How well do you clean?

[Garga]

I keep the house "surface clean" (for the most part.)

 

The good news:

 

I dust, vacuum and tidy the paper clutters and other clutters.

 

I make the bed. (only mine, the kids stay unmade)

 

I keep up with laundry. I keep up with dishes.

 

The bad news:

I rarely mop the kitchen. Just sweep when there are a gadzillion crumbs on the floor (twice a week).

 

I only sweep the bathrooms once a month or so. I never mop the bathrooms.

 

I clean the shower/tubs only once every couple of months.

 

I clean out the bathroom sinks and toilets maybe once every 2 weeks.

 

Things like baseboards and windows--har har! Maybe once every 3 years!

 

Etc.

 

So, you walk into my house and it looks nice and tidy and there isn't dust or dirt on the carpets or dishes and laundry overflowing. But that's it.

 

 

How much do you clean? And if you do more than the basics that I do, how often do you do them?

[NevadaRabbit]

I keep the house "surface clean" (for the most part.)

 

The good news:

 

I dust, vacuum and tidy the paper clutters and other clutters.

 

I make the bed. (only mine, the kids stay unmade)

 

I keep up with laundry. I keep up with dishes.

 

The bad news:

I rarely mop the kitchen. Just sweep when there are a gadzillion crumbs on the floor (twice a week).

 

I only sweep the bathrooms once a month or so. I never mop the bathrooms.

 

I clean the shower/tubs only once every couple of months.

 

I clean out the bathroom sinks and toilets maybe once every 2 weeks.

 

Things like baseboards and windows--har har! Maybe once every 3 years!

 

Etc.

 

So, you walk into my house and it looks nice and tidy and there isn't dust or dirt on the carpets or dishes and laundry overflowing. But that's it.

 

 

How much do you clean? And if you do more than the basics that I do, how often do you do them?

 

I do about what you do - although I'm shifting more and more of it onto the kids :D. I figure my lack of devoted daily scrubbing hasn't killed us yet, so why worry?

[LBC]

I clean much like you do. When I want more than that done, I call in the kids. I can get them to wash walls, dust bookshelves, scrub spots off the floor, clean the mirrors and bathrooms sink, wipe fingerprints & smudges off the fridge, stove and microwave, and the list goes on.

 

The only exception is if I'm having major company, such as hosting a wedding shower, or guests who will spend the night and use the house. This doesn't happen often, but when it does, I do some serious cleaning.

 

Lori

[akmommy]

I do pretty much the same. If we are having company I'll do more, how much more depends on who it is.

 

I want a sign for the front door that reads "If you've come to see me then come right in. If you've come to see the house make an appointment.":D

[Frontier Mom]

Yep, I'm right there with you. I feel if someone wants to come in and inspect my baseboards, I'll give them cleaner while they are down there. I go with the good germ/bad germ theory - you need a little of both to be truly healthy. I have a friend who mops twice daily with bleach and her house is always spotless. I gave up when her kids were always sick about 5 times more often than mine.

 

I can't be everything to everyone so I will gladly admit I do not have a perfectly clean house. If it bothers anyone, well then don't come over.

[Rosie_0801]

I do much more cleaning when I'm not pregnant. I'm confident my house will approach a state that can be called clean without having to put that word in quotation marks in about 3 years time.

 

Rosie

[Peela]

Oh yes, all that bacteria is extremely good for the immune system and I credit my strong, healthy kids to it :)

Actually, there is a link between sterile environments and kids' asthma.

The only thing I do much different to you is I keep the bathroom sink area tidy and wiped down most days- it is so quick and I just like to do it. But scrub the shower? Every couple of months at most.

But for the rest- I am sporadic. I might suddenly get an urge to spend an hour cleaning out a cupboard and wiping it out thoroughly, or actually vacuum behind furniture, or cleaning the schoolroom from top to bottom- but it is not a regular thing by any means. Flylady helped me stop feeling guilty about it though, and stop feeling I have to do everything at once- i have no problem spending a cleaning urge (or sometimes when I am upset and just want to clean) on one job. My cleaning urges are unpredictable and I just learn to trust another will come sometime.

I have come such a long way since my twenties and early thirties, I am proud of my surface tidy home :)

[Sharon in SC]

I keep the house "surface clean" (for the most part.)

