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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

How long does it take to clean your house?

33 replies

2015mom · 25/04/2017 19:49

I have started to Time myself cleaning each room of my house to motivate myself to get things faster.

How long does it take you to tackle certain areas of your house?

Am I spending too much/too little time on certain rooms as follows:

Sorting two laundry loads in different piles: 5 mins
Putting two laundry loads
away in three rooms: 10 mins
Three Bedrooms: 7 mins
Bathroom: 5 mins
Vacuuming upstairs: 5 mins
Lounge: 7.5 mins
Hallway, Porch, Understairs & WC: 7.5 mins
Kitchen: 11 mins
Laundry: 7 mins
Playroom: 10 mins
Sweeping: 7 mins
Vacuuming downstairs: 5 mins
Mopping: 7 mins

OP posts:
NotAPuffin · 26/04/2017 10:23

I think you might be spending too much time timing yourself.

Prokupatuscrakedatus · 26/04/2017 21:17

That's what I planned to do next Saturday. Saturday is housekeeping day with us (DH an DS do the major weekly shop - I do the cleaining etc.).

I'll report back when I've finished. Smile

Original poster
2015mom · 26/04/2017 23:29

Okay dokey

Looking forward to your results.

I think I spent a little longer than requires this week because the house was a tip.

OP posts:
NoMoreAngstPls · 26/04/2017 23:36

Takes my cleaner 2 hrs pw to clean 3 bathrooms, kitchen, hoover/mop all floors, bit of dusting. 4 bed house.

Takes me a LOT longer than 2 hrs pw, to pick up after my DCs, do about 8 loads of washing, generally tidy, change beds, interim hoovering, daily kitchen tidy/clean etc.

Crumbs1 · 26/04/2017 23:47

Depends what your counting as cleaning - I don't count laundry or beds. I don't count big irregular jobs like emptying and cleaning freezers but otherwise -
Cleaners do x2 people 3 hours twice a week.
We then probably do an hour or two each every day. Plus extra if we've people coming for supper or book clubs here.

robinia · 26/04/2017 23:51

How on earth do you do a bathroom in 5 minutes?

Sunbeam18 · 26/04/2017 23:55

How can you clean three bedrooms in 7 minutes?

ThouShallNotPass · 26/04/2017 23:58

I'm not very... um... Domestic? In other words I think I'm a lazy sod who hates cleaning. 😂Well, I don't really hate cleaning (I actually clean a building voluntarily for a charity twice a week!) but I hate cleaning cleanish stuff where it makes just a small difference in the end.

I tend to let the house get into a state then I flip out and "Kim and Aggie" the hell out of every room. I'll empty all the drawers and iron everything, I'll fill the wheelie bin and have bags sitting at the side. I pull out wardrobes, beds, drawers and the kitchen white goods. Basically I go nuts until the house looks completely different and I am utterly knackered. It's usually around 8 straight hours once every couple of months.

PickAChew · 27/04/2017 00:01

Is that all? I can spend an hour, several times a week, getting the kitchen into a passable state.

No idea how ling it takes to clean it all because it's never been achieved.

Deux · 27/04/2017 00:11

Crikey it takes me way more than 5 minutes to clean a bathroom. What exactly do you do, so does that include washing the floor, cleaning tiles.

Equally couldn't clean 3 bedrooms in 7minites. Hoover them without having to move stuff, then maybe in 7 minutes.

BadToTheBone · 27/04/2017 00:13

15 years I've been cleaning this house and it isn't finished yet!

CremeEggThief · 27/04/2017 07:58

Here's what I count as cleaning the house, for a basic clean and it's starting from a very tidy house-

Vacuum the whole house: 30 minutes. That includes under beds and under the edges of sofas, not the whole floor underneath them.

Mop kitchen/diner, back porch and bathroom: 10 minutes.

Dust all reachable surfaces: 30-45 minutes for the whole house, including window sills, radiators, bannister rails, door handles and light switches. ("High" dusting to remove cobwebs is a dinferential job for me.)

Dust Venetian blinds: 15 minutes for 3. I LOATHE this job.

Clean mirrors and TV screens: 10 minutes for the whole house.

Clean the bathroom: 15 minutes. This is the sink, bath, shower head, shelf and loo. I never clean tiles!

Clean the drainer, draining board, taps and kitchen sink: 5-10 minutes.

Empty the kitchen bin, put the rubbish out in the wheels bin and clean the lid: 5 minutes. I very rarely clean the bin itself (I chuck some bleach into it every few months) and I never clean the wheely bins.

So, Ireland or around 2 hours, although with a few breathers, it might be closer to 3.

CremeEggThief · 27/04/2017 07:59

in*

Original poster
2015mom · 27/04/2017 08:41

I clean the sink and then toilet daily after use so that it ain't as grumpy when doing the weekly clean.

