Finding your bare minimum for housework?

**canadian gardener** · 10-01-2004, 05:28 PM

The problem with housework is that it's 24/7 and the temptation is to go into all or nothing mode. If you do it all, all of the time, you are doing too much, that is inefficient

but if you do nothing, sooner or later you have to play catch up and meanwhile the stress of living in a mess eats away at your subconscious while you try to give your attention elsewhere.

AND when catch up day comes it's awful.

It can cost you even more time and effort than doing a little bit each day.

I think it's got a lot to do with that overused word

Closure.

When is it done for the day?
When can you turn your mind off it, and on to other stuff?

How LITTLE can you do and still get by without causing more work?

WHAT is your bare minimum?

This is not a thread to outdo each other in how much we get done each day, just if you are sick, tired, busy

what is the bare minimum for you

and what kind of a routine do you have in place, to keep that bare minimum rolling so that you don't end up making more work for later.

And lastly, is it working for you?

**Goodwin17** · 10-01-2004, 06:21 PM

The problem here is, I am usually on the nothing mode. I rarely do anything, and the stress of living in my clutter is bothering me. I need to catch up, but I am so tired that I feel it is overwhelming. I have a lot of growing up to do! I'm so embarassed of my home. I'm not living in squalor, or anything like that. It's just very cluttery.

**forestdale** · 10-01-2004, 11:28 PM

My bare minimum is to make the bed, have the kitchen tidy with the dishwasher loaded and the animals fed and watered. If I'm sick or busy, everything else can take care of itself or not get done. I like having a tidy home but I'm not obsessive about it. And I can stop doing housework at any point and not think about it and not feel guilty about not doing everything.

**AmyMCGS** · 10-02-2004, 01:03 AM

My true bare minimum is to have the people bathed, the animals & people fed (easy stuff- soup, sandwiches, or fast food), and no dirty dishes laying around (they might be rinsed off and stacked in the sink, though). If I have a little more energy I run the dishwasher and maybe a load of laundry. This would be the mode I go into when I'm sick or super stressed. It's not great, but, it's enough to keep us functioning for a day or two until I get moving again.

**mom2matty** · 10-02-2004, 01:43 AM

My bare minimum is to have beds made (dks make their own), kitchen clean, family room floor picked up and vacuumed and dog fed. I also try to do atleast 1 load of laundry every day.....I carry 1 load of dirty clothes downstairs with me every morning!

**PrairieRose** · 10-02-2004, 10:49 AM

My bare minimum (even though you wouldn't know it right now...while I'm in the middle of the bedroom re-do

) is to have the beds made, kitchen clean, everything else tidied up. I can walk away and not feel guilty for DAYS on end.

**Dixie** · 10-02-2004, 11:42 AM

I'm operating on bare minimum now. I've been sick since Wednesday. I like to have the beds made, bathroom and kitchen cleaned, including dishes. Simple foods like hot dogs, hamburgers for the people and of course the animals fed. Also, I keep on top of the laundry, by doing at least 2 loads a day. If I feel like it, I declutter for 15 mins a day, that helps to keep things in check.

**thrifty gal** · 10-02-2004, 12:49 PM

My bare minimum is for the beds to be made, the dishes done, and the house picked up. It is working for me. I used to make out lengthy to do list, and now I don't. I do make out a list, but I don't live by it. If I decide not to do something on the list, I don't beat myself up over it. Since I began doing this, I have found a greater peace within myself.

**canadian gardener** · 10-02-2004, 05:46 PM

On my minimal days I don't bother with that bed making. I throw the duvet and topsheet down and let it be open to the air all day. Sinfully lazy, but when I feel good, I do make it after letting it air out for half an hour or so, it does make the whole house look done and neat.

My minimum stuff:

laundry up to date (load a day keeps the dr away) I do it all in hot wash, cold rinse except for the delicates so that I don't have to worry about whether I've got cross contamination going on. Underwear, sheets, towels and dishcloths should always be washed in the hottest water possible to kill germs and parasites.

I don't fold. I toss stuff into drawers or hang up in the closet. Much faster. I can do this because the drawers aren't overstuffed. In fact they are loosely packed, half empty or so.

meals on the table (shop with a plan, it's faster and easier and saves me a ton of time), cook SIMPLE meals, meat and a double help of veg, use fruits for dessert, healthy and easy. Use pre peeled or pre cut veg or frozen veggies when I'm really tired.

bills paid (dh does these, I shove them into the bill drawer, and he pays them on the next payday-- we get paid every 2 weeks)

Along with bills being paid on paydays, every payday we gas up the car. I always have a spare 20$ to 50$ bill in my purse, and if the tank gets below a half, we refill. Keeping it half or more full is one way I de stress my life.

Glance at the calendar daily (this is a good habit to get into, no nasty surprises)

garbage taken out daily (I have a thing about gbg), so I empty the kitchen trash when I run the dw, and I trot around the rest of the house on the way out to the garage bins, emptying the trash cans and wastebaskets in the other rooms.

dishwasher runs once a day with light loads. Easier for me to load and put away if it's not all jammed in, and much easier on a schedule. I shove everything in there. I bought steel handle pots and pans without a teflon coating (I do have one teflon pan) so that I could clean them in the dishwasher easily. (and run the comet with a dish brush if needed for heavier cleaning).

