Kitchen cleaning standards

[Iwonder08]

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

I had the same comment about 10 mins ago from H. Just not re:kitchen, but the whole flat.
Reason: he spotted some dust on the skirting.
I was lazy this weekend and didn't wipe them down.
Now we live in a pigsty.

After 26yr of living together I just shrug. And he knows not to push too hard otherwise I'll point him to the cleaning stuff and won't do it just for not doing it. If he just mentions it I'll end up doing it :) But we are very cognizant of how we work, so could break the cycle easily :)

I find that tidying up helps - he'll be less focused on general cleanliness if there are no bits and bobs around.

I do clean the cooker and wipe down the surfaces after every meal I prepped and after I've cooked, yes but I suppose it's up to you? Anything I wash up I dry straight away as well as I don't like it sitting there.

Maybe I do too much though? Don't know but it's the standard in my house.

I guess it's how you want to live.

I want to be able to immediately use the kitchen or bathroom or whatever with lout cleaning up the previous mess. That really upsets me.

I want to be able to immediately use the kitchen or bathroom or whatever with lout cleaning up the previous mess. That really upsets me.

Absolutely this ^

Even if it were only me using the kitchen, I would still leave it clean each time I am finished so that it is clean and ready got next time.

I clean my kitchen every day. I have a dog and cats and am always aware of this. It never looks any better even when I have finished it.

Cleaning the cooker 4 times a day ?? Give me the strength and I'll do it. I just don't seem to have that amount of energy to waste

If he wants it cleaned 4 times a day he can do it then. It isn't your number one priority.
I'm too busy for all that, I'm lucky if my kitchen gets cleaned once a week.

@FinallyHere yes exactly - I can't cope with coming in and not being able to unpack the shopping because there's crap on the worktops ffs

The percentages in the voting have really surprised me. My housekeeping standards are nowhere near what I usually read on threads on Mumsnet but even so, I still wipe down the worktops every time I use them. They're wiped multiple times a day, just using a damp cloth, then given a 'proper' clean after dinner every evening. Same with the cooker, it is wiped down after use and given a proper clean in the evening. I hate crumbs and hate having things sitting on the worktops.

@wellthatsunusual same, but I’m not majorly surprised and it’s just given me more confidence that I’m right to politely refuse to eat cakes brought in to the staffroom - some people are minging!!
I’m with your husband I’m afraid OP! Clean the sides down every time food is made, sandwich crumbs require about 3 swipes with a cloth, hob cleaned after cooking.
Family of 5 and dh is a keen cook, kitchen is always in use and gets messy while he’s cooking but it’s cleaned properly after he’s finished making a mess.
My pet hate is a grimy kitchen with sticky surfaces and floors
We don’t have anything out on our sides precisely because it’s quicker to clean and we don’t have to move things out of the way (or worse, just push them far to the back and just clean in front) before it’s all washed down.
My kitchen is the hub of our home, we entertain and socialise in there, eat all our meals in there, whatever. It should be clean!

However, it must be said that both dh and I take equal responsibility for it and neither one of us is left to do it all.
Well, I mean, sometimes I just get on with it after dinner and do it all, sometimes he will, sometimes both of us, sometimes the teens do it. But it’s not just one persons sole responsibility. We are all on board with not living like students, even the students

@wellthatsunusual Although I think crumbs/spills should be wiped up as you go, I voted YANBU for two reasons: firstly that if OP is happy with how things are currently then her DH should do any additional cleaning, and secondly because I interpreted cooker as oven as well as hob and I think it’s unreasonable to clean an oven after every use! To be honest I think it’s unreasonable to clean a hob after every use if it didn’t boil over or spill which presumably don’t happen on most uses.

His attitude stinks and I'd be on cleaning strike if it were me! Hand him the dettol and let him crack on!

I try do a quick spray daily but most kitchen gets a really thorough clean including oven once a week. Some days the worktops don't get sprayed because I'm too busy to care. If I notice myself feeling moody it's usually because the kitchen looks chaotic and grubby so I clean it all before bed.

Honestly who cares though I couldn't give a hoot if someone cleans twice a day or once a week it's their home...mrs hinch has a lot to answer for