Tidy people, please weigh in

[fairfarmhand]

I'm messy. Not terribly so. I can usually fiind what I need. My house isn't spotless, but I'm not usually embarrassed when people come over either.

 

I'd say most days I am about 30 minutes or less from being "company" ready.

 

However, it's not unusual for me to look up and suddenly notice the ceiling fans have dust blobs on them, and the baseboards are grungy.

 

So, how do you neat, clean people do it?

 

Part of my problem is that I am demoralized. I don't enjoy cleaning because I can spend all day doing it and in 3 hours, it's messy again. Albeit clean under the mess, but still messy.

 

We live in our house. The kids play in the living room. I am not sure that I want them to have to completely confine that to their rooms.  We farm. There's just SO much dirt that comes with farming. I'm sitting here debating whether or not it's worth it to mop today because it's raining and muddy outside.

 

I just don't know how to have a consistently tidy house.

 

The kids will help if I ask them to, but I have to ask them to do it every. single. time. They NEVER think of it on their own.

 

I'm a failure at charts and such.

[clementine]

I also am about 30 min from being 'company ready'.  Then when company leaves I notice a corner cobweb that I swear wasn't there before they came.   :huh: 

 

I think the only way to conquer those areas (top of the cupboards, under the stove/fridge, top of frames hung on walls, ceiling fans, window streaks & the dust bunnies) is to top to bottom clean one room at a time & constantly repeat.  Yuck.  

 

I will say that if I am at a friend's house & see areas that need attention, it just makes them more human to me......I hope a drop-in guest would feel the same way at my house.  

[regentrude]

Prioritize.

 

I consider myself a reasonably neat person. I feel comfortable with ten minutes notice or drop-in guests, but that does not mean my baseboards are pristine or my windows washed at all times!

The things that need to be sanitary are: bathrooms, kitchen counters, clean dishes, clean table.

The things that need to feel comfortable are: there is no obvious clutter, one can sit on all chairs and the sofa  and eat on the dining table without removing piles of stuff.

But there are items around that contribute to our living: my craft basket on the coffee table, the math books on the dining table until DS is done with the school day, DS' gym bag in the corner.

Those don't matter. I don't need to live in a sterile empty environment.

 

Not obvious places get cleaned on occasion, when I do a deep clean, when I have extra time. Some things are not worth stressing about, IMO. Baseboards for example. They get cleaned whenever. The ceiling fan above the dining table obviously should be cleaned regularly so dust won't fall into the food - otherwise, ceiling fans get dusted whenever.

 

Pick the important things that enhance your feeling of cleanliness and order. Leave the rest.

 

[lllll]

nm

Edited December 14, 2015 by ^ 022

[fairfarmhand]

 

Having the kids do the cleaning doesn't necessarily mean it will stay clean very long either.  My kids would clean and then turn right around and track in dirt, etc., on the floor they just vacuumed.  :blink:

 

Yeah. Same here! What is that?

 

Part of it is that I am not a very good noticer.

 

I don't typically notice many parts of "clean". When it's filthy, I clean it. But noticing the little bits of grime and grunge before they get to filthy just seldom happens!

[happi duck]

I like the card system from the book Sidetracked Home Executives.

 

I don't notice stuff either so I have 3x5 cards that remind me what day to dust the ceiling fans etc.

 

The little card is also a good place to jot down instructions in case you hand the chore off to someone else.

[Sarah CB]

I struggle with this as well.  I've tried all kinds of charts and organization methods.  We had one that worked really well when they were very young.  But, the thing that worked best when the kids were older was having five or ten minute "chore times" at different points in the day.  So, after breakfast, but before school work, everyone would go and do their morning chore.  We also had a lunch time chore and an end of day chore.  Yes, I'd still have to remind them - as in, hey, everyone, go do your breakfast chore, but it wasn't terrible.  We kept the same set of chores for each kid so they were never surprised - one kid would take a cleaning wipe and wipe down all the sinks and counters in the bathrooms.  One kid would windex all the mirrors.  One kid would tidy the shoes by the front door.  One kid would sweep the kitchen.  I'd also have decluttering chores - like "declutter the family room" or "clear off all the kitchen counters".  The key was to keep the chores very short and to have everyone do the same chores each day.  On Saturday, we tackled things that only had to be done once a week (like cleaning the toilets), but we were able to keep a nice looking house this way with minimal stress for me.

[TammyS]

The best cleaning jobs are the ones that you don't have to do.  Get everyone some slip on boots ($15 at walmart) and coveralls.  Teach them to take them off on the porch.  Don't allow them to track all that dirt inside. 

 

I'm not the cleanest person ever, either, but having people track mud inside sends me up the wall.

