Cleaning Your Own House Efficiently
bbstx
3 years ago
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Who does the cleaning at your house?
Comments (30)I am young-ish (28) and so is my husband, so I think that we have a very different marriage than we would if we were from a different generation. My husband cleans and straightens instinctively, with no direction from me. In fact, I have to confess that my husband is a far tidier person than me. Any clutter in our house sits for a day or so before mysteriously disappearing, no thanks to me. He rearranges the pantry any time it gets cluttered (the same with the linen closet and the garage and the basement), straightens the couch pillows daily, folds the towels in the bathroom beautifully, and tidies clutter magnets like the dining room table. Also, he does all the household ironing, most of the laundry, and at least half the dishes. That being said, I see dirt and he doesn't. Gummy countertops are invisible to him, so are dirty sinks, dusty baseboards, and nasty light-fixtures. So I am the primary cleaner and he is the primary straightener. These two tasks consume roughly the same amount of time, so I would say we are very much splitting the chores. I would also say that this is true for all the couples our age that we know: they really do split the chores pretty evenly. Anyone want to weigh in on this? I'm wondering if other young wives and girlfriends feel the same way, or am I just lucky! :)...See MorePainting the exterior of your own house
Comments (15)You're getting lots of good advice here gw, but didn't see this mentioned: don't paint in extreme heat. Not sure where you live, but that's just lethal to an outside paint job. DH and I had a crew of nearly a dozen friends/family lined up to paint our house pre-move in, lots of surface to cover. Was supposed to be ideal weather, and at last moment it got pretty hot. We were hustling to stay ahead of the heat and sun, or timing to stay behind it till siding cooled. Because odds were slim to none we'd get that crew assembled again and having so many other big ticket repairs, paying someone later was not an option. ;) Paint job was only meant to hide the fugly existing paint till we could afford to get siding, so when it started to fail I didn't get too upset. About the 3 year mark it started to blister and crack in small areas. 4th summer was much more pronounced. (There was something really funky underneath as well, tho, that was coming through.) But it wasn't long after that we were able to put up siding. It's a benefit you have all the time you need to do this job, just be warned about timing the paint application and avoid hot days!...See MoreDo you clean up before taking pictures of your home?
Comments (27)Your house looks very, very tidy Ttodd, and beautiful, of course! A toy here & there adds charm, imo.You work outside the home, have little ones, pets, & are very busy... you're doing a really great job! Be proud of yourself. Your little sweetie drawing on the floor (well hopefully not ON the floor!) is adorable, btw! Look at that gorgeous head of curls! Wouldn't need to do much if anything before taking a pic as I have zero tolerance for clutter! I'm trying to be like Ttodd! I work hard & consistently to have a place for everything & to keep everything in its place. My keys don't even touch the kitchen countertop...they have their own space in a drawer that they go into pronto! My sunglasses may sit out for a few minutes after I walk in. No mail sits out for long. Nothing. I just can't stand it. I'm home full-time so I clean a fair amount too. My kitty forces me to...she's a mess! Guess I'm afraid if I don't stay on top of things I'll have gigantic, irretrievable chaos on my hands, so I just nip things in the bud asap. Wouldn't want my kitchen photographed while I'm cooking though! Yick. That can get pretty messy. You wouldn't be able to see the forest for the trees! People "cooking" in magazine shoots & on TV never produce this kind of disorder! I remember seeing a photo ages ago of Suzanne Somers, blonde hair bouncing in a pony tail, licking something frothy off of a mixer beater, getting just a bit of the fluffy whip on the tip of her nose. So cute, so Suzanne. No pictures like that could happen while I'm cooking! Every night of course, I spend at least a half hour cleaning the kitchen after dinner, like most Americans. When are they going to come up with self-cleaning kitchens?...See MoreAre you afraid to let your cleaning lady clean your new kitchen?
Comments (35)I went through this too, but will never let Katie go. She is more like a friend than a cleaning lady. My kids adore her. She was a doctor in Albania and came to this country and had to start over doing anything she could to make money, including waitressing, babysitting, and cleaning houses. Cleaning is where she found she could make the most money, but in the meantime she put herself through nursing school, while working fulltime cleaning houses. She graduated last spring and now has a full time nursing job but still comes to help me when she can. Some weeks she can't come at all and every week the day changes, but she always comes in the afternoon so that on that day my son can take his nap in his bed instead of in the car (since I have to pick my daughter up at 3 ). She loves to cook like me. She brings me recipes and I share mine with her. She lets my son follow her around the house and gives him little jobs to do. When my daughter is around she does the same for her ... she'll have my daughter pick up her stuffed animals, etc or bring laundry downstairs. I like this, because I too worry about the kids thinking they don't have to pick up after themselves. Anyway, post renovation, I researched different products and am using different things now, but it was just a one time short conversation about the new stuff we are using (most particularly, this Bonax wood flooring cleaning system). She knows that the new house is my baby and I did tell her that I would take care of certain aspects (like cleaning the Butcherblock counter). She'll move on eventually. She is still cleaning because she is saving up money for her wedding next year. She is such an impressive young woman. So personable, hard working and caring. She is so there for me when I need her. She babysits in a pinch (or gets her sister to babysit for me). I hope I won't have to do without her until I am done with the classes I am taking because she is part of the infrastructure that is allowing this to happen for me. sorry so long winded but I feel so fortunate for the situation I have and wouldn't give it up....See Morebbstx
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