The Bare-minimum

[Happydinosaur53]

What's your bare-minimum? Mine is:
Daily
-make beds
-keep toilet & sink clean
-hoover and mop downstairs
-laundry
-wash & put away dishes
-wipe kitchen surfaces & table
-tidy
-chage bins (if needed)
Weekly
-change bedsheets
-clean bathroom
-hoover upstairs
-dust
-clean kitchen

Other cleaning jobs such as cleaning windows, fridge or bins get done when the NEED to. What else should I be doing? Can I get away with doing less?

Do you need to hoover and mop on a daily basis? Depending on what’s been happening that’s a once or twice a week job for me

Mine:
Make beds
Windows open for at least 20 mins
Wiping kitchen surfaces as needed
Clean kitchen sink every morning
Wash up 3-4 times a day
Keep on top of cloth nappy laundry
Do a load of 'normal' laundry
Wipe high chair after every meal
Basic tidying (toys!!)
Prep for tomorrow (set table for breakfast, get a clean tea towel etc out and ready to go for the next day, load buggy with shopping bags if going shopping tomorrow)
Kitchen bins quick wipe over.

That's it. Looks like a lot written down like that but I do lots of it without even thinking about it.

I change bathroom towels twice a week, give the kitchen and bathroom a good clean weekly, change bedsheets weekly (lots of other weekly jobs too) and do dusting & window cleaning etc monthly. There are also plenty of 'as and when' jobs that don't have set days e.g. ironing & giving the toilet a quick clean to keep it nice before and after the more thorough weekly clean. I have a 'focus Friday' style list of jobs that I rotate every Sunday e.g. cleaning the sofa.

Forgot to add I only hoover once a week and only mop once a week too (unless you count a quick spray mop of the kitchen floor which I do more often). You definitely do more than me!

Well done, you!

I don't think I have a bare minimum, to be honest. I just blitz it when I have the time and energy and let it slowly decay the rest of the time. But I'm a slattern.

@user1493413286 unfortunately, yes. 2 young children and a labrador. I don't do a proper hoover every day. Just what I can see. I do evaluate it first too. If I can leave a day then I will.

Have you considered a robot hoover and mop? Toddler and two dogs & our robot hoover goes on every evening whilst toddler in bath for downstairs & mop whenever needed?
Made life so so much easier & less dog hair!

@firstimemamma I change hand towels and tea towels daily. Bath towels twice a week. I don't miss cleaning the dreaded high chair. Just thinking about it makes me cross my legs.

@FourPlasticRings sounds idyllic. I'm defo in the clean because I have to camp.

@suziedoozy I have. Can't really justify the expense at the money though. Also, will it clean as well as my trusty Miele?

That is a lot of cleaning!!! It sounds like you're a slave to the house - sod that, pour a wine and leave it be.

@userxx does it? It doesn't take that long to do. 5 minutes for the beds and bathroom. 15 minutes to hoover and mop. 10-15 minutes for laundry. Everything else gets done as and when. 1 hour to clean upstairs and 1 to clean downstairs. DH does his but when he's home. I don't do anything at night. Once the kids are in bed that's it. I wish I could leave it but my mental health would really struggle. And I would never let anyone in my house. I did ask if I could do less though, so I appreciate your comment.

Yes you're doing far too much and frankly making the rest of us look bad!

My list,
Dishwasher
Clean kitchen sink and worktops/table
Make my own bed (kids don't bother)
Plump up cushions on sofa

Everything else only when absolutely necessary

Yes you're doing far too much and frankly making the rest of us look bad!

Here, here!

(Though hark at you, plumping your cushions daily )

@FourPlasticRings

Plumping the cushions gives the appearance of everything being clean and tidy 😂😂

@FourPlasticRings

Plumping the cushions gives the appearance of everything being clean and tidy 😂😂

Run hoover round anywhere food goes, quick clean of bathroom sink and loo, a bowl of dishes and a load of washing. I blitz one room daily on top, but not according to TOMM (though I am trying to do that) but according to which room needs it the most.

Oh an wipe table after eating, high chair and chairs sometimes (if they need it), kitchen sides and try to take bins out every day as even in fragranced disposal bags (double bagged!) my kids nappies really stink.

