How clean is your house?

Unclutterer ForumsWelcomeHello!

(31 posts) (19 voices)

Started 6 months ago by susanintexas
Latest reply from bandicoot
RSS feed for this topic

Overall Rating: 1 vote

Tags:

12 Next »

susanintexas
Member

No, I'm not being nosy :)

The thread about the new year, in which several posters expressed an interest in having their houses sparkle via a deep cleaning got me thinking about how clean I want my house to be.

A part of my motivation for uncluttering was a vision of a cleaner, tidier house that would actually take less of my time to maintain. Like many of you, the uncluttering (disposing of stuff) has been accompanied by organizing, cleaning, maintenance & fixing, establishing routines, research and self-reflection.

My house wasn't especially dirty or messy, but in the past year I'd say I moved up from a C+ (towards the high end of average) to a solid B. To get to the sparkle stage for the whole house at once (an A+) I estimate would take at least a solid week of cleaning and I'm not sure it's worth it to me.

I've been attempting to formulate my standards for a clean/tidy/organized house and what I've come up with so far is:
(1) I want the house to be safe, sanitary and sweet-smelling.
(2) I want to be able to have people drop in without being embarrassed or apologetic about the state of the house. (I've achieved this consistently for the past few months.)
(3) I want to be able to discern/schedule when to clean things before they become noticeably dirty -- i.e., I do not want to spend an hour dusting every day, but I do not want to defer it until I can write novels on the table tops.
(4) I'd like to be able to do all this in about an hour a day, or less. And then, say I'm done, it's good enough, and enjoy the rest of my life.

Does anyone else have articulated 'standards" about house cleanliness that they can share?

Posted 6 months ago #
ninakk
Member

Ah, I would love to have as clean a house as my mom keeps their apartment (she bosses dad around until he participates so they do share the load well), but what I have discovered this Fall has taken me by complete surprise. She is not organized. She can find her stuff, but it is not neatly stored at all. And outside of cupboards and closets it is cleaner than the other way around. My conclusion was to choose organization over cleanliness (because I can't pull both off without giving up the fun stuff) and clean with a frequency that is only somewhat okay to me. I do not want to be ashamed if visitors come unannounced, but more than that I can't invest in it. The surprise above was that she talks about cleaning so much you would think it is perfect all the way; if I would invest the same amount of time in scrubbing my place would actually be perfection so I have no idea of how inefficient she is really.
Made me feel less inferior for sure :)

Posted 6 months ago #
sleepykitten
Member

What a great question (how clean do I WANT my house) that I haven't put a great deal of thought into. The short answer is "cleaner than it is now". I'm not a great housekeeper. But I'm not sure how clean I want it, or when I would be ready to stop.

To borrow a bit from Susan's list:

1) I don't want to be embarrassed if company stops by (to be honest, we rarely have company - we usually go out - but that could be because I'm sending out some sort of vibe that I would be embarrassed to have someone over)

2) I want the indoor air quality to be good - i.e., nothing unsanitary, not too much dust, etc.

3) I want all the horizontal surfaces clear when I go to bed at night, so that I can wake up feeling like anything is possible!

Posted 6 months ago #
Astreja
Member

How clean is my house? Not as clean as I would like it to be, but gradually improving.

The major problem is that my house is a collection of construction zones separated by islands of sanity such as the dining room. I also have a dark legion of cats roaming from hither to yon and back again.

Still, I keep plugging away at it. As I fix something up, I make an effort to keep it fixed (such as keeping the dining table as clear as possible; doing the dishes after supper; and keeping on top of laundry). I'm also doing new construction that will be easy to maintain, so that one day I won't have to expend a lot of effort to keep house.

Posted 6 months ago #
mskris
Member

Not as clean as I'd like it to be. This is a great question! Right now, my DH is unemployed, so he's doing a deep cleaning of the house for me before the holidays. However, his definition of a deep clean and mine surely differ! He cleans what shows; I like the place really clean. For example, he'll take out the trash, but it's I who washes out the trash bins after the bag is removed, and cleans the rolling tray that holds the bins (under cabinet) of all the stuff that missed the bin/bag. He'll put the clean dishes away; it's I who wipes the inevitable dust/crumbs from the cutlery tray and wipes out the cabinet. Get the picture? That said, I'm happy to have the help and will not permit myself to repeat the jobs he's done.

Posted 6 months ago #
Zora
Member

My house is clean :/ Well, except for the windows and screens, which need scrubbing. It's too much for my arthritic hips and knees, so I have to save up some money to pay someone to do it.

I have a weekly schedule. I don't have a job outside the house. I don't have a child at home. I can stay on top of it. When I had a job and a small child, I couldn't.

Posted 6 months ago #
luxcat
Member

my house is pretty clean, but I can't take credit for it. DH and I decided about a year and a half ago to alter some of our other spending to allow for a housekeeper to come every other week. We are blessed in that her standard of "clean" is actually higher than both of ours, and she's worth her weight in gold.

