How do you clean??

topazdebutante · Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Posts: 38

I was wondering how you care for your space? Do you do it once a week, a little each day, follow a system like Flylady?

Lately, I feel that all I do is clean so I am wondering if anyone has a better system. I try to throw in laundry before bed, but I seem to be forgetting about it and having to re wash it which is a waste of time and water.

I only have a tiny apartment but it seems that if only a few things are left out it looks like a disaster area.

Als, are there any cleaning products you love or hate?

Thanks all!
-topaz
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Miss M · Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 168 Location: Plano, TX

I try to do specific things on specific days - like always change sheets on Mondays, run the vacuum on Tues & Thursday and wash clothes, well I do that everyday! I know this seems really really anal, but it helps me remember to do stuff if I always do it on the same day. Then I know if I actually changed my sheets or washed the floor this week! Some stuff I end up doing more than once a week(I have a 3 year old so things tend to get messy), but generally, my system works. I find that doing a little each day is better than doing it all at once and if I know I only have a tiny amount to do, I am more likely to just do it & get it over with.

My big tip is to clean the shower while you are in the shower! Just spray the cleaner of choice in(I don't always do this - only if the mildew or calcium build-up is horrible), clean the rest of the bathroom(sink, floor, toilet, etc) then hop in the shower & scrub away on the shower, then scrub away on yourself. You always end up pretty getting wet anyway(and smell like Comet to boot), so it seemed logical to just do both.

Love those Clorox wipe things - easy way to touch up when guest are coming & you don't want to do a full cleaning!

Interesting topic by the way!

-miss m

jean · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 7:44 am Post subject:

oh, we're so haphazard about it at my house. and now that we have a baby, i feel like all i do is clean and do laundry. sometimes it feels good to clean though. like i actually accomplished something.

lately, i've been making my own cleaners. tea tree oil, lavendar oil and water in a spray bottle: a natural disinfectant for kitchen counters, bathroom sinks and baby's toys. oilive oil, vinegar and water in a spray bottle to clean wood services and viengar and water in a spray bottle to clean the windows. i tested all these against the major brands for the getcrafty book, and we actually found the window cleaner to be *better* than windex, although it does smell like vinegar.

also, sometimes we try and make cleaning a party. play loud music, dance around and clean the house. just a thought...
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RedRamona · Joined: 17 Apr 2004 Posts: 11 Location: Athens, GA

Sporadically, unless someone is coming over.

I probably hit the bathrooms once a week, maybe less. Kitchen gets it after every meal, or its just nasty. Our kitchen floor is made of some magic material that I swear makes dirt CLING to it. Main living room needs vacuuming at least every 3 days, more often depending on the amount of dogs we have (we dogsit a lot) or the amount of crafts done in the room. Bedroom gets a quick tidy up daily (bed made, clothes picked up). Laundry gets done whenever there's a full load. Dining room and "plant room" aren't used as often, so I only clean them when there's obvious dirt. I need a neat environment to feel productive.

sewing stars · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 112 Location: Little Rhody

Gosh, I wish I had time to clean! I have a full time job, and then my budding side business, and my apartment is really neglected! I vacuum every once in a while, wash dishes once a week (which is not nearly often enough!) I wish I could add a few hours to the day so I could actually clean more often then I get to... : (
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CraftinFool · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 809 Location: New England

I tend to do everything on the weekend, but it is a bummer - it takes so much time. I like cleaning but wish it was quicker. But I never have the energy to do any cleaning during the workweek.

I'm also a big fan of the Clorox wipes. I also like the Swiffer duster. However, I am conflicted over using disposable stuff. But, then again if you re-use rags, it takes water and detergent to wash them. So it's hard to know which is worse for the environment. I would like to start making some cleaning products that have less harsh ingredients, like what Jean was describing.

I usually dust, vaccuum, clean the bathroom and kitchen, change linens, do laundry, sweep, and mop once a week. It takes way too long. But we are allergic to dust and I don't like to let it go too long.

CraftyChicaAZ · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 686 Location: phx, az

I saw on Oprah once that there are two kinds of people - project cleaners and task cleaners (I think that was it). Project cleaners save itu p for the weekend and task cleaners do it each day as they go along. I fall i n the former category. I have too much to think about during the week as it is!
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schnitzle · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 72 Location: Seattle

I tried the Flylady method when I was unemployed and I really liked it. It helped to keep me motivated as well, getting up and dressed etc, even though I felt like laying on the couch ;) It fell by the wayside once I started working again though. I really don't see it as a program for women who work. Maybe I'm wrong.

Now we are more like the project cleaners CraftyChica mentioned. We do the minimum (clean kitchen after cooking) stuff during the week and save the vaccuming/carpet cleaning, but clean up and put away for the weekend. It's kind of depressing if you ask me...using your free time to clean. Oh well.

