Not realising how much cleaning a house takes?

[Hahaha88]

Growing up our house was always clean and tidy. Sunday was cleaning day and we'd all have a job, the whole house got hoovered, dusting was done, bathroom cleaned, beds changed and bins emptied.
It wasn't until I was an adult with my own house that I realised how much extra cleaning my mum (single parent, not sexisim) must have done when we were at school etc. There are so many cleaning things I didn't realise I would need to do! Like cleaning kitchen cupboard doors and drawers, inside the fridge, house doors, light switches, skirting boards and windowsills etc. Aibu in not knowing about all this? I don't even know how people keep on top of it! I feel like it takes so much effort to keep the place nice.

Yanbu. I’ve had to seriously lower my standards since we moved into a bigger house. I vacuum 3 times a week (pets, kids, pale carpets) at 20 minutes a time. That’s an hour a week just on vacuuming!! I also have three bathrooms. It’s soul destroying really, when you think about it.

I have three young children , three cats and a dog.
I have to vacuum at least once too to bottom every day.

I feel so sorry for my hoover it must have come out of the box at my house and gone “oh fuck”

My Mum and Dad only had me and my Dad had really high expectations of tidiness and cleanliness due to his mother being totally obsessed with cleaning (not sure if she'd be diagnosed OCD now but think getting up at 5am every morning to bleach out all the cupboards and polish brass etc). Dad would make our lives hell if the house wasn't right (he never lifted a finger and still maintains it's women's work - that's convenient). Once even making us clean the windows at 9am on Christmas day.

Mum worked longer hours than Dad but she still had to do everything. He would call her at work shouting about the tiles behind the hob being greasy and telling her when she got home in 4 hours it was the first thing she was to do -despite him sitting round the house for that time or going to the pub!)

We lived in quite a large 4 bed Victorian semi with lots of woodwork and fireplaces and sash windows. On Saturdays, even tho they hadn't seen me all week, I was sent to a Saturday school which I hated 8am-6pm so Mum could do the weekly food shop and clean the whole house. I used to get driven home by my friends drunk dad who could barely stand.

My parents come to my house and comment on what a shit hole it is. They just can't see how we live like this. Different people have different priorities. Mine will never be cleaning at the expense of my own or my children's happiness.

I subscribe to the Quentin Crisp school of cleaning.

I tidied the dining room on Sunday(it had accumulated stuff in it during building work),I do the kitchen surfaces frequently and whiped spilt poppy seeds from a drawer.Have put bleach down a toilet and that's it so far this week!.
It's my last day off work tomorrow so I will hoover and make the kitchen floor less crunch and wash it so my cat sitter isn't too shocked next week.I will do the bedding on Sunday(has been a few weeks)
I only really clean when going away as I like to come home to a clean house.
I have only cleaned oven once since I moved here,I have a tray on the bottom and have done the glass door a few times.

@MrsKoala Jesus, that's a horrific way to live :(

TeafiorTara.

Our house was pretty untidy when I grew up - consequently mine is very tidy, minimal and superclean! I have "Marie-Kondo-d" the house, keep it really tidy as this makes it so much easier to clean. There are 4 adults in our house, they all keep it pretty tidy/clean to be honest.

I know, i hardly keep on top of the day to day stuff. Things like the back off cupboards - dont look. The fridge is not a place i should be putting food!!

Looks at skirting boards 😳😳😊

It's another example of how we under value traditional (read: women's) roles. Socially we tend to sneer at cleaning staff, nursery staff, catering staff etc. Keeping a good home used to be recognised as an almost full time job (especially in the era of dolly tubs, mangles, hand powered carpet sweepers, hand cooking from scratch etc.).

**illandBored
The best thing I did was give everyone their own toiletry bag. Take it in then take it out!
This leaves all bathroom surfaces clear. I wipe toilets down each morning. Spray then toilet roll.
My 2 older ones are responsible for their own rooms/ washing.
Youngest- wake up at 7.15. I go down brush and mop( vileda spray mop) fill dish washer.
He’s down for 7.30. And I’ve done that by then. Give him breakfast and wipe around.
Spend about 10 mins with cloth and flash spray wiping around.
When I wash bedding I take it to the launderette. It’s by a park so I leave it drying then take the dog for a walk.
I hoover through twice per week.
Once you’ve had a big clean it only takes a bit each day to keep on top of it.

Bloody Mrs Hinch pouring her chemicals all around the house, really it is not good for your lungs.

Two dogs make more cleaning type mess than the children imo. especially in bad weather. Glass doors small children and dogs noses also not great.

I was a clean freak but this thing called the menopause happened and I lost a bit of interest . Now it's a battle to do the basics and make sure it's not too untidy ! I've cleaned for over 30 years now and it's so tedious and boring , but I really need to get motivated to do it.
My mum loved a clean home and was always cleaning nets and skirting boards! It was spotless.

I tend to do the surface things like that and hoover while OH does skirting, lights, Windows, between tiles etc... (except the fridge, that's mine... I clean it before going shopping)

It's another example of how we under value traditional (read: women's) roles

Would make more sense for men to do the cleaning. They'll get more done, what with their superior strength and stamina

All this 'cleaning skirting boards' business - I can only see short stretches of mine in most places, in between furniture! Are you all pulling out furniture to clean skirtings behind it on a weekly basis (why?!) or just cleaning the bits you can see?

What about skirting up the stairs? Hallway and landing?

YABU - who on earth does all that and creates a cleaning rod for their own back?

My Nan would never let me help her as she would say "Dont worry you will have it all to do when youre older!" Never really knew what she meant (Do now obviously!) I too am a SAHM and have a dog ! Washing /Shopping /Dog walking all take up time. Latter more enjoyable obv .ATM I try to do chores in the morning, and leave one day for meeting friends etc .Used to work 3 days and found it soon piled up! Washing like a whole separate job on its own!

BTW have discovered super new gadget "Sonic Scrubber" which cleans in between tiles .hobs and so on ,18.99 Amazon ,Really takes the stress out of scrubbing !

I don't keep on top of it to that extreme, but a lot of the things you listed like skirting boards probably get done once a year lol.

Unless you can afford a cleaner or want to spend all day cleaning, lower standards are in order!

When you say ‘do the skirting boards?’ I just hoover mine with the attachment when I hoover is that not it? 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Thinkingaboutsummer2020 Yep, I hoover with the attachment too and if they are really grubby run a microfibre cloth over the top. My house is small so it's easy to do, my walls are also white and show up flyaway fur 🙈.

@MrsKoala, that sounds awful, great that you're breaking that trend.