I try to keep the common company areas (entry, bath, kitchen) clean all the time. I clean as I go. Coffee is my first stop of the day, then I'll make sure there are no dirty dishes. I've started hand-washing as I go. I keep a dishpan full of hot sudsy water in the sink at all times. If I use a plate, cup or glass, in it goes.I rarely use my dishwasher. I scoop the cat box and empty the trash in the morning. I do at least one load of laundry daily. I can't stand a build up of wet towels. I also can't stand full waste-baskets. I do keep a wastebasket in every room so wrappers, used paper towels and the like have a spot. I vacuum about once a week. I use my Swiffer Wetjet on hard floors about every other day. Right now there's 8 inches of snow outside so I can't do anything in the yard. I could go on...

How often do you do laundry? I only do it once a week. Five or six loads, but all on Satuday. It's put away and ready for Sunday-next Saturday.

I try to keep it picked up and dishes rae done immediately some of the time. Some of the time it'll sit there day. Some of the time it sits there only overnight. The livingroom is picked up every night. We spend the last ten minutes of the evening doing that. When it gets to be 30 minutes from bedtime, I tell him to get up and make sure his backpack is ready for school, i.e. everything he needs is in it, and to pick out his outfit for school. He puts his phone on the charger and he's ready to pick up any remaining items in the livingroom--dishes, socks, books, games, whatever is out.

The bathroom is left picked up all the time. No towels or clothes in it ever. Nothing on the counters ever. Well, my makeup brushes are on it and so are the Qtips/cotton balls. His toiletries are constantly in the shower and mine are constantly in the cabinet. Bedrooms are wreck a lot of the time. He rarely makes up his bed (it's a bunkbed with his bed on top) and mine just has the covers pulled up, but not fully made until Saturday. We pick up bedrooms and get all of the trashes, regardless of how full they are, every Saturday morning. Then the big trashcan and recycling cans go outside every Saturday morning. Saturday is our big cleaning day and the rest of the time it gets picked up.

When the boy isn't around, it stays really clean and picked up. I always put away whatever I've done when I am through doing that task. For instance, I'll pull out the container of coupons, the grocery list, and the recipes (it's all over the couch and coffee table!!!) whenever I'm preparing to head to the grocery store, but the coupons and list go with me, container put away and the recipes get put on the fridge with magnets. That is, I'll make a mess, but never leave one.

After reading the above, I've come to the conclusion I'm a slob.

First of all, I'm OCD!

My beds are made after I get grandson to school, unless I'm washing the bedding, which is two times a week.

I keep dishes done as they get dirty.

I keep everything in its place and clean every room on Wednesday of each week, unless a mess occurs - then it gets cleaned as needed. I dust about once a month, because I hate doing it.

I do laundry as soon as I have a full load, which is usually every day, with three of us.

I do ceiling fans and light fixtures once a month and I rarely do blinds - I need to do them more often, but I just hate to do them.

I do breakdown cleaning of closets and drawers in the spring and fall, where I get into a tossing mood and lots of stuff goes to Goodwill. These are also the times I clean woodwork.

I clean up after the dogs in the morning and in the evening - if I don't, and I step in a pile, I'm mad at myself for hours!!!

Haha! What Maxmom said - that's ME!

Holy-moley - I can't imagine. I wish I were more regimented to a daily routine of housekeeping (well, not sure I really wish that), but gee ⦠I hope none of you drop over to my house without fair warning.

I'm a lot more relaxed about it all. Doesn't mean I wouldn't like a spotless house, but I guess not enough to do something about it. Too many other things to do in a day.

Changing the bed linens twice a week? TWICE A WEEK?

Kayjones, I certainly respect you. But am I odd-woman out for changing my bed every 2 weeks???

I wish I could (afford to) hire some of you ladies to keep my house clean and neat for me. I mean, it's not a pit, but it doesn't sound like some of yours.

Rob333, I like the way you keep house! Mainly because it's similar to how I do it.

I only do laundry when I have a full load, which is about every two weeks. But the sheets and towels get once a week.

