I just fired my cleaning lady, now what?

[Meadowlark]

Oh, what have I done? The inconsistency, lack of communication and mediocre job caused me to pull the plug. But it has just sunk in that now nobody is going to come clean my house!

 

This is embarrassing, but I don't even know HOW to clean my own house! Bathrooms, mostly. I'm looking at my house, all 3500 square feet of it, with 5 little kids and wondering when we will all be buried in a pile of crumbs or just plain stick to the kitchen floor.

 

I know about Flylady and motivated moms. I'm already super drained and stretched at night...so what can you advise me? I've already dusted and vacuumed the upstairs today, and I'm drained. Should I spread it all out over the month and do a little each day? And please, someone tell me what products to use and how to clean bathtubs and glass shower walls. Ok, panic attack over (I think!)

[bettyandbob]

A friend of mine fired her cleaning service last summer. Recently, she noted that a mediocre job of cleaning was way better than no cleaning.

 

If I had the money I'd have a cleaning service. Our house is not really cleaned the way it should be or even at the mediocre level I'd expect from a cleaning service.

[Spryte]

Oh! I can help here, having fired a cleaning service or two. :)

 

Google cleaning services in your area. Read reviews. Set up a new estimate or two.

 

Seriously. Just call a few new places and see what you find. Do it now, before you find yourself overwhelmed at the prospect of letting anyone into your home.

[Meadowlark]

That's the thing-we can afford it I guess but things are adding up and not having to pay it will pay for a few other unexpected expenses. I may feel that way too, depending on if I can get my act together and come up with some kind of workable schedule. The things is, Everytime they come they're either late, don't do a good job, or don't come at all. I have to clean for them to come and it's so stressful having to be out of the house, etc. I'm kind of looking forward to my Tuesday nights not being stressful! Or maybe I'm just trading that stress in for the new stress that I will feel.

[Guest]

Calm down. Breathe. You will be fine. To clean the bathroom, here's what you need:

 

A gentle cleaner in a spray bottle (i use Dr. bronners Sal Suds diluted with water, but if that is too intimidating, just use a pre-made spray cleaner like Simple Green.)

A glass cleaner in a spray bottle (such as Windex)

A gentle abrasive cleanser such as Bon Ami (though baking soda works) and a sponge for sinks/tubs

A bucket

A pile of terry cloths you will use for cleaning. (I hate "rags"! And I hate paper towels and wipes!)

You need a toilet bowl brush.

 

A toilet cleaner like Lysol bowl cleaner is nice, but not crucial. I also think Scrubbing Bubbles are easier for the shower than abrasive cleanser.

 

Work from upper things to lower things, top to bottom. Work from cleanest to germiest and get a fresh, laundered cloth for each new task (counter/sink is one, tub is two, mirrors is three, toilet is definitely one cloth.). Spray a few sprays on the mirror, then move horizontally all the way across, back and forth, to the mirror bottom. Move everything off the counter (throw away/put away things that you don't need there), spray a few jets of the neutral cleaner and wipe with a cloth, all the way out and back. Sprinkle a TINY bit of abrasive cleanser in the sink, add a little tap water, clean with the sponge all inside the sink. Rinse with copious amounts of tap water and squeeze out your sponge. Put necessary belongings back; wipe with the counter-cleaning cloth as you go, if the items are dirty.

 

Neutral cleaner can be sprayed on the cabinet front and a fresh cloth can wipe.

 

To clean the toilet bowl, first use the bowl brush to force water into the neck of the toilet pipe; this will make the bowl water lower, so you don't dilute your cleaner. Squirt toilet cleaner in the bowl sides. You could also use a sprinkle of baking soda and a little white vinegar. Fun chemistry! Swish the brush around the bowl thoroughly. Flush and tap off the brush. Squirt your neutral cleanser spray on the rim, the base, the bottom and top of the seat, the lid and the tank. With a fresh cloth, wipe from the tank, to all external parts, to seat and rim lastly. Do not use this cloth for anything else!

 

This is getting too long; if helpful, maybe I'll come back later.

[Meadowlark]

Calm down. Breathe. You will be fine. To clean the bathroom, here's what you need:

 

A gentle cleaner in a spray bottle (i use Dr. bronners Sal Suds diluted with water, but if that is too intimidating, just use a pre-made spray cleaner like Simple Green.)

