Working parents, when to do house chores?

[Anonymous]

DH is responsible for grocery shopping on Monday evening. I am responsible for drop off/pick up 2 kids and taking them to classes. DH cooks once a week, and I try to cook 2 times a week for dinner. We spend too much money on carry outs. I try to do laundry on weekend, one load for kids, and one load for us. No one really clean the house, and I mean kids don't clean up after themselves because they will play next day. We pay someone to take care of mowing lawn. There has been no snow, no need to shovel in dmv area. If we need car repair/maintenance, we pay someone.

I really need someone to clean the house. We don't want other people to come in to do this job for privacy reasons. I feel bad that my mom offers to help me to clean and cook for us daily once she retires in a few months. She is 65. I can 't let her do that. I need house cleaning 101, how often and how long does it take should kitchen be cleaned, refrigerator be cleaned, bed sheet washed, hardwood floor mopped, carpet floor vaccumed, furnitures to be wiped, etc.. once I figure it out, I will assign some tasks to DH to do. I am not good at house cleaning and I hate it so much. However, we need to make it work.

[Anonymous]

Privacy reasons?

Hire cleaners. To properly clean a house will take you the better part of a weekend day. So either live in filth or hire cleaners.

[Anonymous]

How old are your kids?

What areas of the house are a priority for you?

[Anonymous]

Well. People live like pigs. But in my version of the world, bed linens changed weekly. Full deep clean of kitchen and bathrooms weekly. Daily maintenance of wiping down surfaces and sweep and vacuum as needed, which if you use your kitchen will be daily. Anything other than this and your house is dirty.

Everything has a place and things get put away at the end of the evening. The whole family does this. No their toys don't just stay out because they'll get them out the next day anyway. Doesn't have to be elaborate, just bins for them to throw things in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well. People live like pigs. But in my version of the world, bed linens changed weekly. Full deep clean of kitchen and bathrooms weekly. Daily maintenance of wiping down surfaces and sweep and vacuum as needed, which if you use your kitchen will be daily. Anything other than this and your house is dirty.

Everything has a place and things get put away at the end of the evening. The whole family does this. No their toys don't just stay out because they'll get them out the next day anyway. Doesn't have to be elaborate, just bins for them to throw things in.

+1
Also no need to hire anyone you can do it. I find it easier to do one or two things a day then doing it all on a weekend day. Wash towels on monday, sheets tuesday, clean bathroom wens. Like that...

[Anonymous]

Kids age definitely matter here. My kids have done their own laundry since age 8. It takes them time to learn folding, but it’s time well-spent.

We use the weekends to clean—wipe down bathrooms, do laundry, etc. the laundry takes inactive time all day and then we fold in front of a family tv show on the couches and transport upstairs.

You can cook meals in less time than it gets to pickup takeout. Get an air fryer with multiple layers. Walk in door and put salmon on one layer with a rub or whatever and frozen broccoli on the other. microwave brown rice.
You’ll need to take out the salmon before the rice. While it’s cooking, get changed, put away lunches, reset backpacks, check for homework.

Get a crockpot and throw in ingredients in the AM and it’s ready when you get home.

Learn to use frozen meals and add healthy components to balance the sodium.

Batch cook on the weekends. Get the family to pitch in.

Really we do a lot on the weekends to make the week go smoothly (no cleaners here). We are also not anal about perfect cleanliness. Nobody gets an award for clutter free everything. Find a balance.

[Anonymous]

Privacy reasons?wtf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Privacy reasons?wtf

They have a dungeon in the basement

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]DH is responsible for grocery shopping on Monday evening. I am responsible for drop off/pick up 2 kids and taking them to classes. DH cooks once a week, and I try to cook 2 times a week for dinner. We spend too much money on carry outs. I try to do laundry on weekend, one load for kids, and one load for us. No one really clean the house, and I mean kids don't clean up after themselves because they will play next day. We pay someone to take care of mowing lawn. There has been no snow, no need to shovel in dmv area. If we need car repair/maintenance, we pay someone.

I really need someone to clean the house. We don't want other people to come in to do this job for privacy reasons. I feel bad that my mom offers to help me to clean and cook for us daily once she retires in a few months. She is 65. I can 't let her do that. I need house cleaning 101, how often and how long does it take should kitchen be cleaned, refrigerator be cleaned, bed sheet washed, hardwood floor mopped, carpet floor vaccumed, furnitures to be wiped, etc.. once I figure it out, I will assign some tasks to DH to do. I am not good at house cleaning and I hate it so much. However, we need to make it work. [/quote]


1. Clean up as you go along. This is NUMBER ONE TO KEEPING KITCHEN CLEAN.

2. Children clean up after themselves l. NUMBER ONE IN KEEPING TOYS AND OTHER CHILD CLUTTER IN PROPER PLACES!

3. Do laundry more than once a week. You put a load of laundry in when you get home.. put in dryer. Fold as you watch TV and give to kids s d husband to put away. DO NOT LET LAUNDRY PILE UP. DO LAUNDRY AS WEEK GOES ALONG!

