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.

@crimsonlake if you read the whole thread you'll see many people have commented that nugget of unhelpful info. I only needed it mentioned once for me to add it to my routine to do daily. I don't need 50 more comments on it just adding to my stress.

Thanks.

And regarding the wipes that all the globe huggers are mentioning: they're an integral part of my routine. I can't just 'give them up' it's not because I'm a horrid person who doesn't care about the planet (I'm very aware of climate change) they just make my life 1% easier which I really appreciate.

If you know anything about OCD you'll know sufferers can take YEARS to change the thinking in their minds behind specific compulsions. I can't give them up right now because they're a safety net.

I'm sure you're all perfect too: all vegans and never smoke, never use plastic EVER and always always recycle.

I'm tired and I've just spent 2 freaking hours washing my hands and trying to get things done around our flat and having to redo them because it's not 'right'. I go to bed exhausted every night and wake up at 8am to do it all again whilst trying to fit in my studies which is near fucking impossible atm because of how awful the compulsions and panic attacks are.

I just want to sleep but instead I'm up making lists about what I need to do and what I'm going to eat the next couple of days and thinking about being tired in the morning.

Can I ask, op, how often are you sick? With coughs and colds etc.

Please just sleep op, I didn't realise you'd still be up at this time (I'm 5 hours behind you across the pond)

@halfwitpicker rarely, if at all. Had an ear infection over Christmas and a kidney infection (thanks to a pesky uti!) last April.
But coughs/colds/flu/sickness- not in the past year.

@halfwitpicker aw haha thanks :) I can't sleep🤦🏻‍♀️😩

Where is 'across the pond' exactly? Or am I superbly stupid?x

Bleach kills everything you don't need to spend a fortune on wipes.
Daily:
Loo
Kitchen sink & surfaces

Weekly:
Bath, sink & bathroom floor
Kitchen floor & cupboard doors
Dust & hoover everywhere

Monthly:
Windows

Canada.

Now, bed!!! 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉

I feel your pain op I’m also in a similar boat with the cleaning obsessions! My daily routine pretty much the same plus includes bathroom 2x daily and vacuuming 3x daily - morning, noon and night also need a quick vacuum whenever i leave the house (school run, shops etc) - for good luck as I’ve explained it to DH. Funnily enough I know exactly when that obsession began - waiting for 10 agonising hours to find out whether dh had pulled through emergency surgery. We’d bought a Dyson earlier that week...The rest is history as they say! Don’t be so hard on yourself, after months of therapy I came to the conclusion I was ok with my quirks they helped me feel in control - as long as they don’t have a negative impact on your life and only you can be the judge of that

@halfwitpicker

I’m a full time working single mum so after work, school run, supervising homework, making supper, there is only time for essential cleaning so:

Dishes loaded & sink/worktops washed down every evening.
Loos cleaned twice a week
Beds & towels changed weekly
Hoovering weekly
Kitchen floor washed weekly
3 washing loads per week ( for 2)

I’ve never used an antibacterial wipe but use a clean cotton dishcloth every day, which then goes in the wash.

For me, DP, baby and 2x cat:

Daily

• Wash up
• Vaccum
• Wipe kitchen bench with damp cloth
• One load of laundry
• Scoop cats litter tray 3x daily

A few times a week

• Bathroom (wipe with damp cloth) and toilets (scrub with bleach and toilet brush)
• Wipe dining table

Every 1-2 weeks

• Wash towels and change sheets
• Fully change cat litter and wash tray

Between once a year and never

• Ironing
• Windows
• Wipe door handles and light switches

You would be surprised how many things can be cleaned with a plain damp cloth.

Constant use of anti bac products is false reassurance as it doesn't create some kind of sterile environment. That's impossible as bacteria naturally live in the environment and on our bodies. It might contribute to bacteria resistance meaning the bacteria in your house are dangerous instead of harmless.

I wish you the best OP because it sounds like you are really struggling at the moment.

I also have OCD and clean my house daily eg hoover etc

I dont have much time to clean, Im not home from work until late, then its eat, put DD to bed, sleep then repeat 5 days a week. I would like to do more, but Im knackered.

'll deffo clean my toilet more from now on. My reason was you don't really touch it and if you do you wash your hands

If you buy value j.cloths they can go in the washing machine, could you wash your hands after touching one?

BTW we watched a film at work (hospital) about wipes. They just spread whatever lurks over the surface. It really didnt make any difference to killing germs.

Not nearly as much as I should. Just got a cleaner. I’m hoping she can fill in my gaps!

Most days? None other than washing up the dishes and bleach and a quick scrub of the toilet. Maybe an hour on the weekend, maybe a bit more if people are coming over. A big scrub every couple of months. We have a roomba that gets moved to a different floor every day.

My house is perfectly pleasant and this level of cleaning is what’s ACTUALLY normal in spite of what the self-selecting clean freaks here would have you believe.

Those of you here trying to shame this woman(who clearly has an unhealthy relationship to cleaning and self-described OCD) for not being as clean as you or to make her even more fearful about germs by telling her wipes aren’t good enough are nasty, hateful people and should be ashamed of yourselves.

Its a simple fact. They dont work and are a waste of money. How is that nasty & hateful? You cant sugar coat the truth can you.

@snuffalo calling someone a “clean freak” is far worse than anything anyone else has written on here

@ShirleyPhallus not it’s not, don’t be ridiculous.

Sorry you are struggling with OCD. CBT-exposure therapy should be the first line treatment for OCD offered by the NHS as per nice guidelines. It's not easy as it involves facing your fears and reducing compulsions so you are likely to feel more anxious for a while but if you haven't been offered that then you are well within your rights to request it. You can self refer in many places so it would be worth looking into things again yourself or discussing with you gp if you don't feel like you've had the right treatment yet. Lots of people need multiple courses of treatment to get on top of OCD but it can be very effective.

Surely OP asking this is the same as an anorexic asking how much people eat in a day.

Can't see the point, but if you really do have OCD then your problem is with your boyfriend.

I think that is perfectly normal