Were you taught how to clean?

[Carrie12345]

I am 44 years old. After catching up on some neglected deep cleaning the last few days, it occurred to me for the first time ever that I was never really taught how to clean, or at least clean well.

Growing up, there were some basic routine tasks. Assigned dish nights, weekly dusting, vacuuming, and basic bathroom wipe downs... and that’s basically it.   
I don’t recall the floor ever being mopped, carpets ever being cleaned, shower being scrubbed, blinds were GROSS... I could go on. Mom worked, sometimes up to 3 jobs, so it isn’t like it was getting done while we were in school. I remember tackling those blinds once, but they had been neglected so long and I didn’t know how to bring them back to life. I made it worse. We were never shown how to do big jobs. Not the technique, or even just the need for them to be done.  
(On the plus side, we didn’t have pets. So at least it wasn’t worse.)

Now I’m feeling a little worried about what I have or haven’t taught my own kids. I do know they know what big jobs exist, because they do see them get done, but there are plenty I haven’t outright taught them how to do, like cleaning refrigerator coils, the oven, the dryer vent, etc. And I already have 3 adult kids! (Only one lives alone, though.)

Part of me figures I learned how to do it all, so they probably will. And then I think of the other parent in the house and I assume my kids are doomed. 😛 

[regentrude]

No, I wasn't taught explicitly how to clean. I saw how my mother/grandmother cleaned. And it's not exactly rocket science -I figured it out once I had my own household.

ETA: Also, times and tech change. My folks beat the carpet outside with a carpet beater. We scrubbed the stone stairs on our knees. Those skills wouldn't be remotely useful to me.

Edited October 25, 2021 by regentrude

[MooCow]

Nope. Never. Cleaning was not my mom's forte after my parents divorced. Not that she ever cleaned during the marriage much. 

My stepmom would clean before the maid came. 

The first time I swept, I was 22 years old and working as a receptionist in a hair salon and I got the job because I said I didn't mind sweeping lol. My boss had to teach me. 

I figured it out myself and googled a ton. Before the pandemic, I was going to open my own cleaning service. Had the supplies, business cards, etc.

[Kassia]

I wasn't taught to clean even though I had a lot of cleaning responsibilities in the house (my parents got a cleaning lady when I left for college).  I never vacuumed until DH and I moved in together and had NO IDEA that the bag had to be emptied.  We had new carpet in our apartment and borrowed my MIL's vacuum when we first moved in and returned it without emptying the bag.  She was furious and it gave her just one more reason to dislike me.  I was so embarrassed when I found out.

[Katy]

Yes.  My mom prefers scrubbing floors on hands and knees so I didn’t learn mopping until I got a job, but otherwise yes. She’s much more of a “notice and do it” type whereas I’m easily distracted so I schedule every task.

[MEmama]

No. My mom was a SAH mom and did most of the household chores while I was at school. I saw her do some basic tasks but she never really instructed me or showed me anything beyond vacuuming and dishes. 
 

I didn’t have any chores growing up. I think I helped do the dishes now and again, but nothing much beyond that. I think teaching oneself to keep a clean home is one of those things that most people figure out when it becomes important to them. 

[SKL]

Absolutely yes.  My mom used to do it all on Saturdays (she was a working mom too).  When I was very young, I tagged along and watched / listened.  By about age 7, I had specific chores and I was to perform them a certain way.  Over the years I had every domestic chore that existed (but not all at the same time).  If I didn't do it right, I had to do it over.

I found it surprising when I lived in the graduate dorm and there were other young women who had no clue.  I had to teach people how to do what I considered bare basics.

Edited October 25, 2021 by SKL

[Granny_Weatherwax]

No, I knew things had to be done and I watched my mom do some of them but she never taught me and there was never a rhyme or reason to anything. No weekly/monthly/seasonal schedule. Just kind of mishmash by dealing with what finally needed attention.

