Cleaning/chores
I'm just curious about everyone's cleaning (or lack of) habits. No judging here! I just wonder how everyone else does things around the house, what habits you like to get into, what you've found easiest, etc.
Since I've been pretty much a housewife/stay at home doggy mom for a while now (ending soon), I've gotten into several routines. Living in an apartment, it's much easier to stay on top of everything! Plus, I pretty much like most cleaning and obvs cooking. Here are the things that I do:
Daily
dishes/loading dishwasher
clean kitchen
feed Olen
cook meals/pack lunch
walk olen (lots)
Every other day/couple days
sweep
vacuum
dust
trash
run/unload dishwasher
brush Olen and his teeth
Weekly
bathroom
mirrors
laundry
water plants
Every couple weeks/whenever needed
change sheets
wash bedding
clean floors
clean refrigerator/cabinets
clean tub/shower
give Olen medicine
bill stuff
ironing (my least favorite)
Olen hair clean up
clean baseboards
don't do
lawn stuff
wash car
wash windows/blinds
don't really bathe olen unless he's muddy or something
shampoo carpets
no garage
Daily
pack lunch (no cooking - raw salad, raw fruit)
Every other day/couple days
n/a
Weekly
kitchen: clean, dishes, sweep, clean refrigerator
laundry: wash/dry, ironing (one of my favorite things <- not sarcasm)
clean bathroom
trash
water plants
Every couple weeks/whenever needed
vacuum
change sheets
clean tub/shower
bill stuff
wash car
Before announced company
dust
clean mirrors
wash bedding
Annually
clean cabinets
wash windows
I don't do
shampoo carpets (I've spot cleaned them before, but never full-on shampoo'd them)
I strongly dislike cleaning, and with a baby and a dog (and a husband) to look after, I end up doing the bare minimum most of the time...especially since a lot of the cleaning can only happen during Vincent's nap time or when DH is home.
Daily
wash dishes (sometimes I skip a day. I wish I had a dishwasher!)
cook (sometimes skip a day and have leftovers/go out)
feed Hugo (3x...bone in the morning and 2 bowls of dry food)
feed Vincent (lots)
take Hugo to the dog park
lots of diaper changing, baby entertaining, rocking, etc.
pick up toys/books/etc.
bathe Vincent (most days...one of us takes him in the shower, we don't actually run a bath for him)
Every other day
wash/hang out diapers (and other laundry)
fold/put away diapers and laundry
Weekly or whenever needed
wash any laundry that didn't get done with the diapers throughout the week
clean kitchen
take out garbage/recycling
water plants
grocery shopping
clean toilet
Monthly or less
change/wash sheets (unless they need it more often, but I'll admit I let them get pretty gross sometimes)
sweep/mop/vacuum
clean bathroom
give Hugo medicine
DH does some of the cooking, feeding, diapers, entertaining baby, going to the dog park, and he mows the lawn every week or 2 and also roasts coffee weekly. He'll also take out garbage/recycling, vacuum, and help me clean the kitchen if I ask him to. I also take Vincent to baby swimming lessons and Books & Babies at the library every week.
I end up doing most of the chores, since I work part time right now. And doing chores is assuming that I don't get too distracted or accidentally fall asleep in the afternoon. Kinda wondering if I might have mild/moderate narcolepsy? :P Probably don't clean some things as often as I should. I especially detest cleaning the bathroom, and the shower in particular. Soap scum is friggin' hard to get out of the tub using natural cleaners. >:( Time to find a better tub/shower cleaner?
Also, fyi, I live in a rented townhouse, so we have a small yard as well as a garage.
Daily:
Cook dinner / reheat leftovers depending on food situation (like)
Wash dishes necessary for dinner preparation
Wipe down countertops and stovetop
Put dirty dishes in dishwasher
Check on my basil clones and aerogarden, water as needed (like)
Feed cats
Every couple days or so:
Check bill calendar and update/pay bills as needed
Wash dishes that shouldn't go in dishwasher or are too large to work well in dishwasher
Sort recycling into bins for later
Cat litter (G takes care of this, not me)
Before company:
Vacuum downstairs only
Quick cleanup in bathroom
Clean up cluttered areas in livingroom and kitchen
Weekly:
Vacuum
Laundry (like)
Mow lawn (G does this)
Trash
Every couple weeks (or months if I'm lazy):
Change sheets
Dusting
Sweep/mop hard floors (do not like)
Take recyclables to recycling center (do not like)
Clean bathroom (do not like)
Clean the fridge and toss out old stuff
Water the cactus
Once or twice a year:
Sort through clothes and donate stuff I don't wear or doesn't fit anymore
Shave Sampson so his fur doesn't get clumpy and gross (do not like)
Clean behind the fridge and other areas you never really look at (do not like)
Wash windows
Sweep the patio area
Sweep the garage
Don't do:
Shampoo carpets
Wash car
This is fun! I'm adding things to my list as I think of/read more.
