There’s this rumor about me flying around in my man’s mind, and I don’t know who started it. But I’m gonna give away this secret right here and right now: He seems to think I’m a domestic goddess.
His standards are low and I don’t have the heart or guts to dispel this rumor. It works in my favor, you see.
But, can I just be honest? I’m really a domestic disaster.
Anyway, I wanna get better. So I need some help from you. How often am I supposed to:
- Vacuum?
- Dust?
- Clean the inside of the oven? (I wouldn’t know how to do this if my life depended on it.) (No, I’m not kidding.
- Organize the closet?
- Go on a dust-bunny hunt under my bed, couch, behind the TV, etc?
- Clean the shower?
- Mop the stuff that should be mopped?
- Clean out the refrigerator?
My husband’s future domestic bliss depends on your answers… Somebody save him.
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hahaha… if you ask my grandma she’ll tell you to vacuum everyday and dust once a week.
i clean the shower when mold starts to grow.
vacuum when we’re having company.
organize the closet when i can no longer function in the madness.
cleaned the oven maybe once in my life (only bc i’m a few years older than you)
my theory is make sure i can function and stay mentally healthy in the chaos of the life of our home and when i have time to do the extra… do it!
obviously a vague and unassuming comment!
I feel so… normal. Thank you!
One of the things that inspires me to take painting gigs for money is that it allows me to hire someone to clean my house for me without feeling guilty about the fact that I am a total failure as a domestic goddess.
Then, I get all stressed out the night before she comes because I’m picking up all the junk around the house and threatening to sell every toy I find on the floor on ebay.
haha. this post made me laugh. it’s way too much like my own thoughts on this.
in fact, i’m so bad, my hubby found a printout from http://www.realsimple.com JUST so i’d know these things…. (i’m not kidding, either. he was really proud of himself for doing it, too….)
k, so this is what i think works okay for me!
vacuum: i personally vacuum our main rug once a day, but that’s mainly because i have a dog and a cat and sinuses that hate my guts. but i think you could get away with doing it about three times a week, unless you’re brave. carpets are really quite yucky if you think of all the dust and junk they hold onto nice and tight.
dust: once a week. but i just do the main things….and probably it takes me like all of ten minutes. the other stuff in low-traffic areas, i prolly do like once or twice a month? well…i try to, anyway…
oven: oh, this one’s easier than i once thought!!! apparently it’s only supposed to be done every 8-12 months, depending on how cakey it gets. confession: i only JUST now used the auto-clean feature on my oven…after three years of living here. shameful, yes. but i’m tellin ya…i had no clue. if you have the auto-clean feature, all you have to do is wipe out the big spills with hot water (and maybe a tiny bit of mild detergent), and then take the racks out and start the auto-clean. otherwise, you have to scrub all the stuff out with elbow grease.
closet: ya got me! maybe once every year? twice a year? when your closet is no longer functional due to overcrowding?
dust bunny hunting: i would personally say at least once a month. but that’s the hypocrite in me talking, cuz i rarely do it. i get really grossed out at myself, too.
shower: once a week with the rest of the bathroom. it helps lessen the need of the aforementioned elbow grease if you rinse it out after each shower. like…thirty seconds worth of wiping it down. but that’s totally a point of preference.
mop: once a week, i guess? unless it’s not a high-traffic area. and if it’s a really small space, it can go wayyyyyy faster than one would think.
fridge: i think it says like every three months?
wow…that was long-winded.
you have been most helpful
I don’t even know what you are talking about.
Love this post! Story of my life! When I got out the vacuum yesterday, my 5 yr. old daughter said, “Are we having guests?” Um, no, honey. Sometimes we’re supposed to vacuum “just because.” Oops!
Um. What?
Here’s what we do daily:
- dishwasher
- garbage
- dog duty
Here’s what we do weekly (Sat) as needed (we don’t do all these things every Sat – just depends on what needs to be done, but this is reminder):
1. pick up bed/bathroom
2. laundry
3. change sheets
4. bathroom/kitchen (mirrors/sinks/counters/tubs/showers/toilets/appliances)
5. dust/wipe (knick knacks, walls, trim, doors, knobs, switches, fixtures, fans)
6. vacuum/sweep/mop (floors, garage, deck, patios, walks, driveway)
7. cars inside & out (dust, vacuum, windows, outside)
8. flower bed (weeding & care)
9. lawn
10. daily finances, scrapbooks, other finances (med/taxes/files)
11. grocery
Vacuum? I do this once a week
Dust? Also once a week
Clean the inside of the oven? If you have a self-cleaning oven this is a matter of setting it to do it and then after it is done simply wiping out the black dust that it leaves. I would do this twice a year, or if a lot of gunk builds up
Organize the closet? I only organize the closet when I want to kill someone when I need to get something out of it. Then I know there is a serious issue.
