Only deep clean once a year

[newhome123]

AIBU to only deep clean once a year i.e windows, doors and skirting boards etc

Mate, I'm sorry but this is unacceptable! What kind of pleb only deep cleans once a week!!!!!!!!! Surely that's so unhygienic, especially with children. As an experienced housewife I know that's not enough, my dearie, best of luck improving your lifestyle. I don't mean to sound rude my dear x

@JessieMcJessie
Nope, just cleaning the bathtub with bleach after every shower is unrealistic and probably not very healthy. Plus as we only really use it as a shower, there’s really no point wasting half an hour every night.

In our current place (pre-cleaner), the skirting boards don't seem to pick up much dirt, even with cats.

I didn't clean my skirting boards in the year we were in our last place and JESUS CHRIST they were filthy. So it must vary.

It's still bloody rude to say that someone's 'must be filthy' though.

Are the houses of the deep-cleaners really small or new builds? Unless they are, you are a martyr to a pointless cause.

Aspen I live in a medium sized, old house (?? Three decent bedrooms, massive bathroom, fairly big kitchen, big living room and conservatory). If I don't wipe down the skirting boards then they get dusty after a week or so and look dirty after 2 weeks or so. I use a damp cloth then a dry cloth. It takes perhaps 10 seconds longer to wipe round the skirting than to walk around the room- so the time it takes to walk around during the room twice, plus a bit. Hardly martyrdom.

I follow the Organised Mum method so I clean most “not main” things 1 every 8 weeks

But have a 5yo and 2 cats so hair and glitter tends to accumulate faster than that around here!

Googled Organised Mum Method.
Got as far as “everyday essential tasks”. Saw that it included cleaning the toilet. This is meant to make my life EASIER?

Closed page.

@Jessie I did exactly the same thing.

HMC.
I buy those pound shop tablets to go in the cistern (not the blue ones, I am not 70). That’s about as Organised Mum as I am going to get!

Every day? Does a squirt of bleach count?

DH deep cleans every Sunday (not windows though as we live three storeys up). If it were down to me it'd never get done get done once a year tops.

Cleaning the loo takes 30 seconds. Bleach round the rim, Dettol disinfectant spray on the seat and flush handle. Job done.

I think it depends where you live as well. We once rented a house short term near to a huge factory with delivery lorries constantly going past our front door, underneath an airport runway and things like the skirting, door frames, banister railings and window sills were covered in thick black dust constantly. I’ve never cleaned so much as when we lived there, it was awful.
I now live in a large house in a village with 2 DC under 5 and a dog, and they barely ever look dusty.

I’d love to have the time to deep clean as I am one of those saddos that actually enjoys cleaning, and the feeling of walking round the house when it is spotless.

But I live near to a building site, have a 5 year old, work 5 days a week and have a life so it’s a balance of it not being worth it/not having the time to dedicate to making my house super clean.

Bathroom and kitchen are cleaned thoroughly, weekly or thereabouts, but not religiously on a Saturday morning or whatever.

We go for ‘clean enough’ rather than spotless.

About every 500 years, if you're lucky. 300 yr old house here, so I wouldn't like to look at the skirting boards, never mind anything else. Indeed, I haven't looked at them, and wouldn't have thought of doing so, had it not been for MN. I will resume my slatternly ways and never think about them again.

firehousedog not when you have a toddler and two toilets. Bleach and toilet cleaner kept in locked cupboard downstairs under kitchen sink so need to go and get them. Also need to find time to do this when toddler not likely to want to “help”. I also prefer not to use bleach when wearing any clothes that I would like to wear again as I have had bad experiences with splashing, so time to change clothes. Then making sure that hands totally clean of bleach and any toilet nastiness before going about playing with toddler/preparing food etc. It’s much more than a 30 second job for me.

I don't get how people have the time. I work full time, have 3 kids under 6, a dog and 2 cats. I'm forever cleaning and sorting but it's still never immaculate.

I have never had a deep clean

HMC and Jessie. Me too.

Only half an hour of cleaning a day .

I think it was Thursday/kitchen day that looked particularly exhausting.

Cleaning the loo takes 30 seconds. Bleach round the rim, Dettol disinfectant spray on the seat and flush handle. Job done.

That's not a clean loo. That's a squirt and a promise.

But I don't do my skirting boards unless I notice them. On average they probably get done once every two years. Some never, some every three to four months.

I have moved into and out of houses and never cleaned skirting boards.

I must be a peasant.

I am sure someone upthread said two hours cleaning a day!!!
WTF?
Skirtingboards - the visible bits - might get a wipe once or twice a year.
doors, walls etc. Never
windows - every couple of months.

Surely if you work full time there is no way you can be cleaning for hours every day....and also doing the prescribed MN 4 loads of washing every day. What on earth is the point?

Why does bleach and toilet cleaner need to be in a locked cupboard? They have childproof lids so toddler can't get them off. I always kept bottle of bleach next to toilet.

Dusting the skirting boards and cleaning the windows isn't deep cleaning to me.
If I was thinking of a deep clean it would be the once a year type jobs like shampooing the carpet, pulling out the cupboards and drawers and hoovering under and behind them, emptying out the kitchen cupboards and drawers and cleaning and wiping them out, polishing light fittings etc.

I’ve also never understood the amount of washing other people need to do.

My friend swears she does at least 2 loads per day (family of 4).

We are a family of 3 and I do roughly 2 dark, 1 white, 1 towels and 1 bedding per week.

That’s 5 vs her 14 loads. Neither family has manual jobs, she has 1 more child.