do you put bleach down the loo as you swish off on holiday

[BadgersArse]

or is it just me

It would spoil being away for me to know I was coming back to a messy house.

Bleach down bog
dishcloths in sink in squirty bleach
bins emptied and cleaned
fridge emptied, tidied, cleaned
Car cleaned inside and out
DH in doghouse for not taking any of above seriously

I've just reached a new level. I've just put all the cushion covers in the washing machine!

Apparently Kim off 'How Clean is Your House' puts all the suitcases and DH outside and then walks backwards out of her front door hoovering up to the threshold when she goes on holiday.

I'm with you Moony, would spend the whole holiday cross if i came home to a tip.

Maureen - I might have pre-holiday rituals but I've never washed a cushion cover in my life!

I just leave. Do try and remeber to empty the kitchin bin though.

Ooh yes, cleaning of car before we set off. We do that too!

Oh I love coming back to a tidy house
Am obsessional about it

and clean bedding on teh beds, shopping ordered etc

I too walk out the house backwards hoovering having loaded the kids in the car.

They are used to it now.

I like zoflora in the sinks, smells lovely on return.

I am by no means a tidying person but I do like to come back to a clean and tidy house. And have milk and bread in freezer and tesco man coming next day

I might change the beds too - that sounds lovely

i hate cleanign the car hater ahte hate - but I do that too. DH says why not do it when you get back....
just doesn't understnad

Do you then go back in and put the hoover away, or leave it by the front door?

I have no food in my freezer for a very different reason. We had a 4 day power cut last week and I cleverly emptied my freezer into my brothers. (Different power grid) NOT cleverly however, he went on holiday the next day and he won't be back until the day after we go and I forgot to borrow a key!!

Quite impressed by the online shopping orders pre-leaving - now I can really see the point of that.

How lovely to come back and NOT have to think about the next week's meals.

But then how on earth do you find time to do all that planning and cleaning before leaving?

I suppose not leaving on the first day of the school holidays might have something to do with it!

We have started leaving a reasonably clean and tidy house (always baffled me when parents did it) because someone comes in to bring in the post etc.

Re: leaving clean for burglars...

Unfortunately the time we were burgled we had only gone out to work for the day and the house was a tip already.

It took me about 15 mins to realise that it was a bit wierd that the window was broken and the video half out of the cupboard.

Thought DH was doing a repair job .

(realises HSFAY forgot to mention that the house a tip/burglar incident was pre becoming a MUM so agrees all this cleaning malarky is definite MUM territory)

oh yes house must be clean.

dh takes that half shut curtain / hall lights on thing to wild extremes as in we have to have lights on and half curtains ALL YEAR ROUND so it won't look unusual to the hordes of people casing the joint on the 10 days a year we do leave the house.

we are in a permanent state of lighting war.

One of my mothers friends sleeps in a sleeping bag the night before she goes away , so that the bed is fresh when she gets back.

That is a step too far IMO

Ggirl - there will be real people partying at yours!

I read you're supposed to add the toilet brush to the bleach filled loo to clean that too...surely life's too short.

Haven't I plan it through stages in last week. I go away for long periods twice a year to be with dh abroad.

I've never done online shopping. Is it something that takes ages?

OK for long periods of time or once a year holiday.

But are all the OCD freaks v. clean people doing this every time they go away for the night?

I think I would just stay locked up at home forever if I had to do the rounds cleaning top to bottom EVERY TIME.

I was going to do an online shop but what if im delayed - worries me all my food would be taken in by neighbour and sniggered at. We will just go to asda on our return in moods.

I get the cleaner to come in while we're away

No online shopping round here [sniff]

Actually georgiemama has just reminded me on another thread that my cleaner does the deep-clean WHILE we are away which would explain why I have no memory of doing it

She even does the product (not bleach, septic tank) down toilets for us.

she's off sick this year though and I'll be looking after her house instead!

Crossposts GM!