I used to hate hate (would not do) cleaning the bathroom. P did it when we lived in MT (maybe every 3 weeks or so). When I started doing all the chores (since I haven't had a job/he has full time), I learned that I don't really hate cleaning the bathroom. I only ever hated it because I felt like the bathroom was dirty (and that's gross). Now, I don't ever really let it get dirty, and it's just like cleaning anything else.
Oh, I just thought of a couple more things to add: I sometimes will take the time to pick up Olen hair from around the baseboards/corners/areas that aren't regularly vacuumed because it's black/visible/and accumulates! I'll scrape up the hairs and occasionally clean the baseboards.
daily:
dishes for the most part, but i skip some days
take out garbage (have to do this often, we just use tiny bags and it's fruit trash so if it stays in the house we get fruit flies)
every couple days:
tidy up.. take out recycling and trash for sure, organize in room... making things look nice :)
weekly/biweekly:
laundry (HATE)
water foods that are growing
bathroom
sweep
months in between:
mopping
vacuum
sheets (usually one-2 months... bad?)
random and/or don't do:
wash bikes (dustin does his own a lot, and sometimes is nice and does mine)
wash car (just got it, and i really never plan on washing it cause i don't care)
wash windows
dust (i don't have anything to dust)
this list shows either that i am lazy or that i just don't have much stuff/area to clean.
I handle the daily and every couple of days mainly. Evan and I share most things that need to be done around the house that are weekly and above. I think to do more around the house, but he is great at helping when I ask.
Daily
Pack lunch for the next day
Prep coffee for the morning
General tidying (as needed)
Cook dinner for Evan and I
Feed and walk Bella
Every other day/couple days
Laundry
Dishes / Kitchen clean up
Weekly
Clean second floor floors
Clean bathrooms
Bake something yummy
Every couple weeks / whenever needed
Dust
Vacuum
Wipe down sills / other stuff
Wash cars
Pay bills on the 1st and 15th
Wash / change sheets
Wash Bella when she is stinky
Before announced company
Ensure the guest room is clean
Clean baseboards
Spot clean carpets / walls (as needed)
Stuff Evan does
First morning / last evening walk and feeds her breakfast each day he is here :)
Garage cleaning
Takes the trash out
Brushes Bella almost weekly (she sheds a LOT!)
I've got a nursing toddler - so of course I do all the stuff moms normally do with toddlers. I'll just list what I consider "chores."
Daily
Dishes
Cook
15 minutes clutter pickup before I go to bed
1 load laundry
Then my house is divided into "zones" and each day gets a different zone. I do floors, dusting, mirrors, wiping, whatever needs to be done in the zone. Sometimes certain things don't need doing and I hold off for another week or more (like cleaning out the refrigerator only happens once every couple of months on the kitchen zone day, or changing bedding only happens monthly or so on the bedroom zone day).
Sunday - kitchen/dining
Monday - bathrooms (2)
Tuesday - entry/office/living room
Wednesday - main hallway/hall closets/laundry area and grocery shopping
Thursday - bedrooms/bedroom closets
Usually it takes about 30 minutes to do a zone, so not long at all. If I miss a day, no biggie, it'll be done the next week.
DH has Friday and Saturday off, so I don't have a zone on those days and we do things like outside work together or run errands. DH takes care of cat care and getting the trash out.
I'll add this is ideally the way it would work and the schedule I have laid out for myself, but life gets in the way alot. :)
Boy you can see the difference here in how houses are made, which affects how often you have to clean. I could never go back to rugs and carpeting now I see how filthy terrazo gets.
Twice weekly: vaccuum, change sheets and towels. I'm anal about sheets and towels.
