[DISCUSSION] Let's share our housekeeping routines!

StingrayVC · 2016-08-24T17:16:09+00:00

Laundry daily.

Walk around the house. See how dirty everything is. Aw crap, the floor needs to be vacuumed! Darnit, the kitchen is a mess. Man, the bathrooms! Mopping? Crap! Dusting? That too?!

Get overwhelmed, maybe do one thing on the list while I spend the day doing a whole bunch of other things that also need to be done, then one day get a bug in my bonnet and try to get it all done at once while getting mad at the kids for leaving their towels on their bedroom floors and their shoes spread around the laundry room. . ..

It really doesn't work for me . . . .

Anoulie · 2016-08-24T17:36:27+00:00

I'll start :)

Right now it's only me and my husband in a small apartment, so I don't have to do much cleaning, which is nice. I'm pretty new to all this (only been married & living together 4.5 months!), so if anyone has feedback, I'd appreciate it. Here's my routine:

Monday: tidy up the livingroom and bedroom; wipe down surfaces, dust, vaccuum and mop in these room; change the bedsheets
Tuesday: do laundry (usually about three loads)
Wednesday: plan meals for the next week, make a shopping list & go grocery shopping
Thursday: tidy up the kitchen, bathroom and hallway; wipe down surfaces, dust, vaccuum and mop in these rooms; take the trash out; put towels in the laundry basket and replace them with fresh ones; clean bathroom mirror
Friday: do laundry (usually about three loads)
daily: do the dishes, make the bed, feed the hamster, water the plants, wipe down kitchen counters
monthly: clean all other mirrors; wash carpets; exchange toothbrushes, water filter and loofah
twice a year: wash windows

QueenBee126 · 2016-08-24T17:11:10+00:00

THIS IS MY GUIDE.

Highly recommend for girls who don't have a schedule and don't know where to start!

timeforstretchpants · 2016-08-24T17:14:07+00:00

I live alone and travel a lot for work, so I'm always lacking motivation and/or time to maintain my apartment properly.

I adapted a gameboard type chart that i found online. It hangs on my fridge and i move my little magnet around the square as i complete tasks. Things like doing dishes and sweeping floors are on there every other square. Cleaning bathroom, sorting mail, cleaning porches, etc are less frequent. Some days I don't get anything done. Other days i do 2 or 3 squares.

It works for me because it gives me a framework for keeping my place clean without the rigidity of doing the same thing each day of the week.

Kittenkajira · 2016-08-24T19:30:14+00:00

I've tried a lot of different routines. The one I stuck with the longest was LetsCleanUp (a computer program). Honestly, I think I do best without a cleaning routine. Just cleaning whatever needs to be cleaned as I go. I do the laundry about every other day. Change the sheets early in the week and clean the toilets. I work best under pressure so invite people over when I'm behind on cleaning.

I used to be an awful housekeeper until I started doing Fly Lady stuff. I got the whole house decluttered about 10 years ago, and I've kept it that way since. Got a little behind when I moved in with my husband, because he'd never decluttered before and it took him a few years to learn how and go through it all.

My biggest housekeeping tip is to make sure everything has a place. I even have a special little drawer for flashlights. If everything has a place, then it's drastically easier to keep things tidy. Also you don't need to have all your knick knacks, stuffed animals, and such out at once. Put some on display, some in storage, and once a year or so rotate them. Dusting is easier, and you get to oooh and ahhh over your box of goodies you forgot about.

Littleknownfacts · 2016-08-24T16:27:07+00:00

Oh my, how specific do you want this? lol

So I live with my SO in a 1 bedroom apartment. I'm currently out of work, so I'm doing a trial run of the homemaking thing.

My daily tasks are:

Take out the trash/recycling, Wash the dishes, Wipe counters and cook top, Make the bed, Put clothes away, Wipe/disinfect the, bathroom sink, Clear the dinner table, Fix the couch, Clean the litter box, Reset the fly trap (we have a problem with fruit flies in the summer), Refill the coffee machine, Make sure ice and seltzer are made, and Water the herbs

On Mondays I focus on the kitchen: Bleaching the counter tops and sink, Bleaching the drying rack, Mop the floor, change out the kitchen towels and apron, empty the fridge of things expired, clean the window, wipe down the prep counter and pantry top, Run the cleaning cycle on the coffee machine, refill the dish soap dispenser, scrub the burners, empty the coffee pod container, change out the sponge, and oil the cutting block.

Tuesdays is living room: Clear the living room surfaces, Wipe the wood surfaces with Murphy oil, Refill the napkin dispenser, Wipe the windows, Wipe the computer and keyboard, Vacuum the rug, wash the cat's food and water dishes, gather up the cat toys, and water the orchids.

