Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Cleaning Routines Questions and a Small Snippet of Stitching

My cleaning routines have changed over the years and I have questions for y'all!

So let's go back in time if you would like...

I remember being able to clean the whole house on Saturday. Oh those days in my 20's with tons of energy, I would often get up and start in one room and make my way out and have all the rooms done by noon. I even washed clothes too. 

THEN kids came along and they had lots more stuff and their rooms weren't as easy to clean. I had to adjust and show them how to do stuff. Even with all the showing, I will say right up front, Paul Allen was a HUGE challenge. He loved clean and organized, but he couldn't maintain. He loved nothing more than cleaning up his room and organizing his shelves and even from the very earliest age he was fascinated with this book and 


and this page!!! We had to read every bin name...don't try to skip one, because he knew even before he could read.



By the teenage years, we have moved into our current home and with a larger square footage, things became even harder. I ended up having to hire help and let me just say the lady was amazing and was such a huge help. She only cleaned the main level which meant Paul Allen's domain didn't get touched. There is not enough money in the world to have someone do that. I would tackle it each Saturday and fuss fuss fuss. Lindsay maintained her room and laundered her own clothes. It was most definitely not up to my standards, but I had to cave because of work, busy schedules, and eventually health.

Side note: Both of my kids have neat and tidy homes...I would NOT have guessed that along the way!

When I retired, I set out tackling the house little by little to get it in order. Paul Allen wondered why I waited until he moved out to buy a new bedroom set, new window blinds, etc. I just rolled my eyes at him. His idea of cleaning when the weekend came and he had passed with the grades report was to stuff coke cans and anything else into drawers and cabinets. I am not even gonna lie when I tell you the teen years with him were rough. That is a whole three posts story there.

My entire life I have cleaned a room and then moved on. Sometimes the Internet can mess with you and this craze of clean with me videos and books is unreal. I am a second guesser anyway. 

So first question, do you clean an entire room before moving on...like vacuum, dust, etc OR do you do a task for the whole house like dust the whole house on one day???

I like the idea of a room all done and then move on, but I am indeed curious.

#2. Do you do it all in one day or break it up?

With my age and the size of this family home that I am indeed blessed with, I have had to break mine up into areas per day. I just recently changed all that my areas and get the main level done in three days. 

I do my bedroom and bath and then the guest bedroom and bath (Lindsay's old room) on Mondays with washing sheets and towels.

I then do the living room and my formal areas on Tuesday with laundry.

Wednesdays is my tougher day. The kitchen gets a major cleaning ....refrigerator too with the sewing room and laundry area added. Laundry too. 
You can see I am basically doing a heavy use room with a light use room on each day.

Thursdays are errands and running around with Mama.

Friday is a quick check of downstairs and my porches with some decluttering tasks added in if time permits.

I do laundry everyday and iron on Fridays or Saturday mornings. 

Saturday I work outside in the yard and run around with Hubby and Sundays are for resting!!!

Oh, and I have all of this written on index cards to keep me running smoothly because I like to write stuff down and have lists!!!



#3 Now, I am curious about the deep cleaning tasks...
Do you do those a certain time of the year or spaced out?

I used to do all of them in the summer or right after Christmas because that worked with my teaching schedule. June was a month of spring cleaning if you will.

Now that I am home, I have tried to make a master list and work through them as needed. I have been more successful with that as time as gone on. 
I will say I have a list of tasks that I need to get to like touching up baseboards downstairs with paint and lots more decluttering of closets.

The decluttering post  is coming later with questions 😃

I am interested in what y'all do if as usual I overthink and plan stuff
My mother is the QUEEN OF CLEAN and you can eat off her floors. No lie. Of course, she would never allow a dog to live in her house, let alone two.
She is super hyperactive and just moves and does as she sees fit. Maybe one day I will get there, but probably not as long as I have dogs.

