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House and home

Clean freakery

(53 Posts)
sandelf Wed 20-May-20 12:15:46

I'll tell you mine if you'll tell me yours... Over the years I have developed some either very useful or totally mad habits. Here goes. Plastic home viewing/swimming pool overshoes while cleaning the shower. Clean the kitchen worktops using a squeegee as if they were windows. And I do look beyond fetching (they say we should keep our feminine mystique don't they) wearing gardening knee pads while cleaning the wooden floors. Anyone got any other hard learnt gems?

DiscoGran Wed 20-May-20 12:25:19

We have very hard water in my area, so my cleaning battle is with limescale. I squeegee every day, and sometimes even polish the shower screen with mr sheen. Sad, I know.

FarNorth Wed 20-May-20 12:28:56

Before I get out of the bath, I stand up as the water starts to drain out and clean the (invisible) tidemark with the scrubby sponge and some shower gel.

FarNorth Wed 20-May-20 12:29:32

(separate sponge, just for cleaning!)

GrannyGravy13 Wed 20-May-20 12:31:06

Never upset the cleaners, give them bottles of wine frequently grin

MadCatWoman1 Wed 20-May-20 15:37:18

FarNorth I do that too

Charleygirl5 Wed 20-May-20 15:43:51

every so often I take the shelves out of my fridge, leave them for a couple of hours to reach room temperature (so that they do not crack) and then pop them into my dishwasher. Sparkly shelves with little elbow grease from me.

grannysyb Wed 20-May-20 16:12:00

My cleaner has just started coming again, and has just deep cleaned! In my defence I fell and broke my wrist three weeks ago, so the house was a bit messy. She refuses point blank to take extra money, so I've decide to give her a big bonus at Christmas, she won't give me her bank details , don't know what else to do.

Moggycuddler Thu 21-May-20 09:07:58

I do the same thing as FarNorth when I've just had a bath. I also clean the bathroom taps with an old toothbrush kept for the purpose whenever I've just cleaned my teeth, and then scrub round the sink.

Aepgirl Thu 21-May-20 09:17:28

I am sick of my best friend telling me every day on the phone what cleaning she has done. Now I’m getting it on Gransnet as well.
Isn’t anybody just enjoying this glorious weather?

Cabbie21 Thu 21-May-20 09:21:06

I do enough to keep the place tidy and hygienic. No more.

Beechnut Thu 21-May-20 09:23:30

I don’t think my mum’s cleaning genes were passed on to me.

Franbern Thu 21-May-20 09:24:06

Agree Aepgirl, keep my flat clean, but am not obsessive about any of it Quick vacuum once a week., dust when it looks necessary. Spray shower with stuff when I finish my shower -seems to work well, did so in hard water in my London en-suite shower for years. Only thing cleaned daily is en-suite loo.
Mop over floors of kitchen, bathroom and en-suite once a week.
Life is too short to get concerned about cleaning. and do wonder how much our over-use of cleaners, detergents, bleach etc. is damaging ourselves as it does the environment.

dragonfly46 Thu 21-May-20 09:26:38

I clean when I have to so don't really think about it.

I have a cleaner but have not seen her for many weeks nor shall I as I am not taking any risks.

Theoddbird Thu 21-May-20 10:08:37

Oh gawd...another cleaning thread. The sun is shining...there are books to be read. Sewing to do. Nature to absorb in all its beauty. Why spend time cleaning? Wanders off contemplating life, the universe and everything and everything >>>>

Teetime Thu 21-May-20 10:11:34

My best cleaning tool - my husband - he does most of it but cant cook I do it all so that's a good division of labour.

Missiseff Thu 21-May-20 10:16:17

Oh dear..

Helennonotion Thu 21-May-20 10:29:37

Whenever I have a good clean up, my dog sits looking out the window, eagerly awaiting visitors. Make of that what you will. gringrin

nipsmum Thu 21-May-20 10:40:45

I'm not known in the family for my cleaning skills. I was quietly hoovering one day and had moved some of the furniture to do it. My Sil and her husband arrived and apologised for coming. They thought I was cleaning because I was expecting visitors. I always say I was not put on the earth to clean . Ive been given other skills instead. Nobody knows what these skills are yet.

Squiffy Thu 21-May-20 11:10:08

When my DCs were young they used to ask, 'Is someone coming?' when I did a 'proper' clean! blush

FarNorth Thu 21-May-20 11:17:24

I do very little cleaning, actually. I'm a fan of flylady and her helpful hints.

What's wrong with people who can't ignore a thread they don't like, but have to come on and moan? hmm confused. grin

Gwenisgreat1 Thu 21-May-20 11:28:29

Love your description Nipsmum, that's me. A friend once told me she loved visiting my house because it felt comfortable. I think that was a polite way of saying "messy"

Seefah Thu 21-May-20 11:32:23

My cleaning secret is my husband and I invite friends on a regular basis because we’re both lazy about cleaning but too embarrassed to let anyone see our mess!
My other secret OCCD ( obsessive compulsive cleaning disorder) is I have to rinse all soap off crockery and cutlery with very hot water ! No idea where that came from but I freak at the bubbles my mum will dry up with a dish towel. I have a dishwasher in home abroad which I consider miraculous but I’m the dish washer in the UK.

Seefah Thu 21-May-20 11:33:18

Brilliant tip Charleygirl5

oldgimmer1 Thu 21-May-20 11:35:16

I find that when the sun is out it shows up the dirt even more.

I'm WFH so really noticing it. I can't work unless the place is immaculate.

I spend more time on washing up and cleaning than I do on working. grin.