How do you tackle housework- regular routine or as and when (lighthearted) (lighthearted)

When I feel like it
When I have the energy
When I notice something awful
When the mood takes me to blitz

I worked full time, commuted and grew 2 children. Housework consisted of making sure they were fed and went out looking good with homework done, anything else was somehow managed, and that is why I have no real routine.

I do a little each day which keeps things rolling over and big cleans now and then when the mood takes me. The windows inside my conservatory are on the to do list at mo! Did have a cleaner but prefer really to do it myself as I’m quite ocd about how things are done. I have a window cleaner to do outside windows once a month. My garden is my priority over the summer months

DH cleans and sorts out the kitchen and downstairs. I do bathrooms and bedrooms. He's far more thorough than I am. I do like things to be tidy but I'm a messy cook [good but messy] and I like to sew and make stuff which involves wool and threads all over the place. I quite like tidying up and sorting but hate the drudge of cleaning. I do it but could never say that I enjoy it. DH is very regular with his cleaning, I confess to doing it when I feel guilty about him doing more than me.

When I was a child, my mother had a day off a month, and she spent it cleaning. Most of the time, my dad and I spent in the kitchen as the house resembled a show home.

I appreciate cleanliness, and for many years, I have paid someone to clean for me.

When I was married, the first thing my parents did was clean the flat

It is sad that housework ever killed anybody but I'm not taking any chances.

Oh yes, we heard about something called housework but we didn't like the sound of it one bit.

Some really good and some really funny responses. thanks!

An old friend once said to me never do your housework with your glasses on
Everywhere looks much cleaner than it possibly is

I do the downstairs one week and the upstairs the next. Now I’m getting older I do the stairs and bathroom on alternate Saturdays and the bedrooms on the Monday.
The following week I hoover/polish the kitchen and dining room on the Saturday and the living room and hall on the Monday.
I have to have routine and am dreading a time when I can no longer do it myself.

Interested to read how other people tackle housework. I find a simple routine useful. Morning wipe down kitchen worktops, clean loos and sinks and sweep floors. Evening plump cushions, quick tidy, load dishwasher. About 10 minutes each end of the day. Quick vac every few days and once a week I clean through the most used areas - clean floors, mirrors, dust, change bedding and sorting newspapers and flowers. This takes about an hour, often washing is that day too. I like to do housework early so the rest of the day is clear. Alongside that each week has a 'theme' - kitchen, bedrooms, hall, landing stairs and bathroom in rotation - when one area gets more attention, so for instance kitchen drawers might get a tidy or some paintwork washed. Sounds time consuming and complicated but isn't really and because most things are done regularly I can miss a week and the house still looks OK.

RosieandherMaw

I know I should just scroll on, but a discussion about housework ?

Really?

There’s been worse😅 wasn’t there one about choice of dishcloth last year?
Anyway, on a lighthearted note I do cleaning as and when, only a small house so easier than for some.DP cleans windows inside and out and vacuums the floors and I do the rest.He makes up for this deficit by cooking three times a week.😃

kittylester

We have always had a cleaner and I'm not giving her up now.

Ours gave us up!
She said we didn’t need her. She was right, we have managed very well without her but she is still missed.
I just do the minimum and wait for the mood to take over.
Occasionally I wake up and am in the mood to get on with it.
I go through like a whirlwind and then relax again until the next time.

I'd get another one.

My flat has been done over the last six years to require minium of housework, hard floors everwhere except in main bedroom.

I do leave the bedding open whilst I have brekkie, but always make the bed up when I go back in there to get dressed each morning. Have never left baeds unmade. Can remember back in the 60;s, when we were first married, hubbie and I always making our bed each morning before work (blankets then). When I had children it was my first job of the morning to go round tidying up bed (8 of them).

Push the light weigh vacuum round every other day. Clean en-suite after use it each morning. Kitchen and en-suite and bathroom floor cleaned one a week,

Note how little dust there is coming into the flat in my seaside town. Do need to dust my bedroom as I use talculm powder.

Most detested job is changing the bed.

I have a bit of a weekly routine; I found it helped when I was working and I have kept it up since recently retired.

Every day is a quick vacuum and dust of main living area. (dog hair!)
Tuesdays sheet day
Wed mop floors
Thursday clean bathrooms

After lunch if I am at home I try to find one chore and get it done. Yesterday was vacuum stairs, today will be wipe walls and trim in back entry. One day might be clean light fixtures or sort out a drawer or closet. Nothing more than 30 minutes.
This way I can stay on top of tidiness as well as cleanliness.

RosieandherMaw

I know I should just scroll on, but a discussion about housework ?

Really?

Well Rosie quite a lot of people do like to discuss housework on this site😂😂 (I include myself). However, I, and I’m sure many here, don’t get hung up about it, or discuss it with our friends 😉, but it is interesting to read others routines, and even glean a few ideas.

For myself, I do a quick tidy each day, but a more thorough cleaning is done weekly though nowadays upstairs one day, downstairs another.

Sinks, loos and kitchen surfaces are attended to each day, simply from a hygiene perspective.

Major cleans, where things get pulled out to clean behind are left until spring (that’s when curtains tend to get done, too).

Once upon a time, I could whip through the whole house in one day, but nowadays things get spread out during the week as I’m not that energetic any more, plus I’m at home, retired, so the rush is not so imperative any more.

I do envy those that can leave things until they’re shouting to be done. I just can’t do it, if the house, in my eyes is needing cleaning I can’t relax or feel happy, ridiculous I know.
Must stem from my childhood I’m an only one and my mum was a clean freak ! I’m not quite as bad thank goodness but bad enough. We’ve just had some decorating done and of course the whole house has had a deep clean, thankfully I finished it yesterday. Just the garden to sort now. 🙄

Why do people comment on posts they don't agree with, just move on to another subject.
I dread the day I need to have a cleaner. If I did I would ckean before she came do pointless. I do like my house clean, I don't mind a little untidyness but not dirt. On no particular day I do the bigger jobs. Every other day what's necessary, my house doesnt get that dirty, no children or animals, it mainly the kitchen as I cook a lot, but I clean that after use mainly. same with the bathroom, leave it as I want to find it. The garden is my problem now, borders need attention but I do keep putting that off.

Cabbie21 - your reference to "men making a house dirty" is quite offensive and an insult to all good hard working men doing their best to maintain family life.
How would you react if somebody said "women make a house dirty". Swooping down to complain no doubt.

Netherbyg84 Cabbie was simply pointing out that she lives alone.....no pets, children or men (or even, for that matter, women) to make the house dirty.
She was not, in my opinion, intending to be offensive.
I'm the same. On my own. No one else in the house to create dirt/untidiness.
It's a light hearted thread.
Not to be taken quite so seriously.