Usually I start a load of laundry first thing in the morning, even before starting my coffee. The vacuuming in the house and “pooping scooping” in the dog fence are the only set in stone daily chores. Dishes go into the dishwasher as soon as I am done, I hate having dishes in the sink. Cleaning up and wiping the counters while I am cooking. Otherwise dusting and mopping is one of the things I am doing while on the phone or something. Real scrubbing and organizing on days it’s raining so I can’t do yard work. If it doesn’t rain in a week, I will take a day to get it done.

Lol. Chi,no,he doesn't help me with the cleaning.(It's just as well since it drives me CRAZY when he does......he puts the dry swiffer pad on the wetjet and proceeds to smear the wetjet cleaner on the hardwoods,which leaves an awful residue. When I asked him WHY he would do that,he says he thinks it cleans better. He did it over and over like that.Grrrrr. He only did that when Sammy was in his last days,and would occasionally pee on the floor but still....JUST LET ME DO IT!!) But I'm not gonna help him with the yardwork or taking care of my cars either. Or fixing stuff. Or doing anything I determine to be icky,such as removing the mice from the traps in our shed or the chipmunk or the possum that one or more of the dogs killed.

The reason he mentioned it was because he wanted to take a shower, but didn't want to mess up my "pattern" so he asked if he should wait.

I admit I prefer to do my cleaning when I am home alone,or when he's asleep.

Him not wanting to mess up your pattern is just adorable.

amylou, when I was working my pattern was similar to yours. I'd do all the cleaning Saturday morning so I could have the rest of the weekend free. During the week, I'd try to keep after the clutter but by the time Thursday rolled around it was a losing battle.

Now that I'm retired, I spend an hour or two every morning picking up and cleaning. One of the things I love about retirement is that the house is always clean. No more marathon cleaning sessions!

Saturday is laundry day because that's when hubby does it.

As far as help from the hubby, he does the laundry, cleans the toilet, shares cooking duty, is pretty much in charge of kitchen clean-up, does most of the yard work, all home repairs (handy to be married to a contractor) and takes care of vehicle maintenance (either doing the work himself or taking them to a mechanic when the work needed is beyond his skills).

doing it ALL in one day seems crazy to me. a long time ago, i put myself on a schedule. i don't remember what was on which day but something like... bathrooms on Monday, tile floors on Tuesday, vacuuming on Wednesday, laundry on Thursday... and pretty much nothing to do on weekends. it had gotten to the point that weekends "off" had become housework "on". once i stopped keeping to schedule, went right back to old ways. while i did follow schedule, it worked great.

and if a guy messes up housework... like loading/unloading dishwasher, doing laundry... it's intentional so you will throw up your hands and say you'll do instead!! kids do the same thing... do it wrong and mom will do it for ya.

Oh Dawn, SO knows never ever ever try to "help" me cook. I HATE people in my kitchen.

Although, once after a particularly difficult, and rare 16 hour shift,he told me he didnt want breakfast(I work nights) and to just go to bed. An hour or so later he woke me up and presented me with a plate that contained half a hotdog , a piece of bacon,2 canned biscuits (burned,bless his heart) and a massive pile of that broccolli cheese rice that comes in a pack. I really was deeply touched. He has cooked for me one other time. I was working a day shift for someone else. We work 12 hour shifts,and I hate day shift. It drains me completely. He was off that day and made steak,some sort of rice concoction,and toast for dinner,so I wouldn't have to stop anywhere or get home and cook. It was very sweet,even though on both occasions I ended up cleaning up the kitchen.

He does all the grilling though.

Anoriginal,I'm not sure that's it,as he doesn't mind doing the housework,he just likes to come up with his own methods, which are usually unsuccessful. It's hard to explain,but like with the swiffer thing,he KNOWS which pad goes on which, he's just obstinate in the belief that he can come up with a way to make it better. Drives me NUTS!!!! He once had to wash a coat of his or something. I would have done it,but he decided to do it himself. He put a full scoop EACH of 2 different detergents, half a bottle of those scent crystals,and a scoop of oxyclean in the washer. Then decided to open and POUR in some spray and wash, and some shout. He had no reasoning other than he thought it was a good idea. It's a good thing we were out of bleach, as it was a black coat.

