The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: lifejoy on April 22, 2015, 02:22:54 PM
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Ok, this is a very embarrassing thing to admit, but I don't know how to clean.
Before the face-punches start rolling in, let me explain. I can clean, and I do (sometimes) clean, but no one has every shown me HOW. I had chores as a kid, and I know how to tidy, and I can use cleaners and cloths and muck around and make things clean. But I feel like I'm not doing it in an efficient or eco-friendly way. I take too long and I use too many paper towels.
Also - you don't know what you don't know. A friend of mine mentioned washing her walls, and I thought to myself, "What? People do that?" So I'm sure there are cleaning tasks that I haven't even thought of doing!
Please help me. Advice that I'm looking for would be things like: a supply list, weekly tasks / schedules, and other tips and tricks. Step-by-step details would be helpful. I've found info online and I have the Un-f*ck your habitat app, but it's not in-depth enough. We can afford a cleaning service, but I'd like to avoid it. I even considered applying to be a house cleaner so I could benefit from their training, but I think that's a little extreme!
Thanks in advance for your help! You're going to save me probably $100/month! :D
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The first important step is to de-clutter and keep everything neat and tidy. Make your beds every day first thing, and keep up with your dishes after every meal or snack. If you do a load of wash, also dry it, fold it, and put it away. Coats, boots, schoolbags etc. put in the closet, not thrown all over the place. Just these few habits--and you're not even cleaning anything yet!--will let you get away with a lot.
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The first important step is to de-clutter and keep everything neat and tidy. Make your beds every day first thing, and keep up with your dishes after every meal or snack. If you do a load of wash, also dry it, fold it, and put it away. Coats, boots, schoolbags etc. put in the closet, not thrown all over the place. Just these few habits--and you're not even cleaning anything yet!--will let you get away with a lot.
Excellent tip! I completely agree; you cannot clean if you haven't tidied first. The tidying I'm good on and know how, but the cleaning... I always feel like I'm doing it wrong.
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It sounds like you might need something like the Fly Lady. http://www.flylady.net/
I'm also a fan of Clean My Space. http://cleanmyspace.com/
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Here's my tip: buy a re-usable spray bottle (available at any hardware store and many supermarkets) and plain distilled vinegar (the uber cheap clear kind). Mix up a solution of 1 cup vinegar and 4 cups water. This is your basic, non-toxic, all-surface cleaner. It's super cheap and it is so safe you can spray it on your salad (of course it's not a great subsitute for a real baslasmic... but just proving a point). You can add a tsp. of lemon juice if you want to improve the smell (i generally don't bother, it dissipates very quickly). Works on kitchen counters, windows, floor-spills, the refrigerator, etc. You simply cannot go wrong spraying this on whatever needs cleaning first (and feel free to use a lot) It's only when this fails that I go to a de-greaser (I use orange oil - more expensive but smells fantastic!) or detergent.
Then, instead of papertowels use a collection of rags. We use old t-shirts and sweats that we tear into paper-towel-sized pieces. After using them toss them into the bottom of your washing machine to be washed with the next load (whatever setting that happens to be... doesn't matter for rags). We probably have 20-30 rags in rotation at any time.
+1 to lizzzi's suggestion that the best technique is to avoid clutter and try to tidy/clean things before they get too bad. Everyone has to develop a routine that works best for them. I'm anal about the kitchen, part of having worked in one and having always been yelled at to keep my station clean, but for the rest o the house we choose one day a week, set a timer for 1 hour, put on some music and then just go town cleaning everything. It usually takes less than the full hour.
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I couldn't keep up with the flylady stuff. But I find Apartment Therapy pretty good for cleaning inspiration and help. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/categories/cleaning and they have a schedule here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-clean-your-house-in-20-minutes-a-day-for-30-days-131142
Not that I always keep up with the AT schedule either, but eh. When I DO commit to 20 minutes a day it really works.
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So I don't clean my own home, this is the thing I outsource. I just hate doing it. But I couldn't always afford to outsource it. So here's my tips, for a zero to hero approach.
What other people said about the habits, true. All the following take way less time if the room is already "put away."
Don't try to clean the whole house at once. You want to at least split it up by type of activity, or one room at a time. So for instance, I might vacuum all the carpet one day after work, 1hr tops. That's all for that day. Hardwood or tile floors would be another day.
Bathrooms would be about 1 hour on a weekend. I do them on a weekend because I always feel gross when I'm done, so I want to do it first thing in the morning. If your bathroom needs to be cleaned more than once a month, shoot whoever can't use it without making a mess.
The kitchen is just part of the meal time. Cook, eat, clean, put away, all within an hour. Easier with fewer people. Easier once the kids can be tasked with cleaning and putting away. Awesomesauce once the kids can also cook.
Things like dusting, I just get rid of anything that gets dusty. Install some nice cabinet doors on any shelves. The tops of stuff you don't use you have to hit, but you can hit the whole house of that stuff in an hour, one day after work.
There's also a difference between clean and pristine. As long as you aren't attracting pests, and it doesn't stink, it is clean enough.
Most things can be wiped down with a damp washcloth/sponge. I use a separate one for the bathroom, disinfect it with a little diluted bleach. There's no cleaner you need, there are a few that can slightly cut down on the time. A capful of bleach in the toilet bowl before I leave for work the day before I'm going to clean the toilet also helps.
If I find myself doing something like vacuuming more than once a month, it's time to find whoever can't wipe their feet at the door/take off shoes and shoot them.
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lifejoy,
I'm like you. I had chores growing up, but never had to really keep a place clean. My parents always had a cleaning service once or twice a week. For most of my adult life, I hired a cleaning service too. About four months ago, we canceled it and have been cleaning the house ourselves. This saves me $1800 a year. I do everything indoors except the floors, because my boyfriend does all the outside work on the lawn and yard.
I'm sure there are plenty of things I could do faster and just as well if I knew the little tricks. Maybe we can learn together. One thing I can say: YouTube is our friend. You wouldn't believe the number of videos that purport to teach how to clean well and quickly.
One thing I improved on recently is getting a windshield squeegee to clean my bathroom mirror (well, my boyfriend's side was the problem). I was spending a lot of time, Windex and paper towels on trying to get the little yuckies cleaned off. The windshield squeegee is a lot faster and I end up using a lot less Windex. I still use maybe one paper towel to make sure the squeegee doesn't leave long marks where the stroke ended.
As far as washing walls, I only did that when I moved into my place and was about to paint a couple of rooms. The previous owner had a big dog and apparently never changed the HVAC filters. The walls were visibly dirty and cleaning before painting was a no-brainer. But I don't think washing the walls is going to be part of my normal cleaning, even spring cleaning. Perhaps I'll dust them if they start to look dirty.
I use a good stiff brush on the bottom of my bathtub, and a cleaner with some oomph. That saves time over elbow grease if I were using tools that weren't as good.
On my hardwood floors, I use Bona cleaner. They sell a thingie that holds the bottle, sprays when you use the trigger, and has a removable/washable pad to clean the floor. Kind of like a specialized mop. This may not be "Mustachian", but it is convenient and makes cleaning very easy.
If the rugs are more than slightly dirty, consider vacuuming before dusting. Otherwise, the vacuum may kick up dust and ruin your work.
Check the corners of your rooms for spider webs. Also light fixtures.
Like a previous poster, I clean a little most days of the week. This morning I cleaned all the toilets. Tomorrow I may start on the dusting.
That's all I can think of for now. I hope it helps.
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100 a month, I'm assuming 5 hours a month at 20 an hour on top of what you already do?
Get a smaller house.
Some people legitimately like housework and yard work, I couldn't possibly be more bored. Make lifestyle changes to eliminate mindless tedium is much easier than learning how to clean.
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My tips:
Clean from the top down, once a week. High stuff first, like the medicine cabinet and tables. Floors last.
Kitchen & Bath: Let the spray sit. Spray the sink, then the toilet, then the tub, little trashcan, scale (top down!). THEN go back and wipe the sink, toilet, tub, etc. Remember refrigerator/microwave/toilet handles.
Use a duster or a couple rags sprayed with Endust for living room/dining room. One wet rag with water and a little vinegar can probably clean all the light switches if they're grimy.
Cabinet/appliance fronts, ceiling fans, table legs, bookshelves, floor boards, inside the oven, the insides of cabinets... once a year with the appropriate cleaner. People call this Spring Cleaning. I don't do walls (that's just beyond my limit), but, if I had to, I'd start with plain water in a bucket and a new foam mop.
Some people will tell you to clean twice a week, or to completely hose down the kitchen/bathroom daily. Heck, my mother had a college roommate who changed her sheets daily, and ironed all of them too! However, as a lifetime renter and a child of landlords, I can tell you that most people don't clean anything, EVER, and yet seem to live just fine. So, if it's about avoiding illness, the best thing to do is wash your HANDS frequently, not your house.
