# house cleaning poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 18, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cleaning-poll/373179 "2006-09-18T15:20:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cleaning-poll/373179/41 "2006-09-19T19:41:55Z")
1. Who lives in your house? Me & 4 dogs. 1. In general, how often do you (or your spouse/kids/housekeeper…): 2. Vacuum your carpets - every Saturday 3. shampoo/steam clean the carpets - annually (maybe?) 4. Sweep the floors - every Saturday (Pergo - gets Murphy Oil Soaped) 5. Mop the floors - see #3 6. Wax the floors - N/A 7. Clean the tub - every Saturday 8. Clean under the furniture - monthly 9. Have the couches/curtains etc cleaned - (every 6 months - annually - depends on need) 10. Wash the walls - whenever I see a mark 11. Clean the stove/refrigerator/dishwasher - every Saturday (exterior; interior of refrigerator 2x annually) 12. Do general dusting of shelves, electronics, knicknacks etc. - weekly with a feather duster; monthly with a good cleaning 13. How often will you leave clean dishes in the dishwasher/dishrack - I try to empty the dishwasher when it’s done - it’s not a priority, though Are you an “as needed” cleaner, or do you have a list of things that you do at a scheduled time regardless of how the area looks (ex: do you vacuum once a day/week whether or not you see fuzz on the carpet?) “as needed” for things like upholstery, draperies, rug shampooing. Other than that, weekly works best for me. I also try to take 2 rooms (or at least 1 room) per month & really give it a going over. Does it bother you if something is out of place, even if the house isn’t messy? Ex: a book laying on the coffee table instead of the bookshelf. Not to the point where it makes me nuts, but I do try to keep up. How clean would you consider your house on a scale of 1-10, and how clean would you like it to be? [/QUOTE] I’d consider it about an 8. I like a clean house. I wish I could afford a maid, but for now, I’m her. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cleaning-poll/373179/42 "2006-09-19T19:52:16Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > Okay, which one of my sisters are you? I swear, if it weren’t for the five kids part, I’d swear you were one of them. It always amazes me how often they clean. I feel like a total pig compared to them. Are you sure your’re not my MIL or any of my SILs? I swear they all have OCD because they clean even more frequently than whoever yellowval was replying to :eek: ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cleaning-poll/373179/43 "2006-09-20T03:00:41Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > Hey, I’ll buy you one! I’ll also be happy to recommend a raise for you. I definitely think you deserve it. Actually, you do remind me of one of my sisters. She lives on a hog farm with two sons and a husband, and has to sweep and/or mop pretty much every day because otherwise it gets just nasty. My other sister … well, she’s the OCD one with the spotless house. I hate her. 😉 > > (I tried to post this earlier and it got eaten and I swear I had something else to say but now I forget. Oh, well. I didn’t mean to tease you, **dahfisheroo**. I have great respect for people who work as hard as you do!) Ok, yellowval, you are MN? Whereabouts? I’ll take you up on that drink. I actually asked my kids whose house was dirtier. They could only think of one friend. I asked who was cleaner, they said almost everyone, but they did put in the caveat that most people cleaned up before having guests, (bless their souls, remind me to buy them candy next time. Lots of candy.) I’m ok with my cleanliness level, my MIL lives about 5 miles away, and has always dropped in unexpectedly. She has seen it all. Once you get past your clean freak MIL surprise visits, who cares? I’ve always had the opinion that I would much rather have people stop by, and be messy, than wait until I have the perfect house, and invite them. I like naps more than I like cleanliness, anyways. As I said to a friend of mine once, “With the 5 kids, I now have the perfect excuse.” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cleaning-poll/373179/44 "2006-09-20T13:15:56Z")
1. Who lives in your house? Me, plus Mom part-time. 2. In general, how often do you (or your spouse/kids/housekeeper…): 3. Vacuum your carpets. Say what? I have two that go into the washer, about once a month. Yes, they’re pretty small. Don’t even own a vacuum. 4. Sweep the floors When they look dirty. 5. Mop the floors The tile ones, when I’ve sweeped. The wooden ones, never. 6. Wax the floors Uh? 7. Clean the tub Every time I use it. 8. Clean under the furniture Every time I sweep. 9. Have the couches/curtains etc cleaned Curtains go into the washer twice a year. They should be going one of these days; probably this coming Sunday I’ll be able to run a batch (if the weather behaves) 10. Wash the walls Do what? I’ve never known anybody who did that! 11. Clean the stove/refrigerator/dishwasher I still haven’t used the stove in my flat. The dishwaser has only had one “verification” run, the sellers left it clean and it runs fine. The fridge gets cleaned whenever stock is low enough to be convenient. I’m the Official Stove Cleaner at Mom’s. Since she bought the _cocotte_ (a covered tray large enough for most of the stuff she cooks there), I’ve needed to clean it only about once a year. 12. Do general dusting of shelves, electronics, knicknacks etc. When they are dusty. 