View Full Version : Cleaning routines...
By request. Tussiemussies, was the drive behind this thread topic. (Thanks, Tussie)! :)
So... let's talk about cleaning routines. We all clean as we go, clean as we need, and clean as we see fit... to our own satisfaction, but when it comes to actual real cleaning, serious cleaning, what's your routine?
For example, maybe it's scrubbing the floors, and while scrubbing the floors, you catch the baseboards and doorjambs, too, to ensure dust and grime is kept at bay.
Maybe it's about doing all the dusting and polishing (all in one day), because the two are related.
Or maybe... it involves moving furniture every time you clean.
I can think of countless other examples, and will touch on my own cleaning routines as this thread progresses, but for now, would love to hear from those who have specific cleaning routines in their homes.
P.S. That means you, too, Tussie! LOL! :laff:
I use a heavily modified Flylady cleaning program. Flylady says to divide your home into zones and spend one week in each zone. Sounds great until I realized that a home divided into 5 zones means that the bathroom doesn't get cleaned until you come back to it 5 weeks later =0 YUCK!
So instead I still have the zones but hit them once per week. Things are much cleaner now :)
Zone 1(Mondays) - Living Room, Balcony & Laundry Rack, Loft
Zone 2(Tues) - Kitchen
Zone 3(Wed) - Studio
Zone 4(Thurs) - Bathroom, Shower Room, Washer/Dryer
Zone 5(Fri) - Dressing Room, Triathlon Room, Entryway
Zone 6(Sat) - Futon Day, seems to be the day everyone in Japan airs out their futons over the balcony.
I throw my blankets & fitted sheets over the balcony railing :)
Zone 7 (Sun) - Computer & email cleaning, etc & Me
Morning Hotspots are putting away the dishes from the previous evening's washing,
Evening Hotspots are putting away the general detritus from the day & washing the dishes.
Tasks are listed for each zone and organized in a small photo book, I don't get to every task each week with
each zone but that's ok because I don't need to clean the balcony doors each week or scrub the floors in the
dressing room each week either. 15 - 30 minutes in that days designated zone ensures that my home is
usually ready for guests when necessary. Thankfully guests are a rare occurrence anyway.
Always seeking ways to improve my current cleaning plan so I'm looking forward to what others do to keep the
dust bunnies to a minimum.
My mother always worked in zones -- when you clean a room, you clean the whole room. That includes windows, baseboards, etc. You clean it.
Now, this made sense when I lived in a larger place. When we had 1300 sq ft which had 1.5 bath, for example, I would do bathrooms on one day, then the living/dining on another, then kitchen, then my bedroom, then the other two bedrooms (less used so less dirty). It just made it easier.
But now that we are in 480, I basically do the bathroom and laundry room -- which includes sweeping, scrubbing floors, walls, and windows, plus all the normal scrubbing, plus cleaning the washing machine. When I do the kitchen, I do the fridge and oven/stovetop too -- because you might as well. Then it's the rest of the house all at once which is technically "two" bedrooms (one open to lounge) and the lounge. It's not a ton of space. It's two big windows and one smaller/normal sized one. I dust, wash the windows, do the floorboards. Furniture moving is easy, but I probably only do that once a month or so (except the chairs, of course).
In winter, i have to wipe down the windows every morning (condensation), and I use that wet to wipe down floorboards, window sills, and anything that might look like the beginning of mold.
I love living small. It keeps things simple.
Monday- Bathrooms and clutter laying around. Laundry if needed
Tuesday- Bedrooms w/sheets/ dusing/vaccuming/wiping down
Wednesday- Day off- maybe a load of laundry
Thursday- kitchen- give it a good scrub top to bottom. Assess pantry for Friday's shopping
Friday- Living room and another over all vaccuming through the house
Saturday- outside- doggie doo doo pick up, watering, pruning, sweeping, tidying up the garage. Also, this is the day for repairs, projects, etc.
Sunday- day of rest, The only thing I might do late in the day is iron and prep food for the week but it never takes me more than 1.5 hours total.
I run laundry as needed. Usually just try to keep up with a load every other day or so.
I also try to keep it simple and clean up messes and put things back as it goes. If it's in arms reach when cleaning, it gets a once over but we really don't have that much. It seems the dust and what the pets track in is the worst, so we vacuum twice a week. Decluttering and organizing as I go in each area really helps. Last week, I only had 1 item go out. This morning, I already found 3 things. It ebbs and flows.
Holy smokes! Awesome posts, Dhiana, Zoebird, and MamaM!