 

The good news:

 

I dust, vacuum and tidy the paper clutters and other clutters.

 

I make the bed. (only mine, the kids stay unmade)

 

I keep up with laundry. I keep up with dishes.

 

The bad news:

I rarely mop the kitchen. Just sweep when there are a gadzillion crumbs on the floor (twice a week).

 

I only sweep the bathrooms once a month or so. I never mop the bathrooms.

 

I clean the shower/tubs only once every couple of months.

 

I clean out the bathroom sinks and toilets maybe once every 2 weeks.

 

Things like baseboards and windows--har har! Maybe once every 3 years!

 

Etc.

 

So, you walk into my house and it looks nice and tidy and there isn't dust or dirt on the carpets or dishes and laundry overflowing. But that's it.

 

 

How much do you clean? And if you do more than the basics that I do, how often do you do them?

 

I'm a FlyLady fan - baseboards, windows/blinds, switchplates, backs of kitchen counters, etc about every 5 weeks (though every week I'm doing this in one "zone" of the house); heavy mopping/vacuuming, dusting of horizontal surfaces, tubs/toilets/sinks, mirrors, etc weekly (though I swivel sweep about every other day 'cause of a horribly shedding Border Collie); swipe bathroom counters about every other day

[jak of in]

I clean like that, too. I do try to keep the kitchen somewhat presentable, dishes washed, etc., but the rest of the house...not!

 

I have feelings of guilt about it, though, because so many of my friends are neat freaks! To tell the truth, I just don't mind a little dust! What bothers me the most is clutter, which we have a lot of. And cat hair. I can't keep up with the cat hair unless I vacuumed twice a day!

 

I sometimes get on these kicks to do better, but I always go back to how I always clean.

 

If people are coming over, I do spend time cleaning, though.

 

jak

[Pongo]

I'm a FlyLady fan - baseboards, windows/blinds, switchplates, backs of kitchen counters, etc about every 5 weeks (though every week I'm doing this in one "zone" of the house); heavy mopping/vacuuming, dusting of horizontal surfaces, tubs/toilets/sinks, mirrors, etc weekly (though I swivel sweep about every other day 'cause of a horribly shedding Border Collie); swipe bathroom counters about every other day

 

Yep me too, I keep that sink SHINING!:lol:

[Lovedtodeath]

I just made a cleaning schedule. The bathroom gets done every 3 weeks. The bedrooms ditto. Kitchen once a week. Living Room once a week. That is everything... dusting, mopping, wiping down, vacuuming, etc. Really getting in behind furniture, etc. is more of a once every 6 weeks thing.

 

Everyday has 30 minutes where we tidy (picking up and sweeping with broom) the classroom, living room and playroom. Let's see if this works. It is more than what I do now, but less than my mom taught me to do. ;)

 

EDIT: Make beds ROFL we lay in them way too often to consider it. Our comforters are old and multicolored, (except the new star wars one) they wouldn't be pretty if they were made.

Edited November 17, 2008 by Lovedtodeath

[Retired]

daily

 

beds made

clutter picked up

dishes washed/counters cleaned

 

 

weekly

 

laundry

sweep/mop

bathroom cleaned

house dusted

sheets washed

 

biannually

 

light fixtures cleaned

windows washed

baseboards

 

Am I considered a neat freak or normal:001_huh:

[Parrothead]

Twice a week I do the dusting, vacuuming, bathroom sink, toilet, tub/shower, scrub kitchen sink, wipe down kitchen surfaces that need it with Windex wipes, tile floors (with the Floormate), and with the new puppy I clean carpets throughout the house.

 

Once a week I clean out the fridge, food storage cupboards, and under the bathroom sink. I also wash sheets and blankets

 

Once a month I move furniture and vacuum under it, clean glass (picture frames and door windows), dust under the TV and other electronics, clean dd's room and the toy room (purging).

 

Quarterly I'll wipe down walls, baseboards, window sills, clean windows, vacuum lamp shades, cull dh's magazines, straighten out that cupboard in the kitchen that tends to get cluttered and wash comforters.

 

Semi-annually I declutter all drawers and closets. The garage also gets cleaned out then too.

 

Yearly I'll clean all ceiling light fixtures and cull excessive paperwork, do filing. This happens about tax time. Oh, and the mini-blinds get tossed into the tub and scrubbed in the spring.