A glass cleaner in a spray bottle (such as Windex)

A gentle abrasive cleanser such as Bon Ami (though baking soda works) and a sponge for sinks/tubs

A bucket

A pile of terry cloths you will use for cleaning. (I hate "rags"! And I hate paper towels and wipes!)

You need a toilet bowl brush.

 

A toilet cleaner like Lysol bowl cleaner is nice, but not crucial. I also think Scrubbing Bubbles are easier for the shower than abrasive cleanser.

 

Work from upper things to lower things, top to bottom. Work from cleanest to germiest and get a fresh, laundered cloth for each new task (counter/sink is one, tub is two, mirrors is three, toilet is definitely one cloth.). Spray a few sprays on the mirror, then move horizontally all the way across, back and forth, to the mirror bottom. Move everything off the counter (throw away/put away things that you don't need there), spray a few jets of the neutral cleaner and wipe with a cloth, all the way out and back. Sprinkle a TINY bit of abrasive cleanser in the sink, add a little tap water, clean with the sponge all inside the sink. Rinse with copious amounts of tap water and squeeze out your sponge. Put necessary belongings back; wipe with the counter-cleaning cloth as you go, if the items are dirty.

 

Neutral cleaner can be sprayed on the cabinet front and a fresh cloth can wipe.

 

To clean the toilet bowl, first use the bowl brush to force water into the neck of the toilet pipe; this will make the bowl water lower, so you don't dilute your cleaner. Squirt toilet cleaner in the bowl sides. You could also use a sprinkle of baking soda and a little white vinegar. Fun chemistry! Swish the brush around the bowl thoroughly. Flush and tap off the brush. Squirt your neutral cleanser spray on the rim, the base, the bottom and top of the seat, the lid and the tank. With a fresh cloth, wipe from the tank, to all external parts, to seat and rim lastly. Do not use this cloth for anything else!

 

This is getting too long; if helpful, maybe I'll come back later.

Wow, thank you! I am going to print this out and go to town! How about the shower and glass walls? I think my people use a magic eraser but I don't even know how to use one of those. I really have cleaned before, honestly, just not for awhile ;-)

 

And wouldn't you know it, this week ALL of my kids and husband have been sick-the bathrooms are disgusting. I was so looking forward to today, then they didn't show up. The irony.

[zoobie]

Glass shower walls--Magic Eraser and some Dawn dish detergent do an amazing job. I clean it while I'm in the shower. If you get it really clean, you can apply Rain-X to keep it clean longer. If your tubs are acrylic or fiberglass, be careful what you use to clean them so you don't scratch them. I use Dawn and a microfiber towel on mine. I have a bunch of microfiber towels from the tool area at Costco that get used to clean most everything. I like Method cleaning stuff, especially their glass cleaner. Toilets get the Clorox wand.

[OH_Homeschooler]

Quill's list is very good. Also, from the ages of your kids in your signature, you could probably get the 6 and 8 year old to help with sweeping, dusting, and even vacuuming. 

 

I like to use a spray bottle with half vinegar and half water for my bathrooms. I also use Windex (or generic) on mirrors and windows. You can buy microfiber cloths to dust so you don't need to use Pledge or something, but I sometimes use Pledge because it just makes things shinier. 

 

And instead of a toilet brush, you might consider the products with disposable heads. 

 

Magic erasers are really easy and cool! You just wet it down (just a section for smaller jobs) and rub! It will disintegrate and get smaller, just like a pencil eraser. But I don't use them for normal cleaning, just when I need to get crayon marks off the wall or something similar. 

 

So I suggest a trip to the local Target or Walmart--investigate the options available to you. You saved some money by not having to pay cleaners, so invest in some good products!

[nikkibelle]

A Magic Eraser works wonders on shower doors. You only need to get it wet.  

I keep mine in the shower so when I finish washing myself I can wipe down the doors and walls if needed. 

 

We moved from 1800 sq. feet to 3500 sq. feet recently so I feel your pain.  Sometimes just looking at all the space that needs cleaned is overwhelming.

 

 

 

 

[Seasider]

I can't see your sig line so I can't tell the ages of your kids, but with five you've got at least a couple that can help somewhat. Time for a chore chart.

 

You might want to pick up a couple of books by Don Aslet. Or maybe he's got a good web site now - he's pretty old school and the internet wasn't a big thing back when I first needed to learn how to keep clean house.