LOVE the zone idea!!! I've never worked/cleaned in zones, but I do clean with entirety in mind. i.e., if I'm doing floors, I like to move the kitchen table from the space, wash under, then reset the table and chairs again. Additionally, I like to give the baseboards and door surrounds/jams a once going over while I'm at it, that way they always stay clean. I also wipe-down window sills at this time, too.
Another thing I do related to cleaning... light fixtures get done when the blinds/windows get done. Because I don't tackle blinds or fixtures often, if I do both at the same time, then I don't have to think about doing either again for a good while.
I was remembering how it used to be when it was just DH and I. I'd pull appliances away from walls, wash under, scrub cupboard out on a regular basis, and move furniture all the time. Now, with such a large family and so much always going on, seldom do I have a chance to relive those days.
Another little something I do... I do a little each day, even it's it's trivial. When I stay on top of things, there's no need to reserve large blocks of time to accomplish things, because everything stays relatively clean and fresh. I think that's the kicker... Too many people I know leave things far too long, and then they get overwhelmed when faced with pulling things back to normal again.
MamaM. How right you are Re: ebbs and flows. I find it's not so bad now that the kids are older, but when they were younger and I was doing EVERYTHING for EVERYBODY... ugh!
Here is what I noticed- when I had wrist surgery and could not do a THING for several weeks, the house stayed relatively clean, even over the Christmas break. I think it was because we pick up after overselves as we go and do the icky stuff (BATHROOMS)on a schedule, even if it's swish the toilet brush around with some Dr. Bronners and wipe down the counters with a damp cloth. Just keeping up with it. Also, I will yell this from the mountain tops- simplify, declutter, simplify again and when in doubt, simplify one more time. We have a 1700 square foot home, which is HUGE for us but we can keep up because we don't own much and everything has as spot.
Believe me, it has taken 10 years of marriage and figuring out what we truly need to reach this point. I remember the days of moving 1 pile to another pile to clean under the pile. : )
Agree with everything you say, MamaM. Organization, IMO, trumps all! Clutter and disorganization, clogs, defeats, and depresses.
Laundry, I find, is one of the biggest offenders in a home... that is if it isn't dealt with in a straight and matter-a-fact manner. In our house, everyone has been trained to march like soldiers, down to the basement to deposit laundry according to colour/item. I have 5 laundry baskets, so there's a basket for everything, and that helps make things (and keep things) extra-easy!
We had darks- t shirts, shirts, jeans/pants, whites- t shirts, socks, boys undergarments, towels, undergarments (mama), work/dressy clothes, bedding and bed beds/towels catergories for laundry. It's sounds like a lot but it actually works easier and my clothes are lasting longer because all of my work/dressy, I let dry for 10 minutes and then hang up. I find I just go with it and don't let it pile up. It helps because I am terrible at putting laundry away. So if I only have a few items at a time, I keep up and keep it neat.
goldensmom
2-25-13, 10:56am
I dedicate a week in the fall and a week in the spring to 'deep' clean the house (deep to the point of taking the door handles off appliances, cleaning and shining them) but other than that it is on an as needed basis with the bathrooms getting cleaned at least once a week. Everything also get spot painted/spruced up at that time if needed. The garage, shop, barns get cleaned (purged, organized, windows/doors cleaned etc.) once a year. I became much more relaxed about cleaning the out buildings when I realized how silly it sounded when I told my husband that the barn was getting real dusty.
MamaM. I'm a firm-believer in separating washables (by colour/item). I've been practicing colour/item washing for decades, and wouldn't see it done any other way in my home.
As far as bedding goes, I do that on the spot, so never any bedding sitting around in baskets waiting to be laundered, but as far as everything else goes, the five separate laundry baskets work great in ensuring things get washed with the likes of, and my youngest two are well-trained at depositing their things into the right baskets, which helps immensity!
LOL! Stella and I, had a discussion surrounding laundry a while back, and I mentioned how it takes such little time to fold and put away washed and dried laundry. I laugh, because one evening, just to prove to myself how little time it takes to fold and put away washing, I timed myself doing an average load (already dried load), and it took me all of about 6-7 minutes to fold!
One of the biggest things I tell people... "don't think about the chore or task at hand, just do it, and you'll be amazed at how fast you can actually get the job done and out of the way"! I believe one of the biggest problems that exists, is people tend to over-think things (as in time/effort/etc), and before long, they end up behind the eight-ball with an avalanche of domesticities needing doing, yet nothing getting done. I love the adage, "just do it"!
Goldensmom. I wouldn't expect anything less from you! :) LOVE the idea of spot-painting! Gee... I remember the days when I reserved a week or two in the Spring, and another week or two in the Fall, to wash/scrub walls, move and vacuum under furniture... often rearranging furniture afterwards... and going through each and every cupboard and washing everything inside! Sometimes rearranging that, too!