As a lover of books, this is my absolute favorite book on cleaning. I have bought many and sold all of them on Ebay or Amazon, but this one I have kept in my collection.



My favorite cleaner in this crazy share your cleaning on the Internet is  https://www.instagram.com/abowlfulloflemons/ on  Instagram. She also has a website and it has lots of useful information, but she has simplified things from the days of her blog and her IG account is much better, BUT she has a brand new home so that makes it hard for those of us who have some knicks and bumps of a 35 year old house. 

Let me know some of your best tips in the comments.

For those of you who only visit here for stitching, here is your look at what I am working on for Christmas in July stitching. An ornament from a very old magazine.


Eagerly waiting for comments on this post,
Sandy







19 comments:

  1. Alas, I used to clean my whole house in one day.( And I can do it at Grimmwood.) But now I have given Marvin the upstairs to keep clean and tidy. I have not checked up there lately. I only go up to get a book or to grab something from the craft room). Monday is laundry. Tuesday is our bedroom and bathroom. Wednesday is the rest of the downstairs. The guest room gets a lick and a promise as it never gets messy unless we have visitors. The front bath is not too bad either. The kitchen is probably the worst. Marvin mops the kitchen floor for me now! I do the hardwoods as he puts too much water not them. Our yard work is done by the HOA so that is nice. I do deep cleaning as I see fit.Which is not as often as it should be. I do see a day when I will have to hire some help to keep it up to snuff.

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    1. From pictures it all looks perfect:) Now, I need to know about downsizing:)

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  2. Your stitch is so sweet!!! Love it! Now, about the cleaning. I kept a neater house when I worked. Less time at home to make a mess....my craft room is a disaster, it needs a huge overhaul. The only system I have is when I have time I clean one room completely at a time but the rest of the time I'll set the stopwatch and spend 20 mins in each room and what gets done, gets done. I have a dog and a cat and just keeping up with the shedding is a challenge. I abide by 2 must do's, my kitchen is always completely cleaned before I go to bed and my sheets get changed every Sunday. I will follow this thread for sure as I need a program.

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  3. Oh my...that little chickadee is just the cutest! Now....let me see! Well, of course I don't worry as much now that I'm 'older' but let me think. I do a tidy up every morning right after breakfast...sometimes before I even dress. I make my bed, start a load of laundry...then clean up the kitchen perfectly. Now I get dressed in a cute outfit and jewelry, brush my hair, put on a little makeup (mineral makeup that is good to wear in this SUNSHINE!) Then I clean my bathroom and make it pretty. Then I 'start my day'. Every day I do one extra cleaning chore (today I super cleaned my bathroom). Every day I do some art, read, look at my blogs and usually run an errand or two. But I don't ever clean my whole house in one day any more. I keep it presentable all the time. WHEW! I'm tired just thinking about all this cleaning. Can we take a break now? Is that iced tea you're drinking? I'll have some of that! heeheehee! Now to read the comments...this is more fun than cleaning for sure! Hugs!

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  4. Oh boy Sandy, I needed this post to shame me into getting more done. When I was young, I raised a child, taught school, did all my Air Force wife duties and kept a spotless house. We also had a Golden so I vacuumed the whole house two times a day! But then I had energy ... not so much anymore. Family health issues have drained me so much in the last four plus years that I'm happy to get up each morning.

    I do like cleaning a whole room at a time. And my most important rooms are kitchen, baths and our bedroom. And if there is time in the week I will clean the guest, George's study and up in the bonus room too. I do the wash every Monday which includes linens too.

    I too had a Mom who you could eat off the floor. Everything was spotless and in it's place. We lived in a very tiny house so I have no idea how she kept it so organized. But, when I married I felt I had to be the same way. And, I did for many, many years. But, then my Mom died at only age 59 and I realized there was so much more to life than just cleaning all the time. So I try now not to be obsessed with it.