The weekly clean I will spray the mirror with window cleaner, spray the sink, toilet, bath and shower with a bathroom cleaner. Then I will wip the window down followed by the sink, toilet bath and shower. I will clean the window sills.

I spray the tiles alongside the bath, sink and shower which also get rinsed down.

The floors I will do when I vacuum the whole house.

I bleach the toilet the night before I do a thorough clean and I will put bleach down the toilet when I have finished cleaning.

Defo takes me 5 mins as I put my stopwatch on from my watch.

Timing the cleaning makes me more focused to clean quickly and I try to beat my last score.

I will clean the radiator with a stainless steel cleaner once a month because it gets water spots on there from when we get water on before drying out hands.

OP posts:
MaitlandGirl · 27/04/2017 08:48

I spend an hour a day on a 4 bedroom house as I mop the floors and vacuum every day because we've got three hairy dogs.

I don't do the kids rooms as they're all old enough to do their own, their bathroom (I don't use it) or do their laundry.

Original poster
2015mom · 27/04/2017 08:50

The kitchen I will clean as I go when I make breakfast and lunch and dinner so I don't get too much to clean when I have the weekly clean.

The weekly clean for the kitchen consists of cleaning the work tips, cooker, tiles behind cooker, microwave, sink, baby seat, bar stools, clean the cupboard doors because they are gloss so they get loads of fingerprints from little one.

OP posts:
Original poster
2015mom · 27/04/2017 08:51

I hate sweeping and mopping the floors.. always the last thing on my job. I think I need to get the dyson cordless to motivate me to clean the floors more often

OP posts:
Original poster
2015mom · 27/04/2017 09:06

Cleaning 3 Bedrooms takes 7 minutes which consists of Dustin everywhere thoroughly and occasionally dusting the skirting boards.

When I wake up each morning the beds are done and I clear all the clutter daily in every room and put everything back where it should go each morning so the clutter does not build up.

I try not to have much clutter out also Because my toddler cannot help himself and has to touch everything and usually break it so I try and keep everything clear to avoid telling my toddler off. Plus it makes it easier when cleaning because nothing to pick up

OP posts:
robinia · 27/04/2017 11:07

*The weekly clean I will spray the mirror with window cleaner, spray the sink, toilet, bath and shower with a bathroom cleaner. Then I will wip the window down followed by the sink, toilet bath and shower. I will clean the window sills.

I spray the tiles alongside the bath, sink and shower which also get rinsed down.

The floors I will do when I vacuum the whole house.

I bleach the toilet the night before I do a thorough clean and I will put bleach down the toilet when I have finished cleaning.

Defo takes me 5 mins as I put my stopwatch on from my watch.*

I will time myself tomorrow!
I usually employ a production line technique on my bathrooms and do all the loos, then all the sinks etc.etc. but tomorrow I will do one and time it.
How do you get the shower clean by just using cleaner and wiping down? That doesn't get rid of the water marks for me.

Original poster
2015mom · 27/04/2017 12:10

The water marks I will give a good scrub monthly and maintain by everyone spraying the shower spray after they have showered which reduces the water marks.

I would have thought going from bathroom to bathroom cleaning all toilets then going from bathroom to bathroom to clean sinks would mean you are taking more time to travel to each bathroom.

If I did that I know I would get distracted along the way with something or the other or somebody will interrupt my cleaning.

OP posts:
Original poster
2015mom · 27/04/2017 12:13

Most of the time one I will give the WC A quick clean after use too as I have all the cleaning products in a cupboard in the WC so I almnot wasting time to go to the kitchen to get cleaning products.

The bathroom I will keep cleaning products in the bathroom so I am not travelling from room to room to get products.

Under the kitchen sink I have a cleaning caddy with everything required for cleaning so I will just grab that and do my clean so I have everything in the caddy. Only reason I do that is because in the past I have been distracted whilst getting cleaning products which delays my cleaning.

OP posts:
MaitlandGirl · 28/04/2017 05:33

I've got one of the big fluffy brooms/mops they use for commercial cleaning. It's fantastic and so much quicker than a standard size mop.

I also use a rubber room to get the dogs hairs off the carpet before I Hoover. Adds an extra step to the process but it's more effective than just using the Hoover.

KatherinaMinola · 28/04/2017 11:43

Creme, what is your technique for dusting Venetian blinds? It takes me about 20 minutes to do one!

(Judging by the OP's timings I might be just slow, though...)

JugglingMum17 · 28/04/2017 13:07

Cleaning Venetian blinds seem very time consuming.... thank goodness I have not got any

CremeEggThief · 28/04/2017 16:53

Wet wipes, Katherina. Close the blind and wipe each row, from top to bottom. I'm only ever satisfied with the wooden blind with large slats, tbh. My aluminium ones are a HUGE regret, especially the black onesSad.

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