Edited November 17, 2008 by Parrothead

[Garga]

Ok, so we've got some who surface clean, like me, and others who do deeper cleaning.

 

My kids are aged 3 and 6. I clean more now than I did a couple of years ago, but I would like to keep on top of more things like paperwork and bathroom tubs/sinks.

 

Do you guys think I'll be able to do more as dc get older? Or am I kidding myself and using the kids as an excuse not to do more?

 

For the cleaners out there, did you clean this way all along with little kids, or did you start doing more as they got older? Also, do the kids do some of the cleaning, or do you do it alone?

[prairiegirl]

I"m a surface cleaner too, but I do try to clean the bathroom (toilet and sink) every day.

 

The main floor is clean as long as you don't look in the closets or in the cupboards but don't go down in the basement. Yikes! That is scary. I watched Oprah last week about getting rid of clutter and I was convicted. I don't like living like this. I would like to be more than a surface cleaner. Problem is, though, when would I have the time to do more?

[Mommyof4ks]

I used to be a surface cleaner, and that is what I aspire to do again since it frees up time to enjoy the kids.

 

My son's illness requires that I keep the house squeaky clean so he does not get sick. It is interesting that someone brought up a link between 'too clean' and allergies, because all three of my kid's have developed terrible allergies since we started this. Hopefully when I can be a slacker again that will calm down too! :D

 

I too believe we need germs!

[umarider]

It does get a little easier as dc get older and can be given more to do. My parents are coming to visit, so I decided that it really was time that the kitchen floor got mopped. Problem is that dc drop all kinds of stuff on the floor, so the Floormate just wasn't gonna cut it. Time to call in the kids! I gave them a squirt bottle filled w/ cleaner & 2 scrub brushes. What I thought would be a struggle, turned into fun for them. They decided to dress as Cinderella (old ratty clothes, hair in kerchief) and got right to scrubbing! That floor is the cleanest it's been in about 6 months!:D

 

But truth be told, I am a surface cleaner. Just today I was commenting that I'd rather be mucking a horse's stall than cleaning my house!

[Michelle T]

I guess I'm mostly a surface cleaner.

 

Beds are made daily, dishes always taken care of. I try and sweep the house daily, as our cats track litter everywhere.

 

I vacuum weekly. I have DS mop the floors weekly, but he does a lousy job.

 

I clean the toilets, sink and bathroom counters weekly.

 

I clean out the tub/shower maybe once monthly, but use the daily spray which does help keep it clean looking.

 

Kitchen counters are wiped down as needed.

 

I assign DS dusting, wiping down furniture, and cleaning glass mirrored closet doors weekly. He does a terrible job on all of these, but at least I'm not doing it!

 

A few times per year, I do dust knick knacks, wipe down furniture, and clean smudges off walls. I vacuum baseboards, but don't scrub them. I blush to admit how rarely the inside of the fridge is cleaned.

 

I keep clutter contained to the garage, or inside cabinets.

 

I'm glad others are surface cleaners. I feel kind of guilty about it, but not enough to make me change my ways!

Michelle T

[Lovedtodeath]

I used to be a surface cleaner, and that is what I aspire to do again since it frees up time to enjoy the kids.

 

My son's illness requires that I keep the house squeaky clean so he does not get sick. It is interesting that someone brought up a link between 'too clean' and allergies, because all three of my kid's have developed terrible allergies since we started this. Hopefully when I can be a slacker again that will calm down too! :D

 

I too believe we need germs!

What kind of cleaning products are you using? They can be pretty toxic. Bleach is pretty bad, Lysol is horrible. I try to use peroxide to kill germs.

[Parrothead]

Ok, so we've got some who surface clean, like me, and others who do deeper cleaning.

 

My kids are aged 3 and 6. I clean more now than I did a couple of years ago, but I would like to keep on top of more things like paperwork and bathroom tubs/sinks.

 

Do you guys think I'll be able to do more as dc get older? Or am I kidding myself and using the kids as an excuse not to do more?

 

For the cleaners out there, did you clean this way all along with little kids, or did you start doing more as they got older? Also, do the kids do some of the cleaning, or do you do it alone?