    I've never had a house cleaner but would love to try one. But I do have a little helper we have nicknamed "Dusty". He is one of those little Robots that George bought me for Christmas two years ago. When he bought it, he hoped I would use it but thought I would be vacuuming instead of the robot. But, I love my little guy "Dusty" and use him every day. One day he vacuums the kitchen, living room, family room and dining room. And then the next he does the bedrooms and baths. He is now a beloved member of the family.

    When company is coming or we are having dinner guests, I do go into overdrive and clean every room in the house spotless. This usually takes a good three days or more. I do love the feel of a clean house.

    Now as I get older, I enjoy my time stitching, going to the beach and just spending time with my husband. So although my house appears tidy and clean, it needs so much attention. Thanks for giving me a kick in the butt to get going. RJ

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  5. PS: I love your bird stitch too. RJ

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  6. Yes, I too could clean in half a day and get the laundry done too. Now I have a cleaning lady who comes once a month to do the major stuff I'm not able to do with my bad knees. I can't get down on the floor to clean the bathrooms properly or get under and behind furniture. In-between Francheska being here, I do a little dusting and a lot of vacuuming and spot mopping. That's it. When my knees get fixed, I sure hope I can do more! I never did one room at a time. I did the bathrooms, then dusted, vacuumed, then mopped. I found it easier to just get the dusting done all over, then vacuum all over and then mop the rooms tiled. Love your stitching projects!!

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  7. Oh I have so much to say here but it's after midnight and I've just finished keeping 2 granddaughters for 4 days...they are busy busy. And now I've only got a day to prep for big 4th party on Thursday with cataract surgery to follow that. I MUST hit the sack now. But I'll be back.....
    One thing I can guarantee.....I will never clean every day. EVER!!!! Happy 4th to ya!!!

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  8. 1st question: when I pick up the dust cloth, I go through the entire house. When I vacuum, I go through the entire house. When I I clean a toilet, I then proceed to the next toilet, and so forth. Same with cleaning sinks all over the house. I figure the extra walking and going up and down the stairs is good exercise.

    2nd question: no, I do not do it all in one day. I keep on top of clutter build-up every day, which helps a house to look clean even when it’s not. Mondays I launder clothes; Wednesdays I clean bathrooms and wash towels. I wash sheets every other week, and clean floors/carpets on an as-needed basis on whichever day of the week I feel the need.

    3rd question: my weak area here. I do deep cleaning when I see the need and not on a particular schedule. When overnight company is coming, I’ll clean more. (smile)

    Regarding your stitching, I miss the designs and patterns from the very old magazines. Wish I had kept mine but when one moves as much as we have, tough decisions have to be made. Your bird on the horn is wonderful.

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  9. I'm back to read the comments! And I'm always learning from my friends how to do things better. I like doing housework but I try to be balanced about it. Your time is your life...I'm always telling my 'kids' to be careful to spend it wisely. I do a lot of what I enjoy now and I have a sweet hubby that never complains...and that helps me out! Enjoy your day! Oh...and a pair of shorts and t shirt can be a cute outfit here in FL! Hugs!

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  10. Your chickadee stitch is looking fabulous, Sandy! Hmmm...cleaning! I was much better with it when I was working. I don't do it all in one day and really never did except during summer vacations. I will do the vacuuming of the main level at once and/or the dry mopping. I try to wipe down the kitchen each night after dinner. I would love to hire someone to come in quarterly and give it a good deep cleaning. I tend to put it off until company stays. I would rather spend my time with family/friends, a good book or my needle and thread.

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  11. Great post as usual, Sandy. I like to clean each room at a time. I typically do general cleaning in a single day. However, I have certain tasks that I perform on certain days and during certain times of the year. I do wish I knew of an efficient (and EASY) way to clean the blinds.

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  12. Hi Sandy: Mondays I do laundry, Tuesdays I clean the 21/5 baths and kitchen the rest I do on Wednesdays, otherwise I would be cleaning from sunup to way after sun down, I do dusting then vacuuming then wash the floors, (the floors we are wood floors on main level) doing it this way lets me be able to do other things during the day not just cleaning.
    Have a beautiful Fourth.

