How Often Do You Clean Your Home?

Hey, that's actually about how often I do everything and am always questioning myself too. I guess they only thing that might make a difference is that you have pets. I have severe pet allergies and know I always appreciate it when I can tell a friend with allergies has run a vacume over the floor right before I came because it helps my allergies a lot.

You're working way too hard, dear. Mopping once a week? Oh, my...that's way more often than I do. Dust? Ha! It's back the next day so I don't do much of that either. My house is always tidy but cleaning is a never-ending job. It's like shoveling snow while it snows....everyone needs to be helping you out, too. You're not the only one living there honey so get everyone doing several chores.

Here's my simple rule of thumb. Clean when it starts to look like it needs it. When I can't walk across the kitchen floor without getting crumbs in my toes, I vacuum. When there are more spots on the floor than I can wipe up with a quick swish of the paper towel, I mop. Dust? I can't keep up, so I don't try to. Bathrooms? We use one more than the others, but I clean them all as I notice little things that need attention. Windows? Inside, about once a year! Outside even less...

Honestly!! GIRL, you are doing fabulous!!! I agree with everyone. I have good weeks and bad weeks. WINDOWS?? I just recently moved from a 3 story home to a 2 bedroom and I have been thankful ever since. I didn't once clean those windows!! I figured if it rained it was clean enough..HAHAHA!!

I'd have to say I sweep at least once a day ( my son and I have allergies, mop twice a week( I have hardwood floors and my daughter is crawling or else it would be once), clean the bathrooms about once a week, kitchen and random pick up house is daily, and luandry(including towels and sheets. I do mine at the luandry mat that way I'm not doing luandry all week and forget about it and it only takes me 2 hours to do 8 loads..BAM!! HAHA) once a week!

I used to be really anal about cleaning everything all the time and "what if" someone came over. Then i realized it was taking sooo long to clean that i wasn't spending as much time as i wanted with my children and husband. So I figure if someone wants to come, they can think whatever they want about my house, and "if" they say something, I'll tell them they can have my job for a week or two(well see how clean it stays)!!!HAHA

I think as long as it's clean enough that know one is getting sick, then it should be clean enough!! Besides you have enough on your plate with the family..

One thing though, do your 2 older girls help with the cleaning??i know by the time I was 13 i was already cooking 3X, kitchen 4x, vacuum once, bathroom once, and doing my own luandry once a week. If not it may be an idea to get them to help they live there too, HAHA! I REALLY hope this helps, and don't worry about it.
oh yeah, I started the "flylady" and it's pretty cool, it's getting easier :-)

N.
SAHM of a 3 year old boy and a 9 month old girl

I think you're doing just fine. I just try to clean from my baby's point of view meaning anything I think that she will need or get into I clean daily. (ie tidy, do dishes and swiffer every day. All other stuff I do weekly. My daughter will eat ANYTHING. Therefore, I have to make sure there is nothing around that she shoudn't eat(like a clump of dog hair). Somehow there are clumps of dog hair DAILY! She tried to eat one...totally freaked me out. Sorry. I don't know what MinL means. Maybe I could have been more helpful. All said, I think you know what you are doing. So don't worry to much about what others think. At least you care enough to ask right?

How often you clean depends on what your definition of dirty is :) To me, it sounds like you are doing a fine job, I would suggest dusting every 5-7 days, especially if you have allergies, and vaccum every 2-3 days for allergies as well. I'm impressed that you clean your windows every month, I'm lucky to get to mine every six months :-}
I agree, that FlyLady has some great info on cleaning and schedules. It's worth checking out her site.

