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[Mominohio]

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@AuntG wrote:

While I'm not a particularly private person, I can't imagine letting someone come in and clean my house.  I'd worry about things like tax records and paycheck stubs being viewed and perhaps used illegally.  Just reading other responses, I would consider my house tidy, but not nearly as clean as some.  One thing I'm glad we no longer have are pets in the house - I had to do a lot more cleaning when I had a cat and dog.

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I used to feel like this, about having someone cleaning my house. I do know as I age, I see reasons it may happen, even if just for a short time. 

I need to have surgery on a foot, and will be in a non walking cast for at least 6 weeks. I know I won't be able to keep up the house very well during that time, and even though there are two men living here, they both work full time, and won't keep everything up the way I want. 

I can see me needing to bring someone in once a week to get me through. Not excited about it, but may have to do it.

[alliswell]

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@Mominohio wrote:

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Aloha @SurferWife

I pretty much do one room at a time rather than all rooms at once, but in between, I do maintain each on a daily/weekly - as needed basis.

In May or June of this year, I remember that @Mominohio outlined her cleaning procedure in a thread, which I'm unable to locate at the moment, and the way that she explained her method, really inspired me.  Her method is so efficient and stress-free . . . I hope @Mominohio  will see this and will comment.   

@alliswell

You make me blush! I do remember that thread, and wish I knew how to search for it. I don't think I started it, but was replying to someone, and I don't remember when or what actual forum.

I love housekeeping. Always have. Even though I don't mind doing housework, it still needs to be efficient, as I don't have the strength or stamina I once did!

First and foremost, a place for everything, and everything in it's place or the house will never look clean (even if it is clean underneath the stuff). People confuse (in my opinion) straightening/pickingup/putting away, with actual cleaning. In my mind they are two completely different things.

The daily/weekly cleaning takes little time if one lives a life of order and neatness, and not overcrowding (and that is subjective to each of us, my nicely decorated is another's clutter).

When I get up in the morning, I put the house to rights. Beds made, everything tidied and put away, morning dishes done, and bathrooms are quick cleaned daily (sinks, counters, toilets cleaned....only takes 5 minutes in each bathroom). This process never takes more than an hour at the very most, for a three bedroom two bath house. At this point, even if dusting, floors etc need done, the house looks clean and presentable for anyone dropping in, or should I decide to skip any actual cleaning because something 'better' comes up!

When it comes to actual cleaning, I read something a long time ago that kind of stuck. The person said that tearing down a whole house at once can be overwhelming so do the big jobs in stages as needed for different rooms and don't let it all compile until the whole house needs completely overhauled at once.

In other words, clean the windows one month (and do the curtains at that time), wash walls the next, steam clean the carpets another, clean out closets yet another. Or if it feels better to have each room completely done at once, top to bottom, do the master bedroom one month, the bathrooms the next, the spare room another month, the kitchen after that, etc. until the house is completely done. Do everything from windows to walls to carpets to linens, and clean out all drawers and closets in that room, before moving on to the next. Most people will thoroughly clean the entire house once a year, and can tend to basic housekeeping the rest of the time. Taking one room per month, spending one or two days on it, breaks heavy cleaning down to a much more manageable task for most people. Many can imagine spending one to three days completely cleaning a room thoroughly if that is the only deep cleaning they have to do till next month.

And I guess the OP's question was actually about housekeeping!

The weekly cleaning stuff I tend to break down by floor, these days. We have three levels in our house.

I tackle the bedrooms one day (change beds, dust, deep clean bathrooms, clean floors, wipe baseboards and ceiling fans).

Another day during the week, I do the main floor, kitchen dining room and living room, dust, vacuum, wipe kitchen cabinets, sanitize kitchen floor.

A third day, I do the family room.

In the warm weather months, I wipe off the screens and window sills in the doors and windows weekly (a quick job, only takes 10 minutes to do the whole house and keeps a ton of dirt  from blowing in, just try it once) as we don't have air, and windows and doors are open all season.

