Cleaning is Never Ending

jennyx0023

Does anyone else feel like they are constantly cleaning??

I avoid this feeling by simply...never cleaning. Cleaning is man's work around here. I feel a need to post my favorite graphic...

 well do feel like thats one of the reasons why it's not cleaner! I'd rather go to the river or go for a sidecar ride!!  haha

akyramoto82

i have the hardest time trying to 'train' everyone to take their shoes off. especially my BF cuz he always wears dr.martens that lace up, so it's like a 5 min ordeal for him to put on or take off his shoes.lol.

My husband actually had to train me to take my shoes off when I came inside. His whole family does it and I guess it helps some, but with dogs, the floors still seem to need constant cleaning. There's only 2 of us plus the dogs and DH is pretty neat and clean, but it still seems to never end. Every weekend both bathrooms need a good cleaning, floors need to be mopped or vacuumed, laundry, sheets changed, etc. I tell myself many, many times that I'm going to hire a housecleaner, but haven't yet.

 Tell me about it.  I do most of the cleaning around here, but I have devised a system to get a little bit of help.  I've already mentioned it on here, but I'll mention again, just cause I feel its one of my better ideas as of late.

I asign a number to each room of the house, pull enough cards out of a deck to cover those numbers and then each family member pulls a card.  I then set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes and we clean our asigned rooms for that 15 minutes.  When the timer goes off, we drop whatever we are doing and go and draw another card.  Then we go to our new rooms for the next 15 minutes.  We usually do 3 sets and then take a break.  Its been really great for getting Kale into helping.  Its almost like a race to see if you can get your room done before the timer goes off.  I think I may add a prize if you can finish your room and have it removed from the list for the next draw.  Kale even asked my mom if they could do the "Card Thing" at her house!

I think the trick is to stick to the 15 minutes so it seems like a race/game and nobody gets bored.  I even do it sometimes by myself if my house needs a quick tidy up but I am having a hard time getting motivated.  Its not so hard to get through 15 minutes as it is to get through the entire kitchen or living room etc.

That is a great idea. Not as good as getting the man and children to do it all...but good, lol.

Oh, I feel ya!  In 2003 DH's mom passed away.  This was his childhood home.  The family has lived here since 1980, at least.  DH also has a brother and a sister who have left all of their things in the house.  And since DH bought the house from them, we get to deal with the mess.  I don't think it is fair and we should just throw their things out, it has been five years and they still won't take their things.

We have come a long way in cleaning the house, but we still have so far to go.  His mom bought everything and kept everything (pack rat)!  They still had his dad's things (who passed away in 1994) in the basement!  These things are mostly paperwork and things that no one has ever looked at.  We also have things from his grandparents passing just before his mother.  I just want a clean house with OUR things in it, not all this stuff that we'll never look at.

I just can't wait to have a nice clean house.  It doesn't help that the house is huge and every room needs help.  We have four bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, sun room )which I want to turn into a nice playroom for future kids, basement, and attic.  Don't even get me started on the yard!!

 I hate cleaning and only do it when absolutely necessary.  When I do a big clean because someone is coming to visit, I always like how great the house looks but I never stick to keeping it up.  I'm single so I've got to do everything including repairs, yardwork, housework, etc.  My kids use me as a great extra income generator because I offer ridiculous amounts of money for the smallest chores (like $10 to scoop the cat boxes, which I hate doing).   I'd much rather look back on my life and remember the fun things I did with my family, friends and pets than to remember how clean my carpet was.  My MIL spent her LIFE cleaning and missed out on alot with her children.  I don't want to be that way, it's not worth it.  I also had a neighbor who was a cleaning fiend.  I ran into her husband the other day after moving away over 10 years ago.  When telling what each family member was up to, when he got to his wife, he could only say "Well, Mary's still cleaning, you know her, everything has to be spotless."  Can you imagine the only thing your spouse having to say about what's going on in your life is cleaning?!?!?  No thanks!

"Dull women have immaculate houses." 

 When we moved into this house in January I found myself sweeping the floor 10 times a day. And you know what. It wasnt Samantha or the dogs getting the floors dirty. It was JJ!!! It still is. Now I dont even bother with the floor but once a day and then once a week I give it a good moping.

Now the dishes are another story. Ugh. I really hate dishes. But I see no point of getting a dish washer when I have the time and am perfectly capable of washing them. Plus I dont want Samantha to have a dishwasher available to use as an excuse to get out of dish washing when she's older. I had to do it as a kid and so will she!!!!

 

Oh boy have I been cleaning. Jeremy's parents are staying with us for a week, starting today *sigh*. It doesn't help that Apollo is shedding like crazy, or that we have wall to wall white carpet. I don't think I've ever scrubbed, mopped, vacuumed, steam cleaned, dusted, washed so much.

kle1986

 But I see no point of getting a dish washer when I have the time and am perfectly capable of washing them. Plus I dont want Samantha to have a dishwasher available to use as an excuse to get out of dish washing when she's older. I had to do it as a kid and so will she!!!!

Actually, I just saw on PlanetGreen that using a dishwasher uses WAY LESS water than handwashing them yourself and gets them more sanitary due to the water temperature, so save the Earth and save your hands, use that dishwasher!   

snownose

Waking up in the morning is like....oh look it's another day but the same day as yesterday[8|]

I love it when any room of the house is freshly cleaned, particularly my bathroom, which I feel is never fully clean lately. It's my goal and I will get there, but it drives me crazy to look around and see *all the stuff* that needs to be done. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed, I just don't know where to begin! I remember reading somewhere to pick a room or a project and stick to it. Even if you set a specific time frame, say a half an hour each night/day, then move on to the next project. At least that way you are getting things done and not running around like a chicken with your head cut off, feeling like you never get anything done. I know when I stick to this, it does work, but I usually don't :)

I keep saying that when I win the lotto I'll hire someone to clean my house! The truth is, I would buy a winnebago, pack up the dogs and a few necessities and hit the road....... no more house to clean!!!! :)

 wow, this is an old post brought back to life. I still clean constantly, but lately i've been letting it go and not caring since I work so much. I hate when people walk on my clean hardwoods with their shoes on but husband always forgets to take his shoes off, and also forgets to tell any of his friends/family that stop by too. oh well! hehe.

With 4 dogs, we dont' carry in nearly as much as they do.  We try to vacuum once a week and then mop when necessary of if company is coming over.  Otherwise it's a pretty furry house.  We clean as it's needed.

For the person who said they didn't want to get a dishwasher because you wanted your child to wash dishes, trust me, there will always be dishes to be handwashed!  We have a dishwasher, it's just 2 humans in the house and we always seem to have dirty dishes piled on the counter to be washed by hand.  Whether it's the pots and pans, a bowl that's way too big or our travel mugs with rubber bottoms, there are always dishes to be washed by hand. 

I remember seeing a cleaning expert on Oprah a long time ago who said not to travel from room to room putting things away, etc.  Oprah had said she never finished a room (HA! Must have been a REALLY OLD EPISODE that she could remember cleaning! )  because she'd get distracted every room she went into.  The expert said to have some sort of container (rubbermaid, laundry basket, etc.) for each room when you're cleaning a room.  Put the stuff in the container rather than leave the room you're cleaning to carry it there.  Then you carry each container to it's designated room and start cleaning on the next one with the same system.  It's the ONE tip I've taken on cleaning and it really helps make a difference.  I'd pick up a book from the kitchen to carry to the living room, start doing something in the living room, move something to the kids' room, start working in there and never get a full room done.  It works great, keeps you in one room until you're finished, and gets things done in a more orderly progression.