Go on a dust-bunny hunt under my bed, couch, behind the TV, etc? I don’t do this. I should but I don’t.
Clean the shower? I do this once a month.
Mop the stuff that should be mopped? Once a week, but it probably should be done twice a week or more depending on the area.
Clean out the refrigerator? I usually don’t do this until we move, but since we just bought a house I really need to come up with a system. To avoid any science experiments it probably would be good to do it once a month.
I also scrub the toilets and clean off the bathroom counter and sink once a week.
Do what you can, when you can. Definately don’t stress about it.
Keep talking!!!
Y’all are making me feel more and more normal!
ok so this may show my totally compulsive personality but here is what I do…
1. Vacuum? every other day
2. Dust? once a week
3. Clean the inside of the oven? 2-3 a year
4. Organize the closet? about every couple moths for my closet…I hate clutter…Jon’s closet – about once a year! IT’s just too much!
5. Go on a dust-bunny hunt under my bed, couch, behind the TV, etc? Every three months
6. Clean the shower? weekly
7. Mop the stuff that should be mopped? 1-2 times a week
8. Clean out the refrigerator? Everytime I buy groceries, I wipe out and clean out the fridge..so about every two weeks.
I vacuum every day. Kids spill so much junk. I suck up lots of cheerios & Polly Pocket shoes.
I dust every week. I don’t keep a lot of knick knacks, so it’s easy & quick.
I clean the oven once a year or right after a big spill.
Our closets don’t get disorganized. My drawers do though. I organize them every few months.
Dust bunny hunt? Every few months. I don’t keep stuff under my bed, so it’s pretty easy to stick the wand under there & suck up any bunnies.
I take the towel off my hair & wipe down the counter, sink, shower & toilet every other day. I swish the bowl of the toilet every other day. I keep a bucket of cleaner w/ the brush in it next to the pot. It’s easy to swish & swipe!
I mop the entire floor every week, but spot mop every day.
I clean out the fridge when I buy groceries. I only wipe it down once a month or so.
A good way to keep up on housework is follow flylady.net. She breaks it down into 15 minute sections. Much easier for us busy gals. I can barely get 15 minutes without someone fighting or needing me to wipe their fannies.
I’ll also admit that I do all my windows once a week. I like the way the light shines in clean windows. Very refreshing.
Vacuum?-when it looks like it needs it..
Dust? same as vacuum
Clean the inside of the oven? I try not to have to do this! hahaha not sure I know how either
Organize the closet? whenever I have tried to do this, i end up throwing most of it away, because it will just end up somewhere else!
Go on a dust-bunny hunt under my bed, couch, behind the TV, etc?-I do this occasionally not every time I clean, but I have drawers under my bed soo no dust bunnies there..
Clean the shower?-once a week.
Mop the stuff that should be mopped?once a week or when it looks like it needs it
Clean out the refrigerator? once a week, and I always do it the night before the trash man comes. haha
I know I am not much help, and my hubs thinks I am a domestic goddess..all I can say to that is “Isn’t love grand?”
I vacuum when I have had some reason to sit on the floor and realize I have stuff sticking to my pants.
In our old apartment, I cleaned the oven probably once a year with the auto-clean thing (because that’s how often I thought about it). No auto-clean now … no clean oven. Sorry, just don’t look at it the next time you come over.
I actually like organizing, so I would do that all the time if I could justify buying cool stuff to do it.
Cleaning the bathroom is the bane of my existence. If I could pay someone just to clean my bathroom for me, I would totally do it. I just hate it, so I do it as rarely as I can get away with.
Honestly, I think you can get away with not cleaning pretty much everything, but dusting is the one thing that I notice. When people come over, I will dust (not even vacuum) and I think it looks the same as when I’ve cleaned everything. As long as I’ve picked up everything and dusted, I can live in denial about everything else. Thankfully, Parker usually doesn’t notice this stuff either.
to prove my point about dusting … that’s all i did before you guys came over last week. oops – secret’s out! please tell me you didn’t notice or i’ll feel like a total failure.
PUHLEEEEZE! It was SO clean!
back in the day when I was normal:
vacuum/dust/floors/kitchen/bathroom/sheets: once a week
closets: 4 times a year (once every season)
oven: never used it so never cleaned it
now: cleaning lady every other tuesday. this way is much simpler… except that my cleaning lady has had a cold and germs aren’t allowed in my house… so MY HOUSE IS FILTHY AND IS DRIVING ME INSANE.
