please post here if you are a housework slattern ...

[nappyaddict]

i am trying to prove to my mum that we do far too much housework than what is necessary. if you do the same as what i would or do it less frequently then please post here so i can show it to her.

if it was up to me i would:

Change the bedclothes? - every 3 weeks
Wash the towels? - fortnightly
Hoover,
upstairs? fornightly
downstairs? weekly
the stairs? monthly
Dust each room upstairs? fortnightly
downstairs? fortnightly
Clean bath/shower? fortnightly
tiles? fortnightly
bathroom floor? 2-3 weeks
Clean the upstairs toilet? fornightly
sink? fortnightly
downstairs toilet? fortnightly
sink? fortnightly
Clean the oven? monthly
hob? weekly
microwave? monthly
kitchen sink? weekly
wipe front of cupboards? fortnightly
wipe tiles? weekly
kitchen floor? 2-3 weeks

some things i do more frequently, somethings less....
the thing i always have a problem with is the laundry, I still haven't grasped that you can't leave it for a week without a mountainous pile magically appearing behind the bedroom door!

i would need heavey duty climbing gear to reach the heady heights that is my washing pile

I change the bedclothes when they need doing (dd is most nights as she is a bed wetter)

Dust when I am in the mood

Hoover every day but only Living room

Clean kitchen every day (ie pots and surfaces)

wahing do about 3 loads every day but never ever get through it and it either gets hung up and ironed when we need it or I have a special laundry basket for uniforms (I have 4 dc at the same school lol) and that way I know where to find it quickly.

Bathroom everyday but only wipe round
toilet it gets bleached most days but thats DP's job

I don't dislike housework but if I find something better to do like watching tv and eating chocolate playing with the Dc I will do that instead

But then somedays I have the music on loud and have a massive blitz

I hate housework and really have to be motivated to do it. I try to wash clothes every day to keep the pile down and iron in one big batch. I have friends who clean every day and it embarrasses me to invite them around. Much prefer to treat them to a coffee out somewhere. I agree with Riven. Plenty of time for housework when the kids leave home.

I do very similar to you nappyaddict. I clean the microwave when I can see the gunk on the door and I can't remember when I last did the oven. I should be cleaning the bathroom now actually!
How on earth are you meant to do housework when you work part-time and have children? We do what we can at the weekends but to be honest, it's our time as a family and the housework has to play second fiddle. Despite what my mother in law thinks. (she's never said anything but I just KNOW what she's thinking!)

my mother in law tidies my bedroom every time she comes round

I'm a starter but not a finisher. I go, ok lets tidy up today (but only get that feeling once or twice a week! and only after 11am!) so i start tidying and get so tired then end up leaving it half way through only looking marginally better than before. harrumph

My house is dirty and untidy to an extent that does occasionally get me down. You do everything more often than I do except clean the loos which all get done approx once a week or more. Just coping with keeping th kitchen relatively straight, piles of washing and keeping toys under some kind of control seems to take all my efforts. As examples:

kitchen floor - about one every three months
stair carpet - one or twice a year
dusting - never
hoovering upstairs - every 6 weeks or so
hall tiles have been cleaned twice in three years bith times by my mother
childrens' beds - quite often due to accidents
marital bed - very infrequently usually takes one of the kids having an accident ot spur me on to change it.

I know this sounds terrible but it's not that bad. DH and I started a cleaning routine last year but it only lasted a few weeks as DH found it "depressing". I console myself with thought that kids must have great immune systems.

Quite like cleaning and having it tidy by the evening but pet peeve is hanging out washing. I try - for the environment but then it's either in and out between showers, soaking wet if I leave it out while we go out or so dry no iron will touch the creases. My tumble dryer is my luxury I guess! it just seems to make light work of the laundry - of which there is a constant supply.

I have a kind of sneeking admiration for people who have a routine for these things (and therefore know how often they do them). I do most of hte things on the list (maybe not dusting or cleaning the oven though), but really don't know how often. When they kind of 'jump out at me' as needing doing? I very rarely put laundry away...

Change the bedclothes? - every week
Wash the towels? - twice a week
Hoover,
upstairs? try for weekly
downstairs? weekly
the stairs? try for weekly
Dust each room upstairs? whenever
downstairs? whenever
Clean bath/shower? every week-10days
tiles? every week-10days
bathroom floor? every week-10days
Clean the upstairs toilet? daily
sink? weekly + when needed
downstairs toilet? daily
sink? weekly + when needed
Clean the oven? DH does it
hob? when it needs it
microwave? when it needs it
kitchen sink? several times a week
wipe front of cupboards? fortnightly
wipe tiles? when I remember
kitchen floor? swept several times a day