This mundane topic has been a source of discord in our house for some time now. Gregg and I are not cleaning-oriented. Yes, we square away (sometimes) and make the bed. We always do the dishes and Gregg does all the laundry. But vacuuming, dusting and hard core cleaning has always been a chore we both tend to avoid. It used to get done more regularly BC (before child) but has been done less and less since. Gregg mows the lawn and does all the yardwork generally and the laundry. We both do the dishes (we have a dishwasher). I cook, square away, clean the kitchen, pay bills, make beds etc. I probably do more of the childcare but Gregg watches her when I am not home and sometimes when I am. Neither one of us cleans or wants to. The difference is that, while Gregg frets about it and complains about it, I let it go. My attitude tends to be: “I will do it just as soon as I am done doing the other million things I have to do.” Gregg complains that this is unhealthy, unsanitary (just to be clear, our house does not look like a pigsty) and sets a bad example for Asha. We have to “find time” according to him.
But if there is a secret to this, I would love to know it. How can a person (or two) hold down a full-time job, take care of a baby with zero help, do basic upkeep of a house, cook and clean? Either I am very lazy or others are super productive. But we have to do something. I have started vacuuming one room every morning after Asha wakes up but this sets her off and she screams and yells at the loud noise of the vacuum cleaner and at being left to herself. Currently, I am reading a book on feminist (she objected to that characterization) Charlotte Perkins Gilman (of “The Yellow Wallpaper” fame) and starting to like her idea of state-aided housework. Not the cooking (I like that part) but the cleaning.
Seriously, any ideas on how to balance cleaning against everything else? What cleaning is essential on a daily basis and what is not? How often do you clean the house from top to bottom?
4 comments:
Oh wow. As I write this, the person I hired to help clean my house is dusting, lol! I used to clean the house top to bottom once every two weeks or so, with maintenance stuff inbetween. But that was "BC." Now, I use nap times. I clean a bathroom during a nap or clean the kitchen. While daddy watches them when they are awake, I dust. That kind of thing. But top to bottom rarely ever gets done, so that is why I pay someone a little bit to help with the bigger stuff. She comes twice a month and just does what I haven't had time or energy to get to - usually the floors for sure because those or so time-intensive. Have you thought about that? If you hire just someone you know or someone off of craigslist (not a professional service), it's not that expensive at all. I pay $40 every 2 weeks or so. Just a thought:). Hang in there, girl - I'm sure this will get easier for us as they get bigger:).
During the school year, we resorted to hiring a service. I'd only call them every 6-8 weeks or so, though we certainly could have used them more often. Right now, I follow the 10 minutes a day plan. I clean 10 minutes / day, no more and no less. Whatever needs it the most. However, I found it hard to be consistent with this while teaching; hence, the cleaning service.
I echo Faith and Waspy Girl. This has been a huge bone of contention with us--and I'm the one it bothers. Chuck, like you, can ignore it if need be. So we decided that a cleaning person is cheaper than a divorce. Seriously. We have one every other week, but once a month would help a great deal for you. The ten minutes a day plan sounds good. Maybe I'll try that--well, maybe next year.
Our cleaning person comes 2 times a month and it is a life saver. She is worth it for the floors, kitchen, and bathrooms alone. It's hard enough to keep up on the day to day stuff.
Sometimes I don't mind doing a little deeper cleaning in between her visits. But other times I resent having to use my scarce free time on that.
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