We have 3 full time girls - 14, 10, and 13 months - and 1 part time boy - 9. Also 1 dog. My husband and I both work full time and I work from home part time as well. We live in a trailer, so due to our small space we keep things picked up daily as well as keep the kitchen and the bathroom (dishes, counters, sinks, tub, toilet, floors) done daily. Otherwise it would just look too dirty. We also do a minimum of 2 loads of laundry each day. The other things - finishing the laundry, vacuuming all the other rooms, dusting, changing bed linens, shaking out area rugs, and vacuuming / febreezing all upholstery and curtains gets done on Friday afternoons or first thing Saturday morning so we have our weekend. I use the Swiffer Wet-Jet on my kitchen / bathroom floors because it is fast and easy, and if I have time I try to vacuum the living room every other day but this is because I have a toddler who likes to pick up dust bunnies, dog hair, and dirt clumps and would put them in her mouth if she could!
I don't do windows so you've got one up on me!
Sounds like you are doubting yourself, but don't. This is the routine my family and I have gotten into, and having the older girls do their share helps tremendously. They earn allowance for it. I don't know if your two older kids help out but perhaps you could all set a routine for when they are there? I know that is what helps us - that and since I am kind of a computer geek I made spreadsheets to keep track of who does what and when and they are posted on the bulleting board in our kitchen.
Whatever you do, know that your family is unique and please don't try to pigeonhole yourself into doing what another family does. Try some different things out and as long as the family is comfortable with the level of cleanliness of the house then you're good!Good luck finding what works for you!

I think you are doing a great job. I only wish my house could get cleaned as much. I really detest cleaning. My cleaning lady just quit last week due to pregnancy so i am totally bummed. I am ashamed to say it but sometimes my bathrooms go a month before a real good scrub down takes place. So I think you are doing a fabulous job at once a week. Keep it up. My mom told me that spending time on your kids and family is more important than worrying about the dust bunnies everyday....they will still be there tomorrow

Hello R.,
I believe cleaning house is ones own prefrence. I am a sahm with 2 kids that are in school all day. I clean too much I think, I vaccum on a daily basis we have two cats and a inside dog. I wash every other day, and clean 2 of our four bathrooms on a daily basis as well. I always say to myself , today im not going to do this or that, and I still do it. I think you are doing fine. You have small children at home and its hard to get everything done. We all need to remember that life is too short to be spent cleaning . I do lots with my kids once they are home, but for the most part, the routine stays the same. I mop once a week or when needed. Give yourself a pat on the back, I think your doing fine.
S.

That's about as often as I clean mine! Besides-I wouldn't worry about what other people think, as long as you don't think you are living in a pigsty! The fact that you are asking makes me think that someone made a comment. If that's the case, the next time you get a comment, I would just say that you would rather spend quality time with your children, than have a home like Martha Stewart.

I do the FLYLADY thing, that is when I'm on track. It's really helpful and probably great, especially for someone that is at home and doesn't have a changing schedule. I think your doing great, better than I. But you could check out flylady I'm gonna start it again I just can't handle the chaos in my home anymore.

HI R.-
I clean once a week and whatever gets done gets done! The rest of the week is just picking up here and there and making sure the kids stay on top of their chores. Don't stress, just set some time aside, do it and leave the rest for next week. My outside of the windows haven't been cleaned in one year... does that make you feel better? I know, because we moved in a year ago and I've never cleaned them!
Good luck.

I have four four and under, so what is necessary for me in a day may not be the same for you since your kids are a wee bit older.:) Since I have two that wet the bed, I have sheets every morning, and at least two loads of laundry every day. I dust and wash windows and glass doors once a week, and vacuum the whole house once a week. I have to vacuum under the dining room table every evening because of the food dropped-my toddler amuses himself by flinging his leftovers over the sides of his tray. Dishes I either wash as I go throughout the day, or load into the dishwasher- if I don't they pile up and take over the whole kitchen!! All bedding gets washed once a week. After our fourth baby was born I had to start operating with a daily and weekly routine out of sheer necessity, and I do get a lot done. The Flylady website helped with that immensely. I need to add- i swish out the toilets every morning, because they seem to get disgusting very quickly, and my husband doesn't like that.:) i also live in an upstairs three bedroom apartment and things get messy very quickly if I am not on top of clutter.:) Otherwise, I wouldn't bother with what I would consider some of the peripheral chores as often.

Honestly your doing fine. This is coming from a lady who hates really hates folding cloths. I just through them in my guest room if they want to my husband & daughter can fold but till the help the clothes just get piled in there. I clean when i have time some days i get everything done others i get nothing done but life is busy even for sahm. If your house is clean for you then so what. I have a 2 story house & my windows get cleaned on the inside about ever 6 months outside when it rains. Monthly is wow. That would take me a couple hours.

