Monday, April 29, 2019

How I do chores

To give you a peek into how we do certain of those everyday things in our life, here is a look at how I do chores around the house.  Don't think for a second that Dave doesn't do his fair share around here, because of course he does, but I will speak in the first person for simplicity rather than spell out exactly how everything gets done.



Bathrooms - The main bathroom upstairs gets cleaned about once a week (but I only do the shower every other week because it takes longer).  I try to get it done on Saturday afternoons right after Q goes down for his nap.  After he falls asleep the upstairs is basically off limits but if I can quickly get this job out of the way right at the beginning of nap time, then it's done!  I like the Scrubbing Bubbles flushable toilet pads, Lysol wipes, and Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Foam

Kitchen - We are big believers in cleaning as you go.  Whenever we start cooking anything, a sink full of soapy water is started, and then when you have a minute or two while something is cooking, then you can start working through the dishes.  Then when we are done eating, mostly we just need to put our dishes in the dishwasher and maybe do one or two pots and wipe down the counter and table.  We don't dry the dishes, just stack them up and let them air dry.  We try to put them all away and empty the dishwasher (that we start after dinner a couple of times a week) before we go to bed so they aren't all waiting for us in the morning.  We do everything before we put the kids to bed, so the kitchen is relatively clean when we come down.  I will usually make lunches or prep something for the next night's dinner, but any mess made there is pretty easy to clean up if the rest of the kitchen is clean.    I don't have a schedule for deep cleaning the kitchen, just whenever I notice something is getting dirty and then I will scrub the sink out (with baking soda), clean the range hood with Lysol, soak the range filters, wipe out the fridge, and wipe down the cabinets.

Dusting - This one does not get done much, but usually when I am changing decorations or if we are having guests over.  If I notice a cobweb or two, I will get out the big wand we use to get all of the cobwebs and do the whole house.

Floors - We are constantly sweeping and running the vacuum, but for washing the floors, this is Dave's dominion.  I really don't have the desire the wash the floors, but he likes to do it and he appreciates the clean floors when they are done.  We have a steam mop that does a good job.  I actually prefer to use a bucket and cloth and Lysol spray and wash the whole thing by hand, but I only do that about twice a year, usually in the winter time if salty boot prints have made it through the house.

Laundry - I do all of the laundry on the weekend, and everybody's laundry is washed separately (Dave does his own), and then sheets and towels make up the other loads I do.  The summary below is fairly accurate.  I am really trying harder to fold the loads within a day of them being done, but it is my least favourite part.  When I can I try to get E to fold his own laundry so that will help out if I can be more consistent with asking him to do it.

I have tried following schedules for cleaning like people suggest on Pinterest, or keeping track of when I've cleaned things last so I'm not wondering about the last time I cleaned out the fridge, but I can never seem to keep up the habit.  I'm sure I could find a better way to do things and I know my house could be cleaner, but it works for me and at this stage of my life when I have a few other things going on, fitting in house cleaning chores whenever I can is the best I can do!! On that note, I don't really have a desire to get a cleaning service, even though I know lots of people have them.  I have two thoughts on that and one of them is I don't like paying somebody for something I can do myself, and the other is that I know I would still have to clean up on the days they are not there so if I'm still doing some cleaning and I'm paying someone to clean, it seems counterintuitive.  We really have not done enough to get E to help out with the chores, but this will be something to work on next.  He is a good helper, he just needs direction. So once he gets his own things to look after, that will help out a lot!


3 comments:

  1. Hand washing the floors is the way tO go but so time consuming!! Yep, my girls have started with small chores!

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  2. Sounds like you have it under control. I like your idea of the sink of soapy water to do the meal prep dishes as you go. And getting E involved is good, as he does like to help. And soon Q will be old enough to help, too.

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  3. I try to wash all the pots and pans before we eat supper because the two of us sit at the peninsula counter, rather than at the table. This way, I don't have to look at those dirty items while we eat. Also, the onerous job of scrubbing stuck-on food is not waiting for me. I usually transfer everything to bowls for serving. It's easy to just put them in the dishwasher when empty, or the bowls get a top, and can go in he fridge as leftovers.
    The other thing here is dust. Having a wood stove means lots of dust, even on vertical surfaces. When I wash the windows, the rag comes away black. But I love the wood stove anyway.

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