I bought some books by Pam Young and Peggy Jones like Sidetracked Home Executives: From Pigpen to Paradise

But the system seemed so difficult to set up.

Has anyone had success with them?

I also found some cool cleaning products that make it more fun to clean such as the Method brand stuff at Target:
http://www.methodhome.com/cleaners.html
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peppermintsquare · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 162 Location: austin

Well, I just wasted some time looking at all those nifty Method products.

I generally clean with vinegar & baking powder when I am feeling simple or products from Whole Foods - like Seventh Generation products - when I am feeling lazy.

As far as my cleaning methods, well, I don't think I have any. I try to do a full cleaning each weekend, but it's rare that I complete every task I intend to. My boy can easily distract me to go do other things. Yesterday on a whim we moved furniture and cleaned up in our computer/extra room though. Damn did that feel good! For a couple of weeks we had left crap just laying all over the room because we had pulled things out in an effort to organize and it had all just been sitting on the floor. All up and organized or at least in organized piles now! There is so much space on the floor now!

We also have 3 cats that are messy, poopy, and vomity (it is hairball season after all), so I can clean like a maniac and then two days later everything is messy again. It's a bit disheartening.

In January, I declared this the "Year of Organization" for myself. I have been severely lacking in completing this claim. I do intend to do some more work on it though. Organize photos. Clean out the garage. Etc.

I think my boy and I are both pack rats. I am trying to break us of this habit. We recently got a fancy new record player. The old one has been sitting on the floor waiting for a trip out to the garage. But why keep the old record player? Just in case maybe someday in the future the fancy new one breaks? Must break this habit so we are going to sell it to my coworker.

I am an archivist so I spend every workday thinking about organization. I think when you do it for a career, you don't want to come home and organize/clean. I really wish I could be one of those people with a spotless home, but I think that I lack that gene. :P
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ebmpire · Joined: 25 May 2004 Posts: 26 Location: new york

usually I wait for someone else to a) do it b) yell at me to do it which leads me back to a) hoping they'll still do it and then finally c) get manic about it, end up on the bathroom floor with an old toothbrush, scrubbing between every 1" tile. Repeat every 3 months or so?

lizzymahoney · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 804

Between work, school, and caring for pets and elderly parents, I don't actually do much cleaning. My mother washes the kitchen floor from her wheelchair. My almost deaf father runs the vacuum while I am away. Other stuff is as it occurs to me. The litter box gets cleaned more often than my bathroom sink. Both should be daily or more often, but ...

Karla · Posted: Thu May 27, 2004 3:58 pm Post subject:

I'm the worst with keeping a cleaning schedule! I usually wait until the mood strikes me which drives my boyfriend crazy because he's VERY tidy and picks up after himself every day. We are constantly debating the difference between clean and tidy. I believe clean is important...tidy, not so much. I also prefer products that I make myself. You can accomplish, like, anything with vinegar, baking soda, olive oil, water and essential oils!

The closest I get to using anything else is Citra Solv or Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds. Sal Suds is a cleaning miracle! You can use it to wash your dishes, clean all surfaces in your house and car (even wood floors), do your laundry, etc. It's super concentrated but not harsh on your skin. It has a natural fir/pine scent that smells wonderful! It's concentrated, so just a very little is enought to clean a lot. A sinkful of water and sal suds cleans my kitchen, bathroom and floors. I swear this stuff is powerful enough for toilets and grimy floors but won't freak you out if it lands on your skin. I actually clean without gloves. It's also bio-degradable and cruelty-free...and even has entertaining quotes and info on the bottle. It doesn't leave a lot of stickiness behind and has natural ingredients so I don't worry too much if my kitty marches across my kitchen floor before it dries. I think a friend of mine actually washes the leaves of his plants with it but, I'm not sure...

Yeah, I'm a fan. You probably think I'm selling the stuff! :)

Karla

Becky65301 · Joined: 18 May 2004 Posts: 80

nicegirl512 · Joined: 06 May 2004 Posts: 114 Location: Washington DC

I am hor.ri.ble about cleaning. I am ashamed. My apartment is a federal disaster area and it's dangerous to walk around with no lights on. I hate cleaning or tidying and never do it. I wash dishes and clean my kitchen, but that's about it. I need some motivation but I just don't *care*, ya know? I'm moving into a condo and my friend bought the unit across the hall from me, so hopefully the prospect of her popping in all the time will motivate me. As it is, I haven't had anyone over to my place in maybe 6 months? And that was a guy who was getting laid, so he was willing to turn a blind eye to the mess.

ebmpire · Joined: 25 May 2004 Posts: 26 Location: new york

Oh yeah.
my favorite thing ever is Scrubbing Bubbles (original) ... I like to spray it all over whatever and assume it takes care of everything.
I wish they made a companion product called Scrubbing Clutter that I could spray on the huge pile of clothes on my bed, huge mess of papers all over the floor and boxs of shit lying around the apartment.