[Pawz4me]

I don't remember ever being actively taught, but I've been cleaning for as long as I can remember. Like I remember being 7 or 8 and doing the sweeping, mopping, dusting, scrubbing bathrooms, etc. And not because I was made to do it, but because (I think) it was a higher priority for me than for my mom, and because cleaning isn't something I've ever seen as a hugely big deal. Which makes it sound like my mom was a slob (which isn't true) or that I'm some kind of clean freak (which I don't think is true, either).

[Indigo Blue]

I was never taught to clean (or cook).  I just remember my mom getting really angry that I wasn’t cleaning without having to be asked. (This was from age 13 and up). I was confused because she never asked me to do anything. There was never an assigned daily or weekly chore. She would do the cleaning until one day decide to be enraged that I wasn’t helping. It was actually pretty traumatic. When I did wash dishes, she would get angry because I got water on the floor. Then I felt angry inside and this didn’t help me to want to cheerfully help out. It made me want to avoid it all together. 

I can clean my house just fine now. In fact, I’m a bit of a minimalist and keep my house pretty clean.

So I resolved to never do my boys this way. They had assigned jobs,  and I taught them how to clean tubs, toilets, etc. I never gave them more than could be reasonably expected for their age. I thought if that they turned out to be less   of a cleaner than I, it wouldn’t be because I didn’t teach them.

They both have their own places now, and their places are tidy, but I wouldn’t say they their floors and bathrooms are clean to “my” standards. But it’s far far from being unclean. They just don’t have the same eye for detail in that regard. Like, seeing that a table is dusty, etc. They probably have other things to think about that are more important to them.

So, my point is that I think it’s good and wise to teach how to clean, but in the end, IMO, our personal style of cleaning as adults is going to emerge pretty much based on our personality. (Of course, you can influence and start good habits, too). 

My son’s happily cleaned when they were young. One ds, in his teens, stopped caring about hanging his cleaned and folded laundry (that I put in his room) and I eventually stopped asking. Not a hill to die on. Now, in his own place, he never leaves his clothes lying around. 

This is just how things go,  it seems. This is my experience, anyway. I say teach them what you think you should. They will learn a lot of things just on their own, especially if they need to.

I do know that it’s not a good idea to scream for getting water on the floor, or vacuuming every day not saying a word, then one day ….just telling your kid how awful they are because they aren’t vacuuming. That’s why we come along side, teach, be consistent, and make up chore charts with positive encouragement. I guess you can see this is a sore topic for me.

[marbel]

I don't remember being taught, and there were some things I didn't know about till I was well into adulthood. Like, the filters on the fan above the stove, that was a revelation to me, and I only found out because I saw my husband cleaning them. 

But, I have taught my kids a lot of things and they would say I never taught them. So, I don't really trust my memory in this area. but of course I would have been at school while my mom was doing housework, whereas my kids were home with me all day and saw more of it.

 

[historically accurate]

Not really, but my mom and dad worked nights most of my life and did the cleaning while I was at school. They would leave a list for my brother and I to do once we were old enough to be home alone, but I learned early on that my brother is an Angry Cleaner, so I'd poke at him until he'd get mad and clean it all. 

I can clean, but I struggle with following a schedule as well as realizing it's been X number of weeks since I cleaned some specific item, so I've struggled in my adulthood with keeping up with the cleaning. Two of my kids are even worse in the concentration/scheduling arena, so I do worry about them in adulthood. 

[kbutton]

29 minutes ago, regentrude said:

No, I wasn't taught explicitly how to clean. I saw how my mother/grandmother cleaned. And it's not exactly rocket science -I figured it out once I had my own household.

You'd be surprised at how many people do find it rocket science. Or how many people go through the motions but don't actually get anything clean. One summer roommate I had would clean when I was out, and I couldn't tell. She would get really mad to find me cleaning things she'd just "cleaned." I don't know if was an attention issue or not being able to see grime. My kids have this difficulty, so it's taking a lot of time to train them how to tell if you've scrubbed enough.

I think it makes a BIG difference to have watched even if you've not been taught. Kind of like breastfeeding--kids who watched mom breastfeed pick up subtle stuff, mimic it with their own dolls or stuffies (even boys!). 

