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Cleaning Up:  Preventive Cleaning!  |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 04 2004 : 1:05:44 PM
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I know you all have heard of and probably practice preventive medicine - the philosophy of taking care of yourself before a health problem becomes a real problem. I have adopted that same outlook with the act of keeping my house clean (relatively). So much major and boring and time-consuming cleaning can be headed off at the pass!
Here are a few examples:
When I shower, I use my towel, after drying myself, to dry the walls of shower tile. we do it each time it is used - I have even trained my husband and daughter. It takes a moment. It saves (especially here in Florida) hours of dealing with mold, mildew, and scummy stuff. We have lived in our house for almost twenty years, and the tile in our baths still looks new!
Also, when I have damp kitchen towels or cloths, I take a moment and dust furniture. I do not use chemicals like Pledge - just a soft damp cloth will take the dust away, and not hurt the finish.
On my way up the steps to the laundry I use a damp cloth, on it's way to the wash, to trail along the baseboard of the steps - a major dust collector!
When I brush my teeth, I pat the brush dry and then hang it up - then there is never "stuff" all over the sink from the toothpaste or the brush.
I know I sound fanatical, but I am not really. I am just too lazy to devote entire days to house cleaning. I would much rather do it as I go through my day, and then it stays done. Take a moment to wipe the counters after each meal and then you never have to really scrub them. Wipe your stove after dinner each evening, and you never have grease build up.
When I use paper towels to clean windows and mirrors, I use them again to wipe across the bathroom floor or along the sides of the dining room floors.
Clean as you go, that's my motto. Then you never have to clean in the hours you want to have fun or read a book. Plus your cleaning stuff (like paper towels) gets maximum usage.
I also cover my countertops in strategic places with wooden cutting boards. These I do not worry about scratching or staining, and when they get too old and grubby, I buy new ones or refinish the old ones. My kitchen countertops never get the heavy usage that way. And I like the look of the wooden cutting boards - very homey.
These tips make my life easier and more chemical free for our family.
jpbluesky
Love those big blue skies and wide open spaces. |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2004 : 6:44:26 PM
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Hi Jeannie,
Sounds like good use of time and materials!
We have a rubber window squeegie in the shower for the same purpose as the towel you use. Then after the squeegie we wipe up any left over water with the washcloth. I still occasionally have to take vinegar to the shower floor to get off the hard water stains that come even though we wipe up after every shower but it doesn't take too long. I can't use a damp rag on my furniture but I do use one with a little mineral oil on it. I collect 1920's furniture called Waterfall and it is very thin laminated wood over whatever wood scraps were available so the laminate must be treated with respect so I have to do the paste wax on occasion but the mineral oil works well in between, Can't use vegetable oil as it would turn rancid and stink.
Clean as you go is a good motto.
Eileen
songbird |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2004 : 9:29:17 PM
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I tend to do that too...especially in the kitchen and bathroom. I have been known to scrub the shower while in it, and never fail to clean as I cook. I hate to have stuff all spread out everywhere and a zillion dirty dishes waiting for me.
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Oct 07 2004 : 05:30:29 AM
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I keep some swiffer cloths in my nightstand for a quick dusting of bedroom furniture. Does anyone have tips on reviving formica countertops and oak parquet flooring? On the floors I have tried just about everything. I don't believe in putting on polyurethane varnish on my floors so I have used lemon oil, orange oil. The floor just dulls after a few days.
Time Flies |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2004 : 12:03:29 PM
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Jenny,
I had parquet floors in my last home. What a lot of work they were!
I found that if I washed with Murphys oil soap and dried them with a soft cloth they held their shine for a while but we had children who had friends and a lot of different pets that were in and out all the time so it did not take long to get dull. I finally broke down and bought a used floor polisher and buffer at a yard sale and once a year I gave those darn floors a coat of paste wax and a good buffing.
They were supposed to be care free floors. The polish is strong smelling so I had to do this project during the summer when I could open the windows and doors. Then for a while at least everyone was required to take off their shoes when they came into the house and wear their slippers. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. I had a sign at the door that said no shoes allowed please respect my floors. And a basket of socks by the door for those who came to visit but sometimes that was just too much of a hastle. In the winter just before the holidays I would get out the buffer and buff it without the wax and this would make it look nice for the holidays.
