to ask you how clean your house is?

[NaomiCharles]

Long time lurker here and only just plucked up the courage to create my own account... I see a lot of threads where people post regarding their standards of cleanliness/tidiness and there is more often than not, a disputed regarding 'the norm', which has prompted me to join and ask:

• how clean is your house?
• how clean is your car?
• do you clean it yourself?
• do you hire a cleaner?
• what do you do to make cleaning more enjoyable? (I bloody hate it!)

My house is fairly clean but I can see dust building up in corners and my windows need washing. My car is horrid. It's disgusting and I'm getting it valeted on Monday! I'm dreading the looks on their faces when they see it. I can't afford a cleaner, so clean myself, and have yet to find a routine or way to make cleaning fun/easy/more enjoyable...

[Camomila]

I'd say both house and car are 7/10 on the cleanness scales.
I do most of the cleaning (SAHM) and DH helps too. DS 'helps'
I don't mind tidying but I hate cleaning.
If/when I go back to work we are getting a cleaner.

[ifonly4]

We're down to only two in the house at moment and no pets, and that makes a massive difference. I wouldn't say it's spotless, but if I found I had visitors in an hour, there's no need to rush around cleaning. Now if you asked me being tidy, there's always something that needs tidying - if I'm inspired.

When

[thecatsthecats]

My house is pretty clean.

I have a cleaner 2h a week. We keep it tidy inbetween. I don't clean much at all (I am not what you'd call an adventurous cook and manage to confine my mess to one tiny part of the surface - the rest of it is barely touched and stays gleaming all week! A large kitchen is wasted on me.).

It's an easily cleaned house - no kids, two unadventurous cats, two owners whose hobbies involve very little 'stuff' or muck. I'd usually need no more than 15m max to get the whole house guest ready.

My car is my sanctuary of filth. The contrast shocks people! Nothing actually grim or rotting, but permanently dirty on the outside and permanently messy on the inside.

[bawbles]

Oh and I would add I think it's such a good investment having nice cleaning tools. I used to pull a heavy corded vacuum around plus a mop bucket and wet mop and a lot of time was spent plugging in, moving cords, filling and emptying bucket.

I bought a cordless lightweight stick vacuum that can also be used as handheld for stairs/car and one of those spray mops and I don't dread doing it now hence I vacuum and mop 3x as frequently as I did previously.

[bawbles]

I used to try and fail to do a weekly clean.

I think the daily methods (Flylady or TOMM) are so much easier/more achievable

I also try to follow the 'one touch' rule so when I come in I hang my coat up rather than put over a chair then have to pick it up again. Putting pot in kitchen straight into sink/dishwasher rather than on side next to it etc.

I clean daily, usually set google timer for 15 mins in one room (loosely follow TOMM) so today is living room and that time is plenty to vacuum, dust, mop, shine mirror and window. If there's time left I will clean the candle jars (mine always go black at tops) scrub radiator marks or skirting etc.

Biggest help for me is always tidying as I go, toys away every night when dc in bed before sitting down.

I recall someone years ago saying 'remember that panic clean you do when you know an unexpected guest is going to arrive in the next few minutes and what a huge difference it can make' that's how I go with the timer daily and it doesn't take up much time. Bathrooms particularly always look clean provided you tidy surfaces and do a 30 second wipe around daily.

Also I'm pretty organised and hate losing stuff so if the house is messy I waste so much time looking for things - I prefer everything in it's place.

[3catsadogaboyandahubby]

how clean is your house? I just asked the dust bunnies and they think it's okay

• how clean is your car? You mean the skip on wheels?!
  

• do you clean it yourself? Yup. No help from the husband
  

• do you hire a cleaner? God, I wish. No money spare, unfortunately.
  

• what do you do to make cleaning more enjoyable? Envisage eviscerating people who annoy me while doing the physical jobs, or putting rock music on LOUD and doing the housework to that. Otherwise, mutter under my breath.

[Severide08]

Nooks not books .

[Severide08]

Mine is fairly tidy .I have an old house so do constant battle with spiders as lots of books and crannies. I don't mind spiders at all but do not like cobwebs. I also have dogs and cats ,cat litter they love to do what yours do Bluelonerose I work part time so use my car a lot so that at the moment is pretty tidy. DC's bedrooms no soon they tidy they look like whirlwind gone through. I do mop and hoover everyday without fail because of the dogs malting at the moment. Bathroom and kitchen daily .We are going to decorate soon .The trouble with old houses they never do look spotless no matter how hard you try but I love my house .

[MariaMadita]

I HAVE CATS, SO MANY CATS, USELESS BLOODY CATS WHO CANNOT CATCH MICE OR WHO CATCH THEM AND AND LET THEM GO AND WATCH THEM RUN AND HIDE IN MY LARDER.

;)

We once had a mouse as well (mice?)

And it had some of our cat's kibbles in its nest, so the whole pest prevention thing was a bust.

It didn't want to go into the (humane!)mousetrap either. We ultimately had to chase it into the trap. Which actually worked

[babyarz]

We both work FT - I always try and do a "room a day" after work on an evening for a quick clean (10 mins) and ensuring it's tidy and normally have a deep clean about once a month. I just put on some music and it makes it better - although wouldn't say its "enjoyable!" but has to be done.
My car on the other hand is a mess.... I do a 32 mile commute every day so even if I tried to keep it clean it wouldn't! Cars will always get dirty.

