MotherKnowsBest
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 15, 2009
Posts: 1191
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 Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 12:22 pm Post subject: |
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When it comes to household chores/management, Flylady is my lifeline:
http://flylady.net/ |
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edgewaters
hibernating
Joined: Aug 17, 2006
Age: 40
Posts: 2426
Location: Ontario
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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| OliveOilMom wrote: | | I only do the inside and I just spray them with Windex and wipe them off with a paper towel. |
Holy geez, you even do it the hard way!!!
I just use a squeegee. Quick, fast, no streaks ever, does a perfect job. Picked that one up when I was a cleaner.
Not that I wash the windows more than once every other year  |
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jackbus01
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 06, 2011
Age: 40
Posts: 1197
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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| OliveOilMom wrote: | Here is my schedule, so maybe this will help you;
Every day;
Straighten up
Wash and put away dishes
Take out garbage if it's full
Wipe off kitchen counters and table
Make bed
Sweep uncarpeted floors
Damp mop kitchen floor
Do laundry as needed
Monday - Sweep and mop entire house, vacume carpets
Tuesday - Dust
Wednesday - Clean windows and glass
Thursday - Clean bathrooms (tub, sink, toilet, etc)
Friday - Change bed linens
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Wow, clean freak!
Here is something more bare minimum:
Clean the bathroom when it starts smelling bad.
Vacuum and sweep floors when your feet start to get real dirty walking over it. You might be able to delay it another week by always wearing shoes.
Perhaps twice a year or so dust buildup on your furniture will be noticeable. This can be fixed by wiping your hand across it real quick and washing your hands.
If you come home one day and you smell something repulsive, then you might want to take out the garbage.
If you sheet look stained or greasy, then it is probably time to change them.
If you run out of clean clothes then it is probably time to wash them.
If you run out of dishes it might be time to wash them, but then if you live alone you can eat out of packages and you won't generate much dishes.
I have actually been bored enough that I have washed my windows a few times (in the 10 years I've lived here).
Sometimes the minimum doesn't do it for me and I'll feel sick with upper-respiratory problems, in which case I clean a little more. The stark contrast between going from very dirty to very clean makes cleaning rewarding.
In general though, I hate cleaning and preparing food so I do as little as possible. Since I live alone I have to do it sometime.
Anyway, the point of cleaning is to promote sanitation and avoid getting sick or having bugs etc. Most people overdo it.
I do the minimal amount of food preparation to survive. If I can't eat it out of box or heat it in the microwave, then forget it. |
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OliveOilMom
Queen of cans and jars
Joined: Nov 12, 2011
Posts: 6783
Location: Living in Faulkner's nightmare
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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| jackbus01 wrote: | | OliveOilMom wrote: | Here is my schedule, so maybe this will help you;
Every day;
Straighten up
Wash and put away dishes
Take out garbage if it's full
Wipe off kitchen counters and table
Make bed
Sweep uncarpeted floors
Damp mop kitchen floor
Do laundry as needed
Monday - Sweep and mop entire house, vacume carpets
Tuesday - Dust
Wednesday - Clean windows and glass
Thursday - Clean bathrooms (tub, sink, toilet, etc)
Friday - Change bed linens
...
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Wow, clean freak!
Here is something more bare minimum:
Clean the bathroom when it starts smelling bad.
Vacuum and sweep floors when your feet start to get real dirty walking over it. You might be able to delay it another week by always wearing shoes.
Perhaps twice a year or so dust buildup on your furniture will be noticeable. This can be fixed by wiping your hand across it real quick and washing your hands.
If you come home one day and you smell something repulsive, then you might want to take out the garbage.
If you sheet look stained or greasy, then it is probably time to change them.
If you run out of clean clothes then it is probably time to wash them.
If you run out of dishes it might be time to wash them, but then if you live alone you can eat out of packages and you won't generate much dishes.
I have actually been bored enough that I have washed my windows a few times (in the 10 years I've lived here).