Eileen
songbird |
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chillywilly00
Farmgirl at Heart
3 Posts
N
Missouri
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2005 : 10:38:21 AM
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| Help!! I can't get my house cleaned! It has been well over a year since my kitchen has been cleaned. My living room is always cluttered. My husband wont help me and my son is 17 months old. So if I ever get a room cleaned he messes it up right behind me. I need some advice! I am going crazy looking at this mess. It is to BIG for me to do by myself. And there aren't any house cleaning services in my area. |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2005 : 10:44:40 AM
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Nikki, First of all, please know that every wife and mother has faced these conditions! You are not alone! Do you have family or girlfriends in the area? If so, someone could watch the little one elsewhere, and your girlfriends and yourself could tackle one room at a time, have lunch, etc and make it an affirmative girls' day. If that is not an option, then just do what you can do for now and know that there will be time and energy in the future. And for me, personally, I'd give hubby and kick in the butt and say help out now or else!!!! That's probably why I haven't been married in eons! haha 
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2005 : 11:46:46 AM
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Nikki - one thing is key - try not to let the house overwhelm you. Start with this thought - what would be the easiest way to get my house adequately straight and clean? Remember, it does not have to be squeaky clean or perfectly straight throughout. If it means throwing out clutter first to get to the real nitty gritty, then throw out a few things every week and try not to refill with new stuff. I find it easier to clean a clear space than one that has a million things that have to be moved first.
Start with asking yourself "What will make me happy that I can achieve in this house today?" Then throw away magazines, for example. Believe me, you will not miss them. Keep two or three current ones.
Or clean just one kitchen counter top or one bathroom, someplace you can go to and say, wow, this is great. Then work from there. Never look at the house as a whole. Look at it as one room at a time or even one area at a time. Then do like Jenny suggested - clean the shower while you are showering. Or wipe the table off while you are reading the paper at it. Each time you flush the toilet, take another piece of toilet paper and wipe the floor around you and then flush that paper down with the rest. Each night after dinner, wipe off the stove top and the hood. Grease will not build up. Line your burners with foil and throw it out after six months. Just little steps will keep you from being in a panic and getting in too deep. And soon you will see the results. But make the chores little at first and things that will make you happy. Then you will want to continue.
Good luck- wish I could help!
jpbluesky |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2005 : 12:35:55 PM
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And also remember that the children in our lives need us more than they need a spotless house. Put the play pen in the kitchen and do the dishes while singing to your child. It doesn't matter if you can sing or not just do it even if you need a record or the radio to inspire you. Wash and sing to the baby right in his or her face while you wash up. It shows the child that chores can be fun and that they are a part of the life around them. I sometimes put one or more of my kids in their high chair while I did the dishes and had them right up close to the sink with a dishtowel and I gave them something that was unbreakable to try to wipe dry after I washed it and them gave them high praise after they handed it back to me telling them what a good job! Even if it was still wet I put it in the cupboard to show them that I approved of their efforts. Even a 17 month old can do this and find it a fun game. I tried to make clean up a game no matter what. Even folding the laundry, when the children would unfold what I had folded I just re folded it with my hands on their hands to show them how it was done and then helped them to put the things away. The childrens drawers were usually full of unfolded laundry because they were trying so hard to help I just couldn't let them see me re do the things they had done.
Sometimes you just have to sit in the rocker with the child and read or do a puzzle or play patty cake, but when you add them into the daily chores from the start they learn that they are part of a dinamic and responsible life so will do their best to mimic your actions. Your husband should be helpful in this too but if he is not just move around him. Maybe he never had these kinds of lessons growing up. Too bad. Find a group of women in your area where you have play groups or something and see if you can set up a once a week care taking exchange program with a few of them.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2005 : 12:56:25 PM
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Amen, Eileen! Just this morning, I did the dishes with my two year old granddaughter. She stood on a chair next to me and I washed and she rinsed (a lot) and then we both dried. She loved feeling big, and I even put one of my vintage aprons around her.
Keeping house and keeping babies is one of the greatest joys in life, and I guess I was trying to say the same thing - take joy and find joy in life around you and in those you love, and that includes the house. It is meant to lived in and be comfortable.
jpbluesky |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2005 : 12:58:55 PM
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I'm with Eileen! Your children are small and so precious for such a short time to heck with meticulous cleaning! Let them help (or not as the case may be..) and pick a small task each hour to tackle. Jeannie had the right idea too! It's not about moving the fridge and powerwashing the house, take baby steps to just keep up and get rid of the unneccessary items. Not using the bassinet anymore, back to storage or loan to a friend! Outgrown car seat , drop it off at the hospital for a newborn. It was the big clutter that started to eat us alive! Good luck and check back in , it's a great group for moral support!
with a happy heart |
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chillywilly00
Farmgirl at Heart
3 Posts
N
Missouri
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2005 : 1:05:05 PM
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| Thanks to everybody who replied to my cry for help. I am going to try your suggestions. I just get overwhelmed by looking at it day in and day out. I don't even think that my husband notices when I have actually gotten something cleaned. He always says that "WE" need to clean the house, and I am sure you all know what he means by that. I am just afraid that the wrong person will see my house and then come in and take our baby from us. There isn't dirty diapers or anything like that laying around it is mosly the kitchen and living room. |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2005 : 1:11:49 PM
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Nikki - If your fears are that deep, and they sound pretty deep, you do need a support system of some kind - friends that will help clean a little with you or baby-sit. You cannot change people, so your husband may never do more than "strongly suggest" and then make you feel the stress, but this is not an insurmountable problem. Take small steps. When your baby is napping, or even after he/she goes to bed. One chore a night. You can do it! My family came from very poor times during the depression, and it was hard going, but my grandma always said that it does not take money to be clean, just a little thought and work. You can do it, I know you can! Count your blessings and teach your children to help as they grow. At least you do not have five children and invalid parents living with you! It is one child and one husband. And you!