 

I've always done it the way I described above. Now, mind you, there are weeks that life gets in the way and I only get things done once. What saved me is the wipes. I've got dust (Pledge) wipes, glass (Windex) wipes, bathroom wipes, if there is a wipe for it I use it. For the dusting and the bathroom it is a lift, wipe under, put back or put away. The wipes are a bit pricey, but I think my time is worth it.

 

Also the investment of the Floormate is a time saver. Instead of having to sweep then mop then wait for the floor to dry, the floors get sucked, scrubbed and squeegied in the time it takes to vacuum.

 

Because I utilize the time savers available to me I can have the twice weekly cleaning done within two hours. And while I'm working (on Saturdays) dd is responsible for cleaning her room. The way she dawdles it takes her most of the time I'm working on the house. i am starting to teach her to do a bit of the surface stuff. I won't let her near the chemicals yet though. On Wednesdays I work on my work while she is doing independent school work.

Edited November 17, 2008 by Parrothead

[Michelle T]

I've always done it the way I described above. Now, mind you, there are weeks that life gets in the way and I only get things done once. What saved me is the wipes. I've got dust (Pledge) wipes, glass (Windex) wipes, bathroom wipes, if there is a wipe for it I use it. For the dusting and the bathroom it is a lift, wipe under, put back or put away. The wipes are a bit pricey, but I think my time is worth it.

 

 

I use cleaning wipes for whatever I can. They save a ton of time, and are worth the price, IMHO.

Michelle T

[Garga]

I have DS mop the floors weekly, but he does a lousy job.

 

 

I assign DS dusting, wiping down furniture, and cleaning glass mirrored closet doors weekly. He does a terrible job on all of these...

Michelle T

 

For some reason this struck me as hilarious!

 

I'm imagining your household with your son working away, maybe frowning with concentration, water splashing everywhere...making a huge mess. There you are shaking your head and looking bemused... :001_huh:

[Parrothead]

I use cleaning wipes for whatever I can. They save a ton of time, and are worth the price, IMHO.

Michelle T

 

I justify it as my time being just as valuable as someone that works for pay.

[Lovedtodeath]

I justify it as my time being just as valuable as someone that works for pay.

 

I think I am going to do this! I am always trying to get DH to pay for a maid once a week... but I never thought about products helping. Clutter takes me longer than the actual cleaning though, truth be told.

[Parrothead]

I think I am going to do this! I am always trying to get DH to pay for a maid once a week... but I never thought about products helping. Clutter takes me longer than the actual cleaning though, truth be told.

Hire help for a major decluttering. Having it decluttered is a great motivator to keep it clean and clutter free.

[sarahv]

There are good weeks and bad weeks. Good weeks are when the laundry is done by Sunday night and the dishes are done and the kitchen floor is mopped and the bathroom cleaned (I consider the bathroom clean if the sink and counter are wiped, the toilet is clean and the floor wiped down, oh, and the mirror, takes all of about 20 min) Bad weeks, well, you know (or maybe you don't), when the dishes start to stink and the laundry is spilling out of all the available baskets, and there is still pb&j on the kitchen floor. :tongue_smilie:

 

I enjoy the good weeks, and I just close my eyes on the bad weeks. Just can't do it all. Someday, I have dreams of a spotless house, and washed baseboards every week, and a MAID.

 

Ha ha. Maybe when the kids are grown.:001_smile: Only, the problem is, that I just love to hang out with my husband too much, so when the kids are grown, the house still won't be spotless.

 

Who wants to spend their life cleaning anyway...there are SO many better things to be doing!! :lol:

[KidsHappen]

I keep the house "surface clean" (for the most part.)

 

The good news:

 

I dust, vacuum and tidy the paper clutters and other clutters.

 

I make the bed. (only mine, the kids stay unmade)

 

I keep up with laundry. I keep up with dishes.

 

The bad news:

I rarely mop the kitchen. Just sweep when there are a gadzillion crumbs on the floor (twice a week).

 

I only sweep the bathrooms once a month or so. I never mop the bathrooms.

 

I clean the shower/tubs only once every couple of months.

 

I clean out the bathroom sinks and toilets maybe once every 2 weeks.

 

Things like baseboards and windows--har har! Maybe once every 3 years!

 

Etc.

 

So, you walk into my house and it looks nice and tidy and there isn't dust or dirt on the carpets or dishes and laundry overflowing. But that's it.