    Catherine

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  14. Ugh... sometimes I get way too wordy in my comments, so I deleted my first one. I admire anyone who has the drive to keep a tidy house. When I clean, I like to do "Home Blessing Monday," where I do a basic cleaning of the whole house. I can only do what my body is capable of doing each day. Side effects of breast-cancer treatment make being on my feet for long painful, and some days I just hurt all over, so "Home Blessing Monday" sometimes falls on a Tuesday, or like this week, hopefully today (Friday). For some reason, this past week has been especially hard. If it doesn't happen today, I will just have to be OK with that.

    I love the look of your system. I'm a list-maker, too. When I want to deep clean, I make a "wish list" of everything I want to do. It's very satisfying to check things off the list!

    Love your stitch...

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  15. Many years ago, when it was a new pattern, I stitched the chickadee as a Xmas ornament....and it still hangs on my tree every year.

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  16. What an interesting post, Sandy! I have to admit that I've gotten less into cleaning as I've aged. When my three sons were small, I would clean the upstairs and downstairs each and every week without fail. Now, although my house is very tidy, I tend to wait longer to do serious cleanings. Having company (like we did last weekend!) is great for forcing me to really get down to business. I actually love to clean--in college I would even offer to clean my next door neighbor's room because it was so messy it drove me crazy! But, I have learned to let the little things grow like a few dustballs in the corners or streaked windows. In the scheme of thing, it is not that important to me. We don't have pets any longer and I do think that the house just naturally stays cleaner for a longer period of time, too. That being said--I'm off to do the dishes and give the kitchen a quick clean :) Enjoy your weekend!

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  17. I am catching up with blogging, and what a wonderful post to read. I've always loved READING about cleaning, but the actual act has always been a bit more challenging. My mother's brain was built differently. It was as if there was a built in motor, constantly humming and getting it done on a regular basis. She taught all her children how to clean and we rotated chores, but I never really figured out how to plan things so I could easily clean a home of my home that fit my personality.

    After I married I could keep up, but then our DS was born, he hit the toddler years and I was at a loss as life got far more complicated and busier. During a season of frustration I met Marla Cilley the Fly Lady. Her system made complete sense to my brain. Her system was born out of the system of her friends The Slob Sisters. I had tried the sisters' system and failed miserably, but I still love so many of the concepts and mantras that have helped re-train my destructive perfectionistic thinking.

    The Flylady system is hinged on morning, afternoon and evening routines. My morning routine includes things like a basic bathroom cleaning, bed making, litter box, etc. The afternoon routine reminds me to drink water, reboot laundry, the day's zone cleaning, etc. The evening routine finds me putting what I need for the next day on the launch pad (or in car), setting coffee, sweeping kitchen and swiping out the sink.

    Zone Cleaning focuses on individual rooms/areas for an entire week which allows me to focus on the deeper cleaning. She has a list that I have customized for my home and input into my phone. Tasks are checked off as I complete them and the entire list is refreshed once all tasks are complete.

    Mondays are my dedicated day for Weekly Home Blessing. I do tasks like vacuuming, dusting, moping, mirror/door cleaning, taking out trash, ect. It typically doesn't take more than an hour, but what difference it makes to the ambiance of the home!

    This system has made a HUGE difference for me. I don't get it right 100% of the time, but anytime I fall away from these routines I'm able to jump back in where I am. It never takes long to feel at peace in my home. I think cleaning/picking up styles are personality driven, but this is what works for me. I'm never behind since I can just jump back in. I work for only short periods. Because all the cleaning/home management is already planned I never have to figure out what needs to be done. Wishing you the best on your journey. Judy

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I am so glad you stopped by my little blog. Drop in again anytime.
Sincerely,
Sandy