I like this walk through the house plan, especially for the non-routine stuff.
It’s interesting to me what people do and don’t like to do. I don’t mind dusting at all. I HATE doing the floors. Maybe I should think about a Roomba. I have a friend who has one and says it helps but that it isn’t as good as vacuuming.
I’m also considering getting a floor steamer - one of those Shark thingies. We have tile throughout our condo.
Here’s another question - do you wear shoes in your house?
Whatever you decide to do, clean from top to bottom, so dust and fluff pillows & cushions before you vacuum. Same with cleaning kitchen counters before cleaning the floor.
Floors are all wood other than tile in bathrooms and mudroom, so I vacuum everywhere. Floors are mopped with Bona infrequently, as we do not wear shoes in the house.
There is no enjoyable way to clean a bathroom.
After many, many years, I got a crew to come in once a month. Didn’t do bedrooms or laundry, but I mainly wanted the main living areas cleaned. Can’t do it myself with significant knee and back problems.
Cancelled the service when I started isolating. DH is sleeping downstairs and using a separate bathroom, so he is cleaning them. Not to my standard, but I can’t do it.
The kitchen takes an hour every day. It also has the entrance we use most often, so lots of dirt and dog fur gets tracked in. I am tyrannical about recycling and getting rid of stuff. DH leaves a trail of opened envelopes, food containers and work detritus, so it’s a constant effort.
Most of the heavy cleaning happens before visitors and since that’s not happening…
Try not to wear shoes in the house, we are pretty successful.
I have a steam mop, I think this is the 3rd or 4th one. Love it. I buy cheap ones at Big Lots because we have hard water and they don’t last very long. But I think they are great for floors
I had a house cleaner a few times in my life
. 1. When son born
2. When son in HS
3. Began again last May, when I was hosting a party of 35 in my house.
I had my former gal come to help clean for the party. I spent weekends getting rid of clutter, reducing pictures and books. She let me know, in a subtle way, areas that needed more attention. With my back and neck issues, it’s nice to not have to vacuum or scrub, wash windows, etc.
I keep my guilt at bay by reminding myself that I now have a puppy. Last week I began moving all my office files and stuff into the house, so began cleaning out home files. I guess I could post in Bag a week thread that I’ve filled my trash can last two times.
I normally have a cleaning service every other Friday. I didn’t have them coming for 3 months during the pandemic so cleaning day was on Saturday (I work full time, from home now). I told H that if he would clean the kitchen (he is chief cook) I would do the rest. I really only clean the areas we use- master bedroom and bath, powder room. Vacuum and dust. With only the two of us living here, the house stays neat. I pick up all the time, dishes are washed/in dishwasher, etc. I run laundry a lot (but like doing it), wash/change sheets on Wednesdays.
I clean for the cleaning lady. The house looks great right before she arrives 
Ha ha! I used to do this! It would drive my dh and ds crazy! But, a person can’t clean if there is stuff piled up on counters (and floors in a teen boy bedroom).
A Shark is a steam mop, correct? And people steam mop in lieu of mopping or swiffering, correct? Is a Bona a steam mop? Or is it another form of a Swiffer? The challenge I am having is my tile floors in our new place are very matte and seem to show every smudge and it’s hard to mop without leaving streaks. I was wondering if a steam mop would be the way to go. Living at the beach does present floor challenges. I think I need both an indoor and outdoor mat by our balcony.
I do clean top to bottom when I clean everything all at once, but I don’t know how that really works if I choose to do different tasks on different days. Guess that means I should dust the day before I vacuum/mop.
Never had cleaning help. When I had my house I vacuumed every Saturday and otherwise cleaning kind of happened naturally. In a small apartment, I clean when I feel like it is needed. So sorry, no structure to offer Like many posts, I wonder if this is more COVID-related since being home and not doing as much outside the home makes cleaning issue loom large, and we all miss having structure to our lives.
I have a cleaner once a week, but I remember the before days and there were two months where she didn’t come.
I totally agree with the top to bottom approach. We get a lot of spiderwebs on our ceilings so those get taken care of first. Then vacuum. Not more than once a week. We have no pets and leave shoes in the front hall so that is definitely enough.