Sounds like you're doing an awesome job of cleaning! I am NOT a good housekeeper. But I have the good fortune that my mother-in-law was even worse when my hubby was growing up, so he thinks our place looks pretty good by comparison! I just wish I could get it together so I could have people over without 2 weeks warning. Keep up the good work!

Dear R.,
It sounds like you've got a lot going on in your house and if you're able to clean everything that often, you're doing great!

A. G

R. I think that is based on you. Some people are " neat freaks" while others think there are much more important things in life, like spending time with kids, than cleaning. I myself like a clean house. I have cleaning ladies 2x month to help out. I pick up daily and sweep anytime of day permitting.Mostly when the kids go to bed. I also have 2 kids a dog and 2 cats and a fish.I also like to ride horses. I use to follow my kids around and pick up all day then I got smart and waited till they went to bed. One more thing that helped. My husband is a wounderful father. He put the kids to bed while I started cleaning up the kitchen. Now the kids are older and still love the fact their dad puts them to bed and reads stories. It a wounderful memory they will have forever. Hope that helped.

Imagine looking back on this time in your life in twenty years...Will you think, "Boy, I sure wish I had scrubbed the floor more often." Or "I'm sure glad I took time to play with the kids while they were young." You'll remember trips to the park, the fun messes that get made in the kitchen, afternoons when you took the time just to laze around with your family. Chances are you won't remember, and your kids won't care if your house was impeccable. A little dirt never hurt anyone and there are so many more important things to worry about. Don't worry about your house. If someone else worries about it, they can clean it. Enjoy!

Hello R.!
I have a large household (5 children)...plus I run a f/t home childcare/private preschool out of my home so we probably clean more often here than others just for the obvious reason.
But aside from that...I just wanted to add some information that I heard once (not that we ALWAYS follow it to a "T") but interesting just the same...
The info I heard was that a vacuum of the home needs to be done atleast 1x per each household member to cut down on pollutants in the home.
Whether or not this is true...it seems to make good sense.
I would also think that this could apply to dusting too.
Keep up the good work...sounds to me you are doing fantastic at your upkeep with your home.
~D.

Sounds good to me. I don't clean my windows that much. I do dust more though. I dust every week.
Why do you ask? Did someone say your house is dirty? Do you still feel like it's dirty after you cleaned it?
My husband doesn't believe me that he is REALLY messy. I will just clean something and go back to the room later and find it dirty again (i.e. wiskers in the sink, the kitchen sink not washed out, papers on the counter everyone sees). Sometimes I ask him if he does it on purpose. :)
I really think he was going to clean it up but just forgets about it because the kids distract him. (and of course they can't do more than one thing at a time)

R.,
Honestly, it sounds like you do a better job than I do and you have twice as much to deal with! (had kidney trouble and just had to let some things slide to get my rest!) Flylady.net is an excellent source for building a home routine (not just cleaning, but shopping, washing, errands, calendars as well). I've also incorporated my kids home-preschool (letter time, number time, crafts etc) into the routine with great success. Though my kids are just 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 they each have responsabilities. My 3yo washes the cabinets with a little Murphy's and water when we're in the kitchen zone. The 1yo can put his own clothes away in his dresser if they are sorted (BTW 3yo can sort like anything!). I guess we have just made cleaning part of the daily routine and like flylady says "you're never behind, just jump in where you are" Hope this helps!

Great question because I often wonder if others clean more or less with big families like ours. I think everyones home looks cleaner than ours, no matter what I do! We have 4 children 4 dogs and 3 cats and 1 fish. Our horse doesn't live with us though! We have a one story home.

I clean our bathrooms (sanitize, tidy up) every day lately. I have had really BAD all day nausea with my pg and I can't stand the thought of barfing in a dirty toilet. Ironic huh?

Laundry is done on Thursday and Friday with lighter loads every day. I LOATHE LAUNDRY but am thankful for my front load/ef washer and dryer because they get a work out. Kid laundry done on Thur, ours on Friday. My two oldest now know to put it in the washer and I take it from there. They are in charge of putting it away. It may not always get folded but its part of their allowance and it helps SO much. My two youngest DD's need it more frequently due to potty accidents,etc.