Weekly: scrub floors, clean bathroom and kitchen in depth (surfaces etc)
Daily: Wash dishes (mostly dishwasher, but some pots handwashed), general tidying, sweep up crumbs etc.
Cook food.
As needed: Wash laundry and iron it when you no longer have anything decent to wear. Make some kind of hummus!
Two or three times a year: Organise pantry (lasts about 12 hours) and toss things past their useby dates. Go through cupboards when bringing out/putting away seasonal clothes and remove any you honestly don't like and don't wear--put in Humana pickup. (It's a charity shop).
Wash curtains, and tell yourself you're going to take the windows out of the set and wash them (and never get round to it).
Since I've been pretty much a housewife/stay at home doggy mom for a while now (ending soon), I've gotten into several routines.
does this mean you've got a job? Awesomesauce! : ) Is it anything exciting?
housework jobs in our house:
Daily:
cook dinner
wrap/pack fruit/cookies/cake for mr oww's lunch
tidy kitchen after dinner, rinse out dishes, clean bench/counter, sweep kitchen floor
water x2 vegetable gardens
Squeegee shower surfaces
Every couple of days:
wash all dishes on bench
empty compost container from kitchen into compost bin in the garden
sort through mail, put all paper rubbish in a box for recycling
put any recyclables in the recycling bin as they get emptied
quick wipe of bathroom sink, clean toilet
About once a week:
Run dishwasher
Every weekend:
vacuum lounge/dining area, bedrooms
mop bathroom and kitchen floors
Clean bathroom thoroughly
wash laundry and hang out to dry
iron/fold all clean laundry
rake/sweep up driveway area
bake cookies, cake, seitan, tofu for the week ahead
Change sheets and towels
Slightly less frequently:
Weeding garden
Sweeping garage
Wiping windowsills/mirrors/skirting boards/ceilings
Clean windows
Fortnightly:
Put recycling bin up on the road for collection
Monthly:
Pay all bills
About every six weeks:
Put rubbish bag up on the road for collection
About three times a year:
Scrub/wash whole exterior of house
Things mr oww does:
Squeegee shower after use
Mow lawns approx. once every 5-6 weeks once they get way too long
Dry/put away dishes maybe once a fortnight
Eat food
Things mr oww does:
Eat food
Yeah, I've actually had the job for quite a while now, but it's been a PROCESS getting everything ready for it. Nothing exciting at all, but just something for some extra money for a while. We'll see how it goes!
WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING? : )
oh, well awesome about the job anyway, even if it's not anything inspiring. I'm sure just getting the extra income will be awesome for you! My job is completely unsatisfying in any way, and requires me to drive 2+ hours in bad traffic every day, but damnit, it pays the mortgage, so it's all good! : ) Hope yours is closer to home!!
I want to be oww.
really? I can think of about a bajillion people with more interesting lives, honestly!
: )
Yes, but you're content with your life (which is so so so so so much better than interesting - although your life seems interesting, too) AND your place sounds so clean.
Daily
prepare meals
clean kitchen
swiffer hardwood floors
water garden
take out trash
scoop nasty cat box
Every other day
vacuum
laundry
dust
Weekly
clean bathroom
ironing
sweep porch
Every couple weeks
change bed sheets
empty and clean cat box
wash car
drop off recyclables that aren't picked up
clean stove and refrigerator
On rare occasion
clean windows
clean walls
re: dusting
do you all always move everything to dust/dust everything? When I do my regular dusting, I just run the cloth around most surface areas and dust some things, but I rarely move things and dust like that.
that came out sounding much more complicated than needed.
I move everything when I dust.
I move everything when I dust.
every other day, too; yikes!
I'm too nearsighted and absentminded to notice dust until it's about a quarter-inch thick; that's one of the tasks DH inherited upon retiring. If it bothers you, you dust it.
If it bothers you, you dust it.
That's how I do things. We don't seem to have a lot of dust around here though, maybe because of the air purifier? When I do dust, I use a microfiber dusting mitt thing and usually dust under objects. When the mitt gets too dirty, toss it in the wash. <3 Microfiber <3
I also spend WAY more time dealing with cat hair than I do with dusting. I have two cats, and the really hairy one has this horrible habit of sitting around and ripping out clumps of his fur.
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