19 minutes ago, SKL said:

I found it surprising when I lived in the graduate dorm and there were other young women who had no clue.  I had to teach people how to do what I considered bare basics.

Me too. I moved into a filthy apartment one summer that had been vacated by nursing majors. It was abhorrent, and it was NOT a dive apartment but a nice one. Rotting stuff under the sink from a leak, dead mouse, mouse poop all over, didn't know what color the carpet or shower was until I had cleaned it. 

4 minutes ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

No, I knew things had to be done and I watched my mom do some of them but she never taught me and there was never a rhyme or reason to anything. No weekly/monthly/seasonal schedule. Just kind of mishmash by dealing with what finally needed attention.

My family was pretty seasonal about large tasks and fairly scheduled about the others (if there wasn't canning from the garden to interrupt, etc.), but I tend to be more haphazard about scheduling--it's more like try to get everything clean again before it goes off the rails. My kids are learning a large variety of indoor and outdoor tasks though.

OP, yes I was explicitly taught how to do a very big variety of household tasks, indoors and outdoors. 

[marbel]

4 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

I just remember my mom getting really angry that I wasn’t cleaning without having to be asked.

It upsets me when people do that to their kids, as if things like this just come naturally.  I have one who does not notice things and has to be explicitly asked. Once asked, it will get done cheerfully and quickly, but the ask has to happen first. The other parent in the house will get frustrated because "they shouldn't have to be asked all the time" but that is their personality and truth be told, I think this child inherited the trait from the other parent. It's always so easy to see other people's failings more than our own. 

I don't mean to make it sound like a big thing, it's not a huge point of contention and does not cause friction, just a moderate amount of frustration now and then. I'm all for clear and explicit communication of expectations.

[Rosie_0801]

Sure. I was the oldest girl and I also had to help my father with his night job of cleaning a local child care centre.

My daughter was one of the only people in her home ec class who knew how to wash dishes by hand.

[gardenmom5]

My mother didn't teach me much of anything.

[Ailaena]

39 minutes ago, Kassia said:

 I never vacuumed until DH and I moved in together and had NO IDEA that the bag had to be emptied.  

My 40ish, well-educated, medical professional SIL complained that her vacuum didn’t pick up like it should so we took it and there was no bag.  So I asked what kind of bag it took and she had no idea because after literally 10 years of owning the vacuum, she had never known it took bags to put a bag in it.  Worked great once I got the bag!  Tbf, her house is consistently spotless, so it’s not like she doesn’t know how to clean.  Probably easier to keep clean now that she’s not blowing carpet dust everywhere.

that said, my mother is a horrendous housekeeper.  I never had chores growing up and never learned how to clean - more importantly, I didn’t know WHAT to clean so now my housekeeper suffers 😝

[Clarita]

I was not taught how to clean. I was not even allowed to clean. No way I could do it right one that's what she told me and two she had a lot of strange rules for cleaning. Like 5 of the same sponge for "different" things, I could never keep track of which sponge was for what. Anytime I tried to help resulted in me getting in trouble. My mom would lament that I didn't help out, but that was way better than the talk I would get for doing it wrong.

What she taught me about housekeeping is just make enough money so you don't have to do it. She was kind of unhappy about having to be a mom. 

So I'm learning alongside my kids. What to clean, how to clean, etc. 

[Indigo Blue]

6 minutes ago, marbel said:

I'm all for clear and explicit communication of expectations

Yes. I would have been happy to do whatever she needed. I wasn’t being obstinate at all. She’d get angry and I’d say, “Just ask me if you need me to vacuum.” She’d yell, “ I shouldn’t have to ask you!”  But the week before, she didn’t care that I was running around outside and  not vacuuming.

I would have loved for my mom to have been the type to teach me how to cook and clean. Just spending time together baking stuff, etc. 

[Spryte]

No, I taught myself, and was determined never to be the gross roommate. My standards are high.