[Tsuga]

Someone has a NASA checklist in each room for the kids. We are adopting that THIS WEEKEND. Might help a bit.

 

Cleaning sucks.

[MiMi 4under3]

Hire another (ANY other) cleaning lady.

 

A halfway decent job will leave your home at least presentable, which will require less work from you.

[Alessandra]

I love the book, Home Comforts, by Cheryl Mendelson. It is full of good, old-fashioned advice, written for modern people who need the basics. A lot of libraries have the book, as it is pretty popular.

 

Next best thing to a couple of dozen more posts by Quill, lol.

[Meadowlark]

If I went to walmart tonight, what basic supplies should I pick up? I have the normal stuff-bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, dust spray, but I have a shortage of rags. What kind work best for dusting, toilets, counters?

[Meadowlark]

Yep, the kids have no idea that their chore list is about to grow... :-)

 

They already fold most of the kid laundry, vacuum, and dust. But all of this with me knowing that it would be done again by the cleaning people. Now, I might be anal about how well it's done. I'm really not a neat freak, but already, I'm stressing about getting the 4 germs bathrooms clean and cooking supper. Ugh.

 

My husband tried to calm me by texting me that we should do one room a day. My brain works differently than his. If I'm vacuuming, then I'm vacuuming the entire floor, KWIM?

[umsami]

If I went to walmart tonight, what basic supplies should I pick up? I have the normal stuff-bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, dust spray, but I have a shortage of rags. What kind work best for dusting, toilets, counters?

 

For dusting, I like either microfiber cloths of those Swiffer dusters.  We have fans here, and they are great for that.

[Tammyla]

For cheater-throw-away-cleaning-cloths, I use baby wipes and what ever cleaner I have on hand; and; and I like paper towels with windex.  

[Seasider]

Skip the dust spray, it just waxes up your furniture. A slightly damp cloth is sufficient, and you can follow with a dry one if you like.

[Joyoustxmama]

Before I was able to find an affordable and reliable housekeeper 1x/week... I recruited dh to duty because I refused to be up at midnight by myself cleaning house.  I need time for at least a minimum of hobbies and sleep, too, or I go nuts.  So he handled the floors (1x week) and dishes (nightly), mostly.  I did 4 bathrooms (1x week), counters (daily), linens (1x week), general pick up (daily), and family laundry (daily).  We don't iron!  Wash and wear, take it to the cleaners, or bust, around here :) 

 

Kids are great recruits too (my oldest is expected to help clear the table after meals and clean his own toys up.  He gets paid a small amount of extra allowance for things like unloading the silverwear from the dishwasher, or putting wet laundry in the dryer - he's only 6 so not ready for much else yet).

 

It's tough.  There aren't any easy answers to combining housework/homeschooling with multiple kids, imo.  Other tips that helped/help us?

 

- lowered expectations (I'm a neat freak).  The floor does get sticky.  The counters are sometimes crumby.  The floors need a vacuuming.  And we go to bed or relax anyhow.  I don't love it, but it's a phase we are in; I breath and just know it will pass.  I need an hour of tv time with dh at night much more than a perfect house right now.

- don't make a million trips to take things to different rooms as they get scattered all day (my 1 year old is like a little tornado of house chaos - I find toys in the fridge and beds, laundry hurled down the stairs, packages of cookies dragged into the bathroom, etc).  Pile them in one spot or basket all day and put up in one 10-15 minute go at the end of the day.

- keep up the daily grind stuff religiously and try to delegate at least one of these to someone else in the family (our are dishes, toy clutter, laundry).  If you don't do these kinds of chores, they compound and are horrid to deal with after 2+ days.  The floors, dusting, and vacuuming gather little interest, so to speak.  Do them once a week and unless someone dumps the box of goldfish crackers onto the living room floor or pours their OJ all over the kitchen, let them go until the designated time - it won't make for a magazine perfect home but at least they don't accumulate so badly.

