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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Kitchen cleaning standards

62 replies

Iwonder08 · 16/12/2020 08:14

Hello,

Had an argument with my husband this morning about the cleaning standards.. He pronounced we live in a pigsty..
He strongly believes that the cooker and all the kitchen tops need to be cleaned (kitchen spray etc) after every single meal prep - 4 times/day. He also thinks everyone does it and it is normal
My view it is excessive. Dirty dishes/pots are always washed straight away, kitchen tops are always cleaned after meat preparation. But do we need to clean it every bloody time there are a few crumbs from slicing bread? Do you clean your cooker every time you use it?
Background: we both work from home with long hours/stress full jobs and have 1 yo with us
YABU-husband is right
YAnBU- his cleaning routine is excessive

OP posts:
CrotchBurn · 16/12/2020 08:15

I live with one of these and its exhausting. I dont know what's wrong with these people who expect their homes to be like show homes, its frigid.

Findahouse21 · 16/12/2020 08:15

I use a chopping board or plate for sandwiches etc but would clean the board or sides if there was any visible detritus. I think it's grim to leave crumbs etc

formerbabe · 16/12/2020 08:16

I wipe my kitchen surfaces constantly...but my kitchen is starting to look old and needs to look clean to be acceptable.

Ifailed · 16/12/2020 08:18

If he's happy to do all the cleaning, let him get on with it.

Pinkmagic1 · 16/12/2020 08:18

I have a quick wipe of the area I have chopped the food with the washing up sponge, but a proper work top clean where everything is removed and the whole thing is washed down only happens weekly, twice weekly at most. That would drive me mad.

JillofTrades · 16/12/2020 08:19

Personally I can't stand a dirty kitchen as much as a dirty bathroom. That's where my effort goes.
I wouldn't be ok with crumbs and bits lying there. But dh and I clean up after ourselves so it's not that much to do.
Cleaning wipes are very handy.

Atrixie · 16/12/2020 08:21

I agree with him. I wipe down surfaces and spray them every time there's food prep. I thought that was normal. I wipe and spray my hob every time it's used.

Oopsiedaisyy · 16/12/2020 08:24

I tend to do it after dinner or first thing in the morning. Not at lunch, I work fro mho me too but don't spend my time staring at my kitchen counters so I ignore the crumbs

Missannelliot · 16/12/2020 08:26

No. I give the surfaces a clean if I have been preparing meat or something else with harmful bacteria in it. I also do a thorough clean and tidy of kitchen work surfaces after dinner. Hob only gets a clean if thee has been a big spill. Gas hob gets a deep clean removing all the parts once a week. I won’t bother cleaning a couple of crumbs after making toast. I might do things differently if I lived in a country with a big insect problem or had pets.

Bluntness100 · 16/12/2020 08:28

Yes, I clean the surfaces if there are crumbs etc on them. I don’t like leaving them looking dirty,

Lunaballoon · 16/12/2020 08:34

Cleaning four times a day is excessive and totally unnecessary unless you live in a pristine open plan show house type home. I’m with you OP. I also don’t get the need to use chemicals, ie. kitchen spray every time Confused

RaspberryCoulis · 16/12/2020 08:35

Cleaning wipes are very handy.

Cleaning wipes are plastic and an environmental disaster.

Your DH sounds like a nightmare clean-freak to me, OP. Yes a quick wipe over if there are crumbs or splashes, full-on clean 4 times a day no way.

TessApricot · 16/12/2020 08:37

I agree @Lunaballoon - I would not be spraying chemicals 3/4 times a day on surfaces.
I am ‘relaxed’ with cleaning and can’t get worked up about crumbs. After dinner one of us does the kitchen properly and that’s enough for us.

Piggyhoolier · 16/12/2020 08:39

Don’t worry OP, I’m slovenly like you. I clean the whole kitchen and sweep the floor 3-4 times per week. I wipe any surface/hob/table that needs it on an ad hoc basis between times. If I spot crumbs on the countertop I will sweep them into my hand, not get out the spray and wipe. My kitchen is never dirty. Cleaning multiple times per day is unnecessary in my view. Thankfully I’m married to a likeminded person, so I have no useful advice for you but lots of sympathy Flowers

trevorandsimon · 16/12/2020 08:39

The answer here is if he likes it that way then he is welcome to crack on and clean it any time he likes. You wont stop him. Problem solved.

dayslikethese1 · 16/12/2020 08:42

I do it once a day I'd say unless there was a spill. Cleaning hobs 4x a day is excessive imo.

christmastree00 · 16/12/2020 08:44

I sit in my kitchen all day, so I constantly clean it. I wipe everything after everything I do in there. But I literally have to look at it all day, so that may be different. I can't stand the hob dirty or the surfaces crumby. It needs to be constantly clean or I feel like it's a mess. Same with stuff in the sink or things left out on the worktops etc. It needs to be clear. But I work in my kitchen / living room so I spend all my time in there. I just feel it helps me de clutter mentally if it's clean / tidy in my living space. Tell your husband he's more than welcome to clean it several times a day, but you'll stick to what's comfortable for you. My husband definitely doesn't do it as often as I do..

oneglassandpuzzled · 16/12/2020 08:44

I can’t stand crumbs, coffee stains or smeary hobtops and grubby draining boards and tend to wipe those down with dishcloth as needed.

MaMaD1990 · 16/12/2020 08:44

I can't stand crumbs being everywhere so I do wipe them away. I only clean the cooker if its actually dirty after use and I just spray and clean the kitchen every evening before bed so its nice for the next day. 2 minute job. Sounds like your DH loves to clean (perhaps too much 😅)

ForestNymph · 16/12/2020 08:46

God no. I have 3 kids, I'd never have any time to even have a wee or get dressed if I had to clean the kitchen every time someone bit a chunk of toast and dropped crumbs everywhere.

PoppyOppy · 16/12/2020 08:47

I prefer a clean kitchen all the time. Having had mice in my old house I don't ever leave crumbs on the countertop and the floor is mopped daily.

CounsellorTroi · 16/12/2020 08:48

There is evidence that using too many anti bacterial cleaners can do more harm than good as some bacteria may become resistant.

BarbaraofSeville · 16/12/2020 08:51

He can clean the kitchen as often as he likes. Waste of time and chemicals but let him crack on.

He's being unreasonable if he thinks everyone does that though.

soschreibfaul · 16/12/2020 08:59

Surely soapy water is a good cleaner.

Saves using wipes and sprays all the time.

badacorn · 16/12/2020 09:02

I do what your husband does BUT I know other people don’t and I don’t consider them dirty. I don’t think either is unreasonable. My husband has an attitude more like yours. You have to find a compromise.

Also it’s not that difficult to do that extra stuff so if he wants it done he could do it himself like I do.