13. How often will you leave clean dishes in the dishwasher/dishrack In the dishwasher, never, it gets emptied as soon as they’re cool enough to handle. In the dishrack, until they dry of course! 14. Leave a full load of dirty dishes in the dishwasher/sink. I do the dishes at least once a day (when I get home or while cooking dinner). Since there is only one of me, this may mean a grand total of two dishes, a glass and a cup. It bothers me a lot when I’ve had visitors and they move my stuff from its Proper Place. Mom and SiL try to be helpful by “finding places” for things that already had one 😛 Having things “out of place” in the sense of someone used it and didn’t put it back bothers me a lot less than going to get something and having to phone half the family to find out where in Og’s name did they store it. I’ve been spending a lot of weekends at Mom’s, which precludes “cleaning Saturdays” that I used to have in other places. I’ve already warned her that I’m not going to be doing that forever; hopefully that will mean being able to do some actual cooking in my actual kitchen according to my actual recipes! And oh, yes, laundry and sweeping. May even iron 😃 Uhm… it’s clean enough. Something like a 7-8. Not so shiny that you’ll be afraid to touch doorhandles, but there aren’t dust bunnies procreating all over the place either. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cleaning-poll/373179/45 "2006-09-20T13:24:12Z")
Sorry, erased the couch. No couches. The couches I have are daybeds and have covers, so only the covers get cleaned. The mattress gets shaken’n’hit the old fashioned way whenever I turn it around. Any accidents would get spot cleaned but none has needed this yet. And I’m asking the Three Kings for a vacuum as one of my Christmas presents. A small one. But not if I’m not going to be home on Saturdays, I refuse to do anything but “as needed” cleaning after work! ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cleaning-poll/373179/46 "2006-09-20T13:45:13Z")
1. Who lives in your house? Me. 1. In general, how often do you (or your spouse/kids/housekeeper…): 2. Vacuum your carpets I’ve lived there for 4 1/2 years and I think I’ve vacuumed twice. 1. shampoo/steam clean the carpets Um… never. 1. Sweep the floors After I break something made out of glass or when I can’t see the floor anymore. 1. Mop the floors After I sweep. 1. Wax the floors I guess the next time will be the first. 1. Clean the tub The tub gets cleaned when my best friend comes over and gets disgusted. 1. Clean under the furniture Never cleaned really, but things get removed from under furniture if I’m looking for my keys. 1. Have the couches/curtains etc cleaned Curtains? I don’t need no stinking curtains. 😉 1. Wash the walls I don’t, although I do sweep the cobwebs off the walls every couple of years. 1. Clean the stove/refrigerator/dishwasher Whenever they disgust even me. 1. Do general dusting of shelves, electronics, knicknacks etc. I don’t dust. 1. How often will you leave clean dishes in the dishwasher/dishrack All the time. 12b. leave clean clothes in the dryer/hamper? Never, I use a laundromat 1. Leave a full load of dirty dishes in the dishwasher/sink Occasionally Are you an “as needed” cleaner, or do you have a list of things that you do at a scheduled time regardless of how the area looks (ex: do you vacuum once a day/week whether or not you see fuzz on the carpet?) As needed, as in… “Hm… where is that front door again? Maybe I’d better clean until I find it.” Does it bother you if something is out of place, even if the house isn’t messy? Ex: a book laying on the coffee table instead of the bookshelf. Nope. How clean would you consider your house on a scale of 1-10, and how clean would you like it to be? At the moment… maybe a 4 and 4 is good enough. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cleaning-poll/373179/47 "2006-09-20T14:16:46Z")
> [@dahfisheroo](#): > > Ok, yellowval, you are MN? Whereabouts? I’ll take you up on that drink. I actually asked my kids whose house was dirtier. They could only think of one friend. I asked who was cleaner, they said almost everyone, but they did put in the caveat that most people cleaned up before having guests, (bless their souls, remind me to buy them candy next time. Lots of candy.) I’m ok with my cleanliness level, my MIL lives about 5 miles away, and has always dropped in unexpectedly. She has seen it all. Once you get past your clean freak MIL surprise visits, who cares? I’ve always had the opinion that I would much rather have people stop by, and be messy, than wait until I have the perfect house, and invite them. I like naps more than I like cleanliness, anyways. > > As I said to a friend of mine once, “With the 5 kids, I now have the perfect excuse.” I’m way over in the southwest corner. I’m free for drinks most weekends. Or right now. I don’t mind having people see my messy house either. I mean, I live in it, right? People do know that I live there. I want it to feel comfortable and homey, not cold and sterile. The only person who I count as friend of family who has never seen my house messy is my grandma. She thinks I’m a fabulous housekeeper. Ha! If she only knew. My nephew once told me that my house may be a little messy, but it’s not _dirty_. I personally prefer reading to cleanliness. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cleaning-poll/373179.md?page=2)