- simpler cleaning supplies are best.  Invest in: one excellent vacuum.   We have the entry level miele and I LOVE that thing, it is SO superior to the best vacuum I've ever purchased at Walmart.  One mop with an appropriate floor cleaner you like (might have to trial and error, everyone is different with their mop pref. and floor cleaner varies by home). Reusable rags and paper towels (I use the latter shamelessly for the time being), plain old vinegar, soap and water for most things, a pack of scrub sponges and ajax or similar for tubs and sinks, one polish for wood furniture, one disinfecting spray for kitchen counters where meat is prepped or grime accumulates, toilet duck and a brush for toilets (keep one brush in each bathroom as they are nasty to tote around).   

 - bathrooms can be cleaned 2-4x a month depending on use and be fine.  dusting here pre-housekeeping help was a 1x month item.  kitchen needs daily attention in most homes.  the rest, i'd make a weekly schedule for, and only do one part/room per day, so it isn't overwhelming.

 

And don't be afraid to keep trying to find a housekeeper who works for your needs!  It's rarely a perfect match the first go.  Homeschooling is hard on the house because more people are in it more often! - plus you have less time because you are the kids' teacher, instead of a 6-8 hour window free daily to get things back in order, as traditional school sahms are likely to have. 

 

sorry to repeat advice if I did so, did not read all replies.  hth!

 

[Jyhwkmama]

With a house that big and 5 kids, I would be setting up interviews for new cleaning services ASAP. Seriously.

[Tsuga]

 

My husband tried to calm me by texting me that we should do one room a day. My brain works differently than his. If I'm vacuuming, then I'm vacuuming the entire floor, KWIM?

 

It is critical that you get over this to some extent.

 

The house will never be totally done while you and the kids are in it--ever. It is not possible.

 

So it has to be more of a cycle--you know how it's day on one side of the earth but night on the other? It's going to be like that in your house with respect to cleanliness and laundry. One room gets to be clean at a time. It's a rotation.

 

I understand because I myself have perfectionist tendencies but it will drive you batty.

 

I use cleaning wipes on literally everything, screw the varnish.

 

Or yeah, hire another cleaning lady. :)

[Mergath]

Like any new skill, learning to clean your own home might seem overwhelming right now, but once you get the hang of it, it'll seem much easier. ;)

 

Even if you do plan to hire a new cleaning person, I would suggest that you do the cleaning yourself for the next month or so.  You'll learn how to clean, and that way, if the next person doesn't work out for some reason, you won't have a panic attack at the idea of having to let her go. :P  Your kids will learn to clean too, which is a vital skill to have.  And you may find that after a month, you fall into a routine and don't really need the help after all, and you can spend the money on something else.

[prairiewindmomma]

We have 3600 sq ft and four kids including a toddler. Monday is laundry. Tuesday is kitchen + grocery shopping. Wednesday is bathrooms. Thursday is floors and dusting and windows. Friday is lawn + whatever needs to be done.

 

Bar Keepers Friend for glass showers. Better than Magic Erasers if you have hard water. For realz. ;)

[OH_Homeschooler]

Besides the microfiber dusting cloths, which are good for quick dusting, I like to use cloth diapers with Pledge for dusting. We have a bunch left over from when our kids were babies (we just used them as burp rags, not actual diapers). 

[momee]

I've never had anyone clean my house and I've been married 22 years.

 

There are many, many new things I could learn.  There are many, many times we've had people over and I've watched a cobweb blow in the breeze, lol.

 

So what?  I do the best I can each day.  No one has higher expectations of me than I do :(

 

Learning to care for my own home has been a GREAT gift - not easy - but a gift.

 

Just today I spent two hours on my hands and knees cleaning the tile floor grout for the first time since we moved in 22 years ago...

never even knew that was an option, lol.

 

I went to our local sanitary supply store and bought a Bona wood floor system and this grout cleaner.  Turns out I've been doing my wood floors all wrong - water is not a friend of wood :) supposedly...but hey, now I know.

 

Trying to say just do what you think is right.  Learn a bit at a time and take joy in knowing it is yours.  Learn WITH those 5 kids...I posted before about the blessing in teaching kids self care and housekeeping.  What better way to spend some time than all of you blessing Daddy by learning a new way to care for the house he's at work all day helping pay for.