I actually like doing bathroom. I keep a scrubby brush at every toilet and if someone has been messy I just do them as I see them. I spray chlorox clean up on tile walls and take a toothbrush to any grout that looks like it is going iffy. Wipe the counters do the mirror if it needs it.
I wash bathmats every couple of weeks.
I dust the hidden spots behind and under furniture about once a month.
Porch gets swept and mopped weekly.
I tidy up newspapers etc about once a week.
If you don’t care about a totally regular schedule, I keep a note book with a list of “When did I last?” It’s got the list of things that don’t need to be done every week. Like cleaning the exhaust fan over the stove.
We do not wear shoes in the house. Ever. I do think that helps. We also have a house with hot water radiators so no forced hot air so that cuts down on the dust.
This thread is reminding me though that the house is due for a deep clean and we’re going to need to bite the bullet and just do it.
Probably the most cleaned room in the house after the master and kitchen is the sunporch. I love it out there and hate to see anything on the floor.
Now I know we are doomed. We wear shoes in the house , as do guests. I applaud all of you that keep things really clean and tidy! I unfortunately have somewhat of a tolerance for some level of clutter and dust but we know how to clean up well when needed. But dishes are always done all along , garbage ànd recycling always taken out, refrigerator always okay. Some dust can wait! Some of this probably relates to how we were brought up, personality type , how we feel about what we present to outsiders, finances and what you want to spend money on,etc. It’s an interesting discussion.
We have no rules in our house about shoes on or shoes off. I am however a “shoes on” person. I don’t like being barefoot in the house. I’m not a slippers or just wear socks person. I like a shoe or sandal on my foot! H usually wears shoes too. If I think about my kids and kid-in-laws there would be a mix of shoes vs. barefoot.
Of course take them off if they are muddy or something. And then I’d put a non-dirty other shoe on!
I had a cleaning lady who did an excellent job of cleaning our house every two weeks. I don’t come close to having the skills she does, so I clean weekly to stay ahead of the chores. I use an adapted Flylady approach. Tuesday’s (today, I hate that day) I polish the countertops, clean appliances and table, spot clean cabinets, scour sink, and vacuum and mop the kitchen and laundry room floor. Wednesdays I vacuum the remainder of the downstairs, dust (downstairs and upstairs) and clean the powder room. Thursdays I clean the two upstairs bathrooms and vacuum upstairs. Fridays are for rotating chores such as cleaning windows, mirrors, lamps, sweeping porches, or detailed cleaning of bookshelves. Saturdays are for laundry. Sundays are for cleaning the screened in porch.
I have off on Mondays. ?
If I didn’t stick to a schedule, it would be too easy to let things slide for weeks, and then the chore is too overwhelming. With my current routine, our house is always clean.
Haha, I’m from Japan and my husband grew up in Hawaii , so NO, we do not wear shoes in the house. Never ever!!
Yes, the way we were raised, cultural norms play a role in some things like shoes! I should clarify that when I say we wear shoes in our house, it relates to normal day to day stuff. I wear shoes the vast majority of the time, H wears shoes but not as much as me. I was referring more to rules about shoes- like @abasket, we have none. Guests can do as they please! Most people luckily know to wipe their feet or take off their shoes without prompting if they feel their shoes might be messy.
We are a shoes-off household, and this is easy because we have a good old-fashioned mud room.
Does that extend to guests or just your family, @Midwest67? I still remember my older son (age 5 at the time) coming home and telling me he had to take off his shoes when he visited his friend’s house ( and they are still very good friends many years later). It was funny because he was just confused as that was not what he had encountered yet in his young life in our home or in visiting other relatives or other people’s homes. I bugged him more with reminding him to wipe his feet and suggested he take his shoes or boots off only if they were unusually messy. He wasn’t used to having to have shoes off inside at all times, regardless of weather or mess. It was a good lesson in family rules and ways in which all families are different!
We’re a shoes-off family, but when someone mows the lawn and then comes in the kitchen and removes shoes, there is grass everywhere.
We’ve removed almost all the carpet in the house, which makes it easier to clean (though easier to see the dust bunnies!).
I LOVE my Bissell steam mop. It cleans my tile without streaks. I have 2 washable covers. I tried a Shark and didn’t like it because you had to pump the handle as you mopped.