 

 

How much do you clean? And if you do more than the basics that I do, how often do you do them?

 

 

I pay the oldest to sweep, mop, and vacuum (including stairs & upholestry). She puts all of her money in a college fund so this works out well.

 

I do laundry and dishes daily.

 

We both are OCD so clutter is dealt with on a regular basis. I am so glad there are two of us because the rest of the family is pack-rats and mess-mongers.

 

Bathrooms are thoroughly cleaned bi-weekly although I would prefer it happen weekly.

 

Beds are never made. I utterly fail to understand the point. They are so much more inviting when they are already mussed.

 

Dusting unfortunately does not get done around here. I have tried offering payment to no avail. My children much prefer to use dusty surfaces for writing. I think that my neighbor has some magic dust repeling secret. We have house-sit for her many times and even after her being gone for two weeks, no dust accumulates. I really wish I knew what she was doing differently.

 

Blinds, windowsill, door jams, lighting fixtures, baseboards and such - ha! Maybe when I have nothing better to do. Can you just hire someone to come in and so these kinds of things?

[Lovedtodeath]

We have house-sit for her many times and even after her being gone for two weeks, no dust accumulates. I really wish I knew what she was doing differently.

 

:iagree:Some people have houses that just don't require cleaning. I do twice as much laundry and dishes than everyone I know. I don't get it.

 

 

Oh, my kitchen is unsafe more often than not. (It's supposed to be DH job, but I end up doing it 1/3 of the time.) Usually half of the dishes are dirty. Sinks and countertops are full and dishwasher houses the clean ones. And laundry is all done maybe once every month. Maybe.

[KAR120C]

My highest priorities are the kitchen and the bathrooms, and they stay pretty clean (although I'd like it if DS wiped out his sink more frequently... since his is the hall bathroom!) I do sweep the floors at least weekly, but I don't vacuum the one carpeted room as often as I should, and it shows. Clutter, though, is my big downfall. We do have too much stuff and it's on counters and tables where you can see it. *sigh* I do make my bed though, and DS sort of makes his. Sort of. ;)

[Michelle T]

For some reason this struck me as hilarious!

 

I'm imagining your household with your son working away, maybe frowning with concentration, water splashing everywhere...making a huge mess. There you are shaking your head and looking bemused... :001_huh:

 

 

My guy is just NOT that concerned with cleaning! He will spend two seconds waving a duster around, and try to claim he dusted a room. He never wipes the corners when doing counters, never mops into the corners, where the floor gets gross. I always have to call him back to do it over!

Michelle T

[Lovedtodeath]

When my 17 year old niece stayed with us she would mop almost every day, but she did a horrible job. Just run the mop over the surface lightly... no need to look and see that the gunk is gone. ;)

[ChemMommy]

My mil, wonderful lady, introduced me to Plan A and Plan B.

 

Plan A: clean for guests, have everything perfect, etc.

 

Plan B: hide it

 

 

I tend toward Plan B, mostly.

 

I try to keep the three "public" rooms (LR, DR, Kit) clean, dusted, and vacuumed and able to be picked up in under five minutes. That way, an unexpected guest sees a clean but lived-in front room or two.

 

The bathrooms get wiped down every day and the potty is scrubbed. Tubs are ignored--that's what the door on the shower is for---to hide the soap scum, right?

 

The bedrooms--sorry, the piles grow higher every week because that's where we hide the stuff from the front rooms when Plan B happens.

 

You sound like me--I'd be happy to have you visit my house unexpectedly since your standards aren't so high.:)

[homeschoolmomtutu]

I mop the floors weekly...and hands an knee scrub them, once a month...

Baseboards, light fixtures (ie fan blades and glass flutes around bulbs) and air vents are done every couple months...

toilets, dust, vacuum, sweep, glass surfaces weekly...

dusting blinds once a month,

tubs and the masters shower enclosure bi-weekly...

Kitchen counters, dishes, etc...daily (but that is a kid chore).

The kids are in charge of making their beds in the morning...I make mine and my dh's...

Kids do trash/recycling duty once a week...

 

I do not use heavy chemicals for cleaning, mainly enviromentally safe no/low voc's etc...I am a no "antibacterial soap" person too...

[Annabel Lee]

My mil, wonderful lady, introduced me to Plan A and Plan B.

 

Plan A: clean for guests, have everything perfect, etc.

