Please tell me the bare minimum

[thecakebadge]

...of how frequently I should do these things before I should get environmental health involved.

I don’t have particularly high cleaning standards as a general rule although I like to think I’m not totally gross. I’m currently 11 weeks pregnant with DC2 and suffering really badly with all day nausea, it just never goes away. DD (nearly 2) is still a terrible sleeper and generally quite hard work and I’m having to look after her most of the time at weekends as my DH is trying to do up our house which we just moved into, before the baby comes (this all sounds like awful timing now I type it out!). I’m getting next to nothing done around the house, most stuff is being done by DH in between everything else he’s doing (cooking, washing up etc). People keep telling me to ‘just lower my standards’ but I’m pretty sure they can’t go much lower. So how often can I get away with doing these things before it just becomes disgusting?!

1. Change bedding
2. Change/wash towels
3. Basic bathroom clean ie. wipe down sinks, clean toilets (just typing that makes me want to vom)
4. Proper bathroom clean including shower, tiles, bath
5. Vacuuming
6. Mopping (all of downstairs is hardwood flooring)

Who is going to know how often you've done anything? Do it when it get to the ppint that it bothers you. I've gone for several weeks between bed changes at times of being overwhelmed, it didn't make me unwell, no-one knows or cares. Clean stuff when you notice it needs cleaning not when you think you should. Be kind to yourself, you've got a lot going on.

Definitely worth considering a cleaner coming once a week or even once a fortnight to take the pressure off you if that’s something you could afford?

I think ‘lower your standards’ is deliberately vague as you basically do it as often as you can manage, which is A LOT less often than some PPs are suggesting once baby #2 arrives, and even less after subsequent kids. You do what you can, and know that secretly, MANY people are doing less than they say they are. Congratulations!

Nothing gets done regularly. If something looks dirty or niffs a bit I will change/wash/dust it. Otherwise - what the hell.

And all this bleach that people are flinging down their toilets beggars belief.

Most things about once a week. DH does most of it while I take the dc to swimming lessons. I change a set of bedding every week - the children’s one week, ours the next.

Thanks all, interesting to see how it differs... I think we might have to consider a cleaner (although I did have another thread a few days ago about saving money as we are about to take pay cuts but it might be worth it).

My GP says they won’t prescribe anti sickness tablets unless I’m getting dehydrated from throwing up (which I’m not). However I’m under consultant care like I was with DD and my consultant is much more liberal in dishing out the tablets and I’m due to see her in about 10 days so I’m hoping she’ll take pity on me and give me something.

@Mischance

And all this bleach that people are flinging down their toilets beggars belief.

Sometimes needs must....

I'm 8 weeks pregnant and have a 3yo and no way am I cleaning bedding once a week. That is not a 'bare minimum' time frame imo.

Just take it easy on yourself. Don't worry about what others are doing.

@MJMG2015

Really it doesn't matter what anyone else does/thinks, only you two, so don't worry about keeping it to others standards!!

1. Change bedding

I change mine several times a week in the summer, usually only once a week in the winter. BUT I used to work in a ski resort & the staff (despite having laundry facilities) would go weeks/months & some a whole season without changing them (and there was a LOT of bed sharing going on!!). As far as I know, in the many years I worked there, none of them were unwell from it in any way.

1. Change/wash towels

Ditto bed sheets.

1. Basic bathroom clean ie. wipe down sinks, clean toilets (just typing that makes me want to vom)

Me- Wipe around daily, proper clean once a week minimum

Ski staff, staff quarters. See bedsheets...

1. Proper bathroom clean including shower, tiles, bath

As above

1. Vacuuming

As above

1. Mopping (all of downstairs is hardwood flooring)

Hoovered/swept most days. Steam mop maybe once/twice a week. Depending on how it looks. Daily with crawling baby.

Ski staff...'you need to clean the floor?'

There's quite a lot that can be left fir 6 months if you're more interested in skiing/sex/drinking. There's a lot that can be done daily if you're a bit 'anal'. Anything in between is just what you can tolerate!

But with a toddler I'd do as much as I was able, to keep it clean for them. Laying/playing on

Does she not like to 'help'. It takes longer, but you do get there in the end!!

That made me laugh.

And I agree. It is totally possible to not do ANY cleaning at all for a very long time. (See above).

I also think that some stuff will be more important and will vary from one person to the next.
A clean worktop in the kitchen and nice clean bedsheet are my minimum. Some people, it will be the bathroom. What is yours @thecakebadge

@OhToBeASeahorse

OP seriously dont ask this question here. You'll just get the nut jobs that think you need to use 17 towels to dry yourself and wash them all immediately otherwise you are basically a walking health disaster.

