How often do you deep clean your house all the way through?

[ghejxodn]

Firstly, AIBU to be totally fed up of cleaning?!
My house is not a tip (I don't think!) but I have just spent 2 whole days cleaning it from top to bottom and it's still not finished. Twice a year I usually deep clean all the way through- things such as touch up paint, clean rugs/sofa/carpet with a professional carpet cleaner, scrub the whites around the windows, pull beds/furniture out and clean behind. I also spent at least an hour cleaning every day without the bigger jobs such as changing beds, cleaning blinds/windows etc. It honestly feels like a complete never ending task. Me and DH have been cleaning for the last two days in preparation for Christmas (last bit of annual leave before we put our tree up). I really wish I had a cleaner.

Do you live in a mansion? An hour a day seems a lot if you do it everyday. Bathroom is a quick clean, dishwasher takes a few minutes, a bed takes 1 minute to fix. Is it necessary to mop daily? If so I’m seriously lacking in my cleaning 🙃

@Tigger1895

Do you live in a mansion? An hour a day seems a lot if you do it everyday. Bathroom is a quick clean, dishwasher takes a few minutes, a bed takes 1 minute to fix. Is it necessary to mop daily? If so I’m seriously lacking in my cleaning 🙃

Lots of people have a family bathroom, an en-suite and a downstairs loo...so that 3 toilets....most people eat 2 to 3 meals at home a day....so that’s 3 lots of clearing pots/ cleaning surfaces.....those with children will have several beds/bedrooms....then add in laundry ( wash/dry/fold/iron/put away), then just the day to day keeping on top of clutter....easily adds up to an hour.... that’s before you even think about Sweeping/mopping/hoovering floors

How are people not cleaning for an hour or so a day does nobody have kids or anything? Everyone I know spends so much time cleaning even on top of working.
Can I have some tips on how to not clean and the house not be like an actual tip.

I do every room one at a time for a deep clean, usually in Spring move beds do underneath, clean mattress and turn over and top to tail ect.
Wash pillows in summer or buy new if gone lumpy.
As i have hard wood floors i do under sofas ect every few months, otherwise its like tumbleweed floating about.
I mop fortnightly but brush kitchen floor every other day, it only takes couple of minutes. Hoover weekly along with bathrooms also weekly.

I do a big deep clean twice a year, a spring/early summer clean and a pre-Christmas clean

Never!

I clean everyday from about 9-1 or 1-4 or 5-9 if I'm on a mad one. But it's usually the best one as I wake up and everything is still in place 😅 that's also dinner/wash up too. Usually 2/3 coffees in between and that is every single day! I work part time have two children one older and one toddler and two big dogs! The mess never stops the dust is everyday, the hoovering twice a day. Deep clean is in with this though. My eldest room once every fortnight for a deep clean. Well i aim for that!
I must add I'm not painting daily or deep cleaning my sofa on a daily just general stuff that needs doing. I have anxiety if you want to name it for mess and smells.

@Hertsgirl10

I think the point is that they do have kids
.. so have no time to clean.. i know thats my situation along with uni too.. but my house isnt a tip.. it could be cleaner...i defo do not spend an hour cleaning a day although could do with that spare hour to make it spotless

Where you are also makes a difference - the limescale where we are makes any cleaning of the bathroom take so much longer. My cleaner used acid to get some off. On the plus side I think it's supposed to be good for your health!

When you say hour to clean, do you mean tidying as well? I'm very messy (something I hate about myself) and my kids are too (also my fault) and it takes me an hour to clean my kitchen & playroom properly every day.

@Hertsgirl10... Yes I have 2 kids and cat. They make a mess, drop crumbs, leave their shoes around. Stuff gets put into vague piles in the right places, bathroom and kitchen gets wiped round most days but hoover about once a fortnight.. BECAUSE the second I do it it needs doing again so what on earth is the point? I work full time, single parent. I have minimal time, buggered if I'm spending it cleaning.

@Hertsgirl10

How are people not cleaning for an hour or so a day does nobody have kids or anything? Everyone I know spends so much time cleaning even on top of working. Can I have some tips on how to not clean and the house not be like an actual tip.

My house is an actual tip. Single working parent, dc with multiple hobbies that require different clothing, and good appetites which I don't like feeding junk - I don't have a spare hour!

I usually do a room deep clean every year in jan/. Feb when no one wants to go out.

A room a week.

Sort Cupboards deep clean Skirtings etc.