Vacuum once a week. Two if its bad. Mopping is done once a week with touch ups as needed.

Dusting~my huge weakness because I forget and put it off until its our of control, lol. Since we moved here, I am amazed at how dusty Tucson is, especially with the desert behind our house. I like using orange oil because it makes the wood furniture look cleaner longer:)

Last but least~kitchen. It gets cleaned as I go otherwise I end up crabby and stressed out. But clutter seems to find its way to the counters and by the end of the week, it has to go.

Best wishes and it sounds like you are doing a great job!!

Girl, let up on yourself! A clean house is a sign of an unlived life. I have high standards for my house, but with a hubby, kid, 4 dogs, a cat, a snake, and a fish, and I don't clean any more often than you do. Dust bunnies are our friends! You'll have plenty of time to clean once the kids are grown.

I would agree with the other comments that it sounds like you are doing a good job. I am wondering if your concern is more about your MIL than cleaning. If so, our opinions are not going to matter much. It can be a difficult situation living with MIL in the house, especially if you both do not agree with the cleaning schedule. Good luck

i'll help you feel better- my kitchen is clean most everyday. the main bathroom is clean about every other week, and i haven't cleaned our bathroom in a month. i can't remember the last time i did windows. i'm a wahm, and i'd rather play with my kids in my free time than clean. however, a bit of advice: are your kids helping out? my 7 year old cleans the toilet once a week and unloads the dishwasher everyday. my 5 yr old folds laundry & picks up. everyone picks up after dinner. with kids your kids ages, i sure hope the load is being shared, it teaches them a lot about family responsiblity, work ethic and they won't grow up not knowing how to clean (really- i could tell you stories about roomates...)

Personally, I think that is enough. I am not in love with cleaning and if I could afford it I would hire a housekeeper! But deep cleaning once a week and picking up once a day seems just fine to me. I think everyone is different. Some people really like to clean and there houses are always perfect but I have learned that I am just not one of those people so if my house is clean enough than I am happy with that.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your current cleaning process. I can't say that I do it that often. If you are happy with your home, that is all that matters.

I can't give any cleaning advice, I have "good weeks" and "bad weeks" in that department. But have you ever heard of FlyLady? There is a website www.flylady.net where she teaches, what I think is a fun and life changing cleaning/organizing system. She also has a fantastic book called "Sink Reflections". YOu could probably get it from your library. Again, I have good weeks and bad weeks with this, but when I am good and following her system, my life is so much less chaotic!!

Good luck,
J.

I've often wondered the same thing. As a single mom to three young boys and a puppy, I've had to accept that I couldn't do it all. Now, I confidently admit...I have a clean house, but not a neat one. I wash clothes all week long, but I don't fold but once a week (hence my love seat full of clean laundry). I do dishes each night and I sweep several times a week. I vacuum once a week and mop once every two weeks (I spot clean the floor each night though). I clean the bathrooms daily by wiping everything down with a towel after my shower. But, I give a good cleaning every two weeks. I should also mention, I only have my kids 50% of the time (I share custody). Sheets get changed weekly, but with potty training...sometimes it's daily. R., don't feel badly about your housekeeping. Focus on your kids and your happiness. I think we would all feel better about ourselves if ABC did a realty show on motherhood.

Dear R., your house sounds spotless :)

Hi R.,

I have a two story with 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, 4 children that I homeschool and I am not a natural cleaner or organized person. I recently put in a request on organizational tips and I got about 34 responses. A lot of the ladies recommended flylady.net. Going through her website in one visit can be overwhelming but I signed up to receive her emails daily. She sends a lot of emails but you only spend about 2 minutes just reading them. She breaks down the cleaning projects and gives you tips on how to complete them quickly. I've only been doing this for a couple of weeks but I already notice a huge difference. You can click on my name and read my request and advice for this. It has been such a blessing to me and a huge help. I hope this helps. Good luck to you and have a wonderful day! :)

Blessings,
Jaimee

Cleaning our homes is important. Good for you for being so diligent and thorough. One of the difficulties of frequent cleaning though are the exposures from the chemicals within the cleaners. Some cleaners have nasty things in them (are smell too). One of the biggest triggers for asthma and allergies is dust build up.
I work in environmental health and can tell you what I trust for my family. Since switching brands for cleaning products and personal products, we have noticed a hug difference.
Email me and I'll tell you more about this company.
M. ____@____.com

Someone once told me that housework is simple provided your standards are low enough :) I have found that if I straighten it to where I can live with it and then do a really thorough cleaning once a month, I can deal with that. Also the Roomba has saved me from the constant vacuuming. You still have to vacuum with a regular vacuum occasionally, but not nearly as often.

