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Post by oust on Mar 8, 2015 18:30:55 GMT -5
Do folks spend keeping their homes decent?
What is the best method?
What are the biggest time hogs
What do you do that gives the most payback?
Really need a boost as I am going through the motions and need a kick start for spring.
Any posts appreciated
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Post by reb on Mar 8, 2015 18:58:52 GMT -5
When I had the "I Hate To HouseKeep" book, Peg Braken suggested that it takes one hour a day per bedroom of the place. If there is a rec room or den add 20 more minutes. Not including cooking and if you do upkeep every single day. Add 1/2 hour per kid.
I've found that about right if you keep it up every single day.
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Post by sauberkite on Mar 9, 2015 5:40:01 GMT -5
Now that I have a baby, I have a cleaning lady in to clean the bathrooms and floors once a week. It takes her two hours.
Every evening I wash the dishes and wipe down the counter in the kitchen. If I see crumbs on the floor I sweep them up. And then I throw any "upstairs things" into a laundry basket and bring it upstairs. And then I do the same with "downstairs things". Then I put my clothes away and pick something for the next morning.
Every morning I make my bed and then "swish and swipe" in the bathrooms. I just run a wet wipe over the sinks and toilets and spot clean the mirror. And then I put the things away that I brought upstairs and downstairs the night before.
And I spend 15 minutes a day doing something extra. Either cleaning something that looks dirty, or decluttering something that is cluttered. It didn't get trashed in a day, you'll just get discouraged if you try to do too much. I think if you live like you are in maintenance, you'll reach it quicker. Maybe do two 15 minute segments if you feel the need to.
I always wipe down the shower after showering, and if something catches my attention and will only take two minutes to fix, I do it. Before I put the baby to bed, I make sure her toys are picked up, changing table is cleared off, and her clothes are away. And I really, really try to throw away things I don't need, use or love.
It's not in my nature to be this way, but I find that routines and tracking my progress is helpful. A friend of mine is effortlessly clean and tidy. Not obsessive or anxious, but her place is always welcoming and clean. I've been observing her for years (when I asked her how she does it, she didn't know what I was talking about), and I noticed that she's always doing just a little bit. She never leaves her kitchen without giving something a wipe, and never goes to bed without clearing off the coffee table. She's always cleaning, but never cleaning. Almost zen-like. She doesn't overreact or underreact. It's continuously being cleaned and put in order, so she doesn't really have to react at all.
But to actually answer the question, I guess I spend an hour a day keeping house, if I don't count cooking and yardwork. Before I had a baby, I used to do the cleaning lady's work on Sundays and it took me a little over two hours. We have a three bedroom house, one kid, no den or playroom. One bedroom is unused though. I grew up in squalor, and lived alone in mild squalor as I learned how to keep house and maintain it. It's been a priority for me for over ten years, and it's still hard. This is really a great forum for motivation and accountability!
For me, the biggest payoff cleans are the bathroom faucets and the kitchen sink. When the sink is shiny, the rest of the room looks ok.
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Post by Jannie on Mar 9, 2015 10:43:14 GMT -5
My sister has a beautiful clean house. I asked her secret-she says she cleans house about 45 minutes per day.
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 9, 2015 13:00:14 GMT -5
sauberkite I really like what you said about your friend Always doing a little something. That's how I want to be. Sort of reminds me of the BDG method in "Favorites"
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 9, 2015 13:02:36 GMT -5
When I had the "I Hate To HouseKeep" book, Peg Braken suggested that it takes one hour a day per bedroom of the place. If there is a rec room or den add 20 more minutes. Not including cooking and if you do upkeep every single day. Add 1/2 hour per kid. I've found that about right if you keep it up every single day. This is very discouraging. I seriously hope this is wrong. I am not willing to clean for 3 1/2 hours a day. I would never have time to do anything else! |
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Post by boyswillbeboys on Mar 9, 2015 13:20:17 GMT -5
When I had the "I Hate To HouseKeep" book, Peg Braken suggested that it takes one hour a day per bedroom of the place. If there is a rec room or den add 20 more minutes. Not including cooking and if you do upkeep every single day. Add 1/2 hour per kid. I've found that about right if you keep it up every single day. This is very discouraging. I seriously hope this is wrong. I am not willing to clean for 3 1/2 hours a day. I would never have time to do anything else! Mine would be five and a half hours, plus cooking. Yuck, though it makes DH's thought that I should treat this house as a full time job seem more reasonable/ |
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Post by cando on Mar 9, 2015 13:36:15 GMT -5
When I had the "I Hate To HouseKeep" book, Peg Braken suggested that it takes one hour a day per bedroom of the place. If there is a rec room or den add 20 more minutes. Not including cooking and if you do upkeep every single day. Add 1/2 hour per kid. I've found that about right if you keep it up every single day. This is very discouraging. I seriously hope this is wrong. I am not willing to clean for 3 1/2 hours a day. I would never have time to do anything else! Agreed. And, it doesn't even mention how much time to add for DH... Surely he adds another couple hours! Great thread! I am looking forward to reading more responses. |
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Post by Arid on Mar 9, 2015 14:54:19 GMT -5
Yes; some years ago, I read a week's-long "diary" that was published in a lady's magazine. The diary was that of a woman who lived in the 1940s--1950s? era. I'm not sure of the exact decade anymore. Anyway, I found *her* life's story to be *VERY* depressing!!
