Are you doing less housework ?

Im not actua!ly doing much housework myself due to mobility issues, l can o ly stand for a couple of mins at a time, but happily sit sorting through old paperwork, or cooking in my kitchen which was newly fitted just couple of weeks before lockdown, so no need to sort out the cupboards and draws in there anyway, my next eldest daughter came and did it for me.
She usually does the thick of my cleaning once a week too, and l help her out with petrol money and treats in return, although shes cannot visit at the moment as her partner is a keyworker and we are in Isolation, so things in the two main rooms are not getting done as much as they should be. DH is busy making the most of the fine weather by doing some much overdue tidying of the garden. We had a new fence put up a couple of weeks ago due to the winter storm damage flattening the last one, so now hes sorting out the boarders, and preparing the veg patch, hes now decided to plant a few potatoes that were starting to shoot that he found in my veg rack, goodness knows if they will grow or not! He keeps finding young Ash saplings that must have grown from seeds dropped by the Birds, but Boy! do they take some digging out, their roots have spread far and wide, and are much more troublesome than the Leylandi Conifers that had to come out before our front was blockpaved a couple of years ago.

My window cleaner hasn't been for a month because he couldn't source the 'clean water' he uses.
But now that company is up and running he's back next week.
Yippee ?

Russian dolls ....

Russian dolls.

My windows are getting grubby and I don’t expect the window cleaner round anytime soon. I have a collection of 24 Russian Matroyska stacking dolls and I’m thinking of opening them all up and standing them along the windowsills in living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Then I’ll be admiring them and not noticing streaked windows. Like this ......

“Better a house unkept than a life unlived”.

Rose McCauley said this, I think. I kept the cutting as I liked the sound of it.

Just need to sort my cuttings box out I think.

I am a tidy organized person, my kitchen is always clean although the rest of the house is cleaned once a week.
I do things as I go along, e.g after showering I wipe down the tiles, bath and screen it takes no time at all and saves a heavy clean if left.
My saying is though, clean to your own standards not other peoples.
If you don't want to clean don't, it's your home and you don't have to justify your actions.

Probably doing more because I am here more to see it, but I echo craftyone, I have more important things to do than dust.

Only me here in a detached new build house with a new garden. Yes I am doing much less housework, it probably coincides with spring and finishing the garden.

Normal housework is what I call a negative and eg doing a cupboard sort is a positive. I try to fill my day with positives. I do my kitchen surfaces and sink before bed, it is nice to get up to. I vacuum and dust only when I notice that they need doing. My bedding is thrown back so the bed can air all day. I wiped the ensuite washbasin when I had finished my teeth. My shower gets a quick shower spray with the method cleaner. Both toilets are bleached and brushed every day

That is basically it. My house is mine, there are no visitors and s*d it, I have better things to do than dust

Kitchen and bathroom surfaces cleaned every day, surfaces washed with washing up liquid and hot water, then sprayed with diluted Zoflora. Wipe down door handles, light switches, phones with same. Kitchen floor weekly.
Run Hoover over floors every day as I have two long haired cats.
And that's about it, apart from changing bedding and doing the washing.
Pick up post and newspaper with rubber gloves, envelopes straight in recycling or shredded, contents left for a day or so in the study. Parcel packaging put straight in the recycling and contents left in the study for a few days.
Sainsbury's delivery unpacked in the utility room and wiped down with soap and hot water, left to dry, and then put away.
Cannot do anything else in the garden except cut the grass.

Perhaps I'm being over careful, but I am feeling quite anxious, which is not at all like me; I'm usually very slapdash and couldn't care less, but it makes me feel safer.

Forcing myself to do it, though only the basics, as I have health problems which makes for difficulty and my cleaning friend is not coming. I bought one of those hand held, stick type vacuum cleaners - it's great and not the most expensive one either - brilliant for me to use, so keeping the dust and bits down nicely. It occupies me, as I had already been shut in for the larger part for some years - my own health problems and my husband's, supporting elderly parents etc. I lost my husband of 45yrs last September and parents earlier, so trying to keep some discipline up and it gives me something to do.

We went through a frenzy of cleaning everything down twice a day and washing hands every couple of hours, then realised that we hadn’t been anywhere, weren’t going anywhere and nobody was coming indoor anyway!
So we went back to normal, still clean but not excessive.

I haven't washed any door handles
Apart from one on the downstairs loo which I do anyway.

Kitchen floor is still shouting at me "Clean me"

Callistemon thank you. I am getting too anxious reading what some are cleaning, no one has been in my bungalow for
a month, so will stop washing door handles every day . Kitchen
so small only one work surface I can use and as I don’t have
to cook meals I only make mugs of tea on it.

izzipop I mentioned on another thread how we, as student nurses, did our washing in the bath. A temporary measure if you are fit enough and have outdoor hanging space, more so for bed linen, so maybe once a month for that particular wash.
Top and tail, pull bedcovers back and open windows to air your bed. Good luck and take care.

Could you get in touch with age concern or a local organisation for some help at the moment?

Don't get stressed about it, Annie.

Don't make the bed, leave the duvet thrown back to give it a good airing each day. Are you able to change the pillow cases?

Can you wipe the kitchen surfaces, dust the furniture, clean the bathroom? Floors don't matter so much really. In fact dusting doesn't but it does make it all look better.

People seem to be having a frenzy of cleaning even if no-one is going in or out.
It is probably good psychologically and gives a feeling of control when everything seems out of control.

Are you getting food deliveries? That's what's important. Keeping up your strength.

I can’t clean my bungalow, it’s distressing me very much, can’t
vacuum, wash the kitchen floor, change bed linen, these have
not been done for a month.

I have a steam cleaner Greeneyedgirl I use it on tiles and laminate flooring. I'm not sure if its advisable to use it on wooden flooring. I tried it on the grouting in my shower but it made no appreciable difference. Have to say I have had it for a few years so the more modern ones may be better.

Thanks Sussexborn. No laundrette and no family I’m afraid. I live on my own

We are paying our cleaner. As someone says upthread, we would pay her if she were here and we do want her back as soon as it’s permitted. And as she’s been part of our lives for 24 years we miss her terribly. I am a lazy slut in comparison!

I entirely spring cleaned the house in the first 2 weeks and it has never been so clean. I am still washing curtains.

Do you have a launderette nearby? The one nearest us is only doing service washes but it might clear your pile down to a more manageable amount.

Do you have family who will pick it up for you and put it through their machine?

izzipop will a local laundry/dry cleaner take them?

Hetty, I find the steaming very therapeutic! My range has never looked so good! [Wink]

I too can't enthuse over housework Romola and I often think the neighbours must realise when I have visitors due as they hear the vacuuming ! Great excuse at present as no visitors allowed of course!