Hi R.,
That is better than what I do! I am trying to vacuum more even though I hate vacuuming the most! Ideally floors get mopped once a week -- but don't hold me to that! I do a really good job on the bathrooms! I have those wipes and use them almost every day!
Sounds to me like you are doing a great job!
S. Fritz
Get Fit and Fab with S.
866-508-2910
www.milliondollarbody.com/getfitandfab

Hi R.,
Sounds like you're doing a great job. That was how much and how often I cleaned my home when I lived on my own! Now that I have just one baby and one husband to look after, I'm lucky if I get the vacuuming done once a month! Actually, I need to revise that. When I lived with cats and dogs the vacuuming, sweeping and mopping was done once every two days. Oh, that shedding hair! Can you farm out jobs to the kids? A 13-year-old should be a good vacuumer (as long as the other kids do their bit, too!)

You asked, "Is this enough?" It's completely up to you and your family. It's not a right or wrong answer. Some people don't care about cleanliness very much, and so what's enough to them isn't enough to someone else who may be more fastidious. Balance is personal for each one of us.

But since you asked, from an outsider's opinion what you do sounds pretty good and it's about what I do. I wish my floors were cleaner, but they get messy as soon as I clean them and it feels pointless to clean them every day (my SIL sweeps/mops her floors every day, but the rest of her house looks cluttered and messy, so what's important to one person isn't to another person). Of course your husband's desires and comfort is important too and needs to be taken into consideration. And hopefully he helps out as well. My level of cleanliness is higher than my husbands and so I don't expect him to be held to my standards since it isn't important to him. But since it is important to me, he helps out. Kind of a mutual respect that works out nicely.

Also, check out www.flylady.net for good ideas on routines and cleaning schedules to help streamline your cleaning and keep the house looking nicely with minimal effort. I do a super quick clean of my bathroom more than once a week, and then I rarely have to do a deep down clean.

I have a swivel sweeper that I use almost every day for big bread crums, some dry spilled cereal and other stuff. Then about once a week I sweep to every corner and mop. Unless of course something spilled, then I mop right then and there. I vacuum about once a week (I have a two story house). I do bathrooms twice a week, by try to keep clutter to the minimum, even if this means only shoving it up under a counter. But I do the kitchen every day. Clean counters. I have a basket in one corner of the counters, so that if I can't put something away immediately, I put it there. I'll have to confess some times it's pretty full and I have to sit down and go through it, but it's not very often. Some times I'd go to a friend's house and it's so clean and immaculate. But then I think that they don't have kids, or they are all grown up. Then I'll go to another friend's house and it looks like mine, and I don't have to worry about my little one's every step, if he's going to knock something over. And I agree with the other comment. When you look back, you won't wish you had cleaned more, but you'll remember how you enjoyed yourself. I have tried to keep it cleaner, but with two boys, the only one who suffers is me, from the frustration of not keeping it that way. But when anyone comes over, they are always understanding that I have kids, and they really didn't even expect me to have an immaculate home. It was just me who was stressing about it, when no one else cared! So don't worry about it. And it's true, the cleaner and more disinfected you keep your home, the more likely your kids are to be sick. If we keep them in a bubble, their immune systems will not resist the pollutants outside our homes. That's why I only use water and soap, and maybe a little chlorine in the toilets. Other than that I think we owe ourselves a break. I think you are doing great.
Good luck!

I vacuum every 2-3 days because we have an indoor dog. I hate it, but my husband wants a nice looking yard. (He doesn't get the irony of the whole situation.) I do a big clean once a week and try to tidy up the rest of the week. It is a little hard since I work full-time. My husband doesn't really help around the house all that much...I've tried discussing the inequity, but I'm still trying to train him :) It sounds like you are doing a good job.

