Wednesday, January 28
The HomeWork Meme
Yesterday, on the phone with Alysia, I started laughing about something I'd found in my housework manual, Home Comforts. Apparently, I chuckled to her, I'm supposed to be sanitizing my trashcans every night before bed. Then I suffered the mortification of having Alysia agree with the book! Apparently, this was something I should have known.
The more I think about this, the more I wonder, and the more questions I have. Since becoming a full-time Domestic Goddess (no laughing, you in the corner), I've been curious about what habits I should have and what techniques "should be" ingrained in me already. How does the other half live, or clean?
Thus, I present HomeWork, the domestic meme. Really, I'm not expecting it to be huge or anything; this is really for my own curiosity as much as anything else. So, Wednesdays, I'll have a question; you can answer in the comments or on your own blog and leave a link. Ready?
How often do you...
...clean your bedroom?
...wash your sheets?
...mop the kitchen floor?
...vacuum?
...dust?
...clean the toilets?
...scrub the tub?
(They won't always be so long as this one. Don't worry.)
Posted on January 28, 08:18 AM
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How often do I...?
First, let me preface this by saying I've gotten much better about this in the last couple of years. I had two children in the space of 18 months, and my whole house was just out of control! I started out buying Home Comforts, and quickly began to panic. I couldn't imagine doing ALL of those things! Then I found a site on the 'net, http://www.flylady.com, and I can't tell you how much difference it made. Once I got that mastered, I was able to go back to Home Comforts and see areas where I could further the process and actually incorporate a lot of the advice into a total routine. It's even survived while we moved overseas. :c)
So, back to the questions. I clean my bedroom every morning. I make the bed, wipe out the sink after I've brushed my teeth (we have a sink in our bedroom), and open the windows to air the room out.
I wash all the sheets (for the four of us) once a week. I also iron the pillowcases after I've sprayed them with lavendar water. I refuse to iron sheets. :c)
I mop the kitchen floor about twice a week. It gets the most dirt, since it's a combined kitchen/dining area, and toddlers are messy eaters.
I vacuum every other day. We have a Labrador, and I swear on all that's holy, that dog LEAKS hair. It sticks to socks, travels upstairs, gets into beds, everything. I could make another dog with a week's worth of dropped fur!
I dust about twice a month in the winter, when everything is closed up most of the time. In the summer, once a week.
Toilets must be cleaned every other day. My youngest son has just become potty trained, and he *misses* a LOT. This is my least favorite chore of all time.
Scrub the tub. Once a week, I climb in to take a shower, and scrub the tub down while I'm in there naked anyway. :c)
...clean your bedroom? If I'm lucky, once every two weeks. This is something I wish I could do weekly or more often.
...wash your sheets? Presumably, once a week. Realistically, once a month or once every two months.
...mop the kitchen floor? Since we live in an apartment and the floor is small, often, more than once a week.
...vacuum? I task Sabs with this at least twice a week. I'd prefer that it be done daily though given the amount of stuff that toddlers trail behind when they eat. It's a neverending battle with cookie/cracker crumbs and Cheerios around here and spilled milk. We have a small wetvac that we use to deal with spilled liquids, otherwise the carpet gets ... crunchy.
...dust? I love our apartment dust-wise. We don't really have dust:) I can get away with wiping things down every two months or so when stuff finally accumulates.
...clean the toilets? Every two weeks or once a month in-depth. I spot clean almost daily with a baby wipe to get rid of kitty pawprints.
...scrub the tub? Every couple of months. Would prefer weekly.
Cool stuff Carrie - I did it, and I'm looking forward to more - I'm a total meme whore! :)
I was starting to think everyone was TidyMan and TidyWoman but I finaly read far enough to find some people more like us :)
How often do you...
...clean your bedroom?
What means "clean"? We toss the clothes in the hamper when we remove them (or the next morning). I adjust the comforter and sheets when I get out of bed but I never "make the bed" except when I've put on new sheets. Hubby "scrapes" the cat hair off the rug on a regular basis. It's not a room that needs much cleaning.
...wash your sheets?
Oooh. Once a month? When I notice? When I decide to do a load of sheets and towels. Not often enough. I should do it more often; the cats have such fun helping me make the bed. I think I'll go wash the sheets now.
...mop the kitchen floor?
Not for a very long time. Growing up, this was Dad's job (I think I keep hoping he;ll come for a visit and do my floor). We spot-clean when there's something obvious. Basically, since we don't plan to eat off of it and we have no children crawling on it, we don't worry about whether it's spotless. I 'spose we should do it more often.