I can be doing dishes in the middle of the night, or laundry at noon, lol...I've only been running the dw during the day when it's the warmest in the kitchen...(only 2 of us)
vac'ing has been nearly impossible to keep up, with all the snow salt being dragged in. so the vac is sitting in the lr....we've about given up sitting in the lr it's so cold, so it's remained picked up...we've been heading upstairs right after dinner for evening tv....

what I am doing today is meat loafs (at least 4) one to serve and 3 to freeze...thurs will be our stew marathon!

we do have 4 trash containers (3 for recycling) and we gather everything thurs for Friday pick up...

I don't consider damp towels as 'dirty '. I hang them to dry...if the AC or heat isn't helping, I'll stick them in a hot dryer for five minutes.

The daily mess gets picked up as we go.....so no mess. Vacuuming and dusting once a week, sheets changed once per week, hard floors once or twice. I do laundry (for two) as needed, once or twice a week.

The kitchen is the room that is cleaned most...the stove top, counters, sink, microwave, blah blah blah. But still...it all only seems to take a few minutes a day.

I am totally NOT obsessive about cleaning.

After my DH and I visited an old friend around 2 PM one afternoon and saw last night's dirty dinner plates still on their dining table I resolved I would never go to bed, again, without my kitchen being clean. Try not to leave the house before dishes are done and bed made. Pick up the living room every night before exiting, with two of us it isn't much, usually my craft things. Kitchen garbage is taken out every morning, the rest emptied the night before garbage and recycling pickup. Vacuum and dust when needed. No pets anymore so that is easy. Bed changed once a week and laundry done when needed. I don't do everything in one day, spread it over the weekdays.

I'm moving my chair over here with Maxmom and SuzieQue. LOL

I thought for sure that after my kids left I'd be able to keep up the house perfectly. But it doesn't happen! I'd like to blame my bad back (and I do,) but I'm also just a little bit lazy, I guess.

Yikes, I am positively lazy compared to most of you! I work 40-50 hours a week though and by the time I get home I don't feel like doing anything.

I'm curious if the heavy cleaners work outside the home as well? If so I'm even more impressed! I like to think that if I didn't have to work I would clean more but I am not sure about that! I hate cleaning.

If anyone is looking for me I'll be with maxmom, suzieque and lindaohnowga.

The only thing I do daily is sweep the cat hairs up and run a full DW at the end of the day.

Since I've been characterized as a "heavy" cleaner? I think? ;)--yes, I work 40-50 hours a week at my office too. Doesn't count after hours with email, or when my son has an event like Latin certamin (sp?), fencing, or there is a church event for me to chaperone. But the good news is, because we're gone so much, less mess.

:)

I have to have the house picked up before I go to bed. I maybe will have a few hand wash items in the sink but do them sometimes twice a day plus the dishwasher. The only place that is messy is my bathroom vanity, too many products. Even through I have a huge closet I most times have an extra purse or sweater on the dresser. I vacuum and dust once a week but do laundry almost everyday. I hang most things to dry and can't hang up everything at once. I have a silly fear that I will have an emergency in the night and people will see a messy house.

I'm not a heavy cleaner or OCD, the stuff I do is mostly for my own sensibilities. I splurged on a nice bedspread and throw pillows when I moved into this house a couple years ago, and I just like coming into the room when the bed is all made up because it is cute and nice.

The constant cleanup after my dogs is definitely for my benefit- there are 5 of them and a small back yard, so I pick up throughout the day, each time they go out, so as not to track poop into my home accidentally.

I think there is a difference between making your house the kind of home YOU want, (and that is different for each of us) and one of these magazine cover picture perfect places that is so clean one can't imagine plopping down after a day of gardening for fear a few grains of dirt might transfer.

Suzie, I have a 12-year old grandson and a 23-year old stepson, and even though they shower daily, their rooms always smell better after I've changed the bed sheets and washed the covers. Call me anal, but that 'buck-in-rut' smell just gets to me!

You're on to why I clean lucille. I think of my home as my haven away from it all. I do like it clean, because when it gets cluttered up, I get more rattled. My sofa, is a ploppy place. That is always soft, messy and sittable. Great place for putting up my feet and the cat to sit on my legs. Ah. And the boy to snuggle up, wrapped in his blanket and full of crumbs, papers, books, whatever he's into. Everyone's gotta have a place that like that, I think.

Daily ...

... housekeeping ...

... what's that?

o j

Chi, I am retired, so can do as much or as little work as I want. My house, in no way, looks like a magazine picture. I have two little dogs and a cat that drag crud in all day long and two other people who don't take time to put things away or keep their rooms clean - it's up to me, so I just do it and don't complain.