My 2 cs anyway...hope it helps, if not, toss out with the bathwater :)

[KungFuPanda]

Start with this checklist. http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/daily-cleaning-checklist

 

Don't get bogged down finding the perfect system. Any system you actually DO will work. Draft the kids. If you don't plan to hire new help soon, I'd get this book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0446677671/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1423696067&sr=8-1&keywords=pigpen+to+paradise&dpPl=1&dpID=51P4a04QzML&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

 

(It also breaks down kids' chores by age. With 5 kids, you'll HAVE to get them on board or you'll sink. )

 

I get most of my cleaning done with Mr.Clean and a bucket. I even clean glass with it. It doesn't streak if you dry it. For wood I use Murphy's oil soap and a bucket. I buy white washcloths by the dozen and use those only for cleaning. Colored washcloths are for people.

 

For floors, I vacuum everything, even hard surfaces, and clean hard floors with a steam mop. For toilets bowls I use a squirt of whatever hand soap is in that bathroom.

[Guest]

Wow, thank you! I am going to print this out and go to town! How about the shower and glass walls? I think my people use a magic eraser but I don't even know how to use one of those. I really have cleaned before, honestly, just not for awhile ;-)

 

And wouldn't you know it, this week ALL of my kids and husband have been sick-the bathrooms are disgusting. I was so looking forward to today, then they didn't show up. The irony.

I'm glad you liked it.

 

For cleaning the shower glass and walls, I find it easiest to clean the shower naked, when I just used it. I know that os bizarre, and no, I did not offer this service when I used to clean houses. ;) although in most cases, I like homemade, low-cost, non-trash cleaning products, I must admit I really love the Scrubbing Bubbles shower foam. My second favorite was the Fiberglass Cleaner product put out by The Clean Team, but I don't have fiberglass showers anymore.

 

So, if I just showered, I leave the walls wet and put all the hygiene products out of the shower. I bring in my bucket and fill it with water. Spray in sweeping motions (if using the foam cleaner) from top to bottom. I generally work on one wall at a time. I let it sit briefly, then use a large sponge (like a car wash sponge), dunked and squeezed in the bucket and work from the top of the wall to the bottom. If there is a lot of build-up or grime, I use a scrub brush on those areas. Rinse with copious amounts of water (which is why it is easier to do this naked). If you have tile that goes to the ceiling, just FYI, I don't normally clean that high up. Generally, most of the scum is towards the bottom.

 

I keep a squeegie in my shower and I have taught DH and DD to squeegie the walls when the shower ends. (The boys have a separate shower and I can't account for what they do in there.)

 

I clean the outside of the shower glass with glass cleaner. A few times a year, I go full-detail, with a toothbrush tool; I also unscrew the drain and pull out the most revolting mat of hair in history.

 

I do find a use for the magic eraser, but I haven't ever used them on the shower. They are my go-to for fingerprints on walls and doors.

 

I also second the recommendations of Don Aslet books. I read them when I was fifteen years old and it is pretty much how I learned to clean. They are classics!

[regentrude]

Others have already given good cleaning advice - I want to add some preventing-dirt-advice:

confine eating to the kitchen/dining table. No food anywhere else in the house = no crumbs/spills. (I am relaxing this rule now that DS is a teen, but he is the one who cleans the basement)

no shoes in the house=no outside dirt.

no knickknacks on open shelves. Greatly reduces need for dusting.

 

 

 

[Elisabet1]

I just re-hired my cleaning person. She is going to be aghast when she shows up on Friday and realizes no one probably cleaned the shower or bathtubs properly since the last time she was here! LOL Not that I didn't try..but well, you know.

[matrips]

That's the thing-we can afford it I guess but things are adding up and not having to pay it will pay for a few other unexpected expenses. I may feel that way too, depending on if I can get my act together and come up with some kind of workable schedule. The things is, Everytime they come they're either late, don't do a good job, or don't come at all. I have to clean for them to come and it's so stressful having to be out of the house, etc. I'm kind of looking forward to my Tuesday nights not being stressful! Or maybe I'm just trading that stress in for the new stress that I will feel.

 

Haven't had a service in years, but when my trio was little I did. We did their first morning shift, and therefore never late unless car trouble or such. It was a team of three, they were there 1.5 hours, so not too bad. Same team each time. I requested no subs early on. We never left the house. I requested a certain order to the cleaning, so me and the kids could finish breakfast and then move into the cleaned playroom or living room. I never cleaned up before they came, but since it was first thing in the morning, no toys were out yet and I usually did a simple breakfast with easy cleanup. When things would start to slide, I would just call the owner and chat with her ( the crew usually didn't speak English), and things would pick back up again.

