Since I couldn’t find the site I referred to here I’m thinking of doing my own page on the topic. There’s one problem—I seem to have been seeing extremes, so I’m not entirely sure where “normal” is. And since someone has asked me to help her figure out what she needs to do as a minimum, it seems a good idea to ask others about it.
I am told that I am considered, in our social circle, to keep a very clean home. By my family of origin’s standards, I’m not a very good housekeeper (and I’m not even gonna talk about my second mother-in-law’s standards). Special cleaning is required any time members of my family are coming here, just so that I’ll feel less anxious. Therefore I must not be a good housekeeper, because you’re supposed to keep things that clean 24/7. Unfortunately, my health no longer allows me to keep that standard. I’m hurting so much today from yesterday’s efforts that I’ve been awake since 4 am due to the pain. I certainly can’t do that two days in a row, much less every single day.
I’ve been completely appalled by the state of too many residences (I can’t call them homes) I’ve seen in the last decade. Especially, I’m afraid, within the pagan community. Really, really bad. It isn’t a religious issue, I’m sure. It’s just—well, lots of people in our generation don’t keep house. At all. Piles of trash you could lose a toddler in, the entire house used as an ashtray, rotting food and dirty dishes left all over the place, a stove that I found it necessary to take apart to clean before I could stand to cook on it for a potluck, people living with wholly un-housebroken animals kept indoors who they then didn’t clean up after—I’ve seen all of those in just the last four years. And I found them really sickening.
A year or two ago I wrote an article about grunge levels, intended for my website. I never published it because sambear called it “strident.” So now I’m a little anxious about talking about such things. I know that we had very, very different standards of housekeeping when we met (okay—I kept house, he didn’t). I’d like to know what others think.
What kind of cleaning do you do? How often? Who, in your household, does the cleaning? At what ages did your children start helping (if they have)?
What’s SUPPOSED to happen around here, and does if I’m able to do it or family members help:
Daily
–Laundry (at least a load of towels, usually at least one load of clothing)
–Kitchen cleaned, dishes washed, etc. All the surfaces get wiped down, the floor gets swept (and mopped if there’s anything sticky).
–All bathroom surfaces wiped down and bathrooms checked to be sure there’s plenty of toilet paper and hand soap and a fresh hand towel
–Public areas decluttered and vacuumed
–Trash taken out
–Catbox scooped and the surrounding floor swept
–Bedrooms picked up and the beds made
–Decks and front porch swept and bird feeders & water refilled
Weekly
–Bathrooms cleaned completely
–All floors vacuumed or swept/mopped
–All surfaces dusted
–Upholstery vacuumed
–Ceilings checked for cobwebs
–Sheets changed on all beds
–Yard checked for trash, grass mowed if necessary
–Catbox emptied, scrubbed inside and out, and refilled with fresh litter
Monthly
–Shower curtains taken down and bleached/washed
–All bedding (comforters, pillows, etc.) laundered
–Fridge/freezer cleaned out and scrubbed thoroughly
–All cabinets and closets straightened
–Garage straightened and swept
–Storage area under the stairs straightened
–Fridge coils cleaned
–Kitchen appliances moved and the floor under them cleaned
–Light fixtures cleaned
My real demon is clutter. That makes everything harder. Someday I’ll figure that one out 🙂
