Author Topic: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?  (Read 39723 times)

galliver

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #50 on: April 27, 2015, 10:14:31 PM »
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.

nereo

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #51 on: April 28, 2015, 06:45:48 AM »
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.

MLKnits

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #52 on: April 28, 2015, 06:52:52 AM »
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!

Lis

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #53 on: April 28, 2015, 07:39:09 AM »
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.

asauer

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #54 on: April 28, 2015, 07:55:15 AM »
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.

Gyosho

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #55 on: April 28, 2015, 08:45:16 AM »
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.

???

midweststache

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #56 on: April 28, 2015, 08:49:18 AM »
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.

TrulyStashin

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #57 on: April 28, 2015, 09:17:26 AM »
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?

BlueHouse

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #58 on: April 28, 2015, 03:23:29 PM »
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.

horsepoor

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #59 on: April 28, 2015, 08:37:10 PM »
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.

tmac

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #60 on: April 29, 2015, 08:38:49 AM »
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

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.

Cookie78

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #61 on: April 29, 2015, 09:05:29 AM »
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.

FatCat

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #62 on: April 29, 2015, 02:28:48 PM »
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.

Kaplin261

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #63 on: April 29, 2015, 05:38:03 PM »
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.

GuitarStv

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #64 on: April 30, 2015, 09:15:15 AM »
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.

MissPeach

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #65 on: April 30, 2015, 11:07:24 AM »
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.

maco

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #66 on: April 30, 2015, 11:53:22 AM »
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.
« Last Edit: April 30, 2015, 12:01:38 PM by maco »

galliver

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #67 on: April 30, 2015, 12:28:37 PM »
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. :)

FatCat

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #68 on: April 30, 2015, 01:03:27 PM »
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.

Erica/NWEdible

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #69 on: April 30, 2015, 01:10:05 PM »
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.

NCGal

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #70 on: April 30, 2015, 01:11:12 PM »
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.

Rural

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #71 on: April 30, 2015, 01:25:55 PM »

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.

maco

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #72 on: September 30, 2015, 09:07:50 AM »
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.

Vivienne

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #73 on: November 02, 2015, 09:32:54 PM »
Anyone here hired a house cleaning?

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?

LeRainDrop

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #74 on: November 02, 2015, 09:40:31 PM »
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!

Quote
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!

Astatine

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #75 on: November 03, 2015, 03:26:48 AM »
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.

MayDay

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #76 on: November 03, 2015, 06:32:18 AM »
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.

Nickyd£g

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #77 on: November 03, 2015, 06:53:49 AM »
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

lifejoy

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #78 on: November 10, 2015, 07:52:16 AM »
Anyone here hired a house cleaning?

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

RetiredAt63

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #79 on: November 10, 2015, 08:10:26 AM »
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  ;-)

asauer

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #80 on: November 10, 2015, 09:05:31 AM »
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. 

Kaplin261

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #81 on: November 10, 2015, 01:00:25 PM »
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.

kaleidoscopicalkris

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #82 on: November 10, 2015, 03:34:42 PM »
+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.

Carolina on My Mind

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #83 on: November 10, 2015, 04:27:12 PM »
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.


Bracken_Joy

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #84 on: November 11, 2015, 09:27:22 AM »
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.

DeltaBond

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #85 on: November 15, 2015, 06:40:45 AM »
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.

TheDudeReturns

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #86 on: November 15, 2015, 06:50:21 AM »
TIL there are people who are 27 years old who don't know how to clean...


Eric222

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #87 on: November 15, 2015, 07:09:02 AM »
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.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #88 on: November 15, 2015, 07:40:24 AM »
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.

DeltaBond

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #89 on: November 15, 2015, 08:28:42 AM »
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.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #90 on: November 15, 2015, 09:16:50 AM »
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.

cavewoman

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #91 on: November 15, 2015, 11:04:46 AM »
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.

Tessiebee

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #92 on: November 15, 2015, 03:04:38 PM »
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?

Beardog

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #93 on: November 15, 2015, 04:32:44 PM »
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.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #94 on: November 15, 2015, 10:16:52 PM »
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.

Boganvillia

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #95 on: November 15, 2015, 10:40:45 PM »
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.

SachaFiscal

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #96 on: November 16, 2015, 07:57:43 AM »
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)

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #97 on: November 16, 2015, 09:46:49 AM »
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!

maco

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Re: Avoiding cleaning service: How to clean my house?
« Reply #98 on: November 30, 2015, 02:36:44 PM »
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.