[PeppermintPasty]

Well, my larder is bloody pristine as I discovered an effing mouse has been living behind my freezer and leaving poo and wee everywhere so I spent all frigging Sunday clearing everything out and scrubbing it to bits. I HAVE CATS, SO MANY CATS, USELESS BLOODY CATS WHO CANNOT CATCH MICE OR WHO CATCH THEM AND AND LET THEM GO AND WATCH THEM RUN AND HIDE IN MY LARDER.

Sorry, I have no one to rant to in rl apart from my long suffering dc, and they do not give a damn, and yes, neither do you but thanks anyway!

Pheeeww. That's better.

[Jellylover]

Jellylover's mum: you're not very house proud are you love?
Jellylover: I'm really proud of my house mum but I'm just not that keen on tidying it

That conversation made me think though and I spent several months decluttering using the Mario Kondo method. It felt great and my mental health improved - I took photos on my phone of old concert tickets, programmes, kids toys, etc that all held special memories and took the stuff to the charity shop or recycled. Now I flick through the photos regularly and get pleasure from the memories but without holding the stuff or having to find another bookcase to fit it all into.

I employed a couple to clean for two hours each a week (5 bed house) and they are great. I tidy before they come but they strip and remake the beds, clean throughout and leave the house smelling heavenly.

Works for me.

[TotHappy]

YES we have old house and it is much harder!

[thelasttudor]

I live in a really old house and I do think it is a lot harder to keep clean, plus everything is 20 years old so looks tatty no matter how hard you try.

[Frequency]

To answer the rest of your questions; I don't have a car, I can't afford a cleaner but my mother used to run her own cleaning company and is now bored and retired so has appointed herself my own personal organiser and cleaner. I'm the only family local who will put up with her (she's every full on when it comes to cleaning and organising) so she helps keeps the bits I hate doing looking okay. She comes 3-4 times a week for a couple of hours. She was also ill last week and didn't come, hence the build up of mess.

I don't mind cleaning. I hate tidying and putting stuff away. Music helps, and just doing it. The longer you sit thinking about it, the more of chore it becomes. Tackle one job at a time rather than an entire room and it seems more manageable.

Or call my mum to come round, your house will be spotless within the hour, you'll be quite dizzy by it all and a bit worn out even though all you've done is watch and I'll have some peace. It's a win-win

[Frequency]

Yesterday my house was a midden. It was my last official week at college, so I had lots of finishing off bits to do and my former employer offered me a few shifts and I was ill at the start of the week.

I washed up, cleaned the counters, swept the floors and dealt with recycling and the piles of crap the kids like leaving everywhere last night so it went from midden to mildly untidy and a touch grimy in places. I wouldn't be deathly ashamed to open the door if the meter reader popped round but I wouldn't actively invite anyone around either.

I'm going to mop floors, hoover and clean the bathroom today so we'll get back to normal but it never looks nice, I'm in the process of decorating and with limited funds and time it is a long, long process.

[thegreylady]

My house is cluttered but quite clean. My car is cluttered and quite dirty.
We have a cleaner once a week and she does floors etc. I clean kitchen surfaces and toilets daily.
The main problem is what my dh calls ‘old bus ticket syndrome’ where I can’t bear to throw away things I have a sentimental attachment to like a bus ticket from a trip with my mum(who died in 1993). I can’t throw away any photograph at all. The loft is stuffed to the rafters and I am sure you will understand when I say I have stuffed bookcases in almost every room.

[morningconstitutional2017]

I absolutely HATE housework - having been forced to dust every Saturday morning as a child (almost the entire ruddy house I tell you) so I rarely do so now.
The important bits are clean - kitchen worktop, chopping board, crockery, utensils, etc and the toilet/bathroom.
BUT there is fluff on the skirting boards and I don't vacuum anywhere near as much as I should. If I drop food on the floor it goes straight in the bin. You wouldn't get poisoned here but you might have to move a fluffy cat blanket to sit down. I call it happy and relaxed.

[ZispinAndTurmericLatte]

Nowhere near as clean as a child-free house should, especially given how much time I'd have to clean it.

It's been vacuumed yesterday. The kitchen and bathroom are pretty clean (I wouldn't eat off the floor, though). But there's cat hair sailing around, and clutter on surfaces, and probably dust on top of things. It's clean enough for me, but not so clean I wouldn't have a massive tidy up if someone was coming round.

[user1471426142]

We’re struggling with ours at the moment. With an hour’s notice we can make it look acceptable for visitors but a lot of the time it is a bit of a state. When it’s just us, it’s fine but it’s an effort to catch up after having visitors.

[SluttyButty]

I just found The organised mum videos on YouTube. So now I'm avoiding cleaning up by watching the videos...

It's compulsive viewing

[MERLYPUSSEDOFF]

My house is a tip. We can't even get into our box room. OH is a hoarder. No room in our garages for our cars.

I have a cleaner for 2 hours a week.

My house is clean(ish) but cluttered. Would have to spend 1/2 hour cleaning the dining table of the kid's homework and projects before we could sit to eat (use kitchen table everyday so that's always clean)

My car is full of emergency stuff so I can run a scout's evening at the drop of a hat.

We are happy though.