My supply list:
Straight vinegar in a spray bottle for mirrors & toilet
Meyers Lavender household cleaner concentrate diluted in a spray bottle for kitchen/bath/diluted in bucket for floors
Softscrub & sponge for shower
Endust
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This book is awesome:
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Comforts-Science-Keeping-House/dp/0743272862/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429736906&sr=8-1&keywords=home+comforts
I agree, in addition I like the following book - it has great suggested checklists for what to do daily, weekly, monthly and seasonally. I believe you can also get free printable versions of the checklists on Martha Stewart's website. The key with the checklists is to use them as starting points and then adjust to how much wear and tear your house gets so you can customize it for your house and lifestyle.
http://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewarts-Homekeeping-Handbook-Everything/dp/0517577003/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429738375&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=Marthavstewart+homekeeping
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There's also a difference between clean and pristine. As long as you aren't attracting pests, and it doesn't stink, it is clean enough.
+1 I'll throw "and if it's not growing mold" on there too.
Unless you are a heavy indoor smoker, or have muddy kids running around, or are planning on painting or selling your house soon, cleaning the walls sounds like a crazy person activity to me. I occasionally have to spot clean a wall if my dog slips past me and shakes his muddy self off inside. But regularly cleaning all walls... I've got better things to do. You clean walls before you paint (so the paint sticks better) or move (to get a full deposit back/sell the house for more money).
Here's what I clean:
Kitchen - ideally daily. It's easier to cook, I don't like gross things where I eat, and it helps keep away the ants. Mostly this consists of cleaning dishes, & wiping down counters with a washcloth. I also like to clean the kitchen sink because I heard once that it's usually dirtier than the toilet.
Bathroom - probably every other week (to stay ahead of the mold, it's wet here). I clean the bathroom top to bottom, literally. I start with the mirror, my washcloth/rag is clean, windex or vinegar/water mix. Then I do the bathroom sink, scrub it with scouring powder, or baking soda. I use a sponge, but don't use a super scrubby kind or it will scratch the metal on your hardware. Then I wipe down the counter with the sponge & dry it with the rag from the mirror. Toilet is next. Usually I just wipe it down with the mirror rag on the outside (at this point I'm done with the rag & it goes to the laundry room). Inside, toilet brush & cleaner. Bath tub is last. I use the same cleaner & sponge from the sink. Usually, I just clean the tub, but if it starts looking rough, I'll clean all the way up the walls. At this point I shower. It makes me feel better and it helps make sure all the cleaner gets washed off. If the floor is looking dirty, I'll vacuum. If it's looking really bad, I'll mop.
Floors - I vacuum every other week, but mostly that's because I have a dog. Before the dog, it was probably more like once a month. I usually vacuum on the hardwood floors, but if they have something in particular on them (sticky spot, mess in the kitchen) I'll mop.
Cobwebs - This probably only happens once a year. I clean them as I notice them. I'll see a big one and then notice a few others. So I have a long stick that I wrap a rag around to reach up to the ceiling.
That's pretty much all I do. If I have guests coming over, I'll usually clean the bathroom and vacuum before they come.
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DH is our trusty house keeper as he is FIREd. He "should" vacuum weekly because he insists on wearing shoes in the house even after working outside or at a property. I am ok with it as long as he keeps up the vacuuming, on a busy outdoor week the vacuum sits out and is used multiple times a week.
He takes the top down approach to the living spaces and he cleans the kitchen almost daily. I use our main bathroom so I never leave my "stuff" out, I've always used the "public" bathroom in the morning since I am up before him. I keep it clean all the time.
It is way easier to go into cleaning mode if you don't have to declutter first. We are not much for nic-nacs so dusting is pretty easy, we do cheat and use a duster gizmo that really picks up the dust. Don't forget to dust door frames, window frames, plants and picture frames. You would be surprised what collects in those nooks and crannies. we use the magic water/vinegar combo on the floors but haven't made it up in a bottle.
The bathroom is scrubbing bubbles, sprayed on and left, with comet in the toilet (no need to let this sit). while the spray sits, I dust and then clean the floor. Don't forget to dust the light fixtures, easy to miss, but very important. then I go back and clean tub, sink, toilet.
I do wash walls at times as well as use the vacuum attachment to vacuum them up high. We do have popcorn ceiling so that can get deep cleaned as well, yearly at most.
If you have ceiling fans, keep those dusted they are a great dust collector!
Another pet peeve is how filthy the laundry room gets. We own rentals, most with laundry and we always have to take the W/D apart to deep clean. I try to deep clean mine any time I see ickiness accruing. Seriously, go right now into your utility room and check the nooks and crannies there. If it is out in the garage, check it out just to see, likely there's a fine mess to clean up.
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This is really great, detailed information. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! I want to make sure my future children know how to clean... but I can't teach them if I don't figure it out, first. :)
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http://www.home-ec101.com/
http://www.cleanmama.net/
Every once in a blue moon take everything out of your fridge, toss the gross old stuff and make a plan to use the other goodies, take all the shelves out of your fridge, wash everything in the sink, put 'em back, wipe down the outside. You will feel a terrific sense of accomplishment, believe it or not.
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If your problem is not knowing what to do you could also try the Motivated Moms app. It's just an app that gives you a little list each day of what needs to be done. If there are tasks that don't apply to your life, you just hide them.
Basically, my philosophy is that if I can't tell it's dirty, it doesn't need to be cleaned.
I agree that a household of adults shouldn't need to wash walls. I do it occasionally, but only in the areas where the kids have made some sort of gross mess on the wall.
Don't feel bad about not knowing how to keep house. I was speaking to a coworker a while ago and her mom didn't let her do anything around the house when she was a kid. Her only "job" was to study and do well in school. She now lives alone in a different country (away from her parents) and had no idea what she needed to do to keep her apartment clean. She ended up hiring a housekeeper, not just to clean for her, but to teach her how to clean. She is amazed by those of us in the office who live in big single-family homes with kids who don't have housekeepers.
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The best thing I did was buy a robot vacuum cleaner (ours is a Neato). I start it almost every morning before we go on our long dog walk. Come back an hour and a half later and the floor is clean. We dust once in a while, and I'm good about keeping the house picked up, but the robot vac makes a HUGE difference.
It also helps that my standards are low.
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I have come to embrace the fact that I am a filthy and nearly inhuman monster when it comes to cleaning. In university I lived in a carpeted apartment with three other guys for three years without a vacuum. We had ants. It was pretty gross. BUT - there is hope for ye. My wife has beaten me into shape, and if it was possible with me . . . it is possible with you.
First, tidying. It is vital and crucial that there is a place for everything. If there is not a designated place for something, you need to make one or get rid of that something. This way, when things get left out it's obvious that they're left out . . . you look at them and say "Damn, that should be on the shelf over there on the right". 9 times out of 10 you will naturally want to put the item where it belongs. Otherwise it's cold and sad not living in it's home. If you don't have a place for everything, then not only does stuff build up, but when tidying there is a great incentive/motivation to throw shit into a pile at the back of a closet somewhere. This is PRETEND cleaning . . . it really just makes a bigger mess/problem for later.
Next, actual cleaning. Decide what needs to be cleaned most often. Usually this goes something like: Kitchen, most used bathroom, the living room, areas guests will see, other bathrooms, bedroom, closets, other storage space. My natural habit when I start cleaning is to want to clean ALL OF THE THINGS until I collapse of exhaustion and die. This is apparently the WRONG WAY to do things. Pick one or two rooms/items for you and one or two from your partner, and do them each weekend for absolutely no more than a couple hours.
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I'm so glad you started this thread - so many useful tips!
I would love to live in a perfectly clean and tidy house. Instead I reach a sort of balance between my high standards for cleanliness, and laziness/unwillingness to spend too much time cleaning. I suspect most people do the same.
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Three more things:
1. If you shower, get a squeegee and squeegee the tiles after every shower. This prevents the mineral buildup that makes showers look icky. I have a cheap one from Dollarama that works fine and looks OK.
2. Canadians take their boots off at the door all winter. If we do the same the rest of the year it really cuts down on dirt and grit entering the house. This not only means less cleaning, it save the floors.
3. Do not get a long haired dog/cat/anything that sheds. I love mine anyway, but the hair this time of year is never-ending. Angora rabbits are OK if you plan to carefully comb every day, and then sell the combings to your local spinners.
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Daily:
- make bed
- put dirty laundry in hamper + cleanish laundry back in closet / drawer for reuse
- dishes (by hand or washer)
- quick wipe of kitchen countertops
- put clutter away as I go (definitely try to declutter first, as others have mentioned)
Weekly:
- Laundry (~1 load/week)
- vacuum or sweep
- Water plants
- wipe stove top - if it's really bad, I will give it a deeper clean
- quick clean of toilet (baking soda & castile soap + toilet brush)
- wipe bathroom counter / sink / tub
- kitty litter / garbage / recycling / compost + wipe down bins only as needed
When I notice:
- Clean fridge (take everything out, spray, wipe, put back)
- Wipe down appliances
- Clean range fan (ew!!)
- Spot clean walls & doors (don't think I have ever fully washed them in 8 yrs!)
- Dust
- Scrub bathroom tiles w/ baking soda
- Wash floors w/ warm soapy water
I have a photo board with daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning items written on construction paper and placed where the photos go. I updated it with dry erasure markers as I make progress.
Daily:
Dishes (including coffee maker)
Wipe down counters
Put away/fold miscellaneous linens
Weekly:
Vacuum
Toilet/Bathroom surfaces
Laundry
Dust
De-Fur the sofa from Fido
Monthly:
Bathroom (deep clean)
Floors (warm water)
Baseboards
Sheets/bed linens
Blinds
There's other stuff that I do as noticed.