[lllll]

nm

Edited December 14, 2015 by ^ 022

[Kristie in Florida]

I do the SHE system because I need to be told what to do and that was the one I found when I was 19 and pregnant and freaking the eff out about the whole motherhood/keeping house thing.

 

My sister would tell you to just go ahead and wipe the base boards when you notice it. It won't take long.

[LucyStoner]

I have a schedule. It's kind of like the card system from Sidteacked Home Executive but I don't use cards. I rotate through deep cleaning tasks. For instance, when I clean the kitchen daily I take care of the basics but last week when I cleaned the kitchen, I went all out. I weeded extraneous things from the cupboards out, washed the top, sides and insides of the cupboards, cleaned the top of the fridge, pulled out the appliances and cleaned there, washed the walls and washed the vent hood. That's not a daily or weekly or even monthly thing. But I do it often enough that it's not the grossest thing ever when I go to deep clean again.

[SKL]

I have a rule that the kids can't leave their stuff in the common areas after they are done playing with it.

 

They don't always follow the rule, but at least I can refer to "the rule" and maybe someday they will follow it without reminders.  :)

 

They can leave junk out in their bedrooms (within reason).

 

Once a day (usually), I walk through and make sure stuff is generally where it's supposed to be.  That's good enough for me.

 

I have maids come about once a month to do the "cleaning" like dusting and stuff.  I do have to tell them if an area needs attention (such as the ceiling fans or whatever).  If we have someone important coming over, we might have the maids come an extra time.  I would love to be able to do it all myself, but I just don't have time.  It took me a long time to admit that to myself.

[Slache]

I'm usually 10 minutes from company ready if we're not completely there already, and that includes vacuuming. I admit my kids are younger than yours and we don't live on a farm.

 

I used to think I wanted to be a minimalist. I don't, I just want a lot less than everyone else has. We probably have half as much as a typical family our size. This means less picking up and less dusting.

 

Picking up is something kids suck at. They just do. It's a thing. I make my kids pick up before every meal and before bed. All toys get picked up, beds are made, there are no clothes or towels out. I can't pretend my kids are perfect at putting their stuff away, but they get lots and lots of practice so they're pretty good at it. Also, I don't have to ask for something to be picked up 15 times, I just have to make a sandwich. Less fighting this way.

 

Housework is on a card system. It all gets done regularly so we don't miss anything.

[SKL]

I am also the kind of person who will just clean a yucky thing when I notice - if it's not something I feel comfortable saving for the maids.  :)

 

Before maids, that's generally how those infrequent things got done.  But the problem with that is, I would tend to notice during / shortly after a mega cleaning marathon (which usually occurred because we were going to have houseguests).  So I would already be sore and tired and have damaged skin.  Not ideal.  Of course it would have been better to have a schedule, but I have never been good about following a schedule.

[Farrar]

I struggle with this too. It sounds like we're very alike actually. I'm also sort of messy, but the house is usually presentable and not bad. I keep the heavy use areas neat enough. It's just that, yeah, suddenly I realize there's dust everywhere sometimes.

 

I realized at some point that what I should do is do one deep clean task a week or even every couple of weeks. That way I don't end up spending two whole days cleaning once or twice a year because my mother is coming. Of course... I haven't done that... Because it's not in my nature. But it's what I *should* do...

Edited November 30, 2015 by Farrar

[AK_Mom4]

Maybe it's just an adjustment to the word "clean".

 

I am a very tidy person. I wipe up spills when they happen. Dishes get out in the dish washer or hand washes when I'm done. I don't leave clothes on the floor or tossed around. I'm clean.

 

But, like you, we live in our house. And I never ever ever clean cobwebs or wipe base boards. That sort of cleaning gets done twice a year (maybe) when I pay someone to do it. Or they cobwebs just get to hang around.

 

I still consider my house to be clean.

[SKL]

My idea of "clean enough" has changed over the years, too.  Mainly because I have more responsibilities.

 

I do make sure the bathrooms and kitchen are clean.  There is no food or bathroom grossness unless I'm sick or something.  Garbage is disposed of in real time.  I have the kids sweep the floors periodically.

 

I don't have pets (other than fish) and we don't wear shoes around the house.  "Dirty" shoes/boots get left outside on the porch or in the garage.  So our house doesn't get "dirty" in a short time period.  Could we do more about dust, sure, but it isn't really necessary IMO.  A little dirt is supposed to be good for our health, right?

[prairiewindmomma]

Cleaning the baseboards and ceiling fans is part of my vacuuming and dusting. It just happens, because it needs to.  Ceiling fans get completely caked in dust after only a month here.  I do them at the beginning of the month when I change my furnace filter. It's an auto reminder on my phone.

