridge/front of oven.

 

I have a gardener who does my yard/pool, he comes 2x/week and we water the lawn (the area where the dogs pee...) the other days. I'm spoiled in that regard.

 

I do a lot of 'picking up' -- making sure the boys pick up their toys, picking up the dog's toys, etc. throughout the day, and we have only enough dishes to go 2 meals (on purpose so that they do not ever stack up like crazy, since we don't have a dish washer) so I'm washing dishes all the time. The boys help. But a LOT of the stuff on your list I do only once/week.....

 

:iagree:

I wipe kitchen countertops down several times a day, but generally bathrooms get cleaned once a week (depending on the week - and I'm trying to teach the kids to do their own).

Wiping/organizing anything outside of kitchen/dining room table is not on my weekly radar at all.

I sweep kitchen/dining area several times a day (messy little boys)...vacuum living area once a week or so and do copious amounts of laundry!

 

Outside of homecooking three meals most days the rest of my time is spent teaching the kids, paying bills and taking time for myself (leisure reading, etc).

[justLisa]

I just wanted to say your list before the 9-12 schooling had me already putting you on a pedestal :D

 

I have nothing to add. I am not very consistent with my housework.

[Tutor]

Your list looks pretty much like our daily list. We split those tasks between 6 people, though. Kids do their own laundry, kids rotate some chores weekly (dishes, pet feeding/ walking, vacuuming/ sweeping, and bathroom cleaning), etc

[shanvan]

I need some perspective. All this talk about chores, housecleaning, etc has made me wonder what a "typical" day of cleaning is for you ladies. I was hoping you could take a look at what I do on a typical day, and tell me if it is similar to what happens in your household. I am only including MY stuff, not what the kids do.

 

Also, could you post what YOUR day looks like if it is significantly different and you consider your home neat and clean most of the time.

 

 

• Wake up, have coffee.
  
• Clean kitchen (DH has often made breakfast, or I will first). wipe down counters, dishes in dishwasher, put away clean dishes from dw if any, wipe down front of fridge, dw, stove, clean out sink, polish. Sweep kitchen and dining room. Wipe down dining room table from breakfast, sweep under table. Feed dogs and cat.
  
• Put a load of laundry in.
  
• make bed, put away any clean laundry. Wipe down and neaten night tables
  
• Sweep deck (animal poop accumulates nightly)
  
• Water outdoor potted plants
  
• check pool water for ph etc (3x a week) add chemicals if needed
  
• School from 9-12, lunch break, clean kitchen again, school from 1-3ish. Laundry throughout as needed--folding, moving along, etc.
  
• With kids, put books away, file papers, grade work, clean up any projects.
  
• Start dinner if crockpot. Clean kitchen up.
  
• Wipe down bathrooms (boys help). Empty cat litter.
  
• Vacuum ground floor or upstairs.
  
• Dinner, clean kitchen, sweep floor, wipe down counters etc. Boys empty dishwasher.
  

 

Okay, obviously this isnt' EVERYTHIGN but this is a typical day. Deeper cleaning happens throughout the week (for example, emptying and tidying food pantry, mowing lawn (once a week, 2 1/2 hours), garden work, weeding, organizing closets, cleaning out garage, organizing school room, dusting, window washing, filing paperwork, paying bills etc). Boys are responsible for their laundry, wiping down bathroom (although I often have to follow up), and help with vacuuming, sweeping, and garden work.

 

What do you think?

 

What you have listed is what is supposed to happen at our house daily, except some of these chores are assigned to my dc. I have gotten lazy about checking up on them, so currently they are not being done consistently.

 

I do wash on Fri (unless we have plans) and try to have it done by Sat morning, but it does sometimes creep into the week. Ds is supposed to be responsible for putting everything in the washer and switching to the dryer then bringing clean clothes up from the basement for me to fold. If he is slow and I have to remind him :glare:, then the wash gets backed up, I get annoyed and the whole process takes longer. My responsibilities are supposed to be folding and sorting into piles according to who the clothes belong to. Dh sometimes tries to help, but he ends up giving my clothes away to my kids :confused:, so I try not to let that happen.

 

ETA: I also do the deep cleaning in the bathroom about once a month, though I'm starting to train Dc to do it.

[Plucky]

We do most of that minus the pool, deck sweeping, and daily vacuuming. I have a lot of animals and we still only vac 2-3 times a week. I have plenty of good help - 4 kids so it's not that taxing.

[GraciebytheBay]

You forgot "You are doing more than I do, but I wish my house was cleaner." That's what I would have chosen, but I lied and said my house was still clean.;)

[Laura Corin]

I wipe over the kitchen three times a day, but not in the depth that you do. I clean bathrooms a couple of times a week (as in wipe them over). I vacuum and dust about twice a month. It seems clean enough to me. It doesn't sparkle, but it's comfortable. I wash clothes every day. I cook most meals from scratch.

 

Laura

[2squared]

Hmmm....I do many of the same things, some more frequently and some less frequently. I do have more and younger kids, though, so if I substituted tasks related to my littles for some of your homemaking, we would be about even. As my kids age up, I find I *generally* fill caretaking time with housework and chore training.

 

My Daily Tasks

Laundry (usually 2 loads)

Dishes

Kitchen (picked up after every meal & snack)

Sweeping (2x)

Manage whole house pick-up

Meals (3x)

Snacks

 

My Weekly Tasks

Bathrooms

Vacuuming

Lawn Mowing (3 hours/time)

Dusting (10yo dd)

[abacus2]

I voted other. It sounds pretty reasonable to me, but I'm not a good reference point. Some days I do nearly nothing. Other days I have to clean like a crazy person to catch up. Right now, I'm mostly just trying to keep my fearless toddler from seriously harming himself! :001_huh::tongue_smilie: Cleaning totally takes a back seat to that!

 

:iagree: