How often do you clean your house?

[zoebartlett]

Davi -- my husband and I were raised very differently too. His mom did all the indoor cleaning, and his dad had my husband and his brothers do the outdoor stuff like yard work. In my family, everyone did all chores, whether they were inside or outside things. Of course now, my husband and I prefer to do things the same way we were raised. The only difference is that since we live in a condo where outside maintenance is taken care of for us, there's nothing for him to do out there. The day I stood in the bathroom watching him pathetically clean while mumbling, "I don't know how to do this," well, I didn't know whether to laugh or slap him. I mean really, it's really that hard?

 

[SapphireLover]

We have a cleaning lady that comes for three hours once a week. She is awesome, our house is quite small 1200sq ft, but we have three cats and no kids, and she does it so well. It costs us £22.50 (abt $35) which we think is the cost of going out to eat once a week, and we would rather have our house clean!

There is something amazing about coming home from a long day at work to find your house spotless, your glass gleaming and your toilet roll folded into a neat point like you get in a hotel!

 

[makemepretty]

Every stinkin' day. Seriously. I'm a SAHM but my kids are school age so during the day, I clean and do errands. I vacuum, sweep, clean the toilet, bathtub, make the beds, do laundry, dishes, make dinner....and so on....every day. The only thing that doesn't get done daily is dusting.

 

[Ara Ann]

I have a cute snippet to share about house cleaning...


When my niece was about 8 years old, my sister enlisted her help to clean the house before they had company. My sister is not a slob, but not an every day neat freak either. My niece asked why they had to clean the house and my sister explained she wanted the house to be neat for their company, so no one would think they were messy or lived in a messy house, etc. and my niece replied with: "Isn't that kind of like lying?" So now my sister and I always refer to house cleaning as 'lying.'

And why is it, unexpected company never shows up just after you've cleaned the whole house?


I work from home, which is nice, but I never seem to get my deep cleaning time in, I do the surface stuff in the mornings before the phone starts to ring, but I am hesitant to ever get into a big project (walk-in-closet, ahem)...I HATE to be interrupted in the midst of deep cleaning...but I find I enjoy cleaning the most on a Friday afternoon, after I am done working...that way I can enjoy my Friday evening and then wake up on Saturday morning to a fresh clean house! We have a 2300 sq. ft. home and I can get er done in a couple of hours.

And I can never figure out HOW some people always seem to have a perfectly kept home? Even with kids and pets, some houses are just always spotless looking...maybe they have a maid? We had boys (one teen is still at home) and dogs and there always seemed to be nicks in the paint (from the guys playing around) and stuff spilled somewhere...despite my best efforts to keep the house spotless, most of the time it felt like a never ending battle (my guys are great, but not neat freaks, I was outnumbered!)...it's easier with our oldest out of the house, but yeah, was a daily challenge for years. But I am also glad we have a homey home, not a museum showplace. We have a clean, nice house... it has been lived in, but I wouldn't change that. I guess.


PS - a window cleaning tip that is amazing! My mom discovered that the floor cleaning pads, 'Swiffers' work GREAT on windows/glass and mirrors! I have used them too, on our back doorwall and mirrors, etc. and it gives the glass a luster and almost repels dirt! Just wet the glass with the Swiffer pad and wipe down with a dry cloth. AmaZing and no streaks!

 

[Cehrabehra]

I live in a house about that size and I have a woman who lives here and cleans it... she sweeps a couple times a day, mops at least once, more than that in the entry and kitchen, picks up the bathrooms daily and cleans them at least 1x a week. She's been on vacation a lot the past 6 weeks and the house has totally fallen apart. It's really sad that she came back today and spent about 6 hours cleaning and the place looks almost like she never left and I couldn't keep it like that. Pathetic really. I would have someone come in at least once a week with a house this size back in the states. I'm thoroughly spoiled now though, if you can afford it, do it. Or maybe don't do it now, but if you are thinking about having kids consider a weekly housecleaner part of your budget.

 

[stone-cold11]

every weekend.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Cookie, I'm glad you went for the cleaning lady. And you might be surprised at how well your DH takes care of all things outdoors!

Our house is 3,100 SF, but we don't use over 1,000 SF (future kids' bedrooms), so I really only clean about 2,000 SF. I vacuum daily (we have two dogs) and have other daily chores including making and cleaning up dinner, but I windex, dust, mop the hardwoods, clean kitchen and bathrooms, etc. on Sundays. It takes me about 3 - 4 hours and I feel so much better when it's done.

DH has about an acre to mow in the summer. He does this with a push mower (his choice).

DH would love to hire a cleaning lady, but we don't need one...yet.

 

[Trekkie]

We have 140m2/1600 square feet. I don't clean. I'm not very domesticated. My FI does most of our cleaning. Previously we had a cleaning lady who came in twice a week - I miss that so much!

I grew up in small town South Africa where it was perfectly normal to have live-in staff. We had a nanny (to look after me), a cleaning lady and a gardener/handyman, all living on the premises. None of this was viewed as extravagant, just perfectly normal, middle-class.

 

[movie zombie]

great window cleaning tip, Ara!

MoZo

ps i can see the value of having a live in preson with a home that large, C!

 

[monarch64]

We clean this 1300 sq. ft. rental every week top to bottom, but we have the time on weekends and only have one dog and ourselves to clean up after. Also, insulation is an issue so we have sealed many of the windows from the inside and don't have to clean blinds/windows religiously during the winter. Omg I cannot WAIT until we move. Things are always as clean as we can get them, but they're not OURS so I/we can't get to them as thoroughly (read: replacing or um, torching) as we'd like. Monnie is OVER this place!

Oh, but the beautiful wooded lot, creek, wildlife, and neighbors/location are so wonderful! BAH!!!!!! Give me strength and give it to me now! LOL!

ETA: and I am HAPPY to clean...grew up in a 6k sq. ft. house and my mother was a SAHM who hired help when my bro and I were kids...didn't last long as no one could live up to her specs. I have been taught and taught well the virtues of cleaning to one's own standards, haha!

 

[Gypsy]

Davi -- my husband and I were raised very differently too. His mom did all the indoor cleaning, and his dad had my husband and his brothers do the outdoor stuff like yard work. In my family, everyone did all chores, whether they were inside or outside things. Of course now, my husband and I prefer to do things the same way we were raised. The only difference is that since we live in a condo where outside maintenance is taken care of for us, there's nothing for him to do out there. The day I stood in the bathroom watching him pathetically clean while mumbling, "I don't know how to do this," well, I didn't know whether to laugh or slap him. I mean really, it's really that hard?

OMG Zoe, in college at one point I had three roomates-- four of us total. Only two of us understood the purpose of cleaning was to remove dirt... not just relocated it by rubbing it around.

Watching them try to mop the floor was just painful. And when we tried to show them how to do it 'right'... they were like, but that's how my family cleans... ew!!!

I admit I am lazy and hate cleaning, DH too... but trust me we know HOW to clean. Part of what kills me about cleaning with DH is that he is slightly OCD so he can take up to 4 hours in one bathroom cleaning the tiles (ever single one) and doing god knows what. You could eat off the the floor... but in four hours I've done most the rest of the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He fixates. That's the best thing about having someone come in. I train them the first few times, make it clear what I expect and then they do it. I'm fussy. We have 1200 square feet and it takes 8 hours every two weeks... oven, fridge, patio all the furniture (with various cleaners and polishers) laundry, ironing, shower curtains... everything gets cleaned.

It just doesn't last. Maid was here on Monday and today I about strangled DH with one of his socks because I found it on the DINING ROOM TABLE.

 

[junebug17]

We have about 3000 square feet, (not including finished basement) and I do all the cleaning. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little lazy and let some things slide sometimes . I guess I spend about three days a week (3-4 hours) cleaning the various rooms. Some weeks I do more than others.

 

[Cehrabehra]

great window cleaning tip, Ara!

MoZo

ps i can see the value of having a live in preson with a home that large, C!

It's a challenge to have someone live with you like that, but it's more than just the house being big... it's also just how complicated things can be living here... the prep work just to get groceries into the fridge takes 3-4 times longer. I have to butcher a lot of my own meat, she has to chop it by hand, all the veggies come home with dirt clods on them... etc. Plus we're total slobs lol

 

[tigian]

I have a cute snippet to share about house cleaning...


When my niece was about 8 years old, my sister enlisted her help to clean the house before they had company. My sister is not a slob, but not an every day neat freak either. My niece asked why they had to clean the house and my sister explained she wanted the house to be neat for their company, so no one would think they were messy or lived in a messy house, etc. and my niece replied with: "Isn't that kind of like lying?" So now my sister and I always refer to house cleaning as 'lying.'

And why is it, unexpected company never shows up just after you've cleaned the whole house?


I work from home, which is nice, but I never seem to get my deep cleaning time in, I do the surface stuff in the mornings before the phone starts to ring, but I am hesitant to ever get into a big project (walk-in-closet, ahem)...I HATE to be interrupted in the midst of deep cleaning...but I find I enjoy cleaning the most on a Friday afternoon, after I am done working...that way I can enjoy my Friday evening and then wake up on Saturday morning to a fresh clean house! We have a 2300 sq. ft. home and I can get er done in a couple of hours.

And I can never figure out HOW some people always seem to have a perfectly kept home? Even with kids and pets, some houses are just always spotless looking...maybe they have a maid? We had boys (one teen is still at home) and dogs and there always seemed to be nicks in the paint (from the guys playing around) and stuff spilled somewhere...despite my best efforts to keep the house spotless, most of the time it felt like a never ending battle (my guys are great, but not neat freaks, I was outnumbered!)...it's easier with our oldest out of the house, but yeah, was a daily challenge for years. But I am also glad we have a homey home, not a museum showplace. We have a clean, nice house... it has been lived in, but I wouldn't change that. I guess.


PS - a window cleaning tip that is amazing! My mom discovered that the floor cleaning pads, 'Swiffers' work GREAT on windows/glass and mirrors! I have used them too, on our back doorwall and mirrors, etc. and it gives the glass a luster and almost repels dirt! Just wet the glass with the Swiffer pad and wipe down with a dry cloth. AmaZing and no streaks!

Love this story, Ara Ann. We do more of a thorough cleaning when we are expecting guests.
We have 2 dogs so we have to vacuum pretty often even though they both have short hair. They just always bring in tons of grass and dirt from the backyard. Try to keep the kitchen clean on a daily basis and when I spill things on the stove, I try to wipe it down right away instead of letting it harden which then requires scrubbing.
We also wipe down the shower after every use which is a pain in the butt, but after seeing my poor DH try to scrub away the mold one time, we decided it would is way worth it.
Bed sheets, laundry are done weekly.

 

[Imdanny]

Well, SO had to take a job in a different location and we've been apart for seven months (soon we won't be!) and since he's been gone, honestly, about once a month. I can't be motivated to care enough.

When I move into the new place, it will have to be cleaned at least once a week and certain things like dishes and laundry will have to stay done (luckily the new place has a washer and dryer and dishwasher).

So my time slacking off on house cleaning is coming to end.

I've very good at cleaning. I've been good at it since I was child. The older I get or more accurately in the last few years, I kind of find it unpleasant work and I don't want to do it. It's not that I'm not organized or can't do it, I just don't want to and I procrastinate.

SO doesn't read this board so I can say that he doesn't know what goes into it because he never does it (and doesn't know how), so his perception of what I do, how much time it takes, etc. isn't very accurate compared to what I get done and how well I do it. In other words he doesn't give me enough credit, thinks I could do more, thinks I could do certain things more often (e.g. scour the tile and the bathtub, it's not as if chemicals aren't harsh, I do it when it needs to be done).

I think we have somewhat different expectations (ironic since I like things to be clean even more than he does). I've decided I'm going to try to keep things more the way he wants them. I'm even going to do the the thing I've resisted- ironing.

He's had a lot of stress starting a new job, living in a new place, by himself, etc. so I want to make things easier for him. I still think as far cleaning the house top to bottom every week will suffice. In between, I'm going to try to keep things clean (something that doesn't interest me). I didn't have a dishwasher for six years. At least now that I will if I truly don't feel like doing the dishes after dinner I can get them done anyway.

I'm packing now, doing errands, getting paperwork organized and things like that. I'm debating whether to clean the house one last time. I'm going to clean the bathroom. I might scour the kitchen (or I might decide it doesn't need it). I haven't decided about sweeping and mopping the floor or just living with it for the next week.

 

[Imdanny]

And I can never figure out HOW some people always seem to have a perfectly kept home? Even with kids and pets, some houses are just always spotless looking...maybe they have a maid?

My grandmother was like that. Everything in her house was organized and clean at all times, and she didn't have help.

And I mean everything. Every last piece of anything that sat on an end table.

She was very, very good at keeping her house and there was nothing you could do to change it.

You made your bed in the morning. If you couldn't because you got up late, she would. One way or another, everything got clean, got put in its place, and stayed there.

She would do the laundry, fold it, put it in our chests of drawers exactly where it should go, every time. It was like having a personal maid.

It was very nice actually but I never really understood how she did it. The only conclusion I ever came to was that when she was working
and after she retired, she only stopped moving to watch television or read for one to two hours a day every day, at most.

Her lawn and gardens were immaculate too, so much so that the first thing my girlfriend in college said to me when coming to the house for the first time was, "Who does your gardening?"

I can clean, I can organize, but I could never keep a house organized and clean at all times the way she did. Not possible.

 

[mrscushion]

Aside from the daily stuff like emptying/loading the dishwasher, cleaning the kitchen counters, scooping the litter box, and doing general straightening, I clean our condo every weekend. That's when I clean the bathrooms, dust the living room and our bedroom, vacuum the whole condo, and file mail and other paperwork that's piled up. I usually wash the kitchen and bathroom floors and do heavy deep cleaning one per month.

This is exactly what I do.

 

[NOYFB]

Every 2-3 weeks we give it a good scrub, but we do pick up clutter/dishes/laundry daily. I HATE cleaning, especially floors (we have hardwood and ceramic tile...and cats) so he will usually take care of that and I will do all the scrubbing, dusting, etc. I have been begging him for a cleaning lady for years (just every other week I think would be sufficient) but he insists that we can do it ourselves, so why pay for it. I always say "I KNOW we can do it ourselves....I just don't WANT to!" LOL

 

[4ever]

Usually every week.

FI does the lounge dinning room and kitchen and I do the bedroom, bathroom and laundry.

 

[Dandi]

I clean just about every day around work hours, as in, most days the toilets get a scrub, the shower is wiped down after every use, the kitchen and bathroom counters get a wipe over daily after work, just 20 minutes or so here and there. I vacuum once a week and handwash the floor probably once a month, or I spot clean if the dogs bring some dirt inside. I find that way, no jobs accumulate or need several hours to complete, they are kind of 'maintained'. Big jobs like windows... not very often We're doing alot of landscaping and with all the dirt flying around they get a bit grotty, so I've kind of given up on regularly washing them for now. Plus the dogs plant their filty little feet on them all the time, so I'd have to wash them ever half an hour to keep them spotless!! I'm a complete nut about a clean kitchen, no dishes ever pile up in the sink, they're handwashed immediately or stacked in the dishwasher STAT.

 

[Jennifer W]

We have a weekly cleaning service, so it gets cleaned once a week. We had a gap between one cleaning lady leaving and another starting, and we had a go at doing it ourselves then. It wasn't that we didn't have good intentions, but we got bored, fast. I also don't care if DH does work outside. It isn't equivalent to house cleaning, that's a separate task and not one I'm going to take on, for sure.

The lady who usually cleans for us is off sick this week. This means that we're living in squalor. I'm shocked at how bad it gets, and how fast. I actually did some cleaning today, because it was bad even by my standards.