I have a big mess in my yard right now (lots of cutting back of dead plants), which will need to be cleaned up in the next few weeks, so the house will not get as much attention as it does during the winter months.

When I can work outdoors, I insist the kids to do some of what I would normally do. I become a martyr when warm weather is here, with lots of hollering 'pick up your stuff - what do you think I am - your maid'!!! They're good about helping if I ask.

Chi, I've always tended to chores a little every single day. Even all those many years that I was working and commuting, spending a few minutes a day on a few chores never seemed onorous. It's just a part of a day....like brushing my teeth, chopping veggies for a soup, watering the plants. Most daily tasks take less than 5 minutes.

I guess I am one of the lazy ones(which I already showed when I said that I don't make my bed).
I have no schedule or routine, but my house is always picked up because I put things away when done with them. I clean the bathrooms, vacuum or mop when needed.
I do keep the kitchen clean and put dishes in the dishwasher when finished with them and hand wash any pans etc.
And I do at least one load of laundry each day.
I think that I don't make my bed because I try to avoid spending unnecessary time in the bedroom since my husband is gone

The cabin on a ship needs picking up constantly. A big ole house can more easily be kept presentable in its' 'public' rooms'.

I clean more, daily, in our little condo than I do at our house. Here, we are doing all our living in one living-dining area, a bedroom, kitchen, and two baths -- 850 sq ft -- plus on the lanai when it isn't raining, which it IS again today!

At home, we spread out over a large kitchen, breakfast room. library, living room, back hall with laundry, and bathrooms. DR and guest suite are 'kitty licked' and only deep cleaned as needed.

My kitchen is clean when I go to bed. An occasional pot is left to soak. Dishes go into the dishdrawer as used throughout the day to be washed after dinner. DH empties it before he goes to bed. Garbage and recycling go out to the garage as needed; garbage to the curb weekly and recycling alternate weeks. Foyer, library and living room are almost always 'front parlor' clean because WE live that way, not for a visitor.

I vacuum wood floors and area rugs weekly -- usually over two days. Kitchen floor (wood) is washed as needed. Tub is cleaned after each use. DH wipes down glass and tile in the shower and cleans four toilets monthly. I keep our bathroom sinks and floors clean.

I wash a couple of loads of wash a week; change our bed weekly; wash towels weekly -- they hang dry for reuse and go to bin as needed.

I think I still have an iron and ironing board...somewhere. I stopped keeping a 'never-to-be-seen-again' box of mending.

When we'd been in the house several years I hired a service to deep clean (2900 sq ft). Two women worked all day. Mostly it didn't look a lot different, but I knew that some places, high and low, were cleaner: Mouldings, baseboards, tops of cabinets. I'll do it again, and the day will come when DH and I will hire cleaning help several times a year.

I keep the house tidy with the beds made and the kitchen and baths clean by taking care of them as we use them which is daily, but I only dust when I can't stand it any longer and I only do laundry weekly. The kitchen floor gets cleaned often because it's in the path from the garage to the rest of the house so it tends to require a more frequent effort to keep it clean.

High-5ing Maxmom, Suzieque, Lindaohnowga, Chi83, and Blfenton. ;-)

Some parts of this thread ...

... make me feel somewhat better.

(Some don't).

Can I join the "high five" crowd ... well, O.K - "group", then, if you figger there's not enough to make a legit. "crowd"!

o j

Bathroom is tidied in the mornings before work
Bedroom is tidied before work and before bed
Dishwasher is loaded after dinner and breakfast
No set schedule for laundry - I'll do a load in the morning before work or in the evenings if I have time. Otherwise it's done on weekends
I usually clean - dusting, vacuuming, etc, on weekends

This post was edited by kittiemom on Tue, Feb 4, 14 at 22:21

I sort of make my bed every day...more like throw the sheet and comforter back over the bed and smooth it out. LOL! Dishes are done almost every day because even with just two people in the house, every single glass and mug seems to get used. I have a dishwasher so I don't wash a partial load. When Lauren's not here, I don't do them as often.

I do laundry every couple of days, because I don't have enough jeans/and or scrub pants to last 3 or 4 days in a row. I need to buy a couple more pair of jeans...and scrubs. And towels...those seem to get used a little too much also, for just two people.