We have cleaning help now, and I had to laugh at the PP who said her stepmom cleaned before the maids came. I don’t clean before they come, but we do tidy up any piles and put everything away. One of my kids grumbles about cleaning for the maids, but we don’t actually do any cleaning. It’s more making the kids put their things away so that the maids *can* clean. 🤣

[Elizabeth86]

No way and it shows! 😂

[PeterPan]

Well I was told to clean and checked. Some of the things my mother did weren't the way I do it now, so I think we find our own way. 

I've been watching Angela Brown videos on youtube and find them inspiring. Sometimes she's just a lot more energizer bunny than me, mercy, lol.

I think don't feel bad about how it was or the past. We all find some balance. Our house was clean but mom wouldn't let you *touch* her. Like nothing, don't touch my hair, not huggy, no pictures around the house, etc. So I'm not sure super clean is the epitome either. Maybe find the good in what you did do and keep moving forward. 🙂 

[marbel]

4 minutes ago, Spryte said:

I don’t clean before they come, but we do tidy up any piles and put everything away.

I had a cleaning service for a brief time in my life, and my husband teased me one time for cleaning up for them.  So I had to point out what I thought would be obvious - they can't clean where there are piles of "stuff" (I used a different word) and does he want the cleaning service people to have to deal with piles of "stuff?"  

That situation is not unique to me of course. It seems to be a pretty common "joke." 

[Spryte]

Just now, marbel said:

I had a cleaning service for a brief time in my life, and my husband teased me one time for cleaning up for them.  So I had to point out what I thought would be obvious - they can't clean where there are piles of "stuff" (I used a different word) and does he want the cleaning service people to have to deal with piles of "stuff?"  

That situation is not unique to me of course. It seems to be a pretty common "joke." 

Yep!

[PeterPan]

2 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

No way and it shows! 😂

Here, have fun. She'll change your life. 😄 

 

 

[Sneezyone]

Yes. My mom was a military brat back when move out cleaning was intense (read: absurdly detailed). She taught me to clean and I've stood over my kids making them clean/re-clean. It doesn't have to be done every week but certainly periodically to prevent gross build up.

[SKL]

My current housekeeping is different from what my mom taught me, but I do still remember/use things like how to decide if something is clean enough.

As for my kids, I don't make them do much housework, but my goal is that they will know *how* to clean and cook before they finish high school.  In addition to the basic how-to's, I try to encourage them to notice / be aware of how spaces look/feel when they are "cleaned."  Not sure if this is going to matter in their future, LOL.  I am often amazed at how quickly they can trash a room or car.  (And then they complain that the car or room is too small LOL ... but that's a rant for another day!)

[Carol in Cal.]

Nope, just dusting, hand washing dishes, and wiping counters.  Oh, and cleaning the toilets with a toilet brush.

I never saw the rest, and never really learned it either.  My nemesis job is cleaning uncarpetted floors.  Seems like no matter what I do, either they look smeary or have sticky soap residues or just don’t get completely clean, let alone shiny.  The sad thing is that I have no idea how to learn this either.  I mean, what do I do?  Ask for lessons?  To the people who know how to do this it’s so obvious that they can’t or won’t articulate it, and so that’s not really helpful at all.

[SKL]

2 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Nope, just dusting, hand washing dishes, and wiping counters.  Oh, and cleaning the toilets with a toilet brush.

I never saw the rest, and never really learned it either.  My nemesis job is cleaning uncarpetted floors.  Seems like no matter what I do, either they look smeary or have sticky soap residues or just don’t get completely clean, let alone shiny.  The sad thing is that I have no idea how to learn this either.  I mean, what do I do?  Ask for lessons?  To the people who know how to do this it’s so obvious that they can’t or won’t articulate it, and so that’s not really helpful at all.

I wonder if the Hive could have a series of posts on the chat board re "how do you clean your ____"?

[73349]

I was taught to sweep and vacuum, do laundry, wash dishes, clean a toilet... I was not taught to declutter or organize, which are weak areas for my mom. Unfortunately, DH was taught even less housework, although he mowed the lawn.

I can't remember how long it's been since I've done any non-daily task (changing filters, etc.), so I use the Sweepy app to keep track of it.

[KungFuPanda]

1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

I am 44 years old. After catching up on some neglected deep cleaning the last few days, it occurred to me for the first time ever that I was never really taught how to clean, or at least clean well.