Sometimes the minimum doesn't do it for me and I'll feel sick with upper-respiratory problems, in which case I clean a little more. The stark contrast between going from very dirty to very clean makes cleaning rewarding.
In general though, I hate cleaning and preparing food so I do as little as possible. Since I live alone I have to do it sometime.
Anyway, the point of cleaning is to promote sanitation and avoid getting sick or having bugs etc. Most people overdo it.
I do the minimal amount of food preparation to survive. If I can't eat it out of box or heat it in the microwave, then forget it. |
I wouldn't exactly say that taking out the garbage before it stinks makes me a clean freak. I'd rather avoid living in filth if I can. Also, there are six people, two dogs, a cat, a rabbit and a snake that live here, plus we have multiple visitors and the kids have people stay overnight quite frequently, so it takes a good bit of work to keep it livable. I've personally found that I feel much better when my house is clean.
If I were a clean feak I would mop all the floors every day, dust every day, wash the walls monthly, take the curtains down and wash and iron them weekly or monthly instead of four times a year when the seasons change. I would move furniture and sweep under it every day rather than once a month of so to get all the dog hair, etc.
The standards of cleanliness expected from someone in their 20's living alone is very different than the standards of cleanliness expected from a housewife in her late 40's also. 
_________________
Frances
What if Jessie's girl was Stacy's mom and her number was 867-5309? |
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jackbus01
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 06, 2011
Age: 40
Posts: 1197
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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ok, calling you a clean freak was a little out-of-line.
There is a big difference when you have 6 people, dogs, cats, rabbits, and a snake compared with living alone. |
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OliveOilMom
Queen of cans and jars
Joined: Nov 12, 2011
Posts: 6783
Location: Living in Faulkner's nightmare
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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| jackbus01 wrote: | ok, calling you a clean freak was a little out-of-line.
There is a big difference when you have 6 people, dogs, cats, rabbits, and a snake compared with living alone. |
Yes, and being a housewife to boot. So I cook as well and mend and bake from scratch and all that. So my idea of simple and easy housework is very different than a young single guys idea of simple and easy housework lol
I keep house like the mom, because I am. And a grandma to boot!
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Frances
What if Jessie's girl was Stacy's mom and her number was 867-5309? |
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Solvejg
i wear a fez now, fez's are cool
Joined: Mar 03, 2011
Posts: 6180
Location: gallifrey
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 11:28 pm Post subject: |
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I must be a crazy clean freak then. except i do dishes once a week because i hate it so much. I have enough dishes to last that long. I just scrape and stack in the kitchen.
I have multi purpose disposable cleaning cloths that i do a wipe over of tables and bathroom and toilet after i use them. Then i vacuum once a day and spray glen20 (surface disinfectant). before i leave the house in the morning i put everything in the washing machine alternating bebtween including my sheets or the kids every second day. thrn when i get home i put the clothes in the clothes dryer. i dont have piles of crap everywhere and just try to put things away. An easy way is coffee table with draws ect so i can just sweep everything off into the draw and close. easy. |
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edgewaters
hibernating
Joined: Aug 17, 2006
Age: 40
Posts: 2426
Location: Ontario
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Speaking of baking from scratch ... an easy one when you're young if you get tired of all the processed food ... chicken and rice casserole with some grated cheese on top and bit of veggies and some canned mushroom soup to thicken it. It's a bit of work but not that bad, hard to mess up, and it'll feed one person for a few days if you make enough |
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Solvejg
i wear a fez now, fez's are cool
Joined: Mar 03, 2011
Posts: 6180
Location: gallifrey
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 11:42 pm Post subject: |
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| edgewaters wrote: | | Speaking of baking from scratch ... an easy one when you're young if you get tired of all the processed food ... chicken and rice casserole with some grated cheese on top and bit of veggies and some canned mushroom soup to thicken it. It's a bit of work but not that bad, hard to mess up, and it'll feed one person for a few days if you make enough |
evrn easier is mix some microwave rice, a tin of flavoured tuna and a tub of tabouli. super easy and tasty and healthy to boot |
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edgewaters
hibernating
Joined: Aug 17, 2006
Age: 40
Posts: 2426
Location: Ontario
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 11:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Solvejg wrote: | | evrn easier is mix some microwave rice, a tin of flavoured tuna and a tub of tabouli. super easy and tasty and healthy to boot |
Yeah I sometimes do pasta (shells or rotini), mushroom soup, and tuna. Similar sort of idea. |
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DogsWithoutHorses
mockingbyrd
Joined: Apr 06, 2012
Posts: 1145
Location: New York
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 9:52 am Post subject: |
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I printed that post out and pinned it OliveOilMom. I get overwhelmed when I know there is so much that has to get done but this breaks it down into such little daily chunks.