She was a stay-at-home mom (as was the norm in those days), and EVERY hour of her day was assigned to doing some household task or other. Her only "free" time, if you will, was the hour or so she allowed herself every Thursday afternoon to do some sewing for her daughter--after all, all her clothing was homemade!! (She considered this to be "free" time because it was something that she found to be "fun" to do!) All the rest of her time was spent cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry. I don't recall if she had a dishwasher or not, but certainly, she didn't have a microwave, a computer, or a cell phone!!
Giving credit where it is due--the meals she listed that she prepared for her family sounded out-of-this world!! "Veal birds," anyone . . .?!! (All cooking was "from scratch," of course!)
Arid
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Post by dtesposito on Mar 9, 2015 15:50:09 GMT -5
On another note, how much time would you be WILLING to spend on your home each day for it to be clean and uncluttered? How much time do you spend on meaningless leisure activities--things that you get very little out of, but that pass the time (as opposed to meaningful leisure activities that give you deep satisfaction). How much time per day do you waste because your home is cluttered (for example, looking for lost items, making a special trip somewhere because you put something off, making a special trip somewhere because you didn't organize your time to do things efficiently, rewashing laundry not put away right away, picking up stuff that slides off of a huge stack every time you pass by). I'm just beginning to realize that some of my meaningless activities can be sacrificed without reducing the quality of my life, while some time spent in cleaning/decluttering saves time in the long run, reduces my stress, and makes me feel good about my living space. I'm finding that there's a compromise between hours and hours of cleaning a day, and how much I did before, which was none.  Diane |
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Post by papermoon on Mar 9, 2015 17:13:55 GMT -5
Now that I have a baby, I have a cleaning lady in to clean the bathrooms and floors once a week. It takes her two hours. Every evening I wash the dishes and wipe down the counter in the kitchen. If I see crumbs on the floor I sweep them up. And then I throw any "upstairs things" into a laundry basket and bring it upstairs. And then I do the same with "downstairs things". Then I put my clothes away and pick something for the next morning. Every morning I make my bed and then "swish and swipe" in the bathrooms. I just run a wet wipe over the sinks and toilets and spot clean the mirror. And then I put the things away that I brought upstairs and downstairs the night before. And I spend 15 minutes a day doing something extra. Either cleaning something that looks dirty, or decluttering something that is cluttered. It didn't get trashed in a day, you'll just get discouraged if you try to do too much. I think if you live like you are in maintenance, you'll reach it quicker. Maybe do two 15 minute segments if you feel the need to. I always wipe down the shower after showering, and if something catches my attention and will only take two minutes to fix, I do it. Before I put the baby to bed, I make sure her toys are picked up, changing table is cleared off, and her clothes are away. And I really, really try to throw away things I don't need, use or love. It's not in my nature to be this way, but I find that routines and tracking my progress is helpful. A friend of mine is effortlessly clean and tidy. Not obsessive or anxious, but her place is always welcoming and clean. I've been observing her for years (when I asked her how she does it, she didn't know what I was talking about), and I noticed that she's always doing just a little bit. She never leaves her kitchen without giving something a wipe, and never goes to bed without clearing off the coffee table. She's always cleaning, but never cleaning. Almost zen-like. She doesn't overreact or underreact. It's continuously being cleaned and put in order, so she doesn't really have to react at all. But to actually answer the question, I guess I spend an hour a day keeping house, if I don't count cooking and yardwork. Before I had a baby, I used to do the cleaning lady's work on Sundays and it took me a little over two hours. We have a three bedroom house, one kid, no den or playroom. One bedroom is unused though. I grew up in squalor, and lived alone in mild squalor as I learned how to keep house and maintain it. It's been a priority for me for over ten years, and it's still hard. This is really a great forum for motivation and accountability! For me, the biggest payoff cleans are the bathroom faucets and the kitchen sink. When the sink is shiny, the rest of the room looks ok. In the year since I've been on our forum, ^THIS^ is one of the best posts I've ever seen. Especially: "I think if you live like you are in maintenance, you'll reach it quicker."  Brilliant, sauberkite. Thank you. |
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Post by reb on Mar 9, 2015 17:18:19 GMT -5
