To think cleaning is a skill?

[Ca2026]

I obviously clean my house and it’s not dirty or anything like that, but honestly it never looks or feels like when we’ve had an actual cleaner in.

Thinks like the skirtings, always still seem to have tiny bits on them, or the sink it marked again a few mins after cleaning it.

So AIBU to think that cleaning is a skill just like DIY, decorating etc? You can be good at it without being a professional but still takes skill?

I think so
I clean my house but it never looks as good as if my cleaner does it

Smells good

YANBU- there is a lot of skill involved.

Skill that links to organisation. Write everything down: daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal tasks. You know your own home better than anyone else. I’ve worked out over time for our home, usage and habits exactly how often things need cleaning.

Have a base weekly routine (dust everything top to bottom, hoover, clean the bathroom, clean the kitchen, mop floors) then add in a different extra task or two each week, eg clean out the fridge, hoover the blinds, clean the oven, clean the inside of the windows, declutter wardrobes. Nothing ever gets out of hand then, or feels like one mammoth task.

Also working out the rights products, cleaning tools and techniques for the right task requires skill.

See I disagree, I also think when I dust, I just move it around. Other people dust and it’s all gone. I don’t think I’m using any less effort.

There are skills involved, of course, but I think more important than that is the will to do it well. I absolutely loathe housework, and do the bare minimum once a week, cursing the fact that I can't currently justify having a cleaner. The only part I find vaguely tolerable is laundry and making the beds, and even then I don't iron (we send out the things that absolutely have to be ironed).

No. Anyone can get good at cleaning. It just takes practice.
If your livelihood depended on it you would clean to a higher standard.
It depends how motivated you are.
I can never be arsed to clean my own house to a really high standard but when I used to rent I left every place looking perfect because I wanted my deposit back. The only difference was how much time and effort I put in.

It’s ok - if cleaning is redefined as a skilled activity then women can be praised for doing it so well and can take pride in their great cleaning skills when forced back in the home

Yes and no. I think a lot depends of using right equipment, good hoover, right products and amount used for different surfaces

I always like to watch a few reels or TikTok’s on cleaning to get myself in the mood. I do find them interesting to learn what works for others.

Same! Definitely think there's a skill to it! Although tbh our house is the kind of old house that never really looks completely clean even when it's literally just been cleaned. 😄

I mean, I could probably get good at brick work, decorating, plumbing etc if I had enough time and energy and my income depended on it but it’s still a skill?

I’m in the hairdressers and don’t have my glasses on. Thought it’d make you chuckle to know that I initially read this as that you need to moisturise yourself for hours first which did puzzle me …😂 x

Professional cleaners are absolutely skilled!

They have knowledge of what products to use and a process of how to clean. I struggle with processes and have executive dysfunction.

I get overwhelmed by tasks - so something that would take a cleaner 15 minutes would take me hours and I still wouldn’t finish.

I think some experienced cleaners have a skill, or at least a knowledge about how to tackle certain things to get the best results and be efficient. I have had cleaners in the past year who didn’t have this at all, and others who are amazing at it. I am ok but clearly don’t know all the tricks of the trade, so I can get the glass on the stairs sparkling but I’m not so good at the shower. And I couldn’t get round the house in the time the good ones can. I think a reliable cleaner who really knows how to clean is a rare and valuable thing.

Ooh can you link to the line spray??

I've met a few people who try to get out of cleaning because "you're just so much better at it". Men, and women roomates some years ago. I agree that we're all different and some of us are better, and I can believe some people have genuine conditions meaning they don't "see" mess like I do, but I'd say there's a lot of people using weaponised incompetence.

I’m a housekeeper, and no I don’t think it’s a skill. It can be hard work and tiring, but absolutely no skill required

I agree it’s a learned skill and to do it to a high standard requires time, effort and organisation (lists of things to do daily, weekly, monthly etc).

I’m not in the least ashamed to admit that I follow Margot Leadbetter’s style of housekeeping ‘don’t bleed in the sink Jerry, because I’ve just cleaned it’

Sure, I use the mams washing or the ocean one

https://www.northernsoulscents.co.uk/collections/room-linen-mists

Something doesn't have to be difficult to be a skill - riding a bike isn't especially difficult but you have to learn how to do it.