Whew. Thanks for letting me get that out. And would someone please come over and vacuum?!?!?!
You? Normal? I know you better than that.
yeah… I should have been clearer. back in the day when my BODY was normal.
Good catch.
whenever ryanne tells me too.
ps – reset your time in wordpress. it doesn’t automatically adjust for DST
TADA!
Okay, my honest answer is to only do these things when someone else will notice you didn’t. Because really, cleaning sucks. But just in case you want more responsible, mature, whatever answers….
Vacuum – once a week is puh-lenty if you don’t have animals. Maybe even less often, honestly.
Dust – probably once a week or so (how does dust grow so fast anyway?), but for me, it’s about every 3 months.
Clean the inside of the oven? Only if something explodes.
Organize the closet – couple times a year
Go on a dust-bunny hunt under my bed, couch, behind the TV, etc? Um, I don’t know. I guess maybe once a month? I personally just avert my eyes and pretend like I didn’t see them…
Clean the shower – probably every couple of weeks. We have to do a basic wipedown every couple of days now b/c of a certain toddler bathing in there!
Mop the stuff that should be mopped – depends on how messy you are, but probably every week or so. Me? Only when I can’t stand looking at it anymore.
Clean out the refrigerator – once a month. I feel so much better buying groceries in bulk if I’m putting them into a fairly empty and organized fridge.
oh my gosh, I have to vacuum twice a day! But, 5 kids, lotsa mess!
I dust when I can draw in it.
Clean the oven when something spills.
Organize the closet if it won’t close anymore, of if we have to do seasonal change overs.
Dust bunnies…when I start sneezing.
Clean the shower, that’s hubby’s job, I wonder if it ever gets done?!
No mopping, entire house is carpet.
Fridge, wipe up any spills, and I clean it out when I shop. I save the “cleaning” for a “YOU are in SO MUCH trouble!” for one of my kids;)
i mop when i have to.
i clean the fridge when ive brought home groceries.
i dust when i can see dust on the furniture.
i vacuum every other day.
i clean toilets once a week.
kota cleans the kids bathroom shower once a week.
kass cleans their sinks, counters, mirror and empties bathroom trash once a week.
oven – when i spill sumpin.
the only closet that ever needs attention is kotas. and i make HIM do it!
Vacuum? when the floor is clear of toys and junk, which is seldom.
Dust? what does dust mean??
Clean the inside of the oven? you’re supposed to clean the inside of the oven?!
Organize the closet? I have never heard of such a thing.
Go on a dust-bunny hunt? what exactly are dust bunnies??
Clean the shower? ours…..hardly ever. I let Jake take care of that puppy. the boys…..when a ring develops around the tub. (yes, an actual answer!)
Mop the stuff that should be mopped? I hate mopping. that’s why I bought a dog.
Clean out the refrigerator? I used to do it everytime I grocery shopped….back when I had less kids and more of a brain to be organized. Now I do it when we’re runnin’ low on food and it’s barely full. Easier that way.
(another real answer! shocking.)
Seriously though, I hate cleaning. Like, really really hate it. I was never taught the “joy” of cleaning, only the “punishment” of cleaning, so to this day, I rebel against it.
I will say though, that nothing sparks a marathon cleaning day for me like nice weather with the windows open. I love to clean on those days. Mostly because I can send the kids outside and know they won’t ruin the very thing I just cleaned! 
Sarah’s comment made me laugh because the same thing happened at my house. My son was about 4 years old and I was vacuuming and he asked who was coming over. I found that super funny!
i miss joyce.
When you feel like it?
I think I’d want Heather B. as a roommate (one organized lady) and relate most to Tam in schedule.
Things have changed some in the last month and a half since I’ve been off work…the house gets cleaned more often. I’ve even gone so far as make a schedule of what needs to be done weekly, twice monthly, monthly, quarterly, every 6 months, and annually. And…now that I think about it…cleaning the oven wasn’t on ANY of the lists! hhmmm…oh well. I just let any spills burn off.
bathrooms: weekly
shower and tub: twice monthly
vac: we shoot for weekly
vac the stairs: weekly
dust: I absolutely hate to do this chore! I dust the living room when our flat screen tv looks real bad since it’s one of the first things you see when you come in the front door.
mop: we have linoleum in our kitchen and dining room and ceramic tile in the “boys” bathroom. A few months ago I bought a small “stick” broom (basically a dustbuster with a long handle). I use this a few times a week. I also have a steam mop that I use weekly.
I really think the frequency of your cleaning all depends on how quickly your home gets dirty. There are only three of us here plus a dog. However, two of us are guys (one 45 and one 12)…need I say more?
Hope I’ve helped at least a little bit!