Amylou, you have a keeper! In the 25 years I have been married, my husband made food twice for me. One time before we got married. I like spicy, but he about killed me.

No real cleaning schedule here. Get my kids off to school during the werk than I go from room to room either tidying up or deep cleaning. I save all the floors for last. I do try to do at least one window a week. Inside and out and all the in between. This way windows don't seem so over bearing. The window above the sink and the back storm door get done every few days, at least the glass. if I'm not deep cleaning any rooms I'm usually done by 1pm than its time to start dinner and do some ironing. I keep fairly busy most days until after dinner clean up but i take lots if breaks. Just cant go like i used to.

Iris, I know it! Those 2 times were the only times hes cooked for me (except for when he grills,which is rare) and they were quite enough thank you! ;)

I would rather he leave me to cook for us, and he can take the trash out afterward. Or go change my oil. I do appreciate his efforts though.

Oh geez, he just called me and asked how to open the can of cinnamon rolls he found in the fridge. Then he called back and asked where a baking tray is,and how to change the oven temperature,and is he supposed to put the thing of frosting in the oven too?????

This is odd,as he usually won't eat unless I shove food in front of him. I'm happy he is though,as he is ridiculously underweight,despite all my efforts. I guess ill have more cleaning to do when i get off. I just hope he doesnt come up with a new cooking technique that will result in an insurance claim....

I hate cleaning house so I hire a housekeeper.

Having someone come in on a regular basis helps me not to clutter.

I am a nut about cleaning the refrigerator and stove so I do them often.

I prefer to work outside gardening.

On my mornings off, I tackle yard-work first, while it's cool, then do inside cleaning in the AC.

Amylou, I bet you are exhausted after all that cleaning!

I like the idea of a cleaning service in the sense that i wouldn't have to do it. I don't like the idea of someone else cleaning my house though. I honestly would clean before they came so they wouldn't think i was a slob, thus defeating the purpose. I try to focus on the positive benefits of cleaning. I almost always reach my step goal on my fitbit on my cleaning day,without having to hit the treadmill. Plus, as i usually(not recently but usually) work 4 nights, then off four nights, i feel as though i accomplished something useful, as the rest if the time is spent doing fun things:playing with our dogs, shopping, crocheting,making my scented wax cubes and candles, and i do grow herbs and veggies in pots,since although we have acreage, there are no established flower beds or garden yet. The previous owners even took out the beds in front of the porch, so there literally is nothing. Ugh.

The idea holds more appeal recently, as coworkers' vacations have made it so i have only had 1 day off a week for the last month, and SO almost always works 6 days a week. But I doubt i will ever hire help to clean, as long as i am physically able to do it.

I often feel a bit awkward when the cleaning ladies come through my office building. I feel guilty that they take out our trash and clean the toilet, the stove and microwave, when they had nothing to do with getting it dirty. But they don't seem to mind. They are always very cheerful and nice, so what do I know?

PK, my feet and lower back stop speaking to me for a day or so after i put them through that. But I know if i don't just suck it up and do it all at once, it most likely wont get done before i go back to work.

I think I might feel guilty if they cleaned my house, as I would be there with them, but I just remind myself that they are making more than I make to do it! Going rate seems to be around $40 an hour. It's hard work. I couldn't do it.

I’ve decided to pay someone to do the windows for Spring (after the winter and snow is over) and again in late Fall before winter. My window cleaner is scheduled to come this Thursday - I am only 5’1.5” and cannot reach to the upper windows without a ladder, there’s also one above the front door that even with a ladder I can’t reach, as it is I don’t feel all that safe on a ladder since a couple of falls where I missed a step coming down in our old house. So for my peace of mind and clean windows, hiring someone to do it made sense.