...vacuum?
When I notice the rug needs vaccuuming, generally when the cat hair and bits of fluf begin to be really visible.
...dust?
I liked Tracie's answer - when I can write my name in it. When I notice it. We have a lot of wind here and less dust than previous places I've lived. ur "problems" runmore to cat hair than dust :)
...clean the toilets?
Whenever they need it. We keep a scrub brush behind each one.
...scrub the tub?
rarely - Hubby does that. Neither of us takes baths, generally (we have a hot tub for soaking) and the shower doesn't need as much cleaning. We scrub out the shower stall when it gets "noticeable". It's not so much a soap scum problem as the amount of iron in our water. The shower floor turns this pinkish orange color.
OK, we're not Martha Syewart & Co. But we tidy up fairly regularly and we don't have piles of stuff standing in corners. And I wipe down the kitchen counters after every use! You didn't ask about that one!
Mine is up! Now you just need a cute little button!!
Fun stuff! I answered in my blog.
I posted my answer in my journal. :) Have a great weekend!
I found them at muddlepie.net and put them in my blog!
I forgot to leave a note last night, I did your cleaning Meme :)
I am feeling like a complete anal retentive housekeeper. I am a widower, living alone, no pets because I cannot always tell when I will be arriving home. I have it so that I never spend more than 15 or 20 minutes a day, dusting, or sweeping, etc. I love gadgets, the more the better, so I have an electric broom ( The Shark, as shown on late night infomercials, and it is just like on TV ), and a Hoover floor cleaner. That's the one that scrubs the floor, and sucks up the excess water.
Clean the bedroom - dusted once a week, make the bed every day ( sheet and a duvet, how hard can it be, a flick of the wrists and it is done ) and junk put away every 2 or 3 weeks.
Wash the sheets - every week, or more if I am expecting overnight company.
Mop the kitchen floor - every week, with my cool floor washer. Just fill, and run back and forth.
Vacuum - every 2 weeks or so. I have a vacuum for each level of the house, so there is no lugging the machine back and forth.
Dust - every week with a Swiffer cloth, with polish for the wood every 6 months.
Clean the toilets - every week. Easier to keep clean than to scrub it.
Scrub the tub - every week. Easier than you may think, because I waxed ( with a quality carnuba car wax ) the tub, toilet, sinks and counters and the tub surround. Just a quick wipe will make everything bright and shiny.
I have never sanitized a garbage can in my life. I cleaned a couple, but as long as there is no mold or big smell, I don't do it.
Geez - I live in NYC constantly under the threat of roach invasion and even I don't sanitize my trash bin (no roaches yet!). I empty the trash about once a week and wipe out the can with cleaner if the bag leaked and/or it smells. Then I'll prop the lid open to let it dry before I put in another liner. I think *that's* pretty dilligent compared to the example my parents set (you don't want to know)
...clean your bedroom?
This being NYC, my bedroom functions also as a living room, dining room, TV room and home office. I don't clean it so much as watch the paperwork, unopened mail, DVD boxes and books pile up until they impede my ability to reach my dresser. When it gets really bad or company's coming over, I'll consolidate the piles and hide them under my bed.
...wash your sheets?
About every two weeks, or just before I expect (or hope) to have an overnight guest.
...mop the kitchen floor?
It gets the wet Swiffer a few times a year. Otherwise I wipe up spots and spills with a rag. My kitchen floor is about 3'x2' so there's not much to get dirty.
...vacuum? Wood floors - not applicable.
...dust?
Frequently used items (ie. TV, stereo) maybe every month. Things out of my eyeline, almost never.
...clean the toilets?/scrub the tub?
Whenever they're dirty, or when I'm expecting company. Once every 4-6 weeks, I'd guess.
The one thing I do pretty frequently is wipe the stove. The stove was brand new when I moved in, so I like to keep it shiny. I've never cleaned my oven though - I don't even know how.
How often do you...
...clean your bedroom? I just sort of pick up, as needed. REALLY clean it monthyly
...wash your sheets? weekly
...mop the kitchen floor? Clorax Ready Mop-it daily (I have a crawler)
...vacuum? a few times a day (again- crawling baby)
...dust? really as needed- ends up being every 2 weeks, or so.
...clean the toilets? once a week
...scrub the tub? once a week
Oh, and I answered them in my blog, too.
Woops, I posted the answers in my own blog, not in you comments. Hopefully that will get a few more people to participate! Follow my URL link for my answers.