K.

It sounds like were in similar situations. I'm a SAHM with 3 kids 4 and under. My parents live with my hubby and I as well in our 2 story house. My perspective on this is that you do what you can to get by. I try to clean whenever I get a little time, but that is few and far between. Like many others have said there are good weeks and bad weeks, but the key is that you've done what you've needed to do. I try not to stress over the cleaning, it will always be there. If you forget to vacuum today, it will still be there tomorrow... and you know what, even if you vacuum today, it will still need it again tomorrow. You haven't lost anything by putting another priority first. When it starts to get pretty bad (which for us mostly means toys and things strewn about) I will declare a clean up day. The kids don't love to clean, but they know I don't make them do it every single day. So they're good helpers and they know once we're done it is time to relax snd do what they want. We hit each bedroom and the living room and they get all the toys put away, pick up any trash and laundry and whatever else we come across. Then once they've done their share and get to take a break the floor is all picked up ready for vacuuming or mopping or whatever. I try to build some time for me to clean up into every day. Example: Send the kids outside after lunch so I can take care of the dishes. We do what we can, but bottom line the kids are the most important. It sound like you're doing a terriffic job. I think many of us are just proud to get any one of those things done and if you're getting most of it done, it is commendable.

Hey R., I have 5 kids ages 10,9,7,4,2. I make them do that stuff!!! And they have to do it before school or they have dog poop (picking up after the dog) duty out in the back yard. I have my 9yr. in charge of the sink and mirrors and floors in the kids bathroom upstairs, and the entire downstairs bathroom as well. She knows she has to take the dissinfecting wipes to the toilet daily as well as the sink if needed. And the mirrors if needed. My 10yr. is in charge of picking up the whole loft as well as the downstairs family room, that includes dusting and vacuuming when needed. My 7yr. boy is in charge of the toilet and floor in the kids bathroom (mainly because he can't seem to keep his stink'n pee IN the toilet.) and he picks up the office. my 4yr empty's the dishwasher every morning. They do all this as well as there bedrooms. And I can almost always count on one of them not doing there chore before school, so I will inevitably get the poop from the dogs picked up in the backyard. It works for me. With the bathrooms in my house and haveing 3 boys, my bathroom toilet HAS to be cleaned daily. hehehe. Good luck, hope this might help. :)

Rachelle

Clean? What's that?

Sorry...I couldn't resist :-D

I have 4 kids (3,3,2,1) and our house is similar to yours size wise and petwise. What you describe is about what I do. I basically clean up clutter and wipe down my counters daily, I vacuum daily because of my dogs and I have to do dishes and laundry daily to keep up with everything. After that, I clean what looks dirty--its all I have time for! I actually wrote a blog about this once based off of a Parenting article I read:

Neglecting to dust or vacuum.... apparently, "the dust you see isn't what causes allergies or asthma. The real culprits are dust mites and other microscopic particles that settle in carpets, bedding and upholstery." They go on to say, "forgetting to vacuum may be a blessing in disguise. Vacuums stir up irritating fragments, like animal dander and other allergens." So in other words, the dust you see all over my tv and bookcases is left there ON PURPOSE so as not to stir up irritating fragments...

R. I think that us Mama's are the one's worried about a clean house-usually company doesn't even notice if it's clean or not-I do notice other people's houses but that's just me. I vacuum once a week, sweep every couple days and mop once a week, the bathrooms are cleaned once a week but wiped down every other day or as needed. Laundry for my family of 5 is usually a load or so a day, but then there's weeks that I have to take one day and do 8-10 loads (yuk). Dishes are done daily and the kitchen is kept as clean as I can. Bathtubs are washed as I see a ring and sheets are not changed but probably once a month (honesty-I hate it) unless otherwise needed before that, just the last thing on my mind...and to be really honest, the kids sheets are done after mine. Sounds like I need to do my sheets more often, huh?! I think you're doing fine; really. ;o) o I forgot dusting, ha, only when I see that it needs to be done-probably every 2 weeks or so & windows are hubbys responsibility and those are done usually around this time of year and that's it.
btw If you have any microfibre towles and rubbing alcohol that combo works just as good as windex and is cheaper ;)