I also think it involves knowledge because you can't effectively clean everything the same way. There are basic techniques which are almost universal (bowl of hot soapy water or multipurpose surface cleaner spray and a sponge or cloth will clean most things) but if you use that for example on glass it will look streaky, as it needs a cleaner which evaporates more quickly (vinegar or alcohol based cleaners or glass cleaner is good) and something to buff (microfibre cloth, not too wet, will do both jobs).

If you have an especially sticky, greasy or dried-on mess then you might need different products or techniques. You essentially need something to break down the dirt, which could be chemical, heat, soaking or friction (elbow grease basically) - usually some combination is best. And then you need some way to carry the dirt away so either to dissolve it into something which can be rinsed off, to just dislodge it so it can be swept/rubbed off, or something for it to soak into like a cloth or paper towel.

The main issue is that chemicals which break down dirt, moisture, heat, and friction can also damage the surface you're trying to clean, so if you increase any of these then you risk damaging the surface and that's the main skill/knowledge involved in effective cleaning - knowing how to remove different types of dirt effectively without damaging the surface you are cleaning.

Not a skill.

It's whether you can be bothered OR not!

I’m sure some types of cleaning require special skills but just general cleaning…no comparison to brick work or plumbing or even decorating. You would be unlikely to teach yourself any of those things without at least or book or someone to show you the basics. To clean, you just..clean, and keep going til it’s done. I mean, unless you have literally never had to clean in your entire life like you were royalty or something.

I can get the glass on the stairs sparkling but I’m not so good at the shower

I would guess your shower probably has deposits from the water and/or soap, which your stair glass will not. You need some kind of acid to tackle limescale from hard water, or bathroom cleaner formulated for limescale and "shinyness" and if you have the pinkish microfilm which grows from soap scum, that needs something fairly strong to remove and a LOT of abrasion, and you have to get all of it in one go otherwise it just keeps coming back.

You can reduce maintenance of the shower by keeping a squeegee in there and encouraging people to squeegee the screen or walls down after they have finished.

when I dust, I just move it around. Other people dust and it’s all gone.

This is basically dusting, there's always an element of just moving it around. The idea is to dust just before hoovering so it gets picked up (hence cleaning "top to bottom"). But otherwise you can use some way of attracting the dust to the duster. I am a total convert to the swiffer things, which I use on surfaces until they start leaving more dust than they pick up and then switch to using them for cobweb grabbers, but you can also use furniture polish, a damp cloth, or a synthetic cloth which can pick up a small amount of static charge. Damp cloth is the worst IME because it needs changing so often but perhaps I dust too infrequently

DS1 has a cleaning job (which is absolutely hilarious if you have ever seen the state of his room, some specimens we have removed felt like they ought to be donated to science) and I asked him for tips and he said it's just doing it on a regular schedule so it never gets too dirty in the first place. I think he's probably not wrong about that.

I don’t think it’s a skill really. I think anyone can do it well with enough time and the right products. The only bit of it that could be called a skill is the attention to detail/thoroughness. That’s what makes the difference between a room that is clean and a room that LOOKS really clean. Things like drying surfaces in the bathroom after they’ve been cleaned, rather than leaving them damp or wet.

Also as PP said, cleaning someone else’s space. I do some domestic help with AgeUk, and I can get my clients’ homes more sparkling than mine. To be fair though, none of them have dogs or teenagers! I can get my house looking very clean but only for about 5 seconds.

A lot of dirt removal involves the same principle: soften/loosen it with the right product and then wipe/ rinse with water and repeat til it’s all gone and your cloth/ sponge/ mop comes away clean.
So, dust - if it’s heavy, spray with Mr sheen or whatever then wipe with a dusting cloth. If it’s light, just use a feather duster. Or use a wet cloth with a solution of water and cleaning product on it (if someone has allergies or breathing problems like asthma it’s better to do it wet because it stops the dust going back into the air or just being displaced)
Floors: spray with floor cleaner, wait a few minutes then mop with hot water, frequently rinsing the mop and changing the water til the mop comes away clean
Oven - over cleaner then keep wiping with hot water and sponge/ cloth
Som things will need extra scrubbing which is where brushes and scourers come in.
Most cleaning products say exactly what they are for on the label so it’s hard to use the wrong thing.