I'm a SAHM to a 3-year-old boy and it's just my husband, myself and my son - we have no pets.
...clean your bedroom?
when it gets on my nerves. we live in an old beachhouse on Lake Erie, so our house is frigid cold in some places and our bedroom is one of those places. So right now, it's a bit messy, because it's too damn cold to clean it (we heat it up at nighttime).
On good weeks, the bed is made everyday, the husband's Pile of Clothes is cleaned up everyday, but on bad weeks, its just ...not.
...wash your sheets?
Every week, without fail. There's nothing like laying on freshly laundered, Bounce-dryer-sheeted sheets.
...mop the kitchen floor?
When it visually needs it. About once a month.
...vacuum?
Again, when it visually needs it, usually a few times a week. We're in a ranch, so the entire house gets done in one go.
...dust?
At least once a week. I'm really anal about fingerprints on the television which Ethan leaves everyday, so when I'm cleaning that, I go all out and dust with orange oil on all the wood. Again, having a ranch, it all gets done in one go.
...clean the toilets?
Honestly, once every two weeks - when the faint mineral ring appears. When I put one of those bleach tablets in the commode, even less since it keeps it so clean. Then I just wash the seat and everything else.
...scrub the tub?
We have a white porcelain tub and so I clean it once I can see the ring around the tub. My 3-year-old is the only one who bathes. I do it with a hard-bristle brush and good ol' Comet powder. I don't mind it because we have a detachable shower head, so cleaning the tub is a breeze. Everyone should have one!
Oh, I don't sanitize my trashcans daily, either. I pour a bit of pine sol with lots of water and let it sit all day once in a few months, but no daily sanitizing, here. We empty both when full - usually everyday.
I have the belief that nowadays, we're too germ conscious. Because of all our antibacterial lifestyle, mega-germs are now arising that are resistent to all our precautions. I'm not saying throw out the soap (I'm a little hypocritical - there's not one bar of soap in the house, we use liquid soap, shampoo, etc.), but to give you one example, my friend and I have the same age children - 6 days apart. We both have relatively the same lifestyle - non-smoking homes, etc. And she's so germ conscious that she has a children's antibacterial soap that she carries along with the usual - for their hands when they eat in public or after going grocery shopping, etc. And her daughter gets sick more than twice as much as my son. She also gets frequent ear infections and bronchitis and my son has never had neither. Even the addage that a breastfed child is less sick doesn't apply - she exclusively breastfed her daughter until 14 months, I breastfed while supplementing until 3 months.
All I'm saying is that we can take cleaning too far. There are things more important than sanitizing trashcans, and I'm sure, Carrie, that you could think of better things to do - like cuddling with Sam and reading him a story - before you go to bed each night.
:)
P.S. I agree w/ Denise - I do Lysol doorknobs every once in a while, too. Especially after someone in the family has had a cold or flu.
Scrubbing the tub was supposed to be Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. :)
How often do you...
...clean your bedroom? Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
...wash your sheets? Saturdays
...mop the kitchen floor? Mondays
...vacuum? Every day but Sunday.
...dust? Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
...clean the toilets? Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
...scrub the tub? Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
I give myself one full day off from cleaning each week... the only cleaning I do is the kitchen if I cannot stand how it is on Sunday (the day I designated myself as the day off). I do dishes at least once a day, but sometimes as many as 3 times a day. I vacuum daily because my allergies and toddler make it a NEED TO DO each day. I'm a stay-at-home mom of an almost 21 month old child.
Answer to all: Whenever they need it.Sometimes a week after they need it.
Flylady is a great site. I read it and SOMETIMES I actually do it.
...clean your bedroom? - Straighten and make the bed, daily. Vacuum and dust, every other week (the dogs aren't allowed in the bedroom, which is why it stays cleaner longer).
...wash your sheets? - Every other week (we usually shower before bed, so we're fairly clean people. :)).
...mop the kitchen floor? - Every week
...vacuum? - Every week
...dust? - Every week
...clean the toilets? - Every week
...scrub the tub? - Every other week, or right before we use it. Our tub is separate from our shower (which we clean every week), and we rarely use it.
My hubby and I have a routine that we clean the house from top to bottom every Friday after work, before we go out or do anything. That way we can enjoy it being clean for the whole weekend.
How often do you......clean your bedroom?
Deep cleaning, every couple months. Standard picking up-daily. Make the bed on the weekends.
...wash your sheets?
