LOOKING FOR A HOUSEWORK ROUTINE

I just looked at the website Anniegran mentioned. Cleaning Love to Know. Don't go there! Instant OCD.

Cleaning Love to know if you really want to look.

I am worrying now about what cleaning thoroughly actually entails.
Shifting beds/furniture, climbing up to clean top shelves, taking ornaments etc off to get to everywhere properly, cleaning windows and the window frames, going round the edges with the nozzle attachment on the vacuum, steam cleaning all the tiles and hard floors?

I do do all that from time to time, but not once a month.

Downstairs, once a week a thorough vacuum and dust etc. Upstairs, when necessary.
We're both very tidy by nature, things get put away quickly and I think that's half the battle.
Also we live in the countryside and there's very little dust. No carpets, just tiled floors.

jinglebells of course I had to look! Not sure about their tip of putting cloths in the dishwasher, this is very dangerous as they can catch on fire.

I do housework when it is obviously dirty or visitors are coming. Only dust if I can write in it! My OH is oblivious to it - I had to explain what a dust bunny was. If I have lived to this age with this attitude I think I can continue for the rest of my life.

I thought someone would have to look.

I prefer to boil my kitchen sponge cloth. Or start a new one.The microwave method wouldn't get rid of tea stains (which DH gets on mine)

I put the dishcloth in the dishwasher, not sure how it can catch on fire as it is still quite wet when the cycle has finished.

ps what is a dust bunny?

No, it's a microwave that's recommended on that site. (Wet cloth, but still dodgy)

Oh no. Dishwasher as well.

Jalima, I've alsdo got a septic tank so that oven cleaner is probably bad for that as well!

wot
DD has a septic tank and doesn't use any chemicals, only some kind of toilet cleaner recommended for septic tanks.

She uses Enyo cloths for cleaning. Her oven has a superheat function which seems to clean it well.

Timely thread today. I have taken the vacuum out of the closet, ready to use, then decided tomorrow would be a much better day! Here where I live through the summer it is often hot and humid, the housework takes too much energy if attacked with conviction.

Monday mornings for housework and general tiding, if it's not done by lunch time then it's left to the following Monday. I can't be a slave to homework when there's retirement to enjoy!

All you really need to do is remember:

Housework makes you ugly.

Well it sometimes slips to 6 weekly jalimabut with the exception of inside the windows (maybe 6 monthly) yes, pretty much. We have a high slatted wooden bed so hoovering under by DH is easy.And not much by way of clutter ( ornaments etc)to move . Wooden floors everywhere but lounge downstairs so a steam clean monthly .
I actually quite like housework (its a good work out)and prefer the whole house looking really good all at once .It is tiring but I usually relax in the bath after with a book and a glass of wine and something instant planned for dinner.I schedule it so I have a quiet day either side .When I can't do it any longer I will probably have a cleaning lady again and concentrate on the garden .
I iron virtually nothing now though as I hate it

Dust bunnies are those balls of dog hair and dust that you find under everything and behind doors. We have big dogs and so get lots of dust bunnies. Google says they are found in areas not cleaned very often - but if you have dogs it doesn't matter how often you clean (that is my story and I am sticking to it )

Ps It probably helps that since retiring I have done a massive de clutter and chuck out .And I'm very neat .Kitchen is being 're done next year and I'm going for handleless and as sleek and easy to clean as possible .Will be tweaking the design for more types of storage and aiming for an empty work surface .
Interesting that some people seem to pride themselves on doing virtually no cleaning.

Sharing is the best. One cooks, washes clothes, loads tumble dryer, hangs out washing, loads washing up machine. Other does general house cleaning, ironing, gardening and diy. Also back up as needed.

Because this thread title is shouty (capital letters; not complaining, just remarking), it keeps catching my attention and I keep wondering: why the need for a routine? Doing the next most urgent job next seems like a good approach to me, and if nothing's urgent, don't do housework. There's always plenty else to do, surely?

Oh my gosh Indinana! That's the one I've got. I actually posted about it about it on here. I had completely forgotten that it converts. What do the attachments look like?

Ha, I can't remember, cos I'm not sure what I've done with them either. I think they're small and black, a long nozzle and a small flat one (I think) for doing bathroom tiles and so on.

I've known 2 people who had house fires caused by dishwashers. Not sure how exactly, and one of the dishwashers was quite new.

(I wonder if putting a cloth in might block something and cause overheating?)

Okay - I'm owning up. I don't have a routine as such, but yes, I clean often. In my defense I lived in an absolute tip as a child so I'm dealing with my hang-ups by making sure that my own house never leaves people needing to wipe their feet on the way OUT.

I live with an ever changing motley collection of people, some of whom actually pay me for living in my house, and I also get a lot of visitors to my home - so I ensure the house is always clean and tidy fro both my comfort and theirs. And I do like the smell of a clean house.

I fit in housework around other things so that although it never takes priority it is always attended to. I tend to do one big job and half a dozen smaller ones each day. Bin emptying is a small job, cleaning the kitchen is a big one. Windows are not my job, but cleaning the oven is. Keeping on top of the house is a big task so the one area I allow myself as a dumping ground is an attic storeroom; when I run out of time to tidy things away properly I dump them there until I can get around to spending a day sorting things out.

I've got a shed for that Grannya.

But it's only ever sorted out when getting in and out gets really dangerous.

Fly lady has some great routines and hints on keeping the home clean my favourite is using a timer twenty minutes a room usually keeps it clean on a daily basis or one of my incentives is to invite a couple of friends for coffee or lunch so I'm forced to do it instead of putting things off.