Posted 6 months ago #
bandicoot
Member

it is clean enough already and it has been for two years.
1. i have cleaners
2. it is a very simple house
3. we don't have much stuff
4. we don't have complicated lives

i do not spend more than an hour a day on average and that includes cooking and washing the dishes.

what i really want, apart from a proper bathroom, is a proper floor throughout the place.
it would be easier to keep it cleaner.
we have a lot of nature getting inside via cats....and a taipan invited himself in last night to everyone's perturbation.
first indoor snake in seven years....i cannot complain.
and absolutely no way to keep them out.

Posted 6 months ago #
Ella
Member

My little studio apartment is "clean enough" - which is to say, I'm comfortable in it and not embarrassed or apologetic when an unannounced visitor drops in. Being such a small living space, it necessitates keeping up with cleaning and tidying, or it would quickly become unlivable. That happens from time to time when a big project or a decluttering purge takes place, but things soon settle down again.

Even so, I could use a good strong nudge now and then. It so happens that I just signed up for the daily "Take 5" email from the Queen of Kaos website. I'm waiting for my first 5-minute mission to arrive in my inbox. Does anyone else here subscribe to the "Take 5" emails?

Posted 6 months ago #
chacha1
Member

My list of standards for household cleanliness is nearly identical to susanintexas'.

I have several major, major advantages in keeping things clean.
1) no kids
2) no carpet in the most-trafficked rooms
3) lots of closed storage in all but one room
4) more space than we need
5) cats stay indoors

Much of our storage in the main rooms is glass-fronted, meaning we can display a lot of our various books and treasures but they aren't an endless chore to dust. (Also, because of the glass the immediate impression is of solid planes, not (e.g.) shelves or niches.) And because we have some "extra" space, our things aren't all crammed together, which not only makes it look less cluttered despite the volume of stuff, it also makes things easier to keep clean.

Funny to me: as I have gotten more clutter out of the house, the few remaining hard-to-clean things are really starting to bug me! :-)

Posted 6 months ago #
Mimi
Member

my house is getting cleaner every day, and i really enjoy it. it started with uncluttering- it made everything easier as the amount of things is decreased. empty space looks cleaner than crammed space.

"fix one thing a day" made the place even better, cleaner and somehow more tidy.

my silver bullets are my new cleaning routines. i use a to do list app called "wunderlist" and i keep track of weekly rountines, and even more important "montly minis". these are 30 tasks that should be one monthly. it is not important to do them every day, they just need to be done at the end of the month. i use this monthly mini-list for some month now and it was very hard in the beginning. the fun thing is: it gets better every month. when i did the silver ceaning / polishing 3 times a year, it took about 4 hours. now i do it every month and it takes about one hour. there are many tasks that are also very easy to do now as they are done reglary: cleaning the fridge, freezer, car, rain drain... i get faster every month and the things are cleaner than before.

the only "problem" that avoids my place from being really clean is a great dane. she is diveling on the clothes, the chairs, the kitchen counter, at the windows when she tries to hunt flies in the winter garden and when she barks at the cats outside... (and must be a lot of cats outside). and her paws, muddy... and the fur, everywhere... but i love her and because of that i accept some slime on the windows and mud on the floor and fur in the drawers.

Posted 6 months ago #
snosie
Member

mimi - I'd be interested in your 'monthly minis' list, if you're willing. I feel like there's lots of stuff I forget that needs doing! Congrats on working out an (inspirational to me) system!

Posted 6 months ago #
pkilmain
Member

We have a monthly and a quarterly list, and it includes such things as turning the mattress, cleaning out the outdoor storage shed, and washing windows, inside and out. Many of these are two person things. There is also an annual list - much shorter - for things like cleaning the rain gutters and the wood stove chimney. :)

Posted 6 months ago #
bandicoot
Member

snosie, i am glad you asked!
i am dying to see the mimi-monthly -minis list too!

Posted 6 months ago #
ninakk
Member

The rotational thing is working for me, too, at least in theory. I thought it would be too anal to have daily/weekly, monthly and half-yearly checklists, but they actually help me rather than suffocate and tie down. I watched our behaviour (really empirical research) for a while and then formulated my weekly tasks.