Sadly, not often enough.
...mop the kitchen floor?
Once a month, swifer if too bad during week.
...vacuum?
Monthly
...dust?
Twice a year
...clean the toilets?
Husband's job-who knows, it just gets done. ;)
...scrub the tub?
I don't have a tub, just a standup shower, so the mildew gets bad. This gets done every couple months.
...clean your bedroom? Never. It is in a perpetual state of chaos, its large, and is where I sort laundry.
...wash your sheets? About every two weeks or so.
...mop the kitchen floor? As needed. Usually is spot cleaned daily.
...vacuum? again, daily. we have a dog and three crumb dropping kids.
...dust? Never. Just kidding. Only when it gets really bad.
...clean the toilets? Weekly or sooner if it needs it.
...scrub the tub. Never. Really. This is one job I hate. We have a cleaning service, so they take care of this, along with the dusting, vacuuming and kitchen cleaning. This is the best way to pamper yourself it you can! I'm not spoiled, we are gone a lot and our kids are slobs.
I have Home Comforts and love it!
How often do you...
...clean your bedroom?
****I keep it picked up daily, 'deep clean' (as in wiping down the baseboards...once a month
...wash your sheets?
****once a week
...mop the kitchen floor?
****My entire downstairs is white ceramic tile. I use the dustbuster three in one thingy daily and also mop (swiffer wet) daily. I use the real mop once a week. Sometimes, often I end up having to swiffer wet twice a day. I have three boys 5 and under that and white tile makes for lots o' mopping
...vacuum?
****the carpet, once a week. The tile, in the bathrooms every other day, the downstairs gets vacuumed everyday.
...dust?
****once a week or as needed
...clean the toilets?
****our toilet get 'swished' with the tolilet brush daily. The other two baths get wiped down daily (while the boys are in the bath I clean the bathroom)
...scrub the tub?
****once a week
All I can say is www.flylady.net. If you are not born organized. She has been the key to helping me get into a routine and making sense of ''all that has to be done'' and finding time to fit it all in without cleaning all the time. Some folks aren't crazy about her ''personality'' but I can say, her ''system'' works if you do it. :)
How often do you...
...clean your bedroom?
I pick it up everyday
...wash your sheets?
Whenever they need it - usually once every 2 weeks
...mop the kitchen floor?
Once a month
...vacuum?
once a week
...dust?
when I can write my name in it - about every 2-3 months
...clean the toilets?
once every 2 weeks
...scrub the tub?
whenever it needs it but since I usually shower in a seperate shower stall - it doesn't need it often
How often do you...
...clean your bedroom?
Never? I mean, I'm always picking up clutter and putting away clean clothes and all that stuff, but I never set out to "clean the bedroom"
...wash your sheets?
About once every three months. We're pigs that way.
...mop the kitchen floor?
Never. Well, Alice mops it sometimes. And if it's particularly filthy in an area, I'll clean that up.
...vacuum?
Once a month or so.
...dust?
Never.
...clean the toilets?
Once a month or so.
...scrub the tub?
Oh, like once or twice a year? Anth and I take showers in the upright stall thingy off our bedroom, and I clean that about 4 times a year, but the only ones using the tub are the kids, who take one bath per week and don't get very dirty, so the tub rarely needs to be cleaned.
I am so ashamed. ;)
I clean things in my house when I can, but generally that's not as often as I should. Definitely not often enough for me to feel confident in sharing my answers here, were I to take the time to figure them out, lol.
I don't even know HOW to sanitize a trash can, and I don't really see me learning how. It's a TRASH can. To whomever said to worry more about doorknobs than trash cans: RIGHT ON sister!
I took this to my own journal, and was somewhat appalled at my answers. Here's the link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/epj/18887.html
My house hasn't been properly cleaned since I was 8 months pregnant. I better just not answer this one. ;)
How often do you...
...clean your bedroom?
When it reaches maximum messy capacity, which is usually once a month.
...wash your sheets?
Again with the once a month, usually after certain womanly things that come once a month.
...mop the kitchen floor?
I'm so lucky, my fiance' does that every couple weeks.
...vacuum?
When people are visiting. We have cafe au lait colored carpet, so it doesn't look dirty too often.
...dust?
When it gets noticeable.
...clean the toilets?
Every other week, maybe?
...scrub the tub?
Usually when I want to sit in the tub and soak.
Wow. I feel like a slacker housekeeper now. Sigh...
How often do you...
...clean your bedroom?
once a week.