The rest of the house cleaning gets split between the mister and I with some of the easiest tasks going to our two foster kiddos (they get to put their clothes away when the laundry is finished, and wipe down their bathroom sink area with Clorox wipes). The mister does most of the laundry, except for my underpinnings that have to be hand washed and hung to dry - those I do myself. I’ve ‘trained’ the mister to clean up in the kitchen as the meal prep is progressing from one step to the next and all that has to be done after eating is rinsing the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. The pots or pan that was used to cook in gets cleaned and put away before the plates are on the table. I vacuum twice a week (I love to vacuum, don’t know why and yes it’s weird, but I like to do it more than any other task) and dry swiffer the vinyl plank floors in the kitchen, laundry, and both bathrooms daily. I use the wet swiffer cloths once a week. We try to do a little housework each day so that the weekend isn’t spent entirely on cleaning.

I need a maid, just can't afford one.

Kath, some are more reasonable than others. I was fortunate to meet the housekeeper of a good friend. It is her own business, not a chain, and she charges prices particular to your home. I had others give me prices and "R" is $30 lower. The minimum is twice a month.

DH always felt uncomfortable having someone clean and it was basically that he didn't want them in his office. So, they do not do his office.

I have always hated cleaning, but I like a clean and neat home. For years I was able to tackle the whole house in 4 hours. I often had the extra energy boost when I had Girl Scout meetings at my home.

I started doing what Anoriginal mentions, a bit each day, but that started to annoy me. It meant that the entire house never felt clean!

But, then it all got tedious and it started to take me longer and longer. My two ladies can whip through my home in 1 1/2 hour. My choice is that I decided to clean out all the wastebaskets, pick up all the bath mats, and kitchen garbage which saves them time. I have also pared out excess knick-knacks so that most of my surfaces are clear.

We all figure where our money should go and I am super happy that we can have this service.

I do. I'm a very early riser, so I get all the cleaning done in the morning before work. I clean two or three rooms from Wednesday morning through Friday morning and it gets the whole house done by the weekend. I love waking up Saturday morning with a completely clean house! Laundry is also done on those mornings. Deep cleaning happens only once a year--a spring cleaning. I'm working on that now.

Call me crazy, but I actually like to clean. But then again, it is only me so it is only my own mess (and the pets').

Most of the year, cleaning happens as needed. Well, if I'm honest, somewhat past when it was needed. During the winter months, I am off work and have a schedule. Monday I deep clean the kitchen, after weekend cooking. Other days are split between different rooms, and I usually spend no more than 30 minutes a day. DH does no housework, but he works really hard in his business, and I'm OK with that.

Laundry is always done on weekends. Yard as I can get to it. We live in the woods, with just a little grass to cut. It perpetually needs picked up, but nobody cares but me.

We are preparing to leave 2700 square feet, to live on a sailboat. I'll be able to clean that in about 10 minutes.

I'm also one of those who cleans up a little every day. My bathroom is perfectly clean after I get ready for the day.....it takes five to ten minutes. Same with the kitchen, which is cleaned as I prepare a meal. I married a man who knows how to clean up after himself and/or a busy cook without being asked, thank goodness.

Extra jobs include cleaning under the fridge, dryer vents, inside the kitchen cabinets and pantry, and the other occasional jobs like the stove, inside the fridge, and the windows. We will tackle those projects together or save them for a cleaning service. I hate cleaning out the refrigerator.

From morning to night, I may spend a total of thirty minutes cleaning up on a daily basis....our home is ready for company at any time. Give me thirty minutes warning before a visit and I'll have fresh linens on your bed, and fluffy towels in the sparkling bathroom.

I've never, ever had to devote hours to cleaning on my days off.

We take our shoes off before entering the house. I make the bed every morning & brush the cat hair off the comforter. Once a month I mop the kitchen floor & vacuum. Once a week I dust, wipe down the kitchen appliances & get the ladder out to water house plants. I scrub the "Big" jetted bathtub every night before I get out of it OR squeegee the shower doors if I take a shower. DH washes windows, once every Spring.