We try to use natural cleaners (mostly baking soda and vinegar) but our apartment has a jet tube so I keep some bleach on hand to run through the jets and keep them clean. Once I year (usually about this time) I get a cleaning bug and do a deep clean of the apartment, but at about 850 square feet I can usually satisfy my deep clean craving over 2-3 days of work.
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Thanks for the inspiring thread! I'm posting so that I can follow the conversation. But while here I'll mention a few sites I like with DIY cleaner recipes:
http://thefrugalgirls.com/homemade-cleaners
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2013/06/homemade-all-natural-cleaning-recipes.html
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I am a naturally "untidy" person who has learned to keep a pretty presentable house, so don't worry! It's a habit, like brushing your teeth, and anyone can learn it.
How to Clean A Room
I am a HUGE fan of cleaning a room in "loops". Always work top to bottom, and in a single, non-backtrack direction around the room.
Grab the following:
Disposable bag and box or fabric market bag
Duster thing
Cleaning caddy (Should include: All purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, and scrubby powder at a minimum)
Lint free rags
Vacuum or Broom
1. Start with a "trash and put back" loop. Start at the door, walk the room with the trashbag and box or market bag in a loop (never backtrack!). Put all trash in the trashbag and all stuff that lives somewhere else in the box. Stop after one full loop, at the door. This should take like 3 minutes, tops.
2. Set down trash and "put back" stuff, pick up duster thing. Dust all high things in the room in a loop. This should take 1-2 minutes. Complete loop at door. Drop off duster.
3. Spray one rag with AP cleaner and one with glass cleaner. Loop the room cleaning surfaces, glass, mirrors, etc. with the appropriate cloth. This should take ~5 minutes. End at door.
4. The middle! If necessary, make bed, fluff couch cushions, etc. Then, grab vacuum or broom and clean the floor from the corner furthest the door, working backwards so you end at the door. ~3 minutes.
5. The put away! Go return anything out of place where it goes, drop the trash in the trash can, store your caddy, vacuum and duster and relax. ~2 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes or so. If it takes longer than that for any room that isn't kitchen or bathroom, you need to get rid of stuff.
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This book is awesome:
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Comforts-Science-Keeping-House/dp/0743272862/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429736906&sr=8-1&keywords=home+comforts
Seconded. That thing is a tome of amazingness.
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The easiest way to clean a house is to keep it clean and picked up on a daily basis. I don't go to bed w/o wiping down the kitchen and putting everything away there. I am very much like this also:
Try experimenting and see what habits/routines you can develop. For me it's something like this:
Daily:
- make bed
- put dirty laundry in hamper + cleanish laundry back in closet / drawer for reuse
- dishes (by hand or washer)
- quick wipe of kitchen countertops
- put clutter away as I go (definitely try to declutter first, as others have mentioned)
Weekly:
- Laundry (~1 load/week) - Well, with 2 boys it is more like 6 loads per week - but same general idea. And they are starting to do their own
- vacuum or sweep
- Water plants
- wipe stove top - if it's really bad, I will give it a deeper clean
- quick clean of toilet (baking soda & castile soap + toilet brush)
- wipe bathroom counter / sink / tub
- kitty litter / garbage / recycling / compost + wipe down bins only as needed
Change bed linens is weekly for me. Also unearth papers on my desk and deal w/ them (pay bills, sort out stuff for later attention, etc.)
When I notice:
- Clean fridge (take everything out, spray, wipe, put back)
- Wipe down appliances
- Clean range fan (ew!!)
- Spot clean walls & doors (don't think I have ever fully washed them in 8 yrs!)
- Dust
- Scrub bathroom tiles w/ baking soda
- Wash floors w/ warm soapy water
Bigger cleans for me - e.g. unearthing the screen room when the weather warmed up, steam cleaning carpets, are done on an as needed basis - probably one big one per month. Occasionally I just get on a tear and have to clean everything top to bottom nad madly declutter and empty out closest and such and that might take a whole day or whole weekend.
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Oh man, if you promise to keep me in fresh rags and an upscale vacuum I'd do your house for free. I love to clean. Starting a cleaning service is my plan-B if I ever get fired from my gov't job.
There's also this website. http://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/ (http://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/). It was started expressly for people who struggle to understand cleaning. More accessible than the higher level guides like flylady, etc.
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The best thing for grungy bathtubs (I've found) is dish soap and one of those plastic scrubbies intended for dishes. It's flexible enough to do corners and good at scraping the oily residue off.
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Buy yourself a pair of big rubber gloves and use rags to clean everything. Don't even buy a toilet brush. They are gross and don't work. Use a rag and your hand and Ajax.
Dusting is really important so that you don't get a big job of cleaning grime later. If you dust the following weekly, you'll never have grimy surfaces that need deep clean.
Shutters, baseboards, paneled doors. Crack where walls meet ceilings and walls meet other walls. All artwork. Ceiling fans. Get a big lambs wool duster for the surface area dusting. Most other dusting can be done with a damp rag. Change air filters regularly.
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Oh man, if you promise to keep me in fresh rags and an upscale vacuum I'd do your house for free. I love to clean. Starting a cleaning service is my plan-B if I ever get fired from my gov't job.
There's also this website. http://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/ (http://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/). It was started expressly for people who struggle to understand cleaning. More accessible than the higher level guides like flylady, etc.
+1 for unfuckyourhabitat.
It really becomes a virtuous cycle when you stop avoiding housework.
Motivation:
https://medium.com/@erinfrey/making-your-bed-is-the-keystone-habit-for-having-a-positive-day-aebd3f22d1bb
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This book is awesome:
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Comforts-Science-Keeping-House/dp/0743272862/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429736906&sr=8-1&keywords=home+comforts
Seconded. That thing is a tome of amazingness.
Thirded. If you want to know the best way to do things, go there.
Of course, we don't always have time for the best way. My approach is to make a list of not-that-onerous tasks, figure out how often they need to happen, and then create a schedule to do one thing per day (probably at the same time you're doing other boring daily tasks like loading the dishwasher, scooping the cat box, etc.). Then make another list of more-onerous tasks and make a schedule for those too, but do those weekly, on a day you have time (like Saturday or whatever). For example, a not-that-onerous task might be "vacuum the bottom floor" and a more-onerous task might be "clean the fridge interior." That way the little things get done regularly, and the big things get done often enough.
That doesn't address your specific "how" question, but I think a system is the first step in making things manageable.
Regarding your specific "how" question, I rely on non-Mustachian disinfecting wipes. If I were on my own I probably wouldn't, but since I'm sharing this task with DH it needs to be as easy as possible (and I guess I'm reluctant to do more work than he's doing, which is what it is). Rags and AP cleaner are better for the environment and less wasteful, but also less easy. As with many things, it depends on your priorities.
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Roomba. When keeping the floors clean is trivial, it's easy to throw a spare hour every so often at a bigger task - in our case, cobwebs in the radiators is something that comes up more often than you'd think.
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As far as the actual how-to, your local public library probably has a great selection at 648.5.
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1. I enjoyed the book Make the House do the Housework by Don Aslett. Written by a man who took a janitor job to get through school, then ended up building a janitorial empire, it's entertaining ... but underneath the enjoyable narrative you'll find a wealth of tips on how to arrange your house to MINIMIZE cleaning. A few of the tips:
- Every exterior door should be equipped with a several-steps long doormat OUTSIDE and INSIDE. These mats will prevent dirt from coming into your house, meaning less work.
- In every room you should have a "messy spot", where everything messy is consolidated -- trash can, tissues, whatever. This means you only have one messy spot in that room ... instead of that same mess being spread all over the room.
2. Make a schedule. Maybe wash sheets on Mondays, floors on Tuesday, bathrooms on Wednesday ... AND make a plan to do one deep cleaning chore every week (perhaps cleaning out your closet, or washing the windows).
3. Hiring cleaning help isn't the worst idea in the world.
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Buy yourself a pair of big rubber gloves and use rags to clean everything. Don't even buy a toilet brush. They are gross and don't work. Use a rag and your hand and Ajax.
You have just blown my mind that I can toss my toilet brush! I hate having a toilet brush, I think it's vile... but tell me, do I throw the rag out afterwards? Or what?
It's this kind of stuff that is probably common sense to some that is BRAND NEW to me :)
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lifejoy,
I'm like you. I had chores growing up, but never had to really keep a place clean. My parents always had a cleaning service once or twice a week. For most of my adult life, I hired a cleaning service too. About four months ago, we canceled it and have been cleaning the house ourselves. This saves me $1800 a year. I do everything indoors except the floors, because my boyfriend does all the outside work on the lawn and yard.
I'm sure there are plenty of things I could do faster and just as well if I knew the little tricks. Maybe we can learn together. One thing I can say: YouTube is our friend. You wouldn't believe the number of videos that purport to teach how to clean well and quickly.
One thing I improved on recently is getting a windshield squeegee to clean my bathroom mirror (well, my boyfriend's side was the problem). I was spending a lot of time, Windex and paper towels on trying to get the little yuckies cleaned off. The windshield squeegee is a lot faster and I end up using a lot less Windex. I still use maybe one paper towel to make sure the squeegee doesn't leave long marks where the stroke ended.