The list ended up becoming my standard:
- vacuum twice weekly due to cat (otherwise once would suffice); one ten-minute thing of quick vacuuming, the other a regular vacuum and dust session
- wash clothing on two days (concentrated work, drying racks tucked away regularly instead of crowding aka "uncleaning" the one-room flat days on end, and no chance for me to use this task for procrastination, plus I'm not allowed to wash half empty machines this way); amount of loads washed may vary but Mondays and Thursdays are the normal washing days unless something comes up
- make bed daily; fresher bedlinen due to less dust and fewer cat hairs
- wash dishes daily
- clean kitchen and bathroom once weekly; the bathroom is fairly okay with this frequency and the kitchen counters and sink are wiped down at the end of the day with food splatter wiped from stove top as well, so what remains is dusting of stuff, deeper cleaning of countertops and backsplash as well as a few other tasks - maintenance to prevent deeper monthly cleaning altogether and a horrible half-yearly
- take trash out when bins are full

Cleaning chores that have to be done less seldom are on the monthly or half-yearly lists. If I had the will and energy to do them more often, the home would sparkle, but I value being creative more than having a spotless home. This is a nice compromise that I feel good enough about without going overboard; my friends think it is A+++ on their scale and my mom probably thinks it is a B+ but the latter is not concerning me anymore after my discoveries described above. I have my strengths elsewhere, in organizing information and bureaucratic evidence thereof; more important to me should there be a crisis god forbid.

My cleaning these days is about eliminating the need of insane once yearly cleanings that take days to finish and to go easier on the rotating half-yearlies. The monthlies are also there to make the half-yearlies more of a breeze.

Posted 6 months ago #
Netleigh
Member

I too prefer the question 'how clean do you want your house to be', I can cope without sparking throughout but will always deal with basic hygeine on a regular basis.

I did find that trying to follow flylady lists some years ago allowed me to break down the cleaning into small tasks that need to be done weekly, monthly, quarterly or annualy. However I don't follow the flylady lists rigorously and I have stopped feeling stressed if in a week I don't do something from my version of the list.
Add another to the list of those curious to see the'mimi-monthly -minis'

I have intermittantly had cleaners, I'm currently waiting to see if a reccomended cleaner will have a space in her schedule so I can have one again and spend more time on myself trying to fit in more exercise. Having cleaners prevents us creating long lasting clutter spots as we clear them before the cleaner comes.

However the gradual uncluttering effect is making it easier to get to most surfaces and floors regularly without having to find them first. I was pleasantly relieved to walk back into a fairly tranquil space in both the bedroom and livingroom last night after coming back from a weekend away. Not the hit and run that we sometimes leave behind before travel. My office desk top is another matter, I need to have a good filing and throwing session.

Posted 6 months ago #
Mimi
Member

heeehee, you curious folks, here are the "monthly-mimis" ;)
they are, of course, made for my home, but you will get an impression. i really recommend such a list. i think i adapted it from flylady, but i am not sure. it is a lot of work but it is getting less stress every month. i don´t do the tasks in this order, i just do what needs to be done or what i feel i like best. i don´t do one task a day EVERY day, i often bundle two things, e.g. drive the car through the car wash and clean the inside of the car afterwards. the next day i relax and know: i have done enough the day before. the nagging feeling is gone. it makes me really confident to cross the tasks out.

1) bring glass and other recycable things to the recycling center
2) buy meat (120lbs) for the dog and freeze it (the meat, not the dog)
3) clean the car (the outside of the car, in the car wash)
4) clean the car (inside: vacuum and clean the windows and surfaces)
5) clean the rain gutter
6) brush the garden paths and the terrace
7) clean the winter garden (windows + frames)
8) iron
9) scan private stuff
10) brush away cobwebs
11) wash drapes (wintergarden)
12) wash the rest of the drapes
13) clean one of the open shelves in the kitchen (also: put all the plates etc from the shelf into the dishwasher)
14) clean the other open shelf in the kitchen (and the plates etc)
15) deepclean the fridge
16) deepclean/ unfreeze the the freezer
17) clean doorknobs, door leaves and light switches with denaturated alcohol (cleans well and also disinfects)
18) clean the kitchendrawers on the right side oft he kitchen (put everything out, vacccum, wash and take the stuff back into the drawer)
19) clean the kitchendrawers on the left side oft he kitchen
20) clean the silver cuttlery
21) clean the glass-lamps
22) put one thing on ebay
23) put another thing on ebay
24) repair/ fix a thing
25) repair/fix another thing
26) backup the laptop
and these are a kind of "jokers" if i have done these, there is no need to do one oft the rest oft he tasks
27) we have guests: dust the guest room, put fresh linen on the guestbed
28) remove and wash the guest bed linen
29) appointment at the dentist or similar appointments
30) appointment at the hairdresser (i especially like this task!)

Posted 6 months ago #
bandicoot
Member

thatis a terrific list, and i really like your way of going about it.

Posted 6 months ago #
djk
Member

It is a great question. Right now, I would say, "clean enough". There is always more to be done, but if someone rang the bell right now I would wipe down the counter quickly and do a quick wipe of the floor in front of the kitchen sink but everything else would be perfectly acceptable.

Posted 6 months ago #
Netleigh
Member

Thanks for the list Mimi. I have similar things in my lists but was attempting to allocate them by day/week. I may try just one list and choosing randomly from it.

Posted 6 months ago #

12 Next »

Reply »

You must log in to post. If you do not already have an account, you can register here.