I tried the cleaning schedule when my kids were small and I was a stay at home mom. It never worked for me for more than 2 weeks. I just do laundry when there is a load. Floors dirty? Vacuum then wash. Windows dirty? Clean. For the longest time, I did clean my bathroom every Thursday night. I don't know why, it just turned out that way. My husband worked graveyard shifts and I worked days. I find it easier to clean house when he's not home. I realized after a few weeks, when I was cleaning the bathroom always seemed to be a Thursday so I made it routine. Then he was injured in a car accident and has been home for over 5 years and my bathroom gets cleaned when it gets dirty.........

I keep it picked up daily. All of the laundry, all of the trash out, cat litter box is emptied and refilled, recycling and cleaned floor is Saturday. Every Saturday. Cleaned is another story. Really deep, every surface cleaned top to bottom simultaneously is probably once every three months. I have two different modes of cleaning, I clean one room at at time, every surface, or I clean like items throughout the house, e.g. all the glass, all the wood, etc.

The (nationally franchised) cleaning service that I have hired occasionally for a deep clean is ruining the finish on all my brass lamps. I discovered that they use a 'dust rag' wrung out from a solution that contains something like Windex. They use this to dust and to wipe down furniture.

I stipulate no use of abrasives (Ajax, Comet, etc.), but the cleaners will use these instead of the Bon Ami I provide if I'm not here.

If it would take you X 'healthy-woman-hours' to thoroughly clean your house, how can a service can do it in so much less time -- and make money?

I would also guess that a 'standard rate' means that when I pay it to have my neat, newer, one floor, easy-clean house cleaned, I'm subsidizing the person with a cluttered, old, multi-floor, hard-to-clean house. (That's the 'averaging' in effect for our cleaner on Maui. Most guests are neat; a few are pigs; she's paid the same amount per cleanout.)

My housekeeping style is pretty much like Nicole's. I keep a neat house -- easier when you have a neat DH and no pets now -- but I am not interested in virtually sanitizing everything daily or weekly. I clean "as needed" and to a standard of "clean enough", meaning that we are comfortable, and that I would not be embarrassed to have anyone walk through my house at any time of the day. I'd rather 'keep up' than 'marathon clean'.

I think people who clean for a living are generally more efficient than the average person, so they can get it done faster. It's not always true, of course, but that's been my experience.

Yes, and mine have age on their side. I know that I don't have much clutter, I will put away DH's hoodies that he leaves displayed on all the dining chairs, pick up newspaper, and as I mentioned all the bath mats and wastebaskets. This all saves time for them.

I always use them as my excuse to tidy up. DH who was against it for so long is now on board with the process.

I do have a schedule:

Monday- bathrooms (full-scrub in the upstairs bath every week; downstairs bath just sink and toilet every week, with the shower (never used) once per month.

Tuesday- dust

Wednesday- sweep/mop/vacuum

Thursday- bathroom touchups, take out recycling

Friday- off

Saturday- mow yard/clean up outside

Sunday- deep clean kitchen

Every morning: start a load of laundry, unload dishwasher, wipe out sink, take out trash.

Every evening: dry morning’s laundry/fold/put away, scoop litter boxes, clean up kitchen (stove, counters, sink, floor) DH cooks so I handle the cleaning and yard work

I have no schedule :-) I clean when I can't stand it any more. That's not to say my house is dirty.....generally not.....but it does get messy, simply because it is tiny, I am busy and I live with both a cat and a dog!!

My kitchen gets picked up routinely on a daily basis because it is so small, I wouldn't be able to use it otherwise. The frig generally gets cleaned out the night before trash pick up and the cat box as often as necessary (daily scooping/weekly replacement). Everything else is pretty hit or miss, depending on my business schedule and the gardening weather. Laundry is when I have enough to do a full load (and often when I am watching tv in the evenings).

It's just me and I don't entertain much so I am not overly fussy about dust and clutter. I'd rather be outside :-))

Oh man I wish I could do cooking instead of cleaning! Cleaning plus yardwork is a lot, Chloecat. I hope you're getting some gourmet meals!