Wednesday is the bathroom/floors: Clear the bathroom surfaces, Bleach toilet bowl and sink, clean the tub (this usually gets done on Thursday), Wipe the mirror and the window, Water the philodendron,Empty the waste basket, wipe the bathroom floor, Refill cotton balls, q-tips, and Listerine dispensers, Switch my razor head, clear the awkward hole in our bathroom that things like to fall down into, sweep and mop all of the floors, and switch out the towels.

Thursday is bedroom/laundry: Laundry (usually 4-6 loads) including bedsheets, Clear bedroom surfaces, Wipe wood surfaces with Murphy oil, wipe bedroom mirrors and windows, Empty the wastebasket, and clean my make up brushes.

Friday is usually for special projects, IE print pantry labels or decorate the bookshelves.

I vacuum the rug every other day, I water the succulents in the bedroom every 3 weeks, and my monthly tasks are: Clean the interior of the fridge (1st Monday), Reorganize pantry/check for expired things (2nd Monday), Wipe kitchen cabinet doors (3rd Monday), Change the cat litter (1st Tuesday), Vacuum air filter (2nd Tuesday), Empty the vacuum (3rd Tuesday), Shower and rotate the philodendron (1st Wednesday), Dust the shelves in the mirror cabinet (2nd Wednesday), Wash the duvet, cover, and pillows (1st Thursday), Wash the shower curtains (2nd Thursday) Wash the bedroom chair cover (3rd Thursday)

Also, I don't do these thing all the time every time. Its mostly just a reminder to check if it needs to be done. I also don't sweat it if I miss something. Since I clean the cat litter everyday, if for some reason I miss it, its not big deal, its mostly clean and can sit for a few days before it starts getting bad.

cats_or_get_out · 2016-08-24T16:36:06+00:00

Sunday: Do the laundry (it's just the two of us, so there are only 3 loads), clean the bathroom, vacuum, prep lunch for the week, take out the trash.
Monday: Clean the kitchen. Sweep.
Tuesday: Sweep.
Wednesday: Vacuum. Start planning meals for next week.
Thursday: Sweep.
Friday: Nothing beyond feeding the dogs, honestly - we have Fuck Off Fridays or Drink Your Dinner Fridays to celebrate the end of the workweek. I know this is silly, but it's fun and a great way to start the weekend together.
Saturday: Grocery shop, do yard work, do home projects that we're working on.

Daily chores are making the bed, feeding the dogs before I leave for and after I get home from work, fixing dinner, doing dishes while dinner is cooking (this isn't a regular thing, I actually only do dishes occasionally - my SO likes to have that as his chore, so I only do them when he's super swamped like he has been lately), and general decluttering (unpacking lunchboxes, putting shoes away, sorting mail, etc.). Bigger things like cleaning windows and doors generally gets done as a Saturday thing along with home projects.

cats_or_get_out · 2016-08-24T17:44:31+00:00

My goal is two-fold:

I want my house always to be "door bell ready" in case someone stops by. This means the downstairs looks and smells fresh and that the downstairs bathroom is clean.
I want the house clean and lovely by the time my husband comes home from work. This means no dishes, dirty laundry, clutter, no unmade bed, etc.

Two things that I recommend:

De-clutter. Daily housework sucks when you are hanging onto too much stuff. Borrow The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up from your public library. Very fast, motivating read, and it will transform how you view housework and clutter. Wonderful book. All of my library patrons who checked it out loved it. I loved it, too. Changed everything.
Cordless vacuum

Get a sweet cordless vacuum like this. It doesn't replace your regular vacuum, but it will make your home so much cleaner. I use mine after dinner to pick up any kitchen mess. It goes under furniture easily and picks up cat litter. I use mine several times a day if I see a mess. 2 minutes of quick clean for a really nice finish. I originally bought it for the stairs, but I use it ALL THE TIME. (I have foster kittens, and this keeps the place from looking like I have foster kittens!)

Trauma_Burn_RN · 2016-08-25T02:44:18+00:00

Ooo, I'm loving this thread! I'm taking notes, haha!

zombiegroupie82 · 2016-09-08T06:43:20+00:00

Laundry going almost 24/7.

Clean up dog hair with broom every morning and evening.

Mop hardwood floors 1x a week.

Dishes every morning and night usually.

WIpe down counters every day

Clean the toilet and bathroom surfaces every couple days

Clean the fridge every couple weeks.

Other random jobs as needed

Pick up toys so people don't die walking through the house. Like every hour -_-

kitsunethreetails · 2016-08-25T22:28:35+00:00

I'm a bit of a neat freak, so throughout the day, if something gets out of place, it's usually not messy for long. Stuff bothers me if I notice it, so I have a habit of fixing things on the spot.

Daily, I'll dust, I'll wipe down counters, then I'll do floors and carpets. I'll wash walls if I notice finger prints or smudges, and I'll go room to room just tidying things. There's not much to do since I'm on top of things, but I'll start from upstairs and work my way downstairs just to make sure everything looks nice.

Usually every other weekend in the summer, I do yard work with my husband.