No one died from a bit of dust. Prioritise the germy stuff but make life easy for yourself. Get some.baby friendly anti bac wipes or a spray for your change mat and highchair. Have a bottle of toilet cleaner and a toilet brush in your bathroom and do as needed. Try to wipe down the kitchen surfaces when you can see mess. A cordless hoover makes hoovering really quick but it doesnt need to be done every day.

Other thing I would say is prevention is better than cure. Dont have shoes on round the house. Only let your toddler eat in their chair. Cook stuff that requires minimal washing up.

The voice of reason :-)

These threads astound me.

1)bedding once a week.
2)Towels -fortnightly. Hand towels and tea towel - weekly.
3) & 4) bathroom - weekly.
5) vacuuming - weekly
6) mopping - weekly.

If you have a crawler is there a chance to keep one room cleanish and tidy and let all the standards slip elsewhere?

I did three house renovations with young DC. Having one clean sanctuary helped.

We did full rennovations and the dust settling went on for months - the dirt generated was far higher than in normal living conditions.

There are mops that you pop a wipe over the bottom and run round - something like that in just the one room as necessary could keep things nice.

This may sound a little obvious but just because you strip a bed you don't need to wash it, especially if its your little one you're worrying about. So long as you have a few spare sheets just have a big sheet wash once in a while. Sheets hung over doors when dry don't have to be ironed. They function as sheets just as well when not completely crumple free.

I'd change a drooling or snotty toddlers sheet weekly or more with accidents, cover fourtnightly and my own fourtnightly or three weekly - sheets weekly or more if its sticky in summer.

Again we have a towel cupboard and a few sets each. They get thrown in a dirty towel pile in the utility and every so often a load goes on. We just grab a clean one if we want one. Things like hand towels tend to get grim after a few days in our house of five but bath sheets far less so and we tend to have our own. They definately go more than a week.

We basically do all of that once a week (but don't do number 3)

All these people bleaching toilets and spraying sinks daily? How is that good for the environment?

and only using tea towels/hand towels just the once?

just show how mad MN is!

1. 2 weekly
2. weekly 3)every day 4)every other week 5)every other day upstairs, every day downstairs 6)every day

1. Change bedding. Fortnightly unless very hot (thus sweaty) or it needs doing for a reason
2. Change/wash towels. Weekly ish
3. Basic bathroom clean ie. wipe down sinks, clean toilets (just typing that makes me want to vom). Weekly but I put cleaner down loo daily.
4. Proper bathroom clean including shower, tiles, bath. Monthly
5. Vacuuming. When it gets disgusting, fortnightly I suppose.
6. Mopping (all of downstairs is hardwood flooring). As 5.

Good lord! I thought i was being a bit precious about my minimum but clearly other people would faint at the state of my house! Tbh if push came to shove my standards would fall further - much further! Why does a loo need to be that clean? It’s where you shit!

Fortnightly for everything except washing towels, sticking some cleaner down the loo and hoovering the kitchen floor.

You can reduce a lot of work by not being too messy eg shoes off at the door, emptying the dishwasher in the morning if you have one so it can be loaded as the day goes on, sweeping up any bits dropped on kitchenfloor that get dropped.

I am a natural sloth & it's all fine

I can’t let things get too out of hand because I have a small house, it’s painfully obvious when things haven’t been done. Also just to say I don’t necessarily have to do these in my timeline, my husband can cover these

@Onekidnoclue I think we could be friends

Once a fortnight for everything unless dog is moulting or it's been muddy in which case we Hoover a bit more regularly.

When I was pregnant something had to give. People will think I'm slovenly but we never have visitors so no one to offend. Husband is pretty busy at work between spring and autumn although hes in charge of hoovering and washing up.

I had terrible HG mostly triggered by the smell of water. I still only shower every other day, strip wash in between.

One bear

1. Change bedding
When I remember. I change DC’s bedding every couple of weeks. Only DH sleeps in the spare room so I figure that’s his problem, he leaves it for months at a time.

2. Change/wash towels
This is the one thing I do regularly every few days. Usually because they’re wet or I’ve dried the dog on them.

3. Basic bathroom clean ie. wipe down sinks
Never. It’s a full clean or nothing.

4. Proper bathroom clean including shower, tiles, bath
Maybe once a month? I’ve never done it, I just leave it until it annoys DH enough for him to do it.

5. Vacuuming
When there are crumbs or dirt. Then I figure as I’ve got the hoover out I might as well have a quick run round.

6. Mopping (all of downstairs is hardwood flooring)
Once a month maybe. In between I’ll get a cloth and rub any particularly bad footprints.

I don’t do much cleaning as you can see. I think the chemicals are unhealthy. I actually stay out of some rooms in the house so I don’t have to clean them. DH thinks this is ridiculous and I tell him if he’s the only one using those rooms then he has to clean them himself.

@mogtheexcellent What is HG and what does water smell like?