jpbluesky |
Edited by - jpbluesky on Mar 09 2005 1:14:27 PM |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2005 : 3:09:42 PM
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One of the things we try and do is throw away junk mail right away. That has always been a big source of clutter for us and there is only the two of us!!! Do you have any baskets or bins that you can utilize to get things up and off the table, floor, wherever, and go through each container as time allows? To me there is a difference between clutter and filth. It does not sound like you have a problem with filth, just clutter. Men don't realize, women work a minimum of 2 full times jobs just keeping the home fires burning and their normal job.
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2005 : 3:57:54 PM
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Hi Nikki! The first positive step you took was posting on this great forum with all these great and supportive people to share with! We have all been where you are at so there are many ears here tuned into what you are saying! keep posting! Little steps Nikki! Your little one will not remeber his mothers super clean and tidy home... He will however remember your love and attention and sharing while he grows...Do you have a girlfriend, sister, aunt, or a significant gal in your circle that can give you a breather? Have her over, have a cuppa tea or coffee, do a little venting ( we all need that...) Make a little list every day of what you'd like to accomplish to get a better feeling about things in the home... Maybe one day whipe down the faucet...next day clean a burner or two...before you know it you'll see some progress and feel more in control! I kept a box of toys for my toddlers in the kitchen just for them while I did kitchen duty...Not many toys, but some special ones they could bang around. Kept them occupied for a few while I could clean some messes or prepare a bite to eat. They could only play with these in the kitchen and they HAD to put the stuff back in the box themselves...even if it took them forever, it would give me more precious time to do what I needed to do! Hang in there Nikki, it'll get better! Jenny
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2005 : 3:14:56 PM
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How precious! I loved the houdini one!!
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
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chillywilly00
Farmgirl at Heart
3 Posts
N
Missouri
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - Mar 24 2005 : 12:53:40 PM
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| I just wanted to send a message saying that I FINALLY GOT MY HOUSE CLEANED!! I am so HAPPY! |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Mar 24 2005 : 12:58:13 PM
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So how did you do it? A little at a time or did you hire in a helper?
Get some one to baby sit for a while? Congratulations! It always feels great to have a clean house.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Mar 24 2005 : 2:06:30 PM
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Nikki, You Go Girl!!!!
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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pnwchica
Farmgirl in Training
46 Posts
Suzy
WA
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Mar 24 2005 : 9:53:57 PM
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Another use for dryer sheets is using them to clean electronic items such as stereos, tv screens and computer monitors. I've found this to be great and I also use them to wipe down window sills. Like others who have posted here I try to clean as I go along.
Looking for new beef recipes, frugal gardening tips, any and all tried and true ez home crafts & recipes. |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2005 : 12:47:01 AM
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Nikki - Wonderful! Enjoy the feeling of accomplishment, and let it become a habit so you do not have to go back to being concerned or feeling overwhelmed again!
Thanks for sharing with us about it! I am so glad for you!
jpbluesky |
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taylor
honeybee
40 Posts
40 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2005 : 10:57:21 AM
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HI Nikki,
I know TV is evil, but I have recently become addicted to this show monday nights called Nanny 911.(My fiance and I watch it together, we are planning to have kids right away, and I am impressed with his reactions.) Basically, this english nanny comes in and fixes a disaster family situation... the kids are out of control and the parents don't communicate. Usually, the wife/mother is feeling frazzled overwhelmed by children and household chores while the husband/father has slipped into the easy role of doing nothing when it comes to housework and disciplining the kids. The situation is always remedied by getting the husband involved in chores and children. She reccomends putting up a chore board to get husbands involved. I am always shocked to see how children take example from their parents and if the father is not respecting the mother the children pick up on that and start behaving with the same disrespect.
It is definately not fair or right that you should be the maid of the house, my advice would be to nip this problem in the bud before it is complicated by more children. It's 2005 not 1950!
Good Luck Nikki!
xoxo Taylor
I came to explore the wreck.
The words are purposes.
The words are maps.
I came to see the damage that was done
and the treasures that prevail.
-Diving into the Wreck, Adrienne Rich
Please feel free to email me with any problems/complaints/suggestions about the connection. |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2005 : 09:05:11 AM
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I came across this article today on cleaning. It's a very methodical list to get your house clean in one month. Sometimes just having things broken down into managaable, do-able sections is all it takes to get us motivated and help us along. Also on the last page there are links to other articles on de-cluttering and other cleaning topics. Thought it was worth sharing.
http://www.womansday.com/article.asp?section_id=6&article_id=7504&track=040605 |
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Cleaning Up: Preventive Cleaning! |
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Preventive Cleaning!