[Soror]

I think 30 min away from company ready with 4 kids on a farm is doing pretty good. These days I do deep clean tasks on our school breaks, during regular weeks schooling and everything else is usually enough to keep us busy enough. Now before when I had fewer younger kids (and more time) I did Motivated Moms and it broke down those deep clean tasks into weekly, monthly, seasonally and yearly schedules that you don't even have to think about. It worked very well to establish habits but I think better to look at it by the week, instead of by the day as some days are too busy too fit in extra work.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

The only people I know IRL who don't have the cobwebs and dust blobs (or worse!) have weekly or biweekly cleaning ladies coming in. I aim to do a twice-annual deep clean that will address those kinds of thing (I'm usually reminded to do this when I can finally open the windows again after either winter or summer). If I don't get to them...well, I work, homeschool, parent two kids, am on the board of our HS co-op, have an extensive garden, maintain all of the household's finances, and maintain everything INSIDE the house without any significant help. That's just going to have to be good enough!

 

If it really bothered me, I would (and have, actually) walk around the house and make a list of every one of those tiny details that needed doing and make myself a schedule that would pop those tasks up periodically. Not too often, or they'll start to get you down because you can't keep up with them! Be realistic. I did this in a separate Google calendar so that I can just look at it when I have time. If I get to that day's tasks, great! If not, well, they'll come up again. 

 

Frankly, though, if I were you, I'd call "30 minutes from company ready" really good (better than most people, including me, can claim, I think!) and let the rest go.

[fairfarmhand]

I have a few friends who LOVE to clean. Who don't live on farms, who have fewer than 4 kids. Who don't work part time. And their houses are just..well, you walk in and go. Wow. This place is really clean. Not sterile. But very clean.

 

I'd love to be like that.

 

But then maybe that's not me.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I have a few friends who LOVE to clean. Who don't live on farms, who have fewer than 4 kids. Who don't work part time. And their houses are just..well, you walk in and go. Wow. This place is really clean. Not sterile. But very clean.

 

I'd love to be like that.

 

But then maybe that's not me.

 

Yeah, it's not me either. I actually do enjoy cleaning--it feels good to create order out of chaos. I even enjoy the deep cleaning in spring and fall, when I get to do it. But once the chaos is mostly tamed...I have other things I'd rather be doing (or HAVE to be doing)! 

 

And anyway, you might not be seeing the little things that drive them crazy :D Did you ever see that episode of Friends where Chandler finds Monica's secret closet? Even TV control freaks have their kryptonite :lol: 

 

Don't sweat it. Suck up the dust blobs and cobwebs when you see them. Otherwise, as I always say, the Better Homes & Gardens people aren't showing up here anytime soon. 

Edited November 30, 2015 by ILiveInFlipFlops

[Pawz4me]

I solve the ceiling fan issue by having DH dust them when he changes the heat pump filters.

 

Works for me. ;)

[Hikin' Mama]

Prioritize.

 

I consider myself a reasonably neat person. I feel comfortable with ten minutes notice or drop-in guests, but that does not mean my baseboards are pristine or my windows washed at all times!

The things that need to be sanitary are: bathrooms, kitchen counters, clean dishes, clean table.

The things that need to feel comfortable are: there is no obvious clutter, one can sit on all chairs and the sofa and eat on the dining table without removing piles of stuff.

But there are items around that contribute to our living: my craft basket on the coffee table, the math books on the dining table until DS is done with the school day, DS' gym bag in the corner.

Those don't matter. I don't need to live in a sterile empty environment.

 

Not obvious places get cleaned on occasion, when I do a deep clean, when I have extra time. Some things are not worth stressing about, IMO. Baseboards for example. They get cleaned whenever. The ceiling fan above the dining table obviously should be cleaned regularly so dust won't fall into the food - otherwise, ceiling fans get dusted whenever.

 

Pick the important things that enhance your feeling of cleanliness and order. Leave the rest.

This exactly.

 

I am pretty organized (dh might say anal), but a card system (or other cleaning system) doesn't work for me. Why? Time. There is only so much in a day. So even if my card for the day or my cleaning system says it's time to dust baseboards, it's really hard to find the time to do it. Technically, I could find the time to do it, but then I would have to give up something else that is more important to me. Because there are many things more important to me than dusted baseboards, they rarely get done. :)

 

I live in the country, too, and that does seem to create a more dusty house. Even though it might be a bit dustier than most, most people comment on how clean my house is. I bet yours is cleaner than you think, fairfarmhand. Number of kids at home makes a huge difference too. I only have one at home now. The clutter that must be picked up daily is almost nonexistant compared to what it was when I had three at home.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Hikin' Mama