It was a huge undertaking, yet I never faltered on my dedication towards. Now that I feel age setting in, I've slowed considerably, but not enough to forego the daily rigors of home-life and all that follows. Always feel so much better about myself (and relaxed) when everything (or nearly everything) is done.
Gardenarian
2-26-13, 6:06pm
One of the biggest things I tell people... "don't think about the chore or task at hand, just do it, and you'll be amazed at how fast you can actually get the job done and out of the way"! I believe one of the biggest problems that exists, is people tend to over-think things (as in time/effort/etc), and before long, they end up behind the eight-ball with an avalanche of domesticities needing doing, yet nothing getting done. I love the adage, "just do it"!
I agree - I really hate that Nike co-opted that slogan!
Most of our cleaning is of the "pick up after yourself" variety too, which doesn't leave a whole lot to be done. (Though I'm usually picking up after dd, but I've made my peace with that.)
I heartily recommend our method of doing the dishes - dh and I alternate weeks, and dd puts them away. This does away with silly quibbles about the correct way to load the dishwasher, etc.
I have a superfast method for daily cleaning of the bathroom, which is: In the evening after I wash my face, I use the washcloth to wipe out the sink, then I do a quick swipe around the surfaces, and finish with wiping the floor. Shake the washcloth outside and throw it in the laundry.
For counters: I dislike sponges, which are smelly and germy, so I use a dish brush and a little soap to scrub the counters and wipe clean with a microfiber cloth. Also works on the stove, and for touching up the floor. Easy, and your hands aren't all digusting afterwards.
I used to wash all the sheets every week, but now I just wash the pillowcases weekly and flip the sheet over to the "unused" side. (So I wash the sheets every 2 weeks.) As far as I know I've never had a problem with dust mites.
DD and I share a bathroom, and neither of us shower everyday - we're in the "shower when you need it" school of thought. All my towels are white, but I have color coded them by drawing a small flower with a Sharpie in the corner, so we re-use our towels. (Towels take up so much space in the washer!)
We don't have a bathmat, we just throw the hand towel on the floor to use as a mat, and put it in the laundry afterwards. This means the hand towel gets changed a few times a week, and I don't have to think about changing it or washing a bathmat.
I find that vacuuming for a few minutes a day makes a huge difference. It's quick and easy, the dirt doesn't have a chance to get ground into the floor - or transferred to furniture or bedding. The dogs track in a lot of dirt.
Once you're organized, it really takes very little time to keep the house tidy (unless you have little kids. That's a whole different story.)
I can't stand dirty dishes,so I take care of the dishes.
I have a limited menu selection in my brain,so there are about 6 things I'm capable of making for dinner. DW does majority of cooking.
I wash all the clothes.It amazes me how much dirty laundry a family of 4 can produce.DW and I also reuse our bath towels, our DS's not so much.I don't let clothes set around in baskets.Only clothing in baskets around here are the MIA (missing in action)socks.I hang dry the laundry when weather permits.
I grocery shop from a list only, prepared by DW.DW enjoys grocery shopping so she does most of that.
I clean the bathrooms exclusively,DW has back issues.
I'm not bedding aware.I'd probably sleep on the same sheets for months on end.Good for us that Dw remembers this.I'm not into dusting either.I will dust the ceiling fans when DW notices they look a little dusty.I mow the lawn but refuse to do trim work with the weedeater.She will do this on occassion.I cut the firewood and am soley responsible for keeping the fire burning.
I'm not currently employed,so I certainly don't mind doing everything I can around the house.Even if I were working,little on this list would change.
Super entry, Gardenarian!
Re: sponges, I'm not a sponge fan either, though I do employ a couple of scrubber sponges to tackle sink/tub-grime and toilets. Re: bulky towels hogging valuable washing machine space... ditto that!
One thing I've done for years... from the time DH and I, were empty-nesters (pre-kid years), is use the washing machine as a damp/wet towel/undies/panties laundry receptacle. My mom practiced it when we were kids, and I fancied the idea way back when! Said to myself that I would do the same when I had a family, and I did! Organized/streamlined washing! Less lifting is my motto these days...
No bathmats in our house, either. When it comes to the bathroom and kitchen, I like floors to be hygienically ready, and that means nothing fabric/material that can collect yuckiness!
Cx3. I share the dirty dishes pet-peeve with you! One thing I have moved away from, is hanging bedding on the line. I used to hang bedding/crib sheets on the line religiously, before we had so many under the roof... however, being that bed-changing has such a time consuming domesticity, I cheat, and rely on the tumble dryer now for that! Shame on me, I know! Still clothesline dry enthusiastically when it comes to all other things!