[LucyStoner]

I'm trying really, really hard to quell jealousy here.

 

I've never NOT cleaned my own home, and I don't know anyone personally, aside from wealthy empty nesters, who hires help. Maybe it is regional?

 

It's easy, even with small children. Break the tasks down into one room/zone/type of chore at a time. For me, Mondays are meal planning and baking, Tuesdays are sweeping and mopping floors, Wednesdays are cleaning the upstairs and downstairs bathroom, Thursdays are dusting and vacuuming, Fridays are cleaning my bathroom, Saturday is picking one chore off the less frequent/seasonal list and nibbling away at it.

 

This gets my whole house fairly clean, once a week, with about half an hour of concerted effort each day. The kids can and do chip in and have chores of their own, like setting and clearing the table, sweeping under after meals, feeding the animals, folding their laundry and the napkins, etc.

 

Now granted, my home is a postage stamp compared to yours *whackamoles the envy* and thus you may need to allot slightly more time to completing the work, but it's only overwhelming if you let it be. Tackle small things each day, pat yourself on the back, and recognize that good enough really is good enough and it doesn't have to be showroom spotless to bless your family :)

It's easy for you. I also find it fairly easy. That said, that doesn't mean it is easy. It didn't used to be easy for me. I taught myself how to clean when I was a young adult. I know people for whom it is very very hard, including my SAHD brother and one of my best friends.

 

I am a pretty good roller skater. I don't have to think about how to stay up and I can dodge and weave though packs of other skaters very well. My cross overs are smooth and effortless. There are plenty of people who don't know how to skate however and the prospect of attaching wheels to their feet and speeding around other people is intimidating, scary, confusing or just plain boring/uninteresting. For some skiing is easy and fun, for me it is terrifying and very, very hard. Cleaning house is no different. It's a skill and some people have it and some people don't. Some people can cultivate it and some can learn to clean but never really find it easy.

 

We had a guy come to clean every week when I was working. It was cheaper than the stress of trying to work a FT career, be a mom and keep on top of the house.

[NorthwestMom]

I'm glad you liked it.

 

For cleaning the shower glass and walls, I find it easiest to clean the shower naked, when I just used it. I know that os bizarre, and no, I did not offer this service when I used to clean houses. ;) although in most cases, I like homemade, low-cost, non-trash cleaning products, I must admit I really love the Scrubbing Bubbles shower foam. My second favorite was the Fiberglass Cleaner product put out by The Clean Team, but I don't have fiberglass showers anymore.

 

So, if I just showered, I leave the walls wet and put all the hygiene products out of the shower. I bring in my bucket and fill it with water. Spray in sweeping motions (if using the foam cleaner) from top to bottom. I generally work on one wall at a time. I let it sit briefly, then use a large sponge (like a car wash sponge), dunked and squeezed in the bucket and work from the top of the wall to the bottom. If there is a lot of build-up or grime, I use a scrub brush on those areas. Rinse with copious amounts of water (which is why it is easier to do this naked). If you have tile that goes to the ceiling, just FYI, I don't normally clean that high up. Generally, most of the scum is towards the bottom.

 

I keep a squeegie in my shower and I have taught DH and DD to squeegie the walls when the shower ends. (The boys have a separate shower and I can't account for what they do in there.)

 

I clean the outside of the shower glass with glass cleaner. A few times a year, I go full-detail, with a toothbrush tool; I also unscrew the drain and pull out the most revolting mat of hair in history.

 

I do find a use for the magic eraser, but I haven't ever used them on the shower. They are my go-to for fingerprints on walls and doors.

 

I also second the recommendations of Don Aslet books. I read them when I was fifteen years old and it is pretty much how I learned to clean. They are classics!

 

Yep, me too. I ALWAYS lock the door first. LOL.

[lexi]

 

Oh, what have I done? The inconsistency, lack of communication and mediocre job caused me to pull the plug. But it has just sunk in that now nobody is going to come clean my house!

 

This is embarrassing, but I don't even know HOW to clean my own house! Bathrooms, mostly. I'm looking at my house, all 3500 square feet of it, with 5 little kids and wondering when we will all be buried in a pile of crumbs or just plain stick to the kitchen floor.