I wipe down the kitchen counters daily usually after each meal, and toss the old dishcloth and tea towel to the laundry. As the dishcloth heads out, I often use it to spot wipe coffee drips etc off the kitchen floor. Because I don't keep much on my counters, this takes less than a minute and is easy to keep up with.

The bathroom is a daily thing. I clean as I use it. On non showering days I just do the sink, counter, mirror and toilet. On showering days, the tub and surround get done along with the floor. I don't keep anything but lotion and a bar of soap out on my counters, and a spare roll of toilet paper on the toilet tank so it's a simple fast wipe down.

I keep the horizontal surfaces of my home as free of objects as possible. Makes for faster easier cleaning and keeps the family in mind that if they set something down "for now" they WILL lose it.

I use an ostrich down duster when I feel like it, I can do the entire house in about 5 minutes flat going at high speed with that thing. 10 if I'm fiddly.

I leave my vacuum out where I last ran out of steam. I pick it up later and keep going. Of course it's out of the trip hazard paths. By doing this I can vacuum the whole house weekly in 5 minute bursts.

BUT it's also out and handy should there be a spill anywhere. Fast to grab, quicker clean ups.

I use the vacuum to keep my fridge cleaning simpler. I vacuum the shelves and the fridge bottom whenever it's in teh kitchen which keeps the fridge looking cleaner, and no chasing little bitties with a rag.

On pay day or the day before, I shove the fridge contents from side to side as I do a quick wipe.

When the stove died last year we bought a self clean one with a flat glass top. that has really cut down on my cleaning chores.

I run the microwave turntable glass thru the dishwasher along with the little track that comes with it. And the splatter shield that I use.

OH speaking of splatter shields, I use one for the microwave (it goes thru the dishwasher almost daily) and I use screens over my frying pans which also go thru the dishwasher.

**canadian gardener** · 10-02-2004, 06:01 PM

Prevention tips:

Get mats on the inside and outside of EVERY entrance in your home. It stops a tremendous amount of dust and dirt entering. Vacuum or shake daily. (shake is easier)

Get the family into the habit of changing from outdoor shoes to inside shoes. Bare feet aren't an improvement, people's feet leave skin oil on everything they touch which increases soiling and carpet damage, not to mention it forms a sticky film on the hard surface floors that also attracts dirt.

Dishwashers save water and thus they do save a bit more energy than they consume in the water heating, compared to washing by hand or so I've read. I do know they save a tremendous amount of my energy!

Plus they keep a kitchen looking clean, serene and tidy at all times.

Self cleaning ovens save energy, in a year they save enough in electricity costs to pay for their extra purchase price, and every year after that it's pure gravy. EVEN when you set them to clean once a month, you STILL save that energy as that is calculated into the energy savings in that first year. Easier on the lungs.

The glass flat top is much easier to keep clean than the old ring burners. One wipe and you are done. Once or twice a week you apply a citric acid cleaner made for the glass top to remove any burnt bits. Works like a charm.

If you get a new tap (faucet) get a single lever style, much much easier to clean than the tap and two handles with a lot of fiddly surfaces.

In the kitchen, a mild pattern of vinyl wallpaper will often act like Teflon for walls, brb

**Darlene** · 10-02-2004, 07:48 PM

I'm getting lazier as I get older & things that were once important to me as far as cleaning goes, don't matter as much. I think when I lived in town closer to people and my children were small, crawling around & tasting everything I was much more steadfast.
now I do major cleaning when company is on it's way and just do what ever needs done in the meantime.

**Missy** · 10-02-2004, 08:25 PM

My minimum is usually a load of dishes,
kids bathed,
me showered.
animals fed.
a load of laundry if i feel up to it.
run the vac if i feel up to it.

usually minimum days are when i don't feel good or have too busy of a schedule. otherwise i also

clear the papers off the table and surfaces
wipe the counters
sweep and mop the hard floors
vac the seating (couch and recliners)
make the beds
trash out
clean out bird cage

Extra cleaning done weekly is
dusting
decluttering
ironing
maybe wash bedding (sometimes i don't get to it weekly)
i am sure there is more...

**frugalmel** · 10-02-2004, 08:29 PM

For me, bare minimum is dishes and making beds and general tidy. My weekly cleaning bare min is mopping and vaccuuming, and cleaning the baths. I don't like to dust much, but will do it weekly if i have time.

**HandyMom** · 10-02-2004, 10:45 PM

My bare minimum is having the kitchen, livingroom and bath as clean as possible. My bed has to be made everyday.

I do laundry, take out the trash and clean the cat's litterbox out once a week or more often as necessary. I cook at least once a day and more on weekends.

My dd can't leave the house unless her room is cleaned, bed made.

The rest of the cleaning gets done when I feel like doing it. I put things off until I can't stand it anymore then I get it done - stuff like windows and walls - the big stuff.

I've come a long way from how I used to be. I used to keep my home immaculate. Then I had a child and I've let a lot of things go. But I've heard this is a good thing!