As far as washing walls, I only did that when I moved into my place and was about to paint a couple of rooms. The previous owner had a big dog and apparently never changed the HVAC filters. The walls were visibly dirty and cleaning before painting was a no-brainer. But I don't think washing the walls is going to be part of my normal cleaning, even spring cleaning. Perhaps I'll dust them if they start to look dirty.
I use a good stiff brush on the bottom of my bathtub, and a cleaner with some oomph. That saves time over elbow grease if I were using tools that weren't as good.
On my hardwood floors, I use Bona cleaner. They sell a thingie that holds the bottle, sprays when you use the trigger, and has a removable/washable pad to clean the floor. Kind of like a specialized mop. This may not be "Mustachian", but it is convenient and makes cleaning very easy.
If the rugs are more than slightly dirty, consider vacuuming before dusting. Otherwise, the vacuum may kick up dust and ruin your work.
Check the corners of your rooms for spider webs. Also light fixtures.
Like a previous poster, I clean a little most days of the week. This morning I cleaned all the toilets. Tomorrow I may start on the dusting.
That's all I can think of for now. I hope it helps.
That is really impressive that you cancelled your cleaning service. I think if I had one, I would never be able to go back...
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Here's my tip: buy a re-usable spray bottle (available at any hardware store and many supermarkets) and plain distilled vinegar (the uber cheap clear kind). Mix up a solution of 1 cup vinegar and 4 cups water. This is your basic, non-toxic, all-surface cleaner. It's super cheap and it is so safe you can spray it on your salad (of course it's not a great subsitute for a real baslasmic... but just proving a point). You can add a tsp. of lemon juice if you want to improve the smell (i generally don't bother, it dissipates very quickly). Works on kitchen counters, windows, floor-spills, the refrigerator, etc. You simply cannot go wrong spraying this on whatever needs cleaning first (and feel free to use a lot) It's only when this fails that I go to a de-greaser (I use orange oil - more expensive but smells fantastic!) or detergent.
Then, instead of papertowels use a collection of rags. We use old t-shirts and sweats that we tear into paper-towel-sized pieces. After using them toss them into the bottom of your washing machine to be washed with the next load (whatever setting that happens to be... doesn't matter for rags). We probably have 20-30 rags in rotation at any time.
+1 to lizzzi's suggestion that the best technique is to avoid clutter and try to tidy/clean things before they get too bad. Everyone has to develop a routine that works best for them. I'm anal about the kitchen, part of having worked in one and having always been yelled at to keep my station clean, but for the rest o the house we choose one day a week, set a timer for 1 hour, put on some music and then just go town cleaning everything. It usually takes less than the full hour.
Alright guys; chemistry 101. Acetic acid + granite and other expensive mineral surface materials = damage. I would not recommend this. Diluted vinegar would take a while to show an effect, but I would not take the risk.
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Alright guys; chemistry 101. Acetic acid + granite and other expensive mineral surface materials = damage. I would not recommend this. Diluted vinegar would take a while to show an effect, but I would not take the risk.
point taken. I should have added that I haven't had the luxury of granite in my home. With occasional use severely diluted vinegar won't do much to granite, but if you were using it every day and letting it sit then it could 'etch' the surface over many months.
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I struggle with this, too!! My mom and grandmother keep pristine homes, and I cannot figure it out. I do console myself with the fact that I live on a muddy mini-farm with 2 young children and a farmer husband.
Here are a few things that I do or use:
I am normally very opposed to direct sales marketing kinds of things, but I do own a few Norwex Enviroclothes and a Norwex polishing cloth. These items are amazing. They are anti-microbial and only require water to work. Goodbye streaky Windex! They work extremely well wiping down kitchen counters and tables, too. They are not cheap, but they do pay for themselves quickly as you will not need to buy any cleaner.
I wipe down the shower/tub every day and do a deeper clean every 2 weeks. We have clear glass shower doors, and I can keep them pristine if the last person to shower just wipes them down!
We have a lot of minerals in our water. I have found that when the tub, sinks, toilets, etc. become stained, I can use just a little bit of the toilet boil cleaner "Works," and it takes the stains right off. Be sure to rinse well, use gloves, and avoid the faucets with this cleaner. It's very strong stuff.
For the goop around the bathroom faucets, just wet a paper towel with vinegar and wrap the paper towel around the faucet. It will take the goop right up if you let it sit for a couple of hours.
Clean the baseboards with baby wipes. It's gentle and can get into the cracks.
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Oh, I just got granite* and I was cleaning it with my usual half-vinegar spray. What would be a better choice for granite?
*It came with my house. I would have been happy with laminate, but since it's there... But don't even get me started on the stainless steel. I never had to polish my old fridge!
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Oh, I just got granite* and I was cleaning it with my usual half-vinegar spray. What would be a better choice for granite?
*It came with my house. I would have been happy with laminate, but since it's there... But don't even get me started on the stainless steel. I never had to polish my old fridge!
I don't have granite, but my favorite cleaning blog has a recipe for natural stone. http://cleanmyspace.com/5-diy-homemade-cleaners/
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Here are my random thoughts:
- As Flylady says, even housework done incorrectly still blesses your home. In other words, don't get caught up in doing it right, just start.
-I often have to do things in 5 minute increments and call it good. That might mean that a bathroom rarely gets cleaned at one time, but rather the toilet might get washed one night while the kids are in the tub, and the sink another.
-Keep cleaning supplies everywhere!
-I love Microfiber cleaning cloths. You can get a large pack of them at Costco. Look in the automotive section for these things. You can clean glass with them without any cleaners. It's awesome.
Do most people clean their walls? I do, but mine are log so they get really dusty. I have never cleaned the drywall walls. My mom used to make us clean the walls, but she was/is a smoker, so I can see why.
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Buy yourself a pair of big rubber gloves and use rags to clean everything. Don't even buy a toilet brush. They are gross and don't work. Use a rag and your hand and Ajax.
You have just blown my mind that I can toss my toilet brush! I hate having a toilet brush, I think it's vile... but tell me, do I throw the rag out afterwards? Or what?
It's this kind of stuff that is probably common sense to some that is BRAND NEW to me :)
If you have your own washer, I'd rinse it out really well with hot water and toss it with the rest of your wash. But if you're like me and do your laundry as sparingly as possible (yay renting without washer)... my dollar store has 4-packs of those really cheap crappy sponges. At $0.25 each, I don't really feel that guilty tossing those out after. I wash my bathroom sink, then shower/tub, then toilet with it, and into the trash it goes. In college I used those disposable toilet scrubby things,but those were both expensive and not too effective (or maybe I'm just bad at cleaning toilets... is that possible?). Either way, as someone else suggested, pair that with heavy duty rubber gloves and your golden. I prefer to use a Lysol spray for the bathroom.
As for being bored while cleaning - totally get it. I grab my headphones, load Pandora on my phone, and I literally dance while I clean. Yep, I'm that weirdo that tries to salsa with her vacuum and karaokes while doing the dishes. It's actually kinda fun now.
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I'm going to come back and read this whole thread for my own edification later, but thought I'd drop two tips. Sorry if they've already been mentioned.
Pop your kitchen sponge (nice and wet) in the microwave for ~3 minutes. This will kill bacteria on the sponge, and steam up the microwave so that you can then easily wipe down the interior.
Newspaper makes the best glass cleaner, along with a water/vinegar solution. Seriously better than paper towels, and generally free.
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I'm trying to go minimal on my cleaning products too.
Vinegar and water - light cleaner
Fabuloso - mad cheap all purpose cleaner for floors and heavy cleaner, also it smells GREAT
Pledge or Endust - wood stuff and dusting
Baking soda - when I need a little grit
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Not sure if I'm the right person to give advice given the state of our bedroom...but I'll blame the Boy for that. I'm not gonna be the one to put away his stuff. ;)
My process tends to go from the most noticeable/in the way to the deep-cleaning stuff that you have to look for to know about (and no one will).
First, declutter. For us, stuff builds up on tables (coffee/dining/desk): mail, papers, books, electronics/cables, scattered coasters, etc. In the kitchen, this is putting away clean/dry dishes and washing the next batch. In the bathroom, anything that got left out on the vanity.
Next, clean surfaces, top to bottom. Damp rag for dust/crumbs, vacuum on floor. Vacuum spiderwebs in corners or ceiling. In kitchen, wipe down counters and stove, with cleaner if there are spots and scrub kitchen sink (it's a kind that gets extra grody really fast...enameled, I think). In bathroom, Windex mirrors, wipe vanity (maybe with cleaner), wipe handle and rim of toilet with cleaner, inside with bleachy cleaner and brush.
Finally, deepest level/special project: mop floors, clean all around toilet and bathroom floor, wipe baseboards and/or cabinets, scrub kitchen counters with Comet and brush (they are tile), scrub tub, clean out pantry or fridge or closet, clean oven, take off burners and wash/scrub drip pans...those sorts of things.
I usually do "first-next" kitchen cleaning daily, we pick up and vacuum every few days-week, go through the "next" list weekly, and handle deep/special projects monthly or less, as needed.