Growing up, there were some basic routine tasks. Assigned dish nights, weekly dusting, vacuuming, and basic bathroom wipe downs... and that’s basically it.   
I don’t recall the floor ever being mopped, carpets ever being cleaned, shower being scrubbed, blinds were GROSS... I could go on. Mom worked, sometimes up to 3 jobs, so it isn’t like it was getting done while we were in school. I remember tackling those blinds once, but they had been neglected so long and I didn’t know how to bring them back to life. I made it worse. We were never shown how to do big jobs. Not the technique, or even just the need for them to be done.  
(On the plus side, we didn’t have pets. So at least it wasn’t worse.)

Now I’m feeling a little worried about what I have or haven’t taught my own kids. I do know they know what big jobs exist, because they do see them get done, but there are plenty I haven’t outright taught them how to do, like cleaning refrigerator coils, the oven, the dryer vent, etc. And I already have 3 adult kids! (Only one lives alone, though.)

Part of me figures I learned how to do it all, so they probably will. And then I think of the other parent in the house and I assume my kids are doomed. 😛 

I was explicitly taught by my parents how to clean everything.  Mom did full out Spring Cleaning every year.  It must have been regional because I thought everybody did that.  The Really Clean people did spring and fall cleaning.  Everything was moved, walls were wiped down, and carpets were shampooed.  Mom usually rearranged furniture at this time.  Later, I was taught by the military how to clean everything.  It was like doing spring cleaning twice a month. It's a problem, because what is considered Truly Clean Enough cannot be managed by one person with a life.  I learned when I got older that the way to KEEP a house presentable is to do a bad-to-mediocre job more frequently.  Putting it off until you can "do it right" is a recipe for disaster.  

Your kids will be fine.  They have the internet. 

 

ETA:  If it makes anyone feel better about their own houses just know that my kitchen is currently covered in a fine layer of grease.  Dh took over cooking while I've been juggling two jobs.  I think he either stir-fried or deep fried EVERYTHING. The man thinks you can cook everything in a wok.  I'm talking soup, bacon and eggs  . . . he's crazy.  I'm winding down from one job and learning the ropes on the other, so I only got 4 days off in October.  I'll be down to working 2-3 days VERY soon and I can't wait to scrub the whole kitchen.  

Edited October 25, 2021 by KungFuPanda

[Annie G]

Nope. I was the third daughter and Mom was burned out from teaching by then.  She taught my sisters how to clean a house, sew, cook, shave, put on makeup, and who knows what else.  When I was around 10 Mom got a full time job and had no real enthusiasm for teaching another kid all that stuff.  Most was pretty easy to figure out but some things I struggled with, such as floors. 

[ScoutTN]

Nope

[fraidycat]

Yes. My mom is s bit of a neat/clean freak.

So daily tasks were taught, nagged, and enforced. Then some weekends were deep clean days. We learned to deep clean with toothbrushes, cleaners, polishers, etc. Allllll the nooks and crannies. Baseboards, around and behind toilets, inside cupboards and drawers, all the knickknacks, photo frames, decorations, under all the couch cushions, heater vents/cold air returns, bathroom fan vents, fan blades. 

Mom is also a bit notorious for decluttering a little too aggressively, so we were taught to get rid of stuff, too.

Top to bottom, corner to corner. We learned how to clean. Do I do it as often as I probably should? Not so much, but I do know how. 

[BusyMom5]

Yes, and we also had rental houses that would need deep-cleaned between renters.  My big girls have both cleaned house for others as a side-job (they are upper teens) and got good reviews!  I don't do a schedule or anything specific- just look around and decide what needs done most during cleaning time.  

[Carrie12345]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

I don't remember ever being actively taught, but I've been cleaning for as long as I can remember. Like I remember being 7 or 8 and doing the sweeping, mopping, dusting, scrubbing bathrooms, etc. And not because I was made to do it, but because (I think) it was a higher priority for me than for my mom, and because cleaning isn't something I've ever seen as a hugely big deal. Which makes it sound like my mom was a slob (which isn't true) or that I'm some kind of clean freak (which I don't think is true, either).