I'm a college student now so I'm not suffering from an overabundance of space (less stuff to clean can make chores go way faster.) I have way less to do living on my own then when I was at home. It always surprises me a little bit when I'm talking to another student or someone and it comes out that they never learned how to clean or cook or bake. The longer it goes on I'm starting to think maybe my parents were the weird ones for teaching all that to their kids.
_________________
If your success is defined as being well adjusted to injustice and well adapted to indifference, then we don’t want successful leaders. We want great leaders- who are unbought, unbound, unafraid, and unintimidated to tell the truth. |
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BuyerBeware
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 29, 2011
Age: 35
Posts: 1038
Location: PA, USA
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 11:23 am Post subject: |
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Oh, I boogered the directions for instant rice. Those proportions are for regular rice (cheaper, and better, but master the instant first because it's soooooo easy). Instant rice is equal parts water and rice. One cup water, one cup rice, makes something like two cups cooked.
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I'm tired. I do not have sufficient strength remaining to persevere in the face of adversity. I accept myself as broken and conformity/compliance as the only acceptable existence. I give up.
What's on TV tonight?? |
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blueroses
restless, but going nowhere
Joined: Feb 11, 2007
Age: 30
Posts: 1598
Location: Lancaster, PA
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| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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| OliveOilMom wrote: | | I just listed the bare minimum. You can actually get all that done in under 30 minutes, so I don't see why it's too much for a guy who lives alone. Once you get into a routine, it's simple and becomes second nature. I didn't list any of the other important stuff like vacuming under couch cushions, using the broom to get cobwebs down from the corners, cleaning the blinds or washing curtains...... |
Aside from moping, sweeping and doing laundry everyday, your list sounded pretty managable and practical to me, too. (It might make sense to do those things daily for a larger family, but I find that a single person like me with no kids or pets can get away with doing those things once a week).
Just listen to some good music while you clean, OP, and that'll make it feel less painful. And, bear in mind that if you keep after stuff on a regular basis, it actually saves time in the long run. It's when things build up that cleaning becomes overwhelming. |
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OddFiction
Phoenix
Joined: Aug 10, 2010
Posts: 944
Location: In my favourite chair, in front of my laptop, and watching a movie I've seen 1000 times, Canada.
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:31 am Post subject: |
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Plans first need items to make them effective.
I'd start with a basic supplies list (most of it dollarama/dollarstore purchases)
Proper tools are the key to succes:.
cleaning:
dishsoap
sponges (with rough backsides)
broom / dustpan
toilet brush
comet/old dutch/powdered cleaner
laundry soap
Hygene:
dental floss
toothpaste
toothbrush
comb
mirror
body soap
hand soap
eating:
pie/pizza plate (big round flat oven-safe metal plate)
cake/meatloaf pan
frying pan
soup pot
wooden spoon / spatula
a bowl, a spoon, a knife and a mug
a kettle
if you like that list, i can post exactly how to use each item  |
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DigitalDesperado
Blue Jay
Joined: Oct 13, 2010
Posts: 85
Location: stuck at ground level - but trying to soar
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| Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 12:05 am Post subject: |
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I like the idea of listening to music, I'm going to give that a try.
Last edited by DigitalDesperado on Fri May 18, 2012 6:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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