...wash your sheets?
once a week with the laundry
...mop the kitchen floor?
i don't have a mop (shudders), but i get on my hands and knees to clean it about once a week
...vacuum?
at least once a week
...dust?
um, maybe once a week
...clean the toilets?
uh, once a week or so
...scrub the tub?
oh, about once a week.
I should be hiding in the closet...
bedroom - once a week with dusting and vacuuming. About once a month with under and behind things.
wash the sheets - once a week when I do laundry.
mop the kitchen floor: my worst one; probably once a month. But, I have dogs so I sweep it probably 3 or 4 times a week.
vacuum: again, with the dogs, it's every other day. The stairs get it once every couple of weeks.
dust: once a week with the "swiffer" or magic duster. Probably thoroughly twice a month.
clean the toilets: a couple of times a week.
scrub the tub: whenever I clean the bathroom, so about once a week. Or, if I want to take a bath I scrub it out before then.
I do *not* sanitize my trash cans every night though. I spray them with Lysol when I empty the garbage - and that happens as often as needed; sometimes we generate a lot of trash in a week, sometimes not. And, I only spray the ones in the kitchen, laundry room and family room.
bedroom? Once a week, picked up every night
sheets? When needed
mop? Once a week
vacuum? once a week (would be more w/ kids)
dust? once a week (pick everything up every night in living room, though)
toilets? once a week
tub? once a week
trash can? Liners, so only when bad. I put baking soda in the bottoms, though, to absorb odors.
Bedroom: daily.
Sheets: I change them weekly. I wash the dirty ones weekly.
Mop floor: once a month.
Vacuum. Twice a month. Autistic son hates the noise, so I don't do it more than that.
Dust: every 6 months.
Toilets: once a week.
Tub: once a week.
Clean the bedroom--when it's really, really messy.
...wash your sheets?
Once a month or if the cats barf on them or if they smell or if I feel the need to turn the mattress
...mop the kitchen floor?
When I can't stand it anymore. Once a month. Mind you, I don't have kids who eat off the floor.
...vacuum?
Va-what? My husband does it when he feels like it, maybe once a month.
...dust?
Quarterly. Seriously.
...clean the toilets?
Every week or so.
...scrub the tub?
Every one or two weeks.
I keep liners in the kitchen trash can and clean them only when they're icky inside. I clean the bathroom wastebasket when it looks icky to me, and I never sanitize the other ones. I certainly never sanitized the outside garbage pails when I had them. I have a dumpster right now because we live in an apartment.
If you want a healthier house, ignore the trashcans and sanitize the doorknobs.
Just to make everyone else feel better, my answer to all of the above is "whenever I get around to it, which isn't too often." :)
I can't even fathom the possibility of emptying the trash every day, let alone "sanitizing" the trash can. People really do that?? *boggled*
How often do you...
...clean your bedroom?
My husband vacuums the house, including the bedroom, maybe once a month. Other than the vacuuming, there is no cleaning of the bedroom.
...wash your sheets?
About once every two months.
...mop the kitchen floor?
Only when company comes over (about three times a year)
...vacuum?
Once a month.
...dust?
Three times a year.
...clean the toilets?
When they are visably filthy, however long that takes.
...scrub the tub?
Ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaaa! Say what?
I know, what an utter disgrace of a Betty Crocker. My husband and I both work full time and though I actually do prefer not to live in filth, other things in life just take priority, dagummit.
Good idea. I'll answer here since I'm too ashamed of some of my answers to post in my own blog. :)
clean your bedroom? Once a week
wash your sheets? We try to once a week, more often than not, every other week.
mop the kitchen floor? Once a week
vacuum? Once, sometimes twice a week.
dust? Once a week
clean the toilets? Once a week
scrub the tub? This is something I HATE doing and I can't get my husband to do, so it gets done probably only two or three times a year. It doesn't LOOK bad though...
How often do you...
...clean your bedroom?
About every 2 weeks.
...wash your sheets?
Once a week.
...mop the kitchen floor?
Once a week.
...vacuum?
whenever it looks dirty, about 2x a week
...dust?
about every 2 weeks.
...clean the toilets?
once a week.
...scrub the tub?
heh. haven't done this one in a while. maybe once a month if I'm good, but its been since October.
Everyday
Not so good at this one - but I try once a week
everyother day
everyday - alternating floors of the house
when I vacuum
eww - hubby's job he supose to do it once a week
again - hubby is supose to do it when he does the toliet
got to go - time to take out the trash and sanitized the can