Yeah, I don’t think my mom is the worst ever (I’ve seen WAY worse), and I don’t think I’m the biggest neat freak, either. (I am internally, but sometimes it just isn’t worth prioritizing the nitty gritty.)

It’s all definitely higher priority to me than it is to my husband or kids, but still all on a spectrum.

I did ship my dd a package, and got emailed the photo of the delivery. Honestly, I was appalled by the state of her (shared) front porch (with her junk only.) I wish her downstairs neighbor would say something to her because, if I do, I’m a nosey, meddling, obsessive mom. 😛    
But that’s more about tidying than just cleaning.

[DreamerGirl]

We always had a maid who swept, mopped and my grandmother was a fastidious person and we could literally eat off the floor (probably operate on in as well). But she came from a era where losing family members to TB was common so her cleaning practices were extreme to me. We used to hand wash clothes (only had a washing machine later) so clothes were washed by boiling water, she cleaned all coins in warm water (coins were a big part when I was growing up with no credit cards and used to frequently roll on the ground where people spit). Vessels were always hand washed after each meal as we would get pests. Part of it though extreme was trauma which I recognize now. So I grew up with my share of sweeping especially as in we needed to sweep twice a day where the doors and windows were wide open all days and even at night (no glass). I also grew up hand washing at times, hanging up clothes and doing a fair share of chores as part of helping though not as part of a set of regular ones.

When I moved to the US I had a little hitch about learning to operate the washing machine but other than that I could cook ok, wash my dishes, cleaned up after myself in addition to study and work responsibilities. My room mates could not.  We were in graduate school, but the difference between me and them is that though we grew up with maids and had observed the family cleaning around us, but I had done a fair share of chores growing up and the complete focus was not just on studying so I had some idea of how to do it. It was not a brutal transition. My roommates were smart people, multi-lingual, highly educated, could travel by themselves across continents but could not remember to regularly throw the trash, clean after themselves. Chore charts, meetings, nothing worked. It made up a difficult living situation. I was always the bad guy but I was not asking for sparkling clean looking back, just wash your dishes and don't let it pile up, throw the overflowing trash and put the bag in when you do so, sweep and clean the kitchen after you cook. Just basic things which they could not do and I hated it. I did it myself and resented it. They have never learned and found it hard. It really was horrible living there because it creates resentment and they were really good people. But we never gelled and I moved out as soon as I can.  I did not know how to sit and watch a movie with someone after having a tense meeting about dishes and clean kitchens as I was filled with resentment and they did not like being lectured. Did not make for a pleasant living environment.

I believe teaching children to clean and cook will help them immensely. Not to operating on the floor at a moment's notice level, but basic things like hand washing, sweeping, loading a dishwasher, running a vacuum, laundry, bathroom, fold clothes. Perhaps not deep cleaning. But basic, every day chores like cleaning is a part of life. 

When people transition into living as adults, it is often with room mates. Or a partner. While cleaning methods vary, basic cleanliness and the ability to have that as part of daily living is a necessary skill I think. Room mate fights about dishes, kitchen, trash are exhausting. I could not live with that and  I chose a partner who valued cleaning. I do not want my kids to go through a period of brutal transition like that. 

 

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by DreamerGirl
Clarity

[mom2scouts]

No, I wasn't taught to clean and I still struggle with it. My mom was a SAHM and she also has OCD. Nobody can clean to her standards (including her) so we were only responsible for cleaning our own rooms to her ridiculous standards and sometimes washing dishes. She also gets up very early and most of the house was clean before we got out of bed.

[Carol in Cal.]

1 hour ago, SKL said:

I wonder if the Hive could have a series of posts on the chat board re "how do you clean your ____"?

I’ve asked before, and was told things like ‘Buy this cleaner, dilute it a lot, go over the floor afterwards with a rinsed out mop, that should prevent soap residues.’  Yeah, tried that.  Amazon packed the cleaner with a book.  The cleaner leaked, and the book was ruined.  When I complained they wanted me to send both things back, and then stopped shipping that particular cleaner.  I kind of gave up at that point.