[quote HugeAckmansWife]@Hertsgirl10... Yes I have 2 kids and cat. They make a mess, drop crumbs, leave their shoes around. Stuff gets put into vague piles in the right places, bathroom and kitchen gets wiped round most days but hoover about once a fortnight.. BECAUSE the second I do it it needs doing again so what on earth is the point? I work full time, single parent. I have minimal time, buggered if I'm spending it cleaning.[/quote]
@HugeAckmansWife

I get it I just don’t know how people manage to not clean a lot when there’s kids and animals in the house, I mean just the washing up breakfast, lunch and dinners then putting away, then the washing putting away all these little things add up and then hoover, mopping would surely need to be done at least once a day with pets in the house. I don’t have pets but I need to do it at least once….. maybe my kids just need to be tidier though 😂

@Tailendofsummer

When I sell the house.

I was going to say never, but this.

I try to spend a couple of hours a week cleaning the bathroom, kitchen and hoovering. The rest is more of a do a bit when I've a moment.

I used to spring clean twice a year ( not quite as thoroughly as you OP) but in recent years have let it slide for various reasons mainly lack of time and no fucks left to give.

Never. Occasionally I might deep clean a kitchen cupboard or the fridge or something but I never do all those jobs on your list. I don't have the time or energy. I'd rather focus on the important things, give my children attention etc.

@Hertsgirl10

How are people not cleaning for an hour or so a day does nobody have kids or anything? Everyone I know spends so much time cleaning even on top of working. Can I have some tips on how to not clean and the house not be like an actual tip.

What’s “cleaning” though?

Laundry is laundry. It’s housework but it’s not cleaning. Picking up/tidying up - that’s just putting things away, it’s not cleaning. Cooking is cooking etc.

Dishwasher unpacking takes 5 mins in morning, fill it up through the day - doesn’t count if you do it as you go. Multiply unpacking by however many loads you run but most households not more than twice?

Sweep or quick hoover floors - 5-10 mins? 15 tops. If you’re doing it every day it won’t take more, unless you live in a mansion.

Wipe bathroom surfaces & toilet, 5 mins?

Tidy up after yourself in kitchen - stuff in dishwasher, wipe sides, another 5-10 mins? Maybe repeated a few times depending on how you use it/how many of you.

That’s 45 mins generously. It’s not ‘a proper clean’ it’s just everyday stuff. And, if there’s more than one adult in the household, or older kids, you can share it.

@NoSquirrels

I would say all of that and a lot more tbh … bathroom, toilets, hoovering, steaming/mopping, wiping walls, woodwork.. disinfecting door handles, toilets to me would be every day things especially since covid, well even before if pets in the house. Can’t imagine having a baby and cat or dog in the house and not doing the basics which to me if done properly would be over an hour a day.
I hate cleaning but try to get it done with and out the way, I’m surprised that so many people don’t prioritise cleaning, only when they have visitors.

I do twice a year, including pulling out everything from kitchen cupboards and cleaning in them, wash carpets, curtains etc

We did a rotation during lockdown number 1, so it feels like we’ve just done it, although of course that was quite a while ago now…..
Our house is nice and clean and tidy. You’re doing way way way way too much and it reads a lot like you are suffering from anxiety. Do you feel anxious/unable to relax in other ways? Might be worth a chat with the GP x

Another vote for TOMM, it's made a big difference in our home.

[quote Hertsgirl10]@NoSquirrels

I would say all of that and a lot more tbh … bathroom, toilets, hoovering, steaming/mopping, wiping walls, woodwork.. disinfecting door handles, toilets to me would be every day things especially since covid, well even before if pets in the house. Can’t imagine having a baby and cat or dog in the house and not doing the basics which to me if done properly would be over an hour a day.
I hate cleaning but try to get it done with and out the way, I’m surprised that so many people don’t prioritise cleaning, only when they have visitors.[/quote]
So you have really high standards. Much higher than most people. That’s fine, but wiping walls and disinfecting door handles or steaming aren’t ‘basics’ to many.

I’m intrigued - when you said earlier “Everyone I know spends so much time cleaning even on top of working” is that 50-50 men and women?

I would say yes men and women evenly because it’s just normal cleaning? I wouldn’t say it’s high standards at all, I really don’t like cleaning at all but it’s got to be done hasn’t it?
I think my husband definitely has high standards he gets stressed out cos I’m not like him getting stressed out over things in the house.
I feel like there’s definitely time to do this vid Iv wasted hours on here tonight and if I needed to I could have been cleaning

@Hertsgirl10 yes basically, you have much higher standards than me. Or different priorities or something. I can not hoover twice a day because I don't much care if there's fur or crumbs or general crud on the floor for a bit. I've never disinfected a door handle in my life and walls get wiped as and when those bloody cat food pouches spray jelly up them as you open them. My kids are happy, healthy, they can relax in their home. I do 100% insist that they put wrappers in the bin and carry plates to the kitchen because I'm not a skivvy but the basic answer to your question is that I just don't care about the mess / dirt / dust as much as you do, so I don't have to do anything about it.