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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how many hours you spend on house work each week?

79 replies

LightsPlease · 21/12/2013 14:21

I watch obsessive compulsive cleaners on channel 4. They spend so much time cleanings and although I know its an illness it makes me feel a bit bad about my own cleaning for some reason (that I dont do it enough even though dont really have anything to compare to lol).

I spend about 12 hours give or take a week on cleaning and tidying. Is this alot or a little im not sure.

Also it said on the show that 1 in 4 people have fecal matter on their hands :( .

Its made me even more funny about touching things!

OP posts:
Rufustherednosedreindeer · 21/12/2013 15:17

Oops, I work 4.5 hours a week

Husband leaves the house at 7am and returns from work at 7pm 5 days a week

EBearhug · 21/12/2013 15:19

Rather less than I ought just now. [Looks guiltily towards bathroom.]

Actually, there's a bit of a draught in here just now. A good bit of scrubbing will warm me up.

TheSylph · 21/12/2013 15:22

We have a cleaner for 4 hrs a week and on top of that I probably spend about 1-2 hrs/week on cleaning. Occasionally, I will also do a very deep clean/de-clutter.
In addition I keep on top of tidying, laundry, bins, dishes, swish and swipe cleaning for about 30-45 minutes/day in total. Most of that is down to me (I work about 30 - 35 hrs/wk) but DH will do some dishes (he works more than me).
Does grocery shopping/cooking also count as housework?
I'll guess at 10 hrs/wk in total.
I would like to do more cooking as we have become over reliant on ready-meals/ very basic cooking lately.
I am finally getting to the point where the house is working pretty efficiently and, apart from the kitchen (new one in the pipeline hopefully), there is a place for everything which makes life much easier. I haven't included gardening work or DIY as we don't do that ourselves apart from very minor jobs and it is obviously seasonal/occasional.
I wouldn't say my house is always immaculately clean but it is rarely embarrassing these days. I would be happy to invite in unexpected guests at any time apart from the fact I have grown too attached to my pyjamas.

bonzo77 · 21/12/2013 15:32

I have a cleaner 3 hrs a week. including tidying and wiping as I go, occasional extra big jobs (like cleaning the fridge), laundry, making beds, cooking, food shopping, gardening etc etc I should imagine I'd average at least an hour a day. I'd hate to time it though. DH tidies after dinner, that's it. He is out of the house 8-8 5 days a week. I work one day, out the house from 8.30 til 6.

trinity0097 · 21/12/2013 16:10

If you just mean cleaning not dishwasher loading etc, 0 minutes, but then I pay a cleaner to come for 3 hours a week to do all that! Maybe 10min opthe night before tidying up a bit, but no cleaning! Not used a Hoover in years!!!

Varya · 21/12/2013 16:16

As few hours as possible!

formerbabe · 21/12/2013 16:18

A couple each day....more when kids are at school/nursery. I want to know where the people on that show get the energy to clean for 80 hours a week or whatever it is!

DENMAN03 · 21/12/2013 16:59

I work full time so just spend 10 mins tidying before I go to bed, then 2 hours cleaning house on a sat morning..

Sammi1986 · 21/12/2013 17:07

OH does it, and does the cooking. He works full time hours but in 3 days a week. He tends to look after me due to arthritis and being pregnant, not sure if it will stay once baby is here! Having said that Iv been cleaning non stop for 5 hours today. Not sure why the cupboards needed doing today but they had to be done!

Original poster
LightsPlease · 21/12/2013 17:57

Did someone say their partner works full hours and she works a few hours a week and he does all the housework :0 hope ive misread.

Also in my opinion if husband works full time and you dont than you should do the housework.

OP posts:
cardibach · 21/12/2013 18:02

I'm supposed to do more than an hour? :)
Seriously, I don't do much at all - essential for health stuff is about it. ANd by that I mean bathroom and kitchen surfaces.

MoreThanChristmasCrackers · 21/12/2013 18:06

My dh works partly at home and partly away. I am sahm and H educator.
I'd say a couple of hours per day does the lot.
We all share it though especially the dc, they do age appropriate jobs.

mathanxiety · 21/12/2013 18:10

Coming up to Christmas I sometimes feel the answer is 'not enough'.

About an hour a day does it, as long as everyone else here pulls their weight.

superlambanana · 21/12/2013 18:19

We have a cleaner for two hours a fortnight but I think I'm going to up that to weekly...

Probably spend a couple of hours a week cleaning, more if we have a free weekend (eg I have just spent age scrubbing the kitchen floor).

Added to that we spend about twenty minutes a day (at least) hoovering up the mountains of dog hair...

FlipFlippingFlippers · 21/12/2013 18:24

Me and dh both work shifts so we have no set day to do big cleaning jobs. Feels like we only just pass as "acceptably clean" and are constantly having to keep on top of it all before we just live in a bin. I've just spent about an hour cleaning upstairs and have come down and the kids have trashed the living room Sad

Rufustherednosedreindeer · 21/12/2013 20:05

That was me lights you didn't misread

PointyChristmasFairyWand · 21/12/2013 20:08

Probably less than 3 hours a week, but we have low standards. I'd like to hoover more frequently than we do though.

KrabbyPatty · 21/12/2013 20:13

I reckon I do 2, h does 2 and kids do an hour each.

SnakeyMcBadass · 21/12/2013 20:17

2 or 3 hours a day. I'm a SAHM, and I really like clean and tidy.

FourAndDone · 21/12/2013 20:26

Abou 1/6th of an hour Smile

Rufustherednosedreindeer · 21/12/2013 20:29

Or rather you did misread slightly, he does the bathroom, toilet, loads the dishwasher, few other bits but I do the bulk of it

BertieBowtiesAreCool · 21/12/2013 20:32

Oh funny Rufus, I thought it was me Grin there must be 2 of us.

Housework should be a shared thing, you divide it up however. It's nothing to do with who works what, especially if you've got kids at home.

I don't sit on my arse while DP runs around like a blue-arsed fly trying to get everything done, but it works out he does more than me because I don't think about it as much as he does. We both make an effort but he probably naturally does a bit more.

MaryAnnTheDasher · 21/12/2013 20:36

About an hour a day here in the week and maybe 2 hours a day on weekend. Plus cleaner for 3 hours a week. That's kind of 50/50 between dh and I but in reality I do the vast majority.

Rufustherednosedreindeer · 21/12/2013 20:42

Ooh we are the same bertie

Except I do lie on the sofa while he runs round lie a blue arsed fly Grin

secretsofsanta · 21/12/2013 20:46

I try to do a big ckean fir about 3 hours a week. But agree it is ongoing, so dont know total hours. Do none at weekends.