 

I know about Flylady and motivated moms. I'm already super drained and stretched at night...so what can you advise me? I've already dusted and vacuumed the upstairs today, and I'm drained. Should I spread it all out over the month and do a little each day? And please, someone tell me what products to use and how to clean bathtubs and glass shower walls. Ok, panic attack over (I think!)[/quote

 

I have nothing truly helpful to add. My cleaning lady learned that she's pregnant and is high risk so she can't clean my house for a few months at least. No no no!!! She sweetly recommended her friend who came today and did a great job. I have 5 kids 9 and under and I live in a sticky crumb-filled house. Our lady is not part of a service. She was recommend by my husbands co-worker. Having an occasional housekeeper has been the best investment ever! I'm sorry yours didn't work out! Maybe you can find someone new.

[goldberry]

Someone has a NASA checklist in each room for the kids. 

 

What does that mean??

[Melissa in Australia]

This is embarrassing, but I don't even know HOW to clean my own house! Bathrooms, mostly. I'm looking at my house, all 3500 square feet of it, with 5 little kids and wondering when we will all be buried in a pile of crumbs or just plain stick to the kitchen floor.

 

I

Oh I so wish that I didn't have to know how to clean my house. it must be so nice to have never had to clean your house before.

 

 

 

 

 green with envy

[momacacia]

Oh I so wish that I didn't have to know how to clean my house. it must be so nice to have never had to clean your house before.

 

 

I know, right? ;)

[Pronghorn]

Do you have any marble countertops? If you do, only use products that are intended for marble. And do not use vinegar at all on those countertops. It will etch them. They will not shine if they are etched.

[LivingHope]

Just a small tip: I really like the Speed Cleaning book by Jeff Campbell. While I don't use the recommended cleaning products (I mostly clean with vinegar and baking soda), I did learn from that book that cotton white napkins make great lint-free cleaning rags. I bought a ton from ebay from a textile company in Georgia. Having a simple, uncluttered cleaning cupboard stocked only with the basic essential supplies will also save time. I like having a small chart taped to the inside of the cleaning cupboard with my simple cleaning supply list, a couple homemade cleaning recipes, and the cleaning rotation.

[Guest]

Oh I so wish that I didn't have to know how to clean my house. it must be so nice to have never had to clean your house before.

 

 

 

 

green with envy

I view cleaning my house through a lens of gratitude (usually). It's a lot of space to clean? Be thankful I have lots of space. So many books to organize? We are so fortunate to have thousands of books at hand. Multiple bathrooms? My parents would have loved to have more than one bathroom for the seven+ people usually living there.

 

I'm not picking on you, though. Just trying to help reframe things.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

When a magic eraser fails on finger smeared walls, windex works.

[Remudamom]

All the suggestions about what cleaners to use and how when where etc are good.  But the way you get your house clean and organized is to get off your butt and work hard at it every day.  

[Seasider]

All the suggestions about what cleaners to use and how when where etc are good. But the way you get your house clean and organized is to get off your butt and work hard at it every day.

So true! Maintenance is much easier than...excavation.

[Anne]

All the suggestions about what cleaners to use and how when where etc are good. But the way you get your house clean and organized is to get off your butt and work hard at it every day.

Hah! That's the Remudamom we know and love!! :-)

 

Flylady has an acronym that I like: DING - Do It Now, Girl!!

 

She also says something like housework done incorrectly is better than no housework done at all.

 

Anne

[Spryte]

So true! Maintenance is much easier than...excavation.

 

Excavation.   :lol:

[school17777]

All the suggestions about what cleaners to use and how when where etc are good.  But the way you get your house clean and organized is to get off your butt and work hard at it every day.  

 

 

This is true!  On of the downsides of homeschooling for me is that I am hardly ever alone in the house.  I find it easier to clean without others around and that is rare.

[Meadowlark]

I just tackled bathroom #1, hooray! Now for a few bathroom questions...

 

Do you all keep supplies for each bathroom IN each bathroom? I think it took a long time because I was running around getting things I need.

 

How do you clean a tub and the tub walls, and with what product? Today I used Scrubbing Bubbles but couldn't really wash the walls off, which felt weird. It says you don't have to rinse but my kids will be bathing in there later today so I did rinse the tub.

 

It smells dreamy and I feel a sense of accomplishment!