Ready to try again though!  Any thoughts on cleaning linoleum/tile/kitchen or bathroom floors?

[Indigo Blue]

19 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

 

Ready to try again though!  Any thoughts on cleaning linoleum/tile/kitchen or bathroom floors?

I just attach old (wet) hand towel to my Swifter. I get a spray bottle and fill it with water and then add just enough unscented dish soap (enough to make it the tiniest bit soapy, but no more). Spray the floor with enough to cover an area. Sometimes I drop a drop or two of lavender essential oil on the floor. I don’t usually need to rinse. The floor isn’t sticky at all when it dries. This is just for basic  cleaning. I have a steam mop to use for heavier jobs. 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Indigo Blue

[Laura Corin]

Hollow laughter. Cleaning was an imposition of the patriarchy even when there wasn't a man living in the house. Or was it something that made my mum guilty because she couldn't live up to her long-dead mother's standards? Or some weird combination of the two?

I learned to enjoy cleanliness only after I had lived in Asia with paid household help.

[Pawz4me]

13 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

 

Ready to try again though!  Any thoughts on cleaning linoleum/tile/kitchen or bathroom floors?

I use Mr. Clean multi-purpose cleaner for almost everything. I keep some in an old dish detergent bottle for easy squirting. I just use a squirt or two for mopping, because I do it weekly and our floors are never truly grungy. If I'm in the mood I add just a drop of Dawn. Mop with an O'Cedar spin mop. I never rinse, because I don't use much cleaner. I do change the water frequently, 'cause (duh) mopping with dirty water isn't gonna achieve anything.

I'm totally convinced that how different cleaners work has a LOT to do with ones water softness/hardness and the type(s) of dirt you're dealing with. So take all recommendations with a grain of salt. What works fabulously for someone else may not work for you.

[Clarita]

13 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

I’ve asked before, and was told things like ‘Buy this cleaner, dilute it a lot, go over the floor afterwards with a rinsed out mop, that should prevent soap residues.’  Yeah, tried that.  Amazon packed the cleaner with a book.  The cleaner leaked, and the book was ruined.  When I complained they wanted me to send both things back, and then stopped shipping that particular cleaner.  I kind of gave up at that point.

Ready to try again though!  Any thoughts on cleaning linoleum/tile/kitchen or bathroom floors?

From one clueless cleaner to another. Get a Bissel Spinwave mop. I fill the container with 2 spoonfuls of OXY clean and water. Then go to town on the floor with the scrubbier mop attachment (it has gray stripes as oppose to just white). This is the cleanest I've ever gotten my vinyl kitchen floors. The plain mop method has never worked for me I mean the mop isn't even scrubby I don't understand how it's suppose to work. 

For the bathroom tile so far just the swiffer wet wipe seem to do fine. I'm sure it's not clean enough for some but it's good enough for me until the cleaning ladies come.

As for grout cleaning just remodel the bathroom to eliminate grout (big slabs everywhere). I don't know how to clean grout. 

[Spryte]

24 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

Hollow laughter. Cleaning was an imposition of the patriarchy even when there wasn't a man living in the house. Or was it something that made my mum guilty because she couldn't live up to her long-dead mother's standards? Or some weird combination of the two?

I learned to enjoy cleanliness only after I had lived in Asia with paid household help.

I sometimes think our mothers may be long lost twins.

[rebcoola]

No not really  I had chores but my mom did the real cleaning.

[DreamerGirl]

58 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Ready to try again though!  Any thoughts on cleaning linoleum/tile/kitchen or bathroom floors?

I did not grow up with carpets, hate cleaning them, did not know how to, allergies yada yada.

So we have tile and wood floors.