Mine is dishes twice and day (breakfast and lunch dishes get done together because there are so few of both).

Kitchen surfaces wiped down 2/3 times a day.

Brush and mop every day. Hoover 2/3 times a week. Muddy garden plus small child = muddy kitchen floor, especially in lockdown.

Tea towels get changed when they get damp/dirty. Hand towels every few days.

I never polish.

Dust x2 a week

Toys away as and when needed (ds does most of this as he is 6 and perfectly capable).

Beds every 10 days or so. Towels are as and when (we don't share towels, dp's towel can become quite grim and does occasionally get confiscated to be hot washed so it doesn't stink. I tend to use mine 2/3 times).

Laundry every other day or so. Putting it away when the pile is as tall as me usually. Only dp's work shirts and uniform gets ironed.

Hamster cage once a week.

Bathroom gets a quick wipe every day and a proper clean every week /ten days but it's tiny so a quick wipe down gets 90% of it.

My cushions are so flat they are beyond redemption.

Ok, I have to confess that when I say laundry I mean wash, dry and put away. I never iron.

@passthemustard I don't own cushions to plump

Maybe I should chuck mine out? 😂

I have to confess that I have a flat I let out on Airbnb and I'm there 2-3 times a week changing beds, cleaning everything, polishing dusting hoovering etc. Plus now antibac- ing everything. I was cleaning a mirror there this morning when I thought to myself I wish my house was this clean.

And I'm washing and ironing the bedding/towels from the flat when I get home so I mostly haven't got time to clean my own house. (It's not filthy - I promise I do clean it)

@passthemustard get rid. I got rid of mine bacuse the dog kept sitting on them and I was sick of washing the covers.

I wouldn't judge you if your house was minging to be honest. I have a friend who's house is messy and not always the cleanest. I really couldn't care less. As long as the kettle is on I'm happy.

I think how much cleaning you need to do really depends on how many people/pets you live with, how dirty they are, and if you want to be "ready for the queen" (as we call it) or not. I do quite a lot but it's only because I'm house proud (or clean freak as my 12 year old called me tonight) and my family are all really untidy/messy people. I've really had to commit myself to it as it takes hours and hours each week (I have the time sadly).

Each day i have a list I try to work through on an app called spotless. You set it to let you know how often you need to do things (which is great for someone like me who forgets when they last did things). It has things on it like clean the window in the hallway (weekly), hoover living room with main hoover (every couple of days), wipe kitchen cupboards (weekly), clean bathrooms floors (every 3 days).

Every day (I do occasionally miss a day if I'm going out) I clean all three sinks and toilets, do the kids bathroom mirror and tidy around the bathrooms. I make my own bed and tidy. I set the hoover going (eufy). I do this dishwasher several times and clean my kitchen a few times. I rarely go to bed without "leaving my machines running" (dishwasher, washing machine etc) and cleaning the kitchen.

Despite this rigorous routine my house doesn't look like Mrs Hinch's. It's still lived in (especially at the moment with the children around) and you can relax, I just feel safer in the knowledge that there is no major dirt anywhere, and I can be back to "ready for the Queen" in less than a day.

Daily

• persuade DC to tidy up after themselves
• wipe down kitchen sides and dining table if used
• clean spills
• load of laundry (probably 5 days a week)

Every few days

• tea towels washed
• kitchen cloths washed
• hand towels washed

Fortnightly

• change beds
• change towels

Cleaner comes weekly and hoovers and mops, cleans bathrooms etc. Window cleaner comes monthly.

Not just you op!
My bare minimum daily:
Hoover twice a day(very messy autistic child!)
Clean all tables worktops,frequently
Put a wash on,hang out bring in put away(family of 5)
Tidy toys, clothes away
Clean bathrooms ,fully
Dust if needed
Wash dishes multiple times a day
General picking up tidying away
,I never really sit when my kids are awake but dont move a muscle when they are all sleeping.

@Franticbutterfly there's an app?! I think I should download it for my husband. He's does his share and definitely doesn't view cleaning as wife work, but he'll only do what I ask. He can't think for himself. I'm not interested in a spotless house but I really struggle with people popping in.

@DelurkingAJ how I long for a cleaner

@Justme02 I'm so glad it's not just me who hoovers and mops daily. I can't stand stand dirty floors.