What/how much cleaning do you do daily?

[minieggsqueen]

Just curious as my boyfriend says I do way to much anti bac cleaning of surfaces! (I have diagnosed OCD & anxiety).

Daily I:
•Wash up at least twice
•Wipe down all kitchen surfaces & cupboard/fridge door handles with anti bac wipes.
•Wipe front door and other door handles/baby gates with anti bac wipes.
•Wipe remotes & tables down with either anti bac spray or wipes.
•Put at least 2 loads of washing in & out on the driers.
•Anti bac spray the sink before bed and clean it.

Weekly I:
•Bleach and anti bac wipe the toilet
•Clean the bath
•Anti bac spray the sink and rinse with hot water (usually do this sometimes 3x a week)
•Hoover twice (Boyfriend does this usually)

Am I crazy or to neurotic?
We ran out of anti bac wipes yesterday and I've been freaking out about not having them! He's just gone off to the shop to get an emergency supply before I go to Aldi tomorrow for a big stock up.

I felt the planet shudder at all those wipes. Front door handle? Remotes? And the loo and bathroom once a week. All seems a bit screwed to me.

Our loos are bleached every day, dishwasher loaded, kitchen tops wiped down. Everything else is once a week/when needed. I've never touched the remotes and door handles with a damp cloth. Never.

OP I'd really recommend you get this thread taken down. You're going to get more responses that worry you and it won't do anything for your OCD.
Have you had a therapist come and do exposure with you?

I suffer too so I'm not being unkind, I just know how these things can escalate.

I hope you're able to get some more support. OCD is dreadful.
I suffer with contamination worry but with germs and cleaning products so you can imagine what it's like in my head 🙄

@3in4years wow that's a lot of stuff! I'm sure the kids are worth it though and will eventually appreciate all you do

I don’t have ocd but I do like a clean house.

Washing up is done several times a day. I don’t have a dish washer but I won’t wash one cup n and still own but neither will I go to bed and leave a sink full dirty plates. I wipe the surfaces after every use.
I sweep the kitchen floor each morning and spot mop. It might need doing again before bed if I have been using the kitchen a lot that day.
I put a wash on most days and fold any dry stuff from the airier. When the weather is good drying goes out on the line each morning and taken in each afternoon.
Ironing is done once a week.
My bed changed about every 3 weeks. My sons do their own about the same.
Bathroom wiped around daily but cleaned properly weekly, same with the toilet.
Hoover downstairs most days but will skip it if I can but I have white cats and the fur does show up.
Hoover upstairs weekly.
I do wipe my front door handles but only once a week when I wipe over the porch.
I dust fully once a week but will wipe down things like the side tables and coffee tables several times a week.

I don’t use anti bac sprays or wipes just kitchen spray, limescale shower spray, dettol down the loos, supermarkets own polish to dust and stardrops for anything else. I don’t use laundry detergent or conditioners as I have a laudry egg. I do put pine down my drains but one bottle of supermarkets own does the main drain each month.

So I do probably do more than you just without the use of wipes.

Antibac wipes are a serious waste of money. And 14 loads of washing a week for two people???

@Treaclepie19 I definitely can imagine, I'm sorry you're so familiar with this.

Thank you for the concern, I'm okay honestly, don't worry

I've never been offered exposure therapy, not sure if they do that on the NHS. I've always wanted to go to one of those OCD camps in America where they have experts who help challenge and treat you!

@yesmelord ahh a baby yes it probably will! Wish you a healthy labour and deliveryx

Jaxhog Actually if you have OCD do get a cleaner. It would mean the OP would have to live with the uncertainty of not knowing if it had been done to her standards. That's how you get better from OCD.
OP there is a Talking Therapies program for Emetephobia. And you can get better, but you have got to be motivated and brave do it. SSRIs are usually prescribed in addition to CBT as the most effective combination of treatment.

Daily
hoover/sweep all floors downstairs.
Do all washing up and wipe down all kitchen surfaces.
wipe round both toilets and sinks
make all beds empty bins.
Twice weekly
Mop all floors
dust and polish downstairs
clean bathrooms
Weekly
Hoover upstairs
strip all beds
dust and polish upstairs
hoover stairs and wipe down bannisters
Doesn't take me long because I'm only maintaining rather than deep cleaning tbh

oh dear. I am a massive slob

Use bleach less than once a month, just to stop ancient whitish sink being more brownish.

Use antibac on kitchen counter when raw meat has been around (though it's usually on meat chopping board & doesn't touch counter), otherwise just wipe with soapy sponge, or Method kitchen cleaner occasionally (fantastic on grease, highly recommended).

Run d/w every 1-2 days (only 2 adults here now)

Clean bathroom weekly (ish)

Hoover at random intervals or when visitors are coming.

@Alsohuman it's definitely screwed and I feel crap about it, like I said previously I try to offset the wipes damage by using reusable bags, bottles etc etc.

@whitehorsesdonotlie I know

@minieggsqueen I had a really good therapist on the NHS who worked with me and offered exposure at home with me. Typically I got signed off once I started managing and now am bobbing along in a weird state or half recovery. Currently waiting to be re-referred.

It's horrid isn't it? Having someone to challenge the thoughts is invaluable though. Tough, but so worth it.

I am not sure this thread is helpful to your OCD.

I am also not sure the OTT anti-baccing is helping to kill bacteria. The anti-bac is too weak to kill all the germs and ironically could clear the way for stronger bacteria to survive, grow and mutate into nastier strands that could be resistant to antibiotics.

@SaturdayNext cheap from Aldi or Lidl. They're a necessity to me, as is anti bac soap. Get through loads a week.

Yes I know it's a lot of washing, it's all majority mine so I deal with it.

@MrsCherry thank you! X

@GiantKitten you're not a slob, you're most likely normal!

@Treaclepie19 it is scary, I once had a therapist tell my parents they couldn't buy anymore soap or extra body washes etc for me. I cried so much and hyperventilated. (I was 14 at the time)

I don't think they'd come to my home though to help me combat it as it's not allowed. I could do with a private live in therapist tbh!

@minieggsqueen

Instead of antibac wipes get yourself loads of these. They last pretty much forever, you could use a fresh one with antibac spray each time & then wash with towels etc. They're very pretty & very green

www.jangneus.com/dishcloths.php

The Taliking Therapies Emetephobia program does include ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and there is a UK OCD camp run by Stuart Ralph at The OCD Storeis if you are interested in that!

@blueshoes I'm okay, really, don't worry. Thanks though

Yeah I've read about the anti bac things, I just can't shift using them though annoyingly :(

@GiantKitten thank you! I'll have a look..

If you must use wipes and you use one for each job can you try cutting them in half? That will half the waste and the cost and still allow your ocd to be appeased.

Daily I clean kitchen surfaces and sink, make beds, bleach toilet and wipe sink. Do dishes about 2 or 3 times. Sweep floors maybe twice. And dust.

Hoover about twice a week. Do skirting boards and front/back door probably once a fortnight.

@MrsCherry wow I had no idea there was a U.K. one?? I'm so excited

minieggsqueen I do like hand gel but it is drying isn’t it? But hugely grateful for it one time when I used a public loo and taps weren’t working. Bins done so off to bed. Goodnight everyone!