Tell Me Tuesday
January 5th, 2010 by Ashley
I’ve gotten into the habit lately of running some kind of questions/fill in the blank type of posts on Tuesdays. It’s been fun getting to know my readers (those of you who actually respond…) better. 
So you count on lots more opportunities in the future to let your voice be heard.
Here’s what’s new with me…
I revamped my cleaning schedule, kind of because it needed some tweaking, mostly because Hombre had a change in his work schedule so I wanted to plan better around that.
I’m really excited about the new plan, and I’ve decided that the best way to lure yourself to follow the schedule is to make it so pretty you can’t help looking at it every day.
Here’s my dilema.
I feel like keeping the house clean should be a priority. It makes everyone more comfortable, and elminates a lot of unnecessary stress because things are where they belong, etc.
Anyway, in order to keep the house “comfortably clean” I feel like I have to be doing housework all the time. And I don’t want to be one of those crazy people anymore. But everytime I try to let it go a little, it snowballs completely out of control and we’re all stuck in a messy pit of despair! I know I should be able to prioritize and minimze the amount of time it takes, and I thought I had, but apparently not well enough.
So…tell me, what do you consider to be essential and non-essential when it comes to a clean house? How often do your sheets get changed and your floors get mopped? I’m really looking for help here, so tell me as much as you want to share. I’m eagerly waiting to hear from you…
I am admittedly a horrible housekeeper (getting better!), but my idea of “clean enough” is the 15 minute test. If you can get a room straightened up and company ready in 15 minutes or less, it is clean enough.
I think deep cleaning (thorough mopping including under appliances, thorough vacuuming, thorough dusting) only needs to happen every 4-6 weeks, but maintenance cleaning (quick sweep, spot mopping, vacuuming the middles of rooms, quick dusting, etc) needs to happen daily/weekly.
Bathrooms- a quick wipe-down in the evening should keep the counters clean enough. Quickly scrub the toilet in the evening as well.
Bedrooms- ideally should be picked up daily, quickly vacuumed (middle only) weekly, and deep cleaned quarterly. Realistically, as long as it doesn’t smell like anything has died, they’re the kids’ domain thus they are their responsibility
My kids tend to keep their rooms pretty clean. We have some bed wetters, so I never get to use this, but I like the idea of turning the sheet weekly, so only having to wash it every other week (I can dream, right?) I try to change my sheets every week, but realistically it is usually more like 10 days between changings.
Dishes and laundry are never-ending, but I feel “caught up” if I have the laundry down to about 3 loads and the dishes don’t stink. Also, we wear pants multiple times. Since the kids wear uniforms to school, they only spend a couple of hours per day in their clothes, so they wear them multiple times as well. It is up to them to decide if an item needs washed. When they change into their pajamas, they either hang up their old clothes or they put it in their hamper.
Delegation is key. Since my husband works out of town, I feel guilty asking him to help out, but if I can cook the meal, he can help clean up after it.
Use a timer to help you focus on your time.
Check out flylady- http://www.flylady.net and sign up for her emails. You’ll find things you can use. It seems a little hokey at first, but I promise you, you’ll find some usable gems in the emails
That was long! I had better get started on MY house now
Comment by Jolyn — January 6, 2010 @ 8:02 am
Do you really want to know? I mop as needed only. Like when it get disgusting…sweeping often and “spot cleaning” obvious spills along the way. (Let it me known I used to mop evry week and when people came over…those days are gone.)
The kids p/u their rooms daily and vaccume them every 1=2 weeks depending on the look of it.
Sheets have no schedule, but every 2 weeks or so. I seem to do them more often in the summer though.
Dusting to me is non essential (now) but if I don’t feel like it or have no time I send the kids around with the dust rag…they LOVE doing it and I figure a bad job is better than nothing.
Resently we hav implemented a dish rinsing/table wiping program. we’ve been doing it for a couple weeks and I’m very pleased in the kids work. We alternate the older two and Liv helps with what she can (rinsing the rag, clearing the table ect) I’ve been surprised how well they do. It’s so much work that they complain either…not once yet.
One wipes the table and one rinses the dishes. I just fill the sink 1/2 way with soapy water and away they go.
We try to p/u the house every day before dinner or as needed as well.
So, do you still want to be me friend now that you know my secrets?
Comment by jennee — January 6, 2010 @ 9:58 am
boy lots of typos..sorry.I meant it not so much work that they complain
Comment by jennee — January 6, 2010 @ 10:00 am
This kinda reveals dirty secrets…you know the stuff we dont like to admit as long as everything smells good…
I am one of those people that can not sit down unles the house is in order!
However it doesnt have to be white glove clean! Like Jennee mopping occurs when it HAS to…i regularly take a spray bottle and rag to the visibly dirty spots but as for the whole floor maybe once a month…
Since my kitchen is little i try to stay on top of dishes but who wants to be doing dishes all day every day…i force myself to wait till after dinner and as of late i wash dry and put away and if i do it daily it takes me 20 min or so! Yes there are those nights i just dont want to and then i do it the next morning!
I vacuum alot…cuz i am wierd like that…maybe its the animals but i feel like my house looks clean if its picked up and the living room is vacuumed! As for the rest of the house if it REALLY needs it i do it otherwise it happens when i get in one of those freak cleaning moods
Bathrooms ugh…i have to admit my bathroom is never as clean as i would like it…its in the back of the house no one sees it or uses it so i let it go alot…the front however is victorias job…every night after dinner she goes in throws away trash wipes off the counters and toilet puts away hairbrushes all that pick up stuff…I usually clean it better right before company comes over.
kids rooms…a battle id rather not discuss…their rooms always seem dirty to me i make them completly clean them about once a week but they really play in them and thats why they seem so messy to me there are always train tracks cars legos barbis…all over the place but they are in their rooms and so i am kinda ok with that!
laundry…since life has changed a little with school i do and put away as i do at least 1 a day…or i try anyway…usually fri & sat i do it all to get it done which usually 5 or 6 loads.
I have discovered what really helps me is we are on one of those APS plans and it costs me more to do laundry and use hot water after noon so i try to do house work till noon then i am done for the day!
I would say for the most part my house is in a 15 minutes from presentable state almost all the time just dont ask to use my bathroom
Comment by Jennifer — January 6, 2010 @ 4:25 pm
Don’t worry…I’m not judging any of you! You all just made me feel like I’m not a complete failure, so thank you!
Comment by Ashley — January 11, 2010 @ 9:29 pm