Due to the nature of my job (raising children) I find my cleaning standards have slipped somewhat. After a day spent washing up, sweeping food off the kitchen floor, wiping all the surfaces, picking up toys and random objects up off every floor in the house, cooking, looking after my kids, making beds, and hanging washing out, seventeen times over, I have no remaining energy to do any actual cleaning.
So this is the bare-minimum-cleaning routine I have found myself slipping into, I am ashamed to say:
- I only clean the downstairs bathroom when I know we are going to have visitors, who might need to use it (I am highly embarrassed on the occasions when I get caught out with a surprise visit)
- I only clean the the upstairs bathroom when I know people are staying the night, as they will need to use the shower
- I only hoover the downstairs rooms about once a week - normally on a Thursday night after Tom and I have had a takeaway curry and spilt pilau rice and poppadom crumbs all over the carpet
- I only hoover the upstairs bedrooms when I am in a bad mood, as I find it is a good way to let off steam
- I only clean Tom's office when I know that he has a business meeting in there, or a piano lesson, or a Tai Chi drinks reunion (although in actual fact Tom should clean his bloody room himself)
- I only mop the kitchen floor when our feet are actually sticking to the tiles or when Betty tells me it is looking 'disgusting'
- I only dust the TV and the windowsills about twice a year
- I never clean skirting boards or windows or door ledges or under the beds
15 comments:
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You have made me feel better. Since the kiddies have gone back to school/pre-school I thought I would make the house spotless again but guess what? I would rather have a cuppa and enjoy the peace!
Your approach to cleaning sounds much like mine...!
similar here. I hate cleaning bathrooms so leave them until I can't see through the shower doors and know I've got to chisel off limescale! Cannot be bothered to get under the bed, so leave it to dust and spiders, I don't care if I can't see it. The husbands den gets dusted about twice a year, he uses it so why should I do it for him?
I think that I do all the cooking, washing, ironing, picking up of total junk, and basically running the house, that I'm allowed a few short cuts and I refuse to clean up man dust.
Cleaning/washing skirting boards. I always wish I did it, but I just can't be bothered! And I often pretend I can't see the cobwebs on the ceilings.
That said, it's a whole lot cleaner round here since Girly Girl went back to school. Love that it stays tidy during the day, and I can wash the floor without her charging in and slipping over.
I was forced t buy a long handled duster thing today as we have cobwebs hanging off very high ceilings and they were very noticeable! However, I went a bit berserk today and started trying to clean the most obvious hand marks off the walls. Big mistake. You can now see swirly patterns on the walls and of course, the bits that I didn't wipe now look even more obvious. Best to leave well alone.
I'm sure that the mess you claim it to be isn't nearly as bad as you describe it. Besides, anyone with little kids knows that a house can only be kept picked up and tidy and that for a real cleaning professional help will have to be engaged once a week. And who can afford that these days?
I got over the smudged glasses/dirty window sills/sticky floor/smoky oven when I went back to work as a single mum, otherwise I would have gone insane.
Only trouble is now I STILL don't care and she's 18 yrs old. I'd rather sit on the beach, read a book, go for a walk etc and then I can't see the cobwebs.
My mum used to say that she was saving the cobwebs and was going to spray them silver for christmas decorations.
Sounds good to me.
I didn't clean at all over the summer, but I am now. I often find that a messy house leads to a messy mind for me
Finally someone who is honest about their lack of cleaning and enthusiasm for it! I used to be borderline OCD which comes from my mum, but with age and having had a son I find myself with extremely low standards when it comes to cleaning. And I feel much happier for it too!
Emma Phillips
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Girls Wellies
I have the same problem, keeping the house tidy. However I have a white dog and if I do not hoover, I have a white carpet when I actually have dark carpets. I am in the middle of decluttering and trying to get the place in order. It's hard!
I love this post!
Top tip for the downstairs loo: keep a spare hand towel in there. When unexpected visitors arrive, nip to the loo and wipe round everywhere with the old towel. Hang the new one up. Flush the loo. Bob's your uncle :-)
good tip there from Sandy Calico!!
I happily tidy up as can't stand being surrounded by toys etc in evenings but as for cleaning...never seems to be a top priority - one day!
Ah, a kindred soul!
Ha ha. That sounds just like my house! I don't understand it, pre-kids we cleaned before parents came to stay (on average every 4 weeks) and it didn't seem to get dirty in between. Now, I clean, an hour later it gets dirty. Can't bear it. I like a clean house, but I don't want to spend every waking hour hoovering and dusting and wiping, and stacking, and unloading and folding and.....
Mhmmm. I am the complete clean freak. Pre baby I would often find myself polishing door knobs up into the early hours, washing out cupboards and re-arranging stuff on shelves. My husband happily pays for a cleaner these days, otherwise he'd a) never get to spend time with me and b) would have to spend his time cleaning.
My own bare minimum cleaning routine consists of even less! Haha. You've made me feel so much better.
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