My arsenal is probably unmustachian but bf and I both hate the smells of vinegar, straight bleach, and ammonia. So I keep: dish soap, Windex, Fantastic, Meyer's Basil All-Purpose Cleaner, Pledge Squirt-n-mop (doesn't leave a sticky residue), Comet, and Chlorox or Lysol (I forget) toilet gel. Oh, and we have tiny things of Goo-gone and Wine-out ($1 ea from Target). 8 months since we moved in and stocked up on all this, we've only had to replenish the floor cleaner, everything else is half-full, and each of those is <$5. And of course, we have the household staples not exclusive to cleaning: baking soda, bar soap, rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover. I use rags for a lot of things (old sheets and towels, cheap washcloths if I run out), but paper towels for mirrors and toilets. I also wash the rags separate from clothes--threw in our bathroom rug with the batch this weekend. Although frequently, I just keep downcycling them (counters to floors to bike to trash).
Handy tips (I think...):
-In my experience with vacuuming, frequency is more important than thoroughness. And if you have a big, bulky cleaner, you'll be disincentivized to take it out. At our new apt we got a http://www.amazon.com/Electrolux-Ergorapido-Handheld-Cordless-EL1022A/dp/B005DSK72A (http://www.amazon.com/Electrolux-Ergorapido-Handheld-Cordless-EL1022A/dp/B005DSK72A) and it sits in its charging cradle in the living room and it takes literally a minute to grab when you notice a mess. It's also super maneuverable. Wish I knew this when I lived with a dog (roommate's). *side note* this particular model sucks at carpets, but you can probably find something similar that doesn't, if you think this strategy is right for you.
-A waterpik water flosser, if you have one, makes a great scrubbing tool, esp for tight crevices. I get it out to get the scum out of the rim of my sink, stuck food from the corners of my Ninja chopper, tough mold off the tub tiles. Since the device stays 6" from the mess, I have no qualms sticking it back in my mouth, either. It's like a mini power-washer. Just be careful of anything that can break/flake off (e.g. grout). http://www.amazon.com/Waterpik-Waterflosser-Cordless-Rechargeable-WP-360W (http://www.amazon.com/Waterpik-Waterflosser-Cordless-Rechargeable-WP-360W)
-I want to second the idea that you shouldn't try to do everything in one sitting, but focus on 1-2 rooms. I start cheating when I get tired. Better to clean it right the first time...the next day.
-I second the idea of music. :)
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3. Do not get a long haired dog/cat/anything that sheds. I love mine anyway, but the hair this time of year is never-ending. Angora rabbits are OK if you plan to carefully comb every day, and then sell the combings to your local spinners.
This is good advice. Some people don't think about this when picking out a new pet. A lot of dog breeds barely shed.
I have a huge fluffy cat that's more hair than cat. She gets shaved off when she starts shedding in the spring. This helps tremendously with house keeping.
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+1 for unfuck your habitat. I'm admittedly pretty terrible about cleaning myself so I'm taking in a lot of these responses for future use as well.
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water+amonia for windows (any glass) is the best
wipe with squeege or newspapers
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If you feel like you need help with how to clean efficiently and well without taking forever, check out the book Speed Cleaning by Jeff Campbell.
Used copies can be found.
http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Cleaning-Jeff-Campbell/dp/0440503744
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It would make more economical sense to never clean and just replace things when they are so unbearably dirty than to pay $100/mo on cleaning.
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It would make more economical sense to never clean and just replace things when they are so unbearably dirty than to pay $100/mo on cleaning.
This might be the stupidest thing I've ever read. Ever.
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It would make more economical sense to never clean and just replace things when they are so unbearably dirty than to pay $100/mo on cleaning.
This might be the stupidest thing I've ever read. Ever.
i think it was humor. at least... i hope it was.
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The best thing for grungy bathtubs (I've found) is dish soap and one of those plastic scrubbies intended for dishes. It's flexible enough to do corners and good at scraping the oily residue off.
Or the laziest version of that: keep the plastic scrubbie in there all the time and use your feet to do bits every time you shower, while you're soaping or shampooing. Works quite well!
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Anyone have a good mustachian tip for spot cleaning carpets? I'm thinking specifically for cat sick... I forget what brand I use now, but while it's effective, it smells horrible, worse than the puke I'm cleaning.
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It sounds like you might need something like the Fly Lady. http://www.flylady.net/
I'm also a fan of Clean My Space. http://cleanmyspace.com/
+1 for Fly Lady routines. This is the only way I can clean my house and stay sane.
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I'm surprised at the number of people who actually make their beds. I haven't made my bed since I left home and didn't have my mother to nag me about it. What's the purpose of making your bed? You're just going to get back into it that night, and chances are no one is going to see it in the meantime. If you leave it unmade, it has a chance to air out.
???
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I'm surprised at the number of people who actually make their beds. I haven't made my bed since I left home and didn't have my mother to nag me about it. What's the purpose of making your bed? You're just going to get back into it that night, and chances are no one is going to see it in the meantime. If you leave it unmade, it has a chance to air out.
???
I don't do it everyday, but man oh man is it nice to slide into a made bed with crisp, cool sheets. It's a little luxury in life that takes little effort... or at least that's what I tell myself to force myself to make it.
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I'm surprised at the number of people who actually make their beds. I haven't made my bed since I left home and didn't have my mother to nag me about it. What's the purpose of making your bed? You're just going to get back into it that night, and chances are no one is going to see it in the meantime. If you leave it unmade, it has a chance to air out.
???
I don't do it everyday, but man oh man is it nice to slide into a made bed with crisp, cool sheets. It's a little luxury in life that takes little effort... or at least that's what I tell myself to force myself to make it.
IME, when my bed is unmade I'm less likely to hang up clothes at the end of the day and more likely to just toss those pants on the chair. After three days of unmade bed, one pair of pants has become a pile of clothes. That's an eyesore and my clothes are then rumpled and sloppy -- not suitable for wearing. Same goes for other "minor" sloppiness -- leaving that glass of water on the nightstand, not putting shoes in the closet, etc.
When my bed is made every day I'm more likely to be tidy in other ways all of which contributes toward me feeling like I've "got my stuff in one sock" (as my Navy-dad likes to say).
On the subject of washing walls and baseboards.... I find this to be pretty essential a couple of times a year mostly due to kids and dogs being filthy little beasts. [grin] At one point, there were hand prints and shoe prints on the vaulted (two-story) ceiling of a staircase. Really, kids? WTF?
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Buy yourself a pair of big rubber gloves and use rags to clean everything. Don't even buy a toilet brush. They are gross and don't work. Use a rag and your hand and Ajax.
You have just blown my mind that I can toss my toilet brush! I hate having a toilet brush, I think it's vile... but tell me, do I throw the rag out afterwards? Or what?
It's this kind of stuff that is probably common sense to some that is BRAND NEW to me :)
If you have your own washer, I'd rinse it out really well with hot water and toss it with the rest of your wash. But if you're like me and do your laundry as sparingly as possible (yay renting without washer)... my dollar store has 4-packs of those really cheap crappy sponges. At $0.25 each, I don't really feel that guilty tossing those out after. I wash my bathroom sink, then shower/tub, then toilet with it, and into the trash it goes. In college I used those disposable toilet scrubby things,but those were both expensive and not too effective (or maybe I'm just bad at cleaning toilets... is that possible?). Either way, as someone else suggested, pair that with heavy duty rubber gloves and your golden. I prefer to use a Lysol spray for the bathroom.
I segregate all my washing, but it really depends on how nasty the toilet was. If there was anything visible in it, then I would toss the rag. If no visible brown spots, then I would rinse it, wring it, then wash it with other dirty rags. I don't like rags with any cleaning solution to touch anything I wear next to my skin. But I think I'm not the norm there.
Also, I keep two types of sponges. Blue sponges are for kitchen and yellow sponges are for bathrooms. NEVER EVER take a yellow sponge into the Blue Zone. Sponges do get germ-filled fast, so I don't use sponges much anymore. I have a boatload of rags and even designed my pantry to hold a bin of clean rags and dirty rags. Bathroom rags don't come into the kitchen.
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I'm surprised at the number of people who actually make their beds. I haven't made my bed since I left home and didn't have my mother to nag me about it. What's the purpose of making your bed? You're just going to get back into it that night, and chances are no one is going to see it in the meantime. If you leave it unmade, it has a chance to air out.
???
I'm pretty bad about it, but sometimes I get on a bed-making kick because it's nice to not have be wrestling with a twisted up sheet and a comforter that's folded in thirds like Donald Trump's hair when I'm falling into bed at night. And it also prevents the dog from sleeping directly on my pillow while I'm at work.
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UFYH is awesome. I borrowed heavily from the below checklists, added some stuff, and put it in a plastic page protector. It lives on a clipboard in the kitchen with a dry-erase marker. Every day, I work through the Daily list (most important stuff first -- laundry and kitchen), and try to make progress on the Weekly, Monthly, and Seasonal lists until I run out of time.
http://unfuckyourhabitat.tumblr.com/post/59411859800/ufyh-basic-cleaning-checklists-a-number-of (http://unfuckyourhabitat.tumblr.com/post/59411859800/ufyh-basic-cleaning-checklists-a-number-of)
For the 20/10's (work 20 minutes, break for 10), I choose whatever needs it the most and just make some progress. Yesterday, it was the garage. The day before that, it was the bathroom.
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I'm in spring cleaning mode right now and loving the ideas and resources in this thread.