[MeAndTheBoys]

I had let my house go for a few years--paid someone to clean the bathrooms last year and have maintained it since--like others said, just do it :)  I have a list I have to do today.  I got the book Sidetracked Home Executives and used their lists to help me make a list of jobs for each day--  I've been pretty faithful to it, and usually I have to clean for 30 min-45 min/day.  PLUS of course cooking, laundry, basic kitchen clean up--but on top of that, 30-45 minutes of bathroom or tubs or mop kitchen or the not-every-single-day jobs.

 

I suggest getting someone's list, following it faithfully for a month or so, then take some time to evaluate and edit, based on your more available days, number of rooms, etc.

 

We have 4 bathrooms.  Which is great when you need to go POTTY, but not so great to clean :)  What i have found after the "pay someone $200 to scrub my bathrooms" episode last year is that really, our bathrooms need to be wiped down frequently.  So I do a 3-5 minutes swipe of the 2 upstairs bathrooms on MWF, and a 3-5 minute swipe of the downstairs bathrooms TThSa.  And I never have to do any hour-long scrubbing--in 5 minutes, I can scour out the sinks, spray down and wipe the counters, spray and wipe the whole toilet (tank, seat, lid, down around the yucky floor part) and scrub the toilet with a brush.  I can't dry everything off, so it's left with water spots (we have hard water) but I decided I'd rather have it stay clean than perfect.  My boys were SUPPOSED to be cleaning it in the time it got trashed; they will be learning again this summer.

 

Other days, I clean the floor in the bathrooms, the tubs/showers, etc.  I do NOT want to do a whole bathroom once a week in a big glop, but if I break it down, it stays clean and doesn't overwhelm me.

 

I keep cleaning supplies in every bathroom--scouring powder (homemade, but i like Bon Ami and Barkeepers Friend) and an all-purpose spray cleaner (some bathrooms have homemade with castille soap, alcohol and vinegar, some have Mr. Clean dilutable).

 

The key is to just DO it--just set aside a block of time each day and attack my list and not think too much about it.  Yes, I hate to clean my house, but I like it to be cleaned and it's depressing when it builds up.

 

My house never looks house-keeper perfect, but I know it is clean and sanitary :)

 

Things I do once/week--vacuum, mop kitchen, clean bath floors, clean tubs/showers, wash sheets, wash towels, dust, vacuum cars, etc--

Things I do daily--clean kitchen counters completely (as well as non-list items like laundry, general kitchen stuff like cooking, dishwasher, wiping parts of counters and floors that get dirty when cooking, general straightening up, put laundry away---)

Every other day--wipe up bathrooms

Monthly--ironing, clean hardwood surfaces, clean front/back doors, wipe windowsills and inside windows (broken into small chunks), doorknob, outlet and light plates (kids do that)

 

Breaking it out was very helpful and makes it not overwhelming, and harder to keep putting off--

 

B

[zoobie]

I just tackled bathroom #1, hooray! Now for a few bathroom questions...

 

Do you all keep supplies for each bathroom IN each bathroom? I think it took a long time because I was running around getting things I need.

 

How do you clean a tub and the tub walls, and with what product? Today I used Scrubbing Bubbles but couldn't really wash the walls off, which felt weird. It says you don't have to rinse but my kids will be bathing in there later today so I did rinse the tub.

 

It smells dreamy and I feel a sense of accomplishment!

I keep a Container Store multipurpose bin with supplies under each sink. I wipe down the walls with a wet microfiber towel in my tubs with only a shower curtain. I can spray the walls in my glass enclosed shower. I rinse out the tub with the hand held sprayer in the others. In previous homes with only fixed shower heads, I used a cup to rinse out the tubs.

[Rachel]

i haven't had a chance to read through the whole thread but I have found my 5 & 7 year old to be pretty capable helpers with household chores. I find the bathrooms the kids use need cleaning more frequently than I have time and energy to handle. So I started sending the kids in there with Clorox wipes. I remind them every single time to use a fresh wipe for the sink and a fresh one for the toilet. It really does help keep the bathroom from being disgusting between times when I clean it.

[momacacia]

I keep a bucket of supplies in each bathroom---especially things for doing quick wiping, mirrors and toilets. Each toilet has an attractive toilet wand behind it and under each bath sink is toilet cleaner, as well as all purpose spray and some glass wipes and paper towels. You just never know what the kids might do in a bathroom and if you happen to be in there, it can take just 2-3 minutes to maintain.