4. In winter you make stews, soups with meat and vegetables, or rice or pasta. This way you have dinner for more than one night. Make enough so that you can freeze for the next week. You can also make spaghetti l chilli, cook enough spaghetti and freeze some cooked spaghetti.

5. Every night children put their toys away and you and husband straighten up other rooms. Make sure kitchen is straight. NEVER LEAVE DISHES IN SINK OVERNIGHT NO POTS/PANS TO SOAK. Facing a dirty kitchen in the morning is a guarantee of starting the day off wrong. If Your kitchen is a mess, you day will be a mess.
6. Get over your idiotic privacy issues and hire a house
cleaner to come in every other week to clean house.

Everyone who lives in your house, no matter how young, cleans up after themselves when they finish their project. If they don't, then it's gone, whatever goes
away
Are you getting the picture? Take care of everything as you go along!!!!!!!!!! No exceptions.

[Anonymous]

Just stop with the "privacy issues". The only reasons for working parents not to hire house cleaners is $$$$. if you can afford it, do it. Like yesterday.

I have a cleaning lady who comes once a week. In addition to the all the usual deep cleaning stuff (cleaning kitchen, bathrooms, mopping, dusting, etc.) she washes our towels every week and our linens every other week. In between her visits, I do only the following cleaning:

(1) wipe down (with an all-purpose cleaner) kitchen and eating surfaces nightly and sweep same areas
(2) Put all "stuff" away/de-clutter for a few minutes before bedtime every night (whole family participates)
(3) run roomba a bunch in high-traffic areas
(4) do rest of laundry (DH and I)

I could -- but don't WANT -- to use my weekends to clean.

My home is clean and organized.

[Anonymous]

Here is what I do:

Kitchen: clean up well every night (this is key)- older kids should be helping, mop on weekends (spot clean in between if needed). I clean out fridge the night before trash day. Heavy cleaning as needed- there isn’t much if you clean well every night and keep up on things.

Bathrooms: clean and mop every weekend, keep Clorox wipes and windex/paper towels under sink in each bathroom. Spot clean as necessary and as you see things - just takes a moment.

Laundry: sheets and towels on the weekend, clothing on weeknights. I need to do nearly a load per day but have 3 DC. Kids put away own laundry and strip sheets/remake their beds.

Vacuuming and dusting/wiping things down: every weekend. Adult vacuums, kids dust and wipe things down.

Bedrooms: kids clean their own on weekends

[Anonymous]

Same weird troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH is responsible for grocery shopping on Monday evening. I am responsible for drop off/pick up 2 kids and taking them to classes. DH cooks once a week, and I try to cook 2 times a week for dinner. We spend too much money on carry outs. I try to do laundry on weekend, one load for kids, and one load for us. No one really clean the house, and I mean kids don't clean up after themselves because they will play next day. We pay someone to take care of mowing lawn. There has been no snow, no need to shovel in dmv area. If we need car repair/maintenance, we pay someone.

I really need someone to clean the house. We don't want other people to come in to do this job for privacy reasons. I feel bad that my mom offers to help me to clean and cook for us daily once she retires in a few months. She is 65. I can 't let her do that. I need house cleaning 101, how often and how long does it take should kitchen be cleaned, refrigerator be cleaned, bed sheet washed, hardwood floor mopped, carpet floor vaccumed, furnitures to be wiped, etc.. once I figure it out, I will assign some tasks to DH to do. I am not good at house cleaning and I hate it so much. However, we need to make it work.

Does your mom really want to help with housecleaning? Because if she does, you should let her. Retirement kills people who don't stay active, and housecleaning is a terrific way to stay physically fit if you are doing it correctly. Unless she has other plans to move her body and stay physically fit in retirement, working as your housekeeper could be a great means to keep her from the typical sedentary existence in retirement that shortens so many lives. You should, of course, pay her the same you would pay a stranger - that solves the issue of privacy and will also give her more opportunities to grandma your kids.

[Anonymous]

Hiring house cleaners was one of the best things we've ever done. Ours come once a month and it makes a huge difference. Every two weeks is definitely more ideal. I would try hard to get over the privacy reasons! They don't care about your stuff, they are just doing their job and out of there.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for specific tasks to assign:

DAILY: clean kitchen thoroughly after dinner (20min), pickup and put stuff in rightful place- usually this is kitchen, family room, mud room or other areas where things collect (15min), one load of clothing laundry- fold and put away immediately (15min max, can fold while watching tv)

WEEKLY: clean bathrooms including mopping, and mop kitchen and high traffic areas (1hr total- do all at once while you have supplies out), vacuum rugs/carpets- this may need to be done 2x/wk (15min), dusting etc (15min and is a good job for kids to do), wash and change all sheets and towels (less than 30min of actual work)

All of that is assuming decent spot cleaning as needed (wipe up spills and any messes etc right away) and no pets (which will add more time and frequency usually). Kids should be picking up own toys - if not daily, should be picked up before you clean/vacuum etc.

It really isn’t that much. Do other things as you see it is needed.