Decluttering is helping me a lot, as well as keeping on top of the daily tasks.
Doing just one or two bigger projects each weekend is also helpful.
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A friend of mine mentioned washing her walls, and I thought to myself, "What? People do that?" So I'm sure there are cleaning tasks that I haven't even thought of doing!
I don't know if someone has mentioned this or not, but they probably have habits that are causing the walls to become dirty. I know several people who wash their entire walls as part of their seasonal cleaning schedule. And they are all heavy smokers. If they don't wash their walls they get a grimy yellow layer on the walls that makes everything look dingy.
I have to wash the edges of the walls in my house because someone who comes over likes to rub his back on the wall edge like it's a big back scratcher. I keep asking him not to do it, but he does it anyway. Go scratch your back on the wall in your own house. One support column at my work gets painted rather often because of several people using it as a back scratcher.
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Dyson DC35 and Rubbermaid Reveal are our big time savers at our home.
The Dyson is a cordless light vacuum thats stored on the wall with on included stand. Every time I cook I make a mess in the kitchen floor, it only takes 30 seconds for this thing to clean every thing up. And it can be completely taken apart and clean each individual part making it easy to keep it clean and working great. The battery life is perfect for a 1700 sqft home with no carpet. What makes it worth the $180(refurb on ebay) is that it is light,quick and has super sucking powers!
The next one is the Rubbermaid Reveal, its a dust mop that has a lever that sprays liquid from the bottle attached to it. You can use your own cleaning solution(vinegar or green works). Again its super quick and efficient and only has a price tag of $25. Takes a hole minute to clean our kitchen floor. No mop buckets, no cords to untangle.
We clean the kitchen floor almost daily and it never requires any additional cleaning. The rest of our home it also hardwoods or laminate flooring and makes for very easy cleaning and only takes minutes.
Home depot has 1 gallon jugs of concentrate of green works for only $8. I prefer this over vinegar because it leaves a pleasant smell that lingers in our home for a couple days. We didnt like the way vinegar smelled after cleaning with it and it left a little bit of residue on the laminate flooring plus it lasts for 5-6 months when diluted correctly.
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A friend of mine mentioned washing her walls, and I thought to myself, "What? People do that?" So I'm sure there are cleaning tasks that I haven't even thought of doing!
I don't know if someone has mentioned this or not, but they probably have habits that are causing the walls to become dirty. I know several people who wash their entire walls as part of their seasonal cleaning schedule. And they are all heavy smokers. If they don't wash their walls they get a grimy yellow layer on the walls that makes everything look dingy.
I have to wash the edges of the walls in my house because someone who comes over likes to rub his back on the wall edge like it's a big back scratcher. I keep asking him not to do it, but he does it anyway. Go scratch your back on the wall in your own house. One support column at my work gets painted rather often because of several people using it as a back scratcher.
My 'habit' is a 1 year old named GuitarJim, and he necessitates either regular wall washing, or bi-annual repainting. Grubby little monster.
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Here's my tip: buy a re-usable spray bottle (available at any hardware store and many supermarkets) and plain distilled vinegar (the uber cheap clear kind). Mix up a solution of 1 cup vinegar and 4 cups water. This is your basic, non-toxic, all-surface cleaner. It's super cheap and it is so safe you can spray it on your salad (of course it's not a great subsitute for a real baslasmic... but just proving a point). You can add a tsp. of lemon juice if you want to improve the smell (i generally don't bother, it dissipates very quickly). Works on kitchen counters, windows, floor-spills, the refrigerator, etc. You simply cannot go wrong spraying this on whatever needs cleaning first (and feel free to use a lot) It's only when this fails that I go to a de-greaser (I use orange oil - more expensive but smells fantastic!) or detergent.
Then, instead of papertowels use a collection of rags. We use old t-shirts and sweats that we tear into paper-towel-sized pieces. After using them toss them into the bottom of your washing machine to be washed with the next load (whatever setting that happens to be... doesn't matter for rags). We probably have 20-30 rags in rotation at any time.
+1 to lizzzi's suggestion that the best technique is to avoid clutter and try to tidy/clean things before they get too bad. Everyone has to develop a routine that works best for them. I'm anal about the kitchen, part of having worked in one and having always been yelled at to keep my station clean, but for the rest o the house we choose one day a week, set a timer for 1 hour, put on some music and then just go town cleaning everything. It usually takes less than the full hour.
This is basically what I do except for the vinegar. I prefer to use a non-toxic cleaner called Sal Suds by Dr. Bronner over vinegar. For rags I prefer microfiber ones - they are usually in the auto section under 'shop rags'.
I hate vacuuming and sweeping so my non-mustashian thing was to buy a Roomba. It's not necessary but I can save so much time cleaning my house now. it used to take me all day and now I can do it in an hour or two. To me it's worth it... my advice is to wait for a sale and go somewhere with coupons though. I waited until mine was $100 off at Bed Bath & Beyond, I used a 20% coupon, and a 10% cashback promo on my discover card.
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Cleaning walls is actually something I like. Does that sound weird? It really bothers me when there's that dingy brown/grey smudgy area on the edges of doors, doorways, railings, and the wall along the stairway. Also grease spatters on kitchen walls. I put a little Murphy's Oil Soap in a bowl of water, grab a rag, and start wiping. It's like a once or twice a year thing, or when I get annoyed at the grunge. I've done it at my in-laws' and at my weaving master's house when it bothered me. BUT it's just spot cleaning. If you don't see grunge or grease spots, it doesn't need washed. If the wall is beige in one area but white on the rest, it needs washed.
Vinegar, Murphy's, and Dr Bronners cover me for most cleaning. For scrubbing the bathroom sink or tub, I use 1 part salt, 1 part baking soda, 1 part borax and a brush. I keep the powder in a jar under bathroom sink, wet down the sink, throw a handful in, and scrub with the brush when it looks grody.
However, I could use some help on cleaning my stove. How do you get cooked on grease and other stuff off? I can get it pretty clean with a ton of papertowels (the stove is the one situation where I use papertowels instead of rags, because old gross already-foul food, not sure that'd actually come clean...or that I have enough rags) and Fantastik (husband insists Fantastik makes it easy to clean, but I say there is still no easy) but not all the way clean. There's still cooked on stuff around the burners. I wanted to use the same powder I use on the bathroom sink, but husband thinks it'd be too abrasive. Gas stove, usual (porcelain? enamel? something) top.
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Cleaning walls is actually something I like. Does that sound weird? It really bothers me when there's that dingy brown/grey smudgy area on the edges of doors, doorways, railings, and the wall along the stairway. Also grease spatters on kitchen walls. I put a little Murphy's Oil Soap in a bowl of water, grab a rag, and start wiping. It's like a once or twice a year thing, or when I get annoyed at the grunge. I've done it at my in-laws' and at my weaving master's house when it bothered me. BUT it's just spot cleaning. If you don't see grunge or grease spots, it doesn't need washed. If the wall is beige in one area but white on the rest, it needs washed.
Vinegar, Murphy's, and Dr Bronners cover me for most cleaning. For scrubbing the bathroom sink or tub, I use 1 part salt, 1 part baking soda, 1 part borax and a brush. I keep the powder in a jar under bathroom sink, wet down the sink, throw a handful in, and scrub with the brush when it looks grody.
However, I could use some help on cleaning my stove. How do you get cooked on grease and other stuff off? I can get it pretty clean with a ton of papertowels (the stove is the one situation where I use papertowels instead of rags, because old gross already-foul food, not sure that'd actually come clean...or that I have enough rags) and Fantastik (husband insists Fantastik makes it easy to clean, but I say there is still no easy) but not all the way clean. There's still cooked on stuff around the burners. I wanted to use the same powder I use on the bathroom sink, but husband thinks it'd be too abrasive. Gas stove, usual (porcelain? enamel? something) top.
You say around the burners...do you have drip pans? Can you remove and soak them? If you don't (one of my apts didn't), can you get some in the appropriate size, or else I know some people put down Al foil to catch the mess. Not pretty, but does the job, I guess.
Do you leave the fantastik for a few minutes to soak? It can make a huge difference in how easy it is. If none of the above works and it's well and truly baked on, I've found Magic Erasers to be the best non-damaging abrasive for that. I also wonder if oven cleaner would be ok on the stovetop surface as a last resort...I've never tried or felt the need to...obviously that stuff is super toxic so gloves and proper rinsing would be a MUST. If it still doesn't come off...are you sure it's baked on, and not a scratch/rust spot?
Maybe someone else has more/better suggestions. :)
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A friend of mine mentioned washing her walls, and I thought to myself, "What? People do that?" So I'm sure there are cleaning tasks that I haven't even thought of doing!
I don't know if someone has mentioned this or not, but they probably have habits that are causing the walls to become dirty. I know several people who wash their entire walls as part of their seasonal cleaning schedule. And they are all heavy smokers. If they don't wash their walls they get a grimy yellow layer on the walls that makes everything look dingy.
I have to wash the edges of the walls in my house because someone who comes over likes to rub his back on the wall edge like it's a big back scratcher. I keep asking him not to do it, but he does it anyway. Go scratch your back on the wall in your own house. One support column at my work gets painted rather often because of several people using it as a back scratcher.
My 'habit' is a 1 year old named GuitarJim, and he necessitates either regular wall washing, or bi-annual repainting. Grubby little monster.