 

Plan B: hide it

 

Plan B for me has resulted in a master bedroom cluttered with large boxes of "the crud that was all over the kitchen counters before so-and-so came over a couple years ago". We can't park our vehicles in the garage because there's too much stuff in there that I keep meaning to put to good use. I've got magazines that date back to 2004 because they've got good recipes, crafts, or home decorating ideas that I don't want to toss. I can't seem to come up with "homes" for any of the stuff. I'm really good at buying organizers and then not using them. I haven't cleaned the inside of the fridge thoroughly since we moved here 4 years ago, and I've only ever swiffer mopped the kitchen/dining floor - never used a real mop or scrub brush on it (for gunky chunks that are stuck on I just spot clean). Dusting? :lol: We have a "clean laundry couch". It used to be the loveseat. How's that for confession?

Edited November 17, 2008 by Annabel Lee
spelling error

[sadiegirl]

I pick up CONSTANTLY but never seems to help as they just pull the things back out to use again! My main concerns are toilets clean,laundry caught up,dishes and kitchen picked up and wooden floors clean. My family helps when they see I am about to have a mental moment when it gets too deep! We are all pretty good about keeping it to a minimum.

[Riverfront Headmistress]

Surface cleaner? Not I! Where are all my OCD cleaners? Unite!

 

My house is always clean. Always. You can drop by my house at any given time and it is ready for show. Because I've always kept a clean and organized house, it doesn't take much maitenance. All household members know exactly how to keep it "Mom clean"; nothing less than "Mom clean" is acceptable.

[Sharon in SC]

My mil, wonderful lady, introduced me to Plan A and Plan B.

 

Plan A: clean for guests, have everything perfect, etc.

 

Plan B: hide it

 

 

 

This is going to sound FlyLady "cliche" but it really is an honest testimonial. Now that I've been able to fully incorporate FL's technique, I really do find my house to be "company ready" all of the time (except for when "life" might kick in in which case it doesn't take too much ado to get it back in order). It is so freeing to know that anyone can come by anytime and we're "safe". :001_smile:

[jenniferlee]

I pretty much just keep things picked up, dishes done after every meal and laundry put away daily. No bathrooms, no mopping, etc. But this year we hired someone to help me out twice a week. So now those get done every week. The fridge is even clean, and the windows! Now to move on to those boxes of stuff in the closet...

Jen

[Laura Corin]

I sweep the kitchen floor most days, largely because I like to go barefoot, which is nasty if there are crumbs. The bathrooms get a pretty thorough clean once a week, as does the kitchen/fridge. I vacuum and dust about once every two weeks.

 

Laura

[Sarita]

Thank you, Dusty Lizard, for posting this (and to everyone who's been honest about their cleaning regimen)! I'm a "surface cleaner" too, I guess, but I've been feeling a lot of guilt about it. Knowing that I'm not the only one brings me a great sense of relief!

 

Sarita

[~Tara~]

I'm mostly a surface cleaner as originally described.

Though, the living room will look rather cluttered if you stop by during school time. Kids scattered to all four corners of our main living area (living room and connected formal dining room which we use as a library).

 

Bathrooms get cleaned at least once a week, preferably twice. I have boys, and one of them is 2...need I say more?

 

Kitchen gets mopped..oh...I don't know. Once a month? I loathe that job. Can't find a mop that does a sufficient job and I despise crawling around on my hands and knees to clean it!

Bathroom floors, less often..except for that half bath downstairs where the 2 yr old most frequently goes ;)

 

Baseboards and walls? LOL Yeah right. Only when I get disgusted by the handprints on the walls do I take a rag to them. A few times a year maybe?

 

Ceiling fans? Whenever we turn them off then smell a 'hot/burning' smell from the dust on the light fixtures :p Meaning, I just did the one here in the living room for the first time since moving here a year ago. Oh and I didn't do a thorough job of that..it's too high, vaulted ceilings, I can't even reach it with our ladder.

 

Anywho...

 

What else?

 

Moving appliances? Ha! It's not happened here. I did do so at our previous house, but I can't move these and I can never convince hubs to do it *right now* when I mention it/ask. So, there they sit.

 

My main rooms are kept fairly tidy though and I try to keep on the kids about keeping the upstairs clean. But I don't go up there often to keep on top of that.