Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

how often do you....?

46 replies

tostaky · 23/11/2011 13:15

  • change your kitchen sponge?
  • change your kitchen towel?
  • clean inside your dishwasher?

My kitchen sponge is driving me insane at the moment... i keep smelling it and after a week it smells foul already. should i stop smelling it?

kitchen towel,twice a week

dishwasher, once every four year (that was well needed!!!)

OP posts:
RainboweBrite · 23/11/2011 13:20

Kitchen sponge: daily without dishwasher; twice or three times a week with. Have separate ones for dishes, surfaces, and cat's food and water bowls.
Tea towel: once or twice a week, but straight away if it falls on the floor. NEVER, EVER used for anything other than dishes! (One of my pet hates is people using tea towels to dry their hands. Yuk!)
Dishwasher: how thoroughly do you mean? Every few months, I run it on empty on an intensive wash, and I've used those special dishwasher cleaning tablets probably once a year. is that not enough?

YourCallIsImportant · 23/11/2011 13:21

Kitchen sponge every 2-3 weeks, chuck it in the washing machine sometimes
Kitchen tea towel every day
Dishwasher filter every few months.

YourCallIsImportant · 23/11/2011 13:23

Kitchen sponge is just for dishes, I use blue roll for cleaning worktops, spills etc.

FrillyMilly · 23/11/2011 13:23

Dish washing sponge about once a week, dish cloth for surfaces about once a week. If it smells then I would change it straight away. Tea towel two or three times a week. Don't have a dishwasher.

lubeybooby · 23/11/2011 13:23

I don't have a kitchen sponge, just a washing up brush which I soak in bleach solution monthly (it doesn't get used much)

Dishwasher is a year old and I have yet to run it through on it's own, although I do scrape all plates really carefully and do an intensive cycle with just a couple of glass vases in it every few months.

I don't use teatowels, I use kitchen paper for everything

FreakoidOrganisoid · 23/11/2011 13:23

sponge for dishes- every couple of weeks
cloth for sides etc -daily/twice daily
tea towel - constantly

No dishwasher

spicyorange · 23/11/2011 13:23

sponge 1-2 weeks
Teatowel i go through about 3 a day
dont have a dishwasher

CEDR · 23/11/2011 13:30

I'm finding this forum post a bit scary!
Kitchen sponge..... I normally have more than one... a "clean" and a "less clean". So I can scrub the crap off with the "less clean" one, then finish up with the clean one. Obviously after a few weeks the "clean" becomes the "less clean" then the "less clean" gets chucked. No idea how often. Usually related to the number of times I cook vs reheating leftovers/ eating out or at friends!
Tea towel.... erm. When it looks grubby? Seriously people replace it every day?

We don't have a dishwasher... so I don't have to worry about that!

What about other stuff? How often do people vacuum, mop the kitchen floor, change their bathroom towels and sheets? I'm fascinated!

I'd like to add that we don't have kids yet and we both work (more than!) full time!

CEDR · 23/11/2011 13:31

Ps also use paper towels

And we tend to let washing up air dry rather than drying it up!

doggiesayswoof · 23/11/2011 13:35

Kitchen sponge - replace when it looks manky or scrubby stuff starts to come off - maybe once or 2 x per week?
tea towel - twice a week
no dishwasher.

Towels get washed weekly but hand towels get changed every couple of days. We all use our own bath towels and don't mind using a few times before they get washed.
Sheets changed weekly but sometimes every 2 weeks for DC cos they are usually clean when they go to bed and don't really sweat.
Kitchen floor really needs mopped every day but it happens about once a week. It's the most hated job in our house.

doggiesayswoof · 23/11/2011 13:37

We don't dry dishes either - let them sit in the drainer, so tea towel doesn't get much use.

Pootles2010 · 23/11/2011 13:38

Sponge... no idea! When it looks like it needs it! Tea towel daily - i have a routine Blush

Do the dishes twice (morning and evenign) then clean the tops, then buff with the tea towel (they're shiny and show water marks), then tea towel goes in the wash.

Why don't you like people drying hands on it Rainbow? Do you have seperate hand drying towel?

Bugsy2 · 23/11/2011 13:42

Can't do sponges.
Bleach washing up brush bi-weekly.
Tea towels go in wash when they seem grubby. After entertaining would probably be immediate, otherwise every few days.
Have never cleaned the inside of any dishwasher. Don't they get cleaned along with everything that is inside them? If a stray piece of sweetcorn or a baked bean is lurking, I just take it out on sight. Why would a dishwasher need cleaning - what are you doing to it?
Vacuum entire house weekly.
Mop floor weekly
Change bathroom towels weekly.
Change bedlinen every two weeks in winter & weekly in summer.
Clean bathroom weekly.

ezzie21 · 23/11/2011 13:44

we get thru 4 or 5 tea towels a day Blush

lborolass · 23/11/2011 13:48

I don't have teenagers yet - ezzie, what do they do to tea towels Shock

ezzie21 · 23/11/2011 14:12

teenage boys dry mouths/hands/floor/dog/work top dishes

my oldest son whose a chef, used five fucking spatulas to make bolognese sauce the other day

less is not more with boys Hmm

lborolass · 23/11/2011 14:13

Oh dear, that doesn't sound good at all Grin

Pascha · 23/11/2011 14:15

Sponge and cloth weekly unless it looks nasty earlier. There are usually two or three teatowels on the go and I put at least one in the washing bin every day.

mollymole · 23/11/2011 14:16

sponge - every couple of days (get cheap ones from suoermarket about 20p for pack of 5)
tea towels - 1 a day
don't have a dishwasher

BadTasteFlump · 23/11/2011 14:20

Kitchen sponge - every couple of weeks or so

Tea Towel - most days

Never use dishwasher so hardly ever.

I saw a really good tip from Aggie or whoever she is who snoops in dirty houses - put your washing up sponge in the microwave on full power for 1 minute every day. Comes out boiling hot and sterilised. How sad that I am passing that on Blush

spicyorange · 23/11/2011 14:21

I do the whole house every two days that is, dusting, hoover,mopping everything. Towels once a week, bedding 1-2 weeks. i bleach the toilet daily. iron twice a week.
I hate a mess and cannot function without my house being clean.

lborolass · 23/11/2011 14:54

spicyorange - I wish I could do my whole house as often, how long does it take you each time, do you have any children at home during the day, do you work outside the house. I need to get more organised?

spicyorange · 23/11/2011 14:59

it takes around two hours i have a dd aged 3 at home till eleven then she goes nursery and i go to work. I just have a regimented routine people think im a bit nuts but it works for me. Sometimes i wish i could relax it but it would drive me insane.

LtheBrideofFrankenstein · 23/11/2011 15:00

Kitchen sponges get sterilised in microwave daily and demoted to cat bowls once they start to look grubby, tea towels changed daily and no dishwasher to clean.

Dish drainer gets bleached, kitchen and bathroom floor mopped, bathroom towels washed, bedding changed, general dusting and hoovering all done weekly. Although if the carpets look like they need it I'll put the hoover round more frequently.

Debs75 · 23/11/2011 15:03

I don't use a sponge I use dishcloths and they get put in with the washing every night.
Tea towels are usually changed daily and washed weekly
No dishwasher, yet. Always rinse pots sat on the drainer then once a week scrub the draining board

Now just need to be that organised with the rest of the house

Swipe left for the next trending thread