Children and pets dirty the walls pretty quickly too. I don't have any kids. But my dog wrecks the lower portion of the walls on the room he's allowed into.
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However, I could use some help on cleaning my stove. How do you get cooked on grease and other stuff off? I can get it pretty clean with a ton of papertowels (the stove is the one situation where I use papertowels instead of rags, because old gross already-foul food, not sure that'd actually come clean...or that I have enough rags) and Fantastik (husband insists Fantastik makes it easy to clean, but I say there is still no easy) but not all the way clean. There's still cooked on stuff around the burners. I wanted to use the same powder I use on the bathroom sink, but husband thinks it'd be too abrasive. Gas stove, usual (porcelain? enamel? something) top.
Make a paste of sodium carbonate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_carbonate), known as washing soda and also sold cheaply as pool pH adjuster, and a squirt of dr. bronners, or the soap of your choice. Use a gloved hand to smear that paste onto the grime. Let it sit for 30 minutes or so. Wipe away all the grease and cleaning paste, then do a quick spritz with plain distilled vinegar to wipe the cleaner completely off.
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Anyone have a good mustachian tip for spot cleaning carpets? I'm thinking specifically for cat sick... I forget what brand I use now, but while it's effective, it smells horrible, worse than the puke I'm cleaning.
I use something called Folex. It comes in a white spray bottle. You spray, let it sit a minute, then blot. It doesn't have much of an odor.
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However, I could use some help on cleaning my stove. How do you get cooked on grease and other stuff off? I can get it pretty clean with a ton of papertowels (the stove is the one situation where I use papertowels instead of rags, because old gross already-foul food, not sure that'd actually come clean...or that I have enough rags) and Fantastik (husband insists Fantastik makes it easy to clean, but I say there is still no easy) but not all the way clean. There's still cooked on stuff around the burners. I wanted to use the same powder I use on the bathroom sink, but husband thinks it'd be too abrasive. Gas stove, usual (porcelain? enamel? something) top.
Spray on rubbing alcohol and wipe. It's miraculous what that stuff does to cooked-on grease.
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However, I could use some help on cleaning my stove. How do you get cooked on grease and other stuff off? I can get it pretty clean with a ton of papertowels (the stove is the one situation where I use papertowels instead of rags, because old gross already-foul food, not sure that'd actually come clean...or that I have enough rags) and Fantastik (husband insists Fantastik makes it easy to clean, but I say there is still no easy) but not all the way clean. There's still cooked on stuff around the burners. I wanted to use the same powder I use on the bathroom sink, but husband thinks it'd be too abrasive. Gas stove, usual (porcelain? enamel? something) top.
Make a paste of sodium carbonate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_carbonate), known as washing soda and also sold cheaply as pool pH adjuster, and a squirt of dr. bronners, or the soap of your choice. Use a gloved hand to smear that paste onto the grime. Let it sit for 30 minutes or so. Wipe away all the grease and cleaning paste, then do a quick spritz with plain distilled vinegar to wipe the cleaner completely off.
So I tried this back when you suggested it. Except apparently I failed at reading because I used baking soda instead of washing soda. Baking soda + Dr Bronners made a sticky paste that stuck in the grooves of the burner, making me need to use a lighter to light it and the flames come out all wrong. So, uh... do not mix those two up. Even after getting the visible paste out, I still need to use the lighter. Whoops.
I did have more luck with Fantastik last time I cleaned the stove than previous, possibly because it was only a month or so after housemate cleaned, rather than 6 months between cleanings.
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Anyone here hired a house cleaning (http://urbanhousekeeping.com/)?
The wife and I are always arguing about cleaning, you probably have the same argument. Apparently I don't do enough and her standards are too high... the bathroom does not need cleaning twice a flipping week ffs, life's for living not scrubbing cupboards. So I suggested we hire a cleaner to come round and sort the place out, maybe do some ironong too.
Is it all a bit too middle class? it is a bit cringey in that you could do it yourself but are choosing not to purely because you cba and where do you put yourself when they do it? how much does it cost roughly?
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Bathrooms would be about 1 hour on a weekend. I do them on a weekend because I always feel gross when I'm done, so I want to do it first thing in the morning. If your bathroom needs to be cleaned more than once a month, shoot whoever can't use it without making a mess.
Cats!
If I find myself doing something like vacuuming more than once a month, it's time to find whoever can't wipe their feet at the door/take off shoes and shoot them.
Cats again!
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We suck at cleaning our bathroom. Like the OP, I was never taught how to clean so I've kind of worked it along the way.
I have no idea how to clean the tiles in the shower without also potentially making the cats sick. We have a cat with renal failure whose main water intake is from the shower (yeah, cats, strange beasties). I also don't want to scrub too hard because the grout is starting to fail. The whole bathroom needs to be gutted and redone at some point in the next couple of years* so I don't want to do anything to replace the grout.
I have used vinegar and scrubbed with a toothbrush but it doesn't help much. Ditto bicarb paste. Happy to hear any ideas that don't involve things like bleach or cleaners that smell too strongly. I'd rather have a gross shower than a renal failure cat stop drinking.
* bonded asbestos wall is starting to come away from the frame (not by much - a few mm so far) and tiles which don't exist in that size and shape anymore are starting to come away from the bonded asbestos. Replacing the 40-year-old bathroom is a definite need in the future, just to forestall any face punches.
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For the bathroom grout coming out, I just caulked up the holes in ours. Its a temporary fix, but regrouting little spots is temporary, too, and caulk is super easy and fast.
I clean the shower by spraying vinegar weekly, and bleach maybe monthly, and lightly scrubbing, then rinsing. I figure if we have to pull out the caulk (it seems to get a bit mildewy no matter how often or with what I clean) every year or two thats fine.
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I tend to do basic tidy/cleaning during the week [probably amounts to 40 minutes a day], then have deeper cleans at the weekend [about 3-4 hours], but that is with the caveat that you have decluttered.
Daily:
Make my bed when I get up
Always file the mail and put away clothes - either in the laundry or back in the wardrobe
Wash, dry and put away dishes
Wipe down the kitchen worktops, hob and sink, using an eco spray and a rag [I have multiple rags, so I throw them in the laundry once used]
Weekly:
Change bedding
do laundry - I usually do it first thing on a Saturday and line dry as I don't have a dryer.
Wipe down all surfaces, baseboards, doors
wash the bathroom sink and bath and toilet. I use a disposable toilet brush thing that works really well - you just attach the head, clean the toilet then flush it. I wipe down all pedestals, radiator and mirror
sweep hardwood floors and hoover carpets and rugs
take out my rubbish and recycling
Monthly:
Steam mop hardwood floors
Clean out the fridge and oven
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Anyone here hired a house cleaning (http://urbanhousekeeping.com/)?
The wife and I are always arguing about cleaning, you probably have the same argument. Apparently I don't do enough and her standards are too high... the bathroom does not need cleaning twice a flipping week ffs, life's for living not scrubbing cupboards. So I suggested we hire a cleaner to come round and sort the place out, maybe do some ironong too.
Is it all a bit too middle class? it is a bit cringey in that you could do it yourself but are choosing not to purely because you cba and where do you put yourself when they do it? how much does it cost roughly?
My friend calls it "divorce insurance". Paying a house cleaner is cheaper than paying for a divorce! Lol
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Re showers - I got a wiper thing at Dollarama and I wipe the whole shower stall down at the end of each shower. The walls stay clean much much longer.
I keep a roll of paper towel under the bathroom sink; when the sink looks icky (with bits of toothpaste) I just wipe the whole thing with a 1/2 piece of paper towel - the bits of toothpaste act as cleanser, and the towel gets everything and then into the garbage. Of course I do a more conventional cleaning too, but this is a quick thing as needed.
Microfiber cloths are wonderful!
Remember my April post about the dog shedding? Well, not much all summer, but now the summer coat is coming out. Anyone want fake puppies? I do have to keep her well groomed since she is a Therapy dog, can't have elderly people catching their hands in a tangle when they are petting her. But still . . . . And yes she is my reason to wipe down walls, the dirt comes off her onto the walls - and it is easier to wash them than her, so I suppose it is a win, sort of.
Hmmm, maybe a senior's residence for active seniors should be in the plans sooner rather than later - then someone else can do all this ;-)
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I was in the same boat when I got my first house. I literally never learned how to do deep cleaning. So, I went to the expert! I hired a professional house cleaner to come in an give me a 2 hr lesson- it was awesome! Best $60 I ever spent. She not only showed me how to do things properly but gave me a lot of really good tips like using a little olive oil on your brushed nickel to make it shine.
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using a little olive oil on your brushed nickel to make it shine.
Never used olive oil but I do use Mineral Oil(baby oil) on all my stainless and butcher block island.
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+1 to the microfiber cloth tip which just changed my life- we have a full wall of windows at work, and it took about half the time as windex+paper towels would to clean them today. I'm amazed at how well it gets rid of the fingerprints.
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If you feel like you need help with how to clean efficiently and well without taking forever, check out the book Speed Cleaning by Jeff Campbell.
Used copies can be found.
http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Cleaning-Jeff-Campbell/dp/0440503744
+1 for Speed Cleaning! I hate cleaning and am lousy at it by nature, and this book really helped me. I especially like its its approach to cleaning bathrooms. Short book and very user friendly. Highly recommend.