Dusting gets done very rarely but after moving my wall unit Sunday, I plan to clean it more often. It was gross. It's huge and I guess I've been super lazy about the top shelf and the very top of it because that takes getting a chair and then standing on top of the unit itself to reach it to clean it and I never feel like doing that.

My vacuums are broken. So, I've been steam cleaning my carpets to get some of the crap up. Dog hair gets balled up and then I pick it up with my hands and put in plastic bag. The carpet is going soon. Putting down laminate floors.

I am a slob. I didn't used to be but I am now because I'm just too tired to clean my house after a 2-4 day stretch at work. I work 12.5 hours and commute 30-50 minutes one way. I find myself cooking less and less too. We go out to eat a lot.

I've spent part of the day cleaning the wall unit, which is in pieces in the smallest bedroom. Cleaning walls too, which are covered with dog dander, dog mud, dog hair and probably slobber. I'm on vacation, waiting for the laminate to be delivered to my house. So, I'm cleaning and throwing away.

I do things on a schedule. I do washes on Friday and Sunday, I vacuum the whole house on Tuesday. I water all my indoor plants on Sunday which is a chore since there are so many. I run the dishwasher almost every night. I scrub down the kitchen twice a day and clean the bathrooms every day. I change the sheets on the beds every Friday.

High-5ing Maxmom, Suzieque, Lindaohnowga, Chi83, and Blfenton and alisande!!! I always make sure the bed is made. LOL for some reason, I cannot stand an unmade bed. Other than that, it gets done when it gets done!

I admit that sometimes, before i go to bed, I look around the house and think. . . What would happen if I died during the night and there were hoards of people who came in my house. What would they think of my dirty kitchen, dusty shelves. . . ?

It's sort of like when your mother told you to be sure you had on clean underwear as you never know when you'll be in an accident.

Nah! I'll be dead and won't care what they say, and if I'm not, I'll just do it tomorrow.

Since there is only me (and dog) in the house, and seldom have any company, I'm not too picky. . . obviously.

Add me to Alisande's high five group! And Maxmom, my definition of a slob is someone who doesn't clean up when they know company is coming. LOL But I am starting to lean toward cleaning up before I go to bed in case I die during the night. Notice I said starting. Maybe when I turn 80!

Hm. Maybe we should think in terms of picking up and cleaning up. Is my house clean? Not really. Picked up, yes. I'd have to spend about an intense hour to get it mostly clean, on top of my already picked up house. I wouldn't get baseboards, door frames, or the tops of things like fridge, or organize my cabinets/closets.

I'd have to sweep, mop, vacuum, clean the glass (mirrors, windows, fronts of appliances, chrome), clean off my desk, dust the table tops... just like those I assume are calling themselves slobs. I highly doubt slob is what you really mean? I assume disheveled is more what you mean.

I'm a five-six on a scale of ten. I would call those who change sheets more than once every couple of weeks, run laundry daily, never have a dirty dish in the sink, a ten.

I guess that puts me on the 5 - 6 range, too.

I try my best to keep the house picked up. Sometimes my best isn't good enough. My dining room table has stuff on it that needs to be put away (organized etc), my bathrooms are clean, my kitchen is clean but has things on the counters that need to be put away (tools the hubby dragged out to fix something, parts of things he tried to fix, etc). I wash dishes as I go because I have a smallish sink and I don't like dirty dishes.

I do small loads of laundry daily because I hang it to dry. I scoop the cat boxes when I walk past them, sweep floors frequently, vacuum maybe twice a week. I could dust every day and you'd never know. I have a cockatiel that is the dustiest thing you've ever seen.

My windows could use a cleaning, the ceiling fans could use a dusting, the carpets are overdue for their cleaning. I never make our bed but the guest room's bed is made up. The guest room is the neatest room in the house. I try to keep that up in case someone wants to stay over. But I don't have any friends so the guest room doesn't get much use! :)

I'd say it's an average house. Maybe a 6.

I am more comfortable keeping things picked up, beds made and dishes done. I don't think anything of it if I go to someone's house and the floor needs sweeping or they need to dust. It is your house and you should feel comfortable there. If you come to my house, please don't look in my closets because most need cleaning out. Each to their own.