[MissingInAction]

How do you define "clean" at your house?
What does "clean" look like at your house? What does "tidy look like at your house?"


With one of my circle of friends (none have children and neither do we), ours is probably the least clean and least tidy. Everyone else's house ALWAYS looks like it came out of a magazine.

With another circle of friends (some have children, some don't, some are single, some are partnered) ours is probably the tidiest and among the cleanest.

I don't mop often (except for the laundry where the dog sleeps; see my other recent post)... not often at all... i'm often hesitant to even admit how rarely i mop the rest of the tiled areas of the house. Most people I know mop once a week. How often do you mop?
What do you see as necessary cleaning for each day, each week, each month, etc? Do you have a different routine for when you're hosting a big event (eg; a party)? We do... a fly on the wall would definitely know when a party was coming up at our place because I'd be cleaning strange parts of the house that never get cleaned otherwise.

Thoughts?

[MummyIHK]

How do you define "clean" at your house?
What does "clean" look like at your house? What does "tidy look like at your house?"


With one of my circle of friends (none have children and neither do we), ours is probably the least clean and least tidy. Everyone else's house ALWAYS looks like it came out of a magazine.

With another circle of friends (some have children, some don't, some are single, some are partnered) ours is probably the tidiest and among the cleanest.

I don't mop often (except for the laundry where the dog sleeps; see my other recent post)... not often at all... i'm often hesitant to even admit how rarely i mop the rest of the tiled areas of the house. Most people I know mop once a week. How often do you mop?
What do you see as necessary cleaning for each day, each week, each month, etc? Do you have a different routine for when you're hosting a big event (eg; a party)? We do... a fly on the wall would definitely know when a party was coming up at our place because I'd be cleaning strange parts of the house that never get cleaned otherwise.

Thoughts?

My idea of a clean house is floors vacuumed and mopped, bathroom, ensuite, laundry and kitchen cleaned from top to toe, all beds made, house completely dusted ('trinkets' as well as surfaces), no dishes in sink/dishwasher, no stuff lying around, basically everything in its place. (I have had people visit my home on an average day and describe it as 'show home' like and have to admit I love that, it is what I strive for).

Tidy is much the same but with maybe some dishes in the sink/dishwasher and some washing in the washing basket or hanging on the clothes horse drying.

The above is how I like my house but I don't judge other people if they this is not how they like to have their house.

ETA - Monthly jobs for me would be things like cleaning windows, polishing kitchen cabinets (timber), sorting through cupboards etc.

I have my house somewhere between clean and tidy before I will even consider leaving the house each day.

This post has been edited by MummyIHK: 18/01/2013, 08:03 PM

[imamumto3]

I usually vacuum every couple of days and mop weekly. bathrooms are generally done weekly. the kids have toys out but they go back into the toy room each night. things, such as small toys,or drawings usually get dumped on the elevated bit of my kitchen bench.

if I know people are likely to drop over I will do a vacuum and a quick tidy of the kitchen and toys. for a planned function, floors would get vacuumed and mopped, everything put away including the kids art work they leave around (dd loves to draw!) and the dishes in the dish rack. bathrooms would be cleaned.

if I'm running late, or lazy, downstairs will be done but not upstairs as most visitors don't go upstairs.

my house is one of the tidier ones in my groups of friends, but as most of my friends have kids we don't expect to visit and see a perfectly tidy, Not lived in look house.

[~chiquita~]

A massive clean once a week, that includes mopping, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning all surfaces including bathrooms, toilets, showers etc.

Extra cleaning gets done when needed. That is, a piece of mango / biscuit crumbs will be cleaned up immediately, toilets scrubbed and cleaned when needed. Washing is done every two days and hung out straight away, folded when taken off the line. The basket might sit on the kitchen table for a couple of days but will eventually get put away.

I don't have to rush around in a frenzy when a rental inspection is due, because the house is maintained on a weekly basis.

I feel good when my house is clean and tidy.

[blackcat20]

Errr, were probably on the slack side. But we've been dealing with my grandma being in hospital so everything has been pushed aside lately.

But we definitely don't mop weekly. With cats and dogs there's almost no point, it's hairy five minutes later...

[Leeloomina]

Well, let's just say that since having my two kids, my idea of "clean" nowadays would give my former self a rude shock.

We have hard flooring throughout the house. Vacuum once a week. Mop when the underside of my foot turns up grey which is around every 2 months (no shoes allowed in the house). Kitchen is always spotless and the rest of the house is untidy and a little dusty but clean-ish most of the time
But judging from PP's replies we are quite slack

[farfaraway]

I'm the exception amongst my friends. My house is generally both clean and tidy. I have massive anxiety issues about the state of my house so it is generally always in "showroom" condition. It's a very homely showroom though! I also have pretty tidy kids who put things away after they are finished and are really good at quick clean-ups at the end of the day.

Without wanting to sound as judgmental as I undoubtably will, a vast portion of my friends are pretty lax in their cleaning standards (dirty floors, lots of clutter, things not put away, general mess and chaos) and have homes that I would find impossible to live in. But I visit because they are my friends and although we have different styles of housekeeping, that's got nothing to do with why we're friends.

I'm aware of how awful I must sound. Really a nice person, just like a really clean and tidy house!

[BadCat]

Necessary cleaning only involves making sure everyone has some clean clothes and that we have some clean plates to eat off. Everything else is optional. On any given day I may do no housework whatsoever.

I know I'm way below acceptable EB standards. I don't sweep as often as most of you mop. Fortunately we are perfectly comfortable with the lived in look.

[Soprano-Cat]

Necessary cleaning only involves making sure everyone has some clean clothes and that we have some clean plates to eat off. Everything else is optional. On any given day I may do no housework whatsoever.

I know I'm way below acceptable EB standards. I don't sweep as often as most of you mop. Fortunately we are perfectly comfortable with the lived in look.

This! Often, the whole plates scenario is "wash as you require"

vacuuming happens when I start feeling the layer of cat hair is getting too thick.

[F1widow]

The part about looking like a magazine, to me, is more about styling. All our furniture was bought purely for functionality with looks being a secondary consideration. My place has no styling whatsoever.

And, i'll preface this by saying that I am not house proud, at all, but I always clean and tidy when I have guests. To me, it's common courtesy. But otherwise cleaning happens when I get sick of the mess. Rubbish goes out nightly (we have a toddler in nappies) and food doesn't sit around generally but the dishes might sit for a night if rinsed. On the other hand, clean and dirty clothes sit out until we have guests.