A note about products: Jeff Campbell also hawks a bunch of cleaning products. I bought some of them in my spendier days, and I think they're good products, but nowadays I use vinegar and baking soda for almost everything.
Great thread.
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Following! DH and I are both neat freaks, so we tend to do well keeping our place clean...
Until we moved into a 100yr old house. There is no "clean" here, just "cleanER". So much crown moulding and tall ceilings and several tiers of baseboards... sigh.
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To the OP - Cleaning may seem like its supposed to be simple, but before I was in the army, I didn't really know how to clean. Until you have a scary seargent coming in checking all the knooks and crannies, its hard to really bring it all home what it truly means to have a clean space... also, if you have a dust mite allergy like I do, you might not realize how much dust can collect in a person's home. So don't beat yourself up for not knowing HOW to clean, its not easy.
One option for you, is not paying someone to clean every month, but maybe just pay one time, and have them come while you're home. Watch what they do, and get an idea of what they do and how they do it, and how quickly they do it. Also, before you hire someone, get a reference, because some cleaning agencies don't clean behind furniture and just do a quickie job - unless that's what you want. You can have someone clean once a year, twice a year, something like that.
I considered having someone come and clean, but I have a hard time paying people $25 an hour to do something like cleaning. My husband also pointed out to me that its ok to have a dirty house - we have a child here, and growing up in a too-clean environment can hinder a strong immune system from developing. One thing I refuse to have people do is take their shoes off in my house - that's a quick way to getting a house that smells like feet, plus human feet are nasty. I don't sit on the floor, eat off the floor or walk around barefoot, so that's something to consider. Keeping a floor clean when you have a husband with mechanic/metalworking hobbies, an 8 year old, 2 cats and 4 dogs, well, making a clean floor a standard would end up killing me.
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TIL there are people who are 27 years old who don't know how to clean...
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I do my weekly clean every Saturday morning - after pancakes, before the library - but I only have so much tolerance for cleaning.
I've split the bigger 'monthly' cleaning type things up into groups, and then I put them in my calendar for Saturday mornings. Oh, this week I deep clean the kitchen. I guess I better do it. Time to deep clean the bathroom. Damn you calendar, okay...etc.
My calendar my control my life though.
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TIL there are people who are 27 years old who don't know how to clean...
This really felt judgmental and didn't contribute to the conversation. This forum is a place of self-growth- if you shame people attempting to grow, they will shut down. Just a thought.
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TIL there are people who are 27 years old who don't know how to clean...
This really felt judgmental and didn't contribute to the conversation. This forum is a place of self-growth- if you shame people attempting to grow, they will shut down. Just a thought.
Just two cents here, I am kinda sensitive and I didn't view this as shaming - or anything negative, since the OP seemed a little disappointed in herself for now really knowing how to clean, seems she could use a little boost in that area, as not everyone knows this type of thing.
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Cultural differences are interesting. Here we wear winter boots for a good part of the year, and it is assumed that you will not wear your boots in the house - yours or anyone else's. So when we go out we make sure our socks are presentable, and take slippers or slip-on house shoes with us. Same at home, out of boots and in to house shoes or slippers. In non-winter, most people in a house just keep doing this. If they live in an apartment, and the shoes are clean by the time they reach their apartment door, they may not bother. But we are not talking barefoot (except in summer I may just wear flip-flops in the house, but then that is what I wear a lot outside as well - yes I have indoor and outdoor flip-flops).
I do this, and my floors are definitely not super clean, especially when you consider the dog hair. But even with this, and mats at all doors, I still have grit coming in.
Don Aslett recommends this in his cleaning books, by the way. And his books are a good way to learn how to set up your home to minimise the cleaning.
One thing I refuse to have people do is take their shoes off in my house - that's a quick way to getting a house that smells like feet, plus human feet are nasty. I don't sit on the floor, eat off the floor or walk around barefoot, so that's something to consider. Keeping a floor clean when you have a husband with mechanic/metalworking hobbies, an 8 year old, 2 cats and 4 dogs, well, making a clean floor a standard would end up killing me.
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thanks for the reminder about unfuck your habitat!!! I've done 2 20/10s since reading this post!
Much like MMM, I like a little vulgarity with my motivation :)
And DeltaBond, I so feel you on the Mr. with metalworking/mechanic hobbies. My boyfriend does it for work and hobbies. I always laugh to myself when the men on here say they have had the same jeans for 10 years. He comes home with blue jeans so greasy they look black. He's a welder so all of his shirts look like swiss cheese. And our bathtub gets so obviously dirty within a few days that even a lazy cleaner like myself can't stand it and I have to clean it at least once a week. And it's a grimy mess after just one week. He comes with the perk of free mechanic labor though, so it's kind of a wash (pun intended)
;)
Break almost over!
To the OP - Cleaning may seem like its supposed to be simple, but before I was in the army, I didn't really know how to clean. Until you have a scary seargent coming in checking all the knooks and crannies, its hard to really bring it all home what it truly means to have a clean space... also, if you have a dust mite allergy like I do, you might not realize how much dust can collect in a person's home. So don't beat yourself up for not knowing HOW to clean, its not easy.
One option for you, is not paying someone to clean every month, but maybe just pay one time, and have them come while you're home. Watch what they do, and get an idea of what they do and how they do it, and how quickly they do it. Also, before you hire someone, get a reference, because some cleaning agencies don't clean behind furniture and just do a quickie job - unless that's what you want. You can have someone clean once a year, twice a year, something like that.
I considered having someone come and clean, but I have a hard time paying people $25 an hour to do something like cleaning. My husband also pointed out to me that its ok to have a dirty house - we have a child here, and growing up in a too-clean environment can hinder a strong immune system from developing. One thing I refuse to have people do is take their shoes off in my house - that's a quick way to getting a house that smells like feet, plus human feet are nasty. I don't sit on the floor, eat off the floor or walk around barefoot, so that's something to consider. Keeping a floor clean when you have a husband with mechanic/metalworking hobbies, an 8 year old, 2 cats and 4 dogs, well, making a clean floor a standard would end up killing me.
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Just to say OP, thank you for having the bravery to ask this question. I've never been able to pluck up the courage.
Can I ask though, what do people mean by "making the bed"? Is it just straightening/tidying, or stripping the bedclothes and putting on fresh?
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Somewhere in my travels I obtained a piece of microfleece and found it is really great for cleaning the bathroom. Recently, when I had a fleece jacket that had become unwearable, I cut it into pieces which I am now using as microfleece cleaning cloths. They are working great! I think they would be good for dustings, but I am using them in wet cleaning.
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Just to say OP, thank you for having the bravery to ask this question. I've never been able to pluck up the courage.
Can I ask though, what do people mean by "making the bed"? Is it just straightening/tidying, or stripping the bedclothes and putting on fresh?
Straightening out, righting pillows, laying smooth. Looks like you just made it fresh, but without washing the sheets.
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Fourthed, the endorsement of Cheryl Mendelsohn's Home Comforts.
Re wall-wiping: I had occasion to do this just the other day. Our boarder seems to be spraying tea bag juice against tge wall whenever she flings a tea bag into the bin. Oh, well. I used sugar soap on the whole wall, plus the drips on the skirting board. It looks much better now. You will be surprised at how.many wall spots there are when you look up close.
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Any tips on cleaning wood floors? I have manufactured wood floors that are shiny (have some sort of coating) if like to preserve the shiny so I heard that I shouldn't use vinegar and water on them. I usually just sweep and dust mop but I'd like to thoroughly clean them once in a while.
Also do you apply anything to your granite counter tops to preserve them (I.e oil or coating)
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Fourthed, the endorsement of Cheryl Mendelsohn's Home Comforts.
Re wall-wiping: I had occasion to do this just the other day. Our boarder seems to be spraying tea bag juice against tge wall whenever she flings a tea bag into the bin. Oh, well. I used sugar soap on the whole wall, plus the drips on the skirting board. It looks much better now. You will be surprised at how.many wall spots there are when you look up close.
Re: wall wiping. I didn't understand this until my first old house I lived in. The Western part of Oregon gets very damp in the fall and winter (95% humidity today! Woo!), and we are very prone to mold. Even with running a dehumidifier and having the heat cycle, there is still a LOT of water that condenses on the walls and windows. And well... gross warning, but we get a lot of mold, so in old houses here (mine is almost 100 yrs old!) if you don't wipe down the walls you get this pink tinge to everything... or grey... depending on the type of mold! And there are visible streaks.
And then everywhere I've lived, the walls in the kitchen end up so gross, they need a wipedown about once per month. And then near where the dogs lay and have their food bowls, the walls are gross. So I don't scrub the whole house all the time or anything, but there are definitely situations where wall washing is needed!
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Any tips on cleaning wood floors? I have manufactured wood floors that are shiny (have some sort of coating) if like to preserve the shiny so I heard that I shouldn't use vinegar and water on them. I usually just sweep and dust mop but I'd like to thoroughly clean them once in a while.
Also do you apply anything to your granite counter tops to preserve them (I.e oil or coating)
You're supposed to seal stone counter tops annually, but I don't know of any DIY option. There's stuff specifically for it. You spray it on heavily before bed then wipe it down in the morning.