When I had the "I Hate To HouseKeep" book, Peg Braken suggested that it takes one hour a day per bedroom of the place. If there is a rec room or den add 20 more minutes. Not including cooking and if you do upkeep every single day. Add 1/2 hour per kid. I've found that about right if you keep it up every single day. This is very discouraging. I seriously hope this is wrong. I am not willing to clean for 3 1/2 hours a day. I would never have time to do anything else! Well now, how much of that are hubby/kids willing to take off your back so you can spend time with them? |
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Post by reb on Mar 9, 2015 17:21:10 GMT -5
Now that I have a baby, I have a cleaning lady in to clean the bathrooms and floors once a week. It takes her two hours. Every evening I wash the dishes and wipe down the counter in the kitchen. If I see crumbs on the floor I sweep them up. And then I throw any "upstairs things" into a laundry basket and bring it upstairs. And then I do the same with "downstairs things". Then I put my clothes away and pick something for the next morning. Every morning I make my bed and then "swish and swipe" in the bathrooms. I just run a wet wipe over the sinks and toilets and spot clean the mirror. And then I put the things away that I brought upstairs and downstairs the night before. And I spend 15 minutes a day doing something extra. Either cleaning something that looks dirty, or decluttering something that is cluttered. It didn't get trashed in a day, you'll just get discouraged if you try to do too much. I think if you live like you are in maintenance, you'll reach it quicker. Maybe do two 15 minute segments if you feel the need to. I always wipe down the shower after showering, and if something catches my attention and will only take two minutes to fix, I do it. Before I put the baby to bed, I make sure her toys are picked up, changing table is cleared off, and her clothes are away. And I really, really try to throw away things I don't need, use or love. It's not in my nature to be this way, but I find that routines and tracking my progress is helpful. A friend of mine is effortlessly clean and tidy. Not obsessive or anxious, but her place is always welcoming and clean. I've been observing her for years (when I asked her how she does it, she didn't know what I was talking about), and I noticed that she's always doing just a little bit. She never leaves her kitchen without giving something a wipe, and never goes to bed without clearing off the coffee table. She's always cleaning, but never cleaning. Almost zen-like. She doesn't overreact or underreact. It's continuously being cleaned and put in order, so she doesn't really have to react at all. But to actually answer the question, I guess I spend an hour a day keeping house, if I don't count cooking and yardwork. Before I had a baby, I used to do the cleaning lady's work on Sundays and it took me a little over two hours. We have a three bedroom house, one kid, no den or playroom. One bedroom is unused though. I grew up in squalor, and lived alone in mild squalor as I learned how to keep house and maintain it. It's been a priority for me for over ten years, and it's still hard. This is really a great forum for motivation and accountability! For me, the biggest payoff cleans are the bathroom faucets and the kitchen sink. When the sink is shiny, the rest of the room looks ok. In the year since I've been on our forum, ^THIS^ is one of the best posts I've ever seen. Especially: "I think if you live like you are in maintenance, you'll reach it quicker." Brilliant, sauberkite. Thank you. I like this. This is what I am actually trying to do. Live like I'm in maintenance, don't expect too much and add extra bits. |
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Post by needmorecoffee on Mar 9, 2015 17:29:44 GMT -5
A friend with 7 kids who was born organised cleans for 1 hr a day, including laundry. Add cooking time to that, but jsut cleaning is one hour-ish. More on Mondays as she takes sunday off. I bet she's like the friend described above. Always doing *something*
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Post by cyn on Mar 9, 2015 17:38:32 GMT -5
I'm probably devoting an hour (or sometimes 2) a day, when I add it all up. It doesn't take very long to get the place looking decent - to my standards, rotfl. I'm slowly getting the *really bad* squalor under control - so those days that I work on something truly gross, I spend the whole day (with ample breaks to reward myself) doing it. But then I always notice that I've missed something: I just noticed some cobwebs in my bedroom today, for example. I haven't washed all the walls in that room yet, though. That's a job that hasn't been done in years, so no surprise there. I don't think I'll ever be the type to spend consecutive hours on cleaning, no matter what. I have dogs that need attention, not to mention my other pets. I have many interests - but cleaning isn't one of them. My favorite chore is laundry, because I have such a small laundry room that doing a couple of loads will empty the room, and voila - it's 'normal' looking again. The chore that I maintain the best is dishes, because I have a dishwasher, so clearing the sink is easy - just load it up. I make sure to unload it in a reasonable amount of time now - I learned my lesson, and won't *ever* let both sinks fill with dishes again! These little things can make my home look ok. Throw in the odd vacuuming and some wiping of surfaces, and it's perfect. To us.  |
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