I used to love to tear into my whole house in one day and was able to complete it as well, but the house is now bigger, the stuff is more, and the body performs slower. I miss what I used to be able to get accomplished!

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Thank you, 

@Mominohio

     All the best to you on your upcoming surgery @Mominohio.

I'm so glad that you saw this thread and rewrote what you said in the earlier posting, and that you went into more detail.  My mom also loved housekeeping and was extremely fastidious and a perfectionist on top of it.  

[SurferWife]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback! It seems everyone ne has a method that works best for you. I've tried one room at a time and whole house top to bottom and they both work for me. As long as I can get my DH to leave for the day, I can get the house done. He goes fishing & I get my house cleaned. A productive day for both of us!

[151949]

@AuntG I guess a lot depends upon where you find your housekeeper. Mine was well known to our family as she is a close friend of DH's cousin and has cleaned his cousin's house, her mother's house and another friend's house for years so when I needed someone I just naturally called her. She is such a friend I 100% trust her and know completely she would never take anything nor would she have time or a thought  to be getting into my personal belongings. As a matter of fact we always go out so we are out of her way when she cleans.

[VaBelle35]

I have an open floor plan, 3 level townhouse, so I do floor by floor. For example, I will clean both bathrooms, then dust the whole floor, then vacuum the whole floor and then move to the next floor.

Some areas require more work, like the kitchen, but for the most part, this works.

[JasoninBoston]

Given my joint problems I have resorted to a house keeper 1 once a week!!

What's nice is the place is always super clean and given that I am in a smallish condo (1500 square feet) in the downtown Boston area it's not super expensive ($100 per week).

[Spurt]

@Mominohio

I wish you a quick and speedy recovery with your foot surgery and no-walk cast.......

A few years ago I injured  my foot while exercising and had foot surgery and like you a no walk cast ....I never could master the crutches.  Thankfully my sis and friends pitched in with the house cleaning and brought me meals.... Since they both worked I mastered hopping on one foot for trips to kitchen and bathroom....

Take care

[flickerbulb]

After working all day, 5 days a week, I clean when I have the time. I wish I could say "I clean the kitchen top to bottom on MWF and the bathroom on T TH", but that does not happen. I get up at 4 a.m. and no cleaning takes place at that time.

Some days I have meetings that keep me an hour or more after quitting time, and then I have errands or shopping to take care of.

Then I need to tend to the critters and they will not wait until I tidy up. 

Maybe I will have a cleaning schedule in a different life!

[Mominohio]

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@flickerbulb wrote:

After working all day, 5 days a week, I clean when I have the time. I wish I could say "I clean the kitchen top to bottom on MWF and the bathroom on T TH", but that does not happen. I get up at 4 a.m. and no cleaning takes place at that time.

Some days I have meetings that keep me an hour or more after quitting time, and then I have errands or shopping to take care of.

Then I need to tend to the critters and they will not wait until I tidy up. 

Maybe I will have a cleaning schedule in a different life!

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@flickerbulb

We need to clone you in order for you to keep up with it all!

Critters first, cleaning later! Good mantra to live by.

[Snicks1]

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@flickerbulb wrote:

After working all day, 5 days a week, I clean when I have the time. I wish I could say "I clean the kitchen top to bottom on MWF and the bathroom on T TH", but that does not happen. I get up at 4 a.m. and no cleaning takes place at that time.

Some days I have meetings that keep me an hour or more after quitting time, and then I have errands or shopping to take care of.

Then I need to tend to the critters and they will not wait until I tidy up. 

Maybe I will have a cleaning schedule in a different life!

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Before I retired, I could have written your post, word for word.

Now my process is room by room, except carpet shampooing, of course. Each room gets cleaned weekly, bathrooms twice a week or more, if needed, but it's usually not needed, lol. During Spring and Summer months it is not as rigid as I spend most all my time outdoors then, but still clean some each day. My house is clean, but I'm sure would not pass a white glove inspection, lol.