I do not like vacuums you have to operate. Found them heavy, hated them even a Dyson that was pretty much a glorified paper weight. I always loved my trusty broom (https://www.amazon.com/Vietnamese-Soft-Straw-Broom-Inch/dp/B00GU8QKNW/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2TKGYF0S727VB&dchild=1&keywords=soft+straw+broom&qid=1635190386&qsid=138-5400396-6243846&sprefix=soft+straw+bro%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-2&sres=B00GU8QKNW%2CB071VPGHFN%2CB08ZHQKNQZ%2CB07FR5W3DX%2CB00ZZ5KJTW%2CB08NF2W4N7%2CB087CL38W9%2CB011LYGW8C%2CB08LKQBN2L%2CB08KDM7DFJ%2CB0868GW822%2CB081S66671%2CB01IQDNQLM%2CB098XHTQ1T%2CB08ZHJ28WS%2CB07JF5YCS3%2CB01AK2EM1K%2CB08VN442NJ%2CB07RB7T9GL%2CB01FLNRTJ0&srpt=BROOM)

This is like a broom I grew up using, found in Indian/Asian stores for far cheaper.

and regular mop and bucket.

We had maid service to do a deep clean once in 3 or 6 months depending on the level of need.

Enter the pandemic and when the world shut down, first came one Roomba. Then another joined the household for the upstairs.

As for the mopping, we have the Braava, Roomba's mopping sibling.

They are expensive yes, but I figured sanity is worth something when we were all housebound, tracking in mud from the backyard in all weather and living and working in all places we would not previously. No maid service to bail us out. So right now the robot vacuum duo do the cleaning. I still have the broom and I do weld it occasionally for the stairs. No the robots supposedly do not fall off, I am a little paranoid about that, so I do so.

I am a bit fan of set and forget, gaggets that do not need baby sitting and will do their job. Before the pandemic I was a stove top cooking, hand sweeping and mopping only person. Now I am an instant potting, robot vacuum convert. I went to India for a month. DH took care of kids, worked full time, cooked, cleaned though DS helped a bit, but he had PS and DD is too little to really help. It did not fall apart nor did he burn himself out because of the three gadgets and I would say the air fryer. He keeps saying it probably saved a lot of effort because our house is almost 3000 sq ft and by himself it would have a herculean task. DD is unvaxxed and we want to limit outside contact in our home.

I am a convert and no maid service yet.

Edited October 25, 2021 by DreamerGirl

[Carrie12345]

2 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

ady to try again though!  Any thoughts on cleaning linoleum/tile/kitchen or bathroom floors?

What condition are you starting from? Are you looking to get pristine grout, or just trying to find a starting place?

Different conditions do require different approaches. My son used my spray mop after spilling greasy ground beef. Which means he spread grease all over my floor. (But points for trying!)   
I was visiting my mom when she complained about her floor looking dirty no matter what she did, so I took a magic eraser to it and, voila!  I told her to use a wax spray after, but I doubt she did, so it’s probably just as dirty again.

There isn’t necessarily one best way for all circumstances.   
I do normally just spray mop with Better Life floor cleaner, but that’s not always the answer.

[Melissa Louise]

Yes! When I worked as a chambermaid just out of school - I can clean really well as a result. I just don't, much. 

[lynn]

Some things yes but mostly just from watching my mom.   I did make sure my kids know how to clean.  My dil is always commenting how much my son does around the house.  I just tell her "you're welcome"

[Carol in Cal.]

31 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

What condition are you starting from? Are you looking to get pristine grout, or just trying to find a starting place?

Different conditions do require different approaches. My son used my spray mop after spilling greasy ground beef. Which means he spread grease all over my floor. (But points for trying!)   
I was visiting my mom when she complained about her floor looking dirty no matter what she did, so I took a magic eraser to it and, voila!  I told her to use a wax spray after, but I doubt she did, so it’s probably just as dirty again.

There isn’t necessarily one best way for all circumstances.   
I do normally just spray mop with Better Life floor cleaner, but that’s not always the answer.

I don't need pristine grout.  I need to clean Pergo, large flush tiles (no grout between them), and that single layer 80s stuff, not sure what it is called but it's a big thin sheet all over the kitchen floor.  Oh, and, those little tiny 1930s or 40s bathroom tiles, which naturally are pale pink, cream, and gray/green.  That last one is not the big problem though.  The big problem is the other ones.