No bathmats..do y'all fall? I need one because I am not stable with my knee but I wash it every 3-4 days. It's just a cotton one.
No falls, MamaM. I taught the kids (when they were younger) to dry off first, then lay the bath towel down on floor before getting out of the tub. Never used those funky rubber (anti-slip) stick-on tub thingies, the ones that look like flowers, or one of those rubber suction-cup mats either. Remember those?
We had some of the rubber flower thingies in our old house, and after removing them, which was shear hell... the tub, where the sticky-thingies were, looked whiter under, compared to the tub-surface which had seen years of cleaning/wear. Those flower imprints/outlines never did go away.
I quit the bathmats earlier this year. When I was on crutches they were just in the way and I thought I'd trip so they moved out to the front porch to help me scoot down the stairs for awhile and then I moved them to the dog bed (he likes layers - he chooses how many layers he wants depending on how his old bones feel). Currently, before stepping in the the shower I lay down a handtowel. Perfect size to step onto and easy to do a quick swipe of the floor before tossing in the wash with the daily towel load.
Float On. This thread reminds me of how I used to bath my kids when they were babies. I would line the tub with a towel, then place the kid down on the towel and fill the tub. No worries over slips.
P.S. So cute Re: your dog!
don't think about the chore or task at hand, just do it
I think if there is one thing I have learned over the years this is most important and applies to activities besides cleaning. All the to-do lists and good intentions don't necessarily get it done.
I don't have a method or schedule other than doing all the laundry on Fridays when I am off. If something bugs me, I clean it. And when I do get on a cleaning binge, I am usually going around the house like a person on speed vacuuming this and dusting that. Clutter drives me nuts so that is always the first thing to be dealt with.
Totally agree, Pinkytoe! Procrastinating, is the worst!
It's amazing what a thread such as this can do to help one remember!
Crib stripping/changing:
Strip cotton crib sheet from mattress, wash in hottest water available (splash of bleach), line-dry. While waiting for sheets to dry, wipe down railing/rubber crib sheet with hot water/Pine-Sol mixture to disinfect, then remake crib with fresh bedding.
Rubber sheet over mattress, cotton sheet over the rubber, followed by another rubber sheet, followed by another cotton sheet over that! Double-crib sheets! Practiced double crib sheets for years!
P.S. Even with vinyl crib mattresses, I highly recommend the use of a rubber sheet. Keeps the mattress brand new and odour free! Additionally, when it's time to start toilet training, no worries over wetness. With exposed (unprotected) vinyl crib mattresses, odour and wetness can migrate through stitching, into mattress.
To add... I occasionally removed the rubber sheet so I could hang it outside on the line to air. Helped remove baby odours, etc.
Re: bed-stripping/changing, I always vacuum the mattress before re-making the bed.
Tussiemussies
3-11-13, 2:47pm
Re: bed-stripping/changing, I always vacuum the mattress before re-making the bed.
Wow, Mrs. m. You sure are quite an amazing homemaker!
Tussiemussies
3-11-13, 2:57pm
This used to be my routine...
Put two loads of laundry in, we used to have two washers and I could use that again. For two people we generate a ton of laundry, I have a front-loading machine that senses how much clothing is in there and adjusts the water for the need so it uses much less water than a top loader.
Start making the ice-tea for the day
Change out my dishrag and dishtowels for a clean one.
Wipe down the bathrooms with clorox wipes
Make my bed
Hang the laundry on the lines, we ha two sets of lines and really needed it
Early on I would wash out the Dog's dish and change their water saving the water to water the plants with
Take my dogs for a very long walk
Fold the dry, clean clothing from the day before
Start preparing dinner or pull something out for once a month cooking.
Fridays I would change the towels and bedding.
During the week I would get some cleaning in
Usually Thursday's I would food shop.
I kept a book that had each day of the week what needed to be done on a weekly basis and then on a monthly basis, like change out toothbrushes. Things like that.
I fell off my schedule and have to get back on. I really liked my book. Have to see if I can find it somewhere once we unpack everything...:)
Love your list, Tussie! Love your book idea, too! Your double-clothesline makes me ohhh sooo jealous! :)
Once you are all settled in, you'll be able to get back to your old-self Re: your cleaning routine. Little by little...
Tussiemussies
3-11-13, 3:58pm
Love your list, Tussie! Love your book idea, too! Your double-clothesline makes me ohhh sooo jealous! :)
Once you are all settled in, you'll be able to get back to your old-self Re: your cleaning routine. Little by little...
Thanks Mrs. M...:)
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