Old style housekeeping question?

vivw_2

If we get back to the original topic, I find a little bit as I go along helps but I never get the feeling that its all done. I'd really like to sit back one day and know that everything has been done and I can relax. Also even after 34 yrs of having my own home I still haven't really managed to work out what my minimum standard is. I am always thinking I should be doing /tidying/cleaning something. What are your minimum standards - ie when you are happy for others to see you home ?

Primrose

My minimum standard is to vacuum & dust once a week, try to keep kitchen & living room tidy on a daily basis, and shock horror, to wash the bed linen at least every three weeks (and no, we don't suffer from bed bugs as a result !) . I absolutely refuse to make myself a hostage to housework and if something more interesting or productive beckons, that takes priority. I've been in houses ( I won't call them "homes"), where cushions are plumped up before you've barely left the sofa, biscuit crumbs are vacuumed up before you've finished drinking your tea and carpets are vacuumed on a daily basis. For one enviable second I think "I wish my house was as clean and ordered as this" and then reality prevails and I think to myself "Don't you have anything more pleasurable to do with your time than this kind of stuff?" Visitors are welcome in our house. They just have to take us how they find us.

Olliebeak

Me too, Primrose!

lucy*locket

Primrose wrote: »

My minimum standard is to vacuum & dust once a week, try to keep kitchen & living room tidy on a daily basis, and shock horror, to wash the bed linen at least every three weeks (and no, we don't suffer from bed bugs as a result !) . I absolutely refuse to make myself a hostage to housework and if something more interesting or productive beckons, that takes priority. I've been in houses ( I won't call them "homes"), where cushions are plumped up before you've barely left the sofa, biscuit crumbs are vacuumed up before you've finished drinking your tea and carpets are vacuumed on a daily basis. For one enviable second I think "I wish my house was as clean and ordered as this" and then reality prevails and I think to myself "Don't you have anything more pleasurable to do with your time than this kind of stuff?" Visitors are welcome in our house. They just have to take us how they find us.

I'm with you Primrose, if I visit someone in their perfect house I feel quite uncomfortable and am always glad to get back to my slightly cluttered home even if it's not cleaned from top to bottom every day. I like homes where there are books to look at, nice things to admire (even better if they bought it at the boot sale or the junk shop), good food and wine around the kitchen table.
My routine is much like yours, housework once a week (but can easily be left for longer if something better comes up), keep the bathroom, kitchen and living room in a reasonable state but probably only spend 1/2 hour a day doing that. Try to do ironing couple of times a week. I do like fresh bedding so change ours each Saturday but DS and DD have to do their own beds and can be weeks between changes...doesn't seem to do them any harm:D . People have to take us as they find us too and I don't encourage visitors who look down on my home!;)

Olliebeak

My particular bug-bear is that I must have hygienically clean worktops. Until recently we had our beloved old tom cat who would get up to 'goodness knows whatever' during the night and I didn't trust him NOT to climb up on them - after doing a Hygiene Certificate Course, I fully realised the importance of kitchen hygiene!

My other one is my downstairs loo. In my job I am often visited by work colleagues as I work from home. I feel that one of my responsibilities is that my loo MUST be available to anybody who may need to use it. I don't want anybody going back to an office muttering 'You should see the state of her loo!' - so it gets cleaned a couple of times a day, I have pot pourri and odour eliminating air fresheners in there and a clean hand-towel every day.

mum26

I may be wrong but my opinion is that there used to be much more mutual pride and appreciation of a well run house, if you were a housewife that was your job so you took a lot of pride in it and the skills needed were taught to you properly and held in esteem. Whilst now there is not much value placed on housewives and mothers which makes it all such a soul sapping load of drudge! I love seeing a load of washing out on the line though x

Patchwork_Quilt

A long time ago, someone asked me on this thread what our routine was. Then the decorator came and life got a bit chaotic.

However, if it helps

Thursday - clean whole house except for DD and DS's rooms, which they do on the evening. Includes changing beds. Shop and catch up with domestic paperwork.
Friday - is towel day so change towels and catch up with washing. Garden or allotment in the summer.

Sometime during these two days, I have to fit in my OU study

Saturday - Sabbath or absolutely nothing
Sunday - church in the morning, catch up with washing, dust and vac if time, whizz around bathroom
Monday, Tues and Weds at work so just a quick tidy and Tuesday is towel day again so catch up with washing. Gardening or allotment in summer if time.

This is in addition to cooking, taxiing etc.

I agree that there isn't a focus on having a beautifully clean home these days. One doesn't aspire to be a housewife. As long as someone does it to a reasonable standard, I don't suppose it matters. In our house, it's me, as we have a very traditional split - he earns and does DIY, I do the domestic stuff. It's just what suits us.

And we always ask people to take off their outdoor shoes, even now, when we're living in a complete mess. We have only had grumbles from one person but I just shudder at the thought of what people could bring in.

tattoed_bum

oh i loved my house before i had my ds and a dog .
i had cream fluffy carpets ,cream walls ,and cream fabric sofa and chairs my kitchen was all white units,tiles flooring towels etc .
it wasnt the easiest thing to keep clean and sometimes when i couldnt sleep my dh would come downstairs to find me washing skirtings ,woodwork and ironing . he said it was like living with monica out of the program friends .

now 6 yrs on ,one son and one dog later the house is full of toys ,books ,dog chews etc ,
my floors are wood my furniture is all brown leather even my coffee table and my kitchen is dark oak and black work survaces and tiles ,
it all hides a multitide of sins ,
if i cant physically see the dirt then i feel comfortable i have a home that i dont stress about ,itry not to have clutter but i swear i have a clutter fairy that just appears and makes the place look untidy.

vivw_2

tattoed_bum wrote: »

but i swear i have a clutter fairy that just appears and makes the place look untidy.

isn't that also called a husband or partner???????:rotfl:

Olliebeak

Being a housewife has certainly been devalued over the years - but the name itself doesn't exactly sound good. The American version of 'homemaker' has a far better image.

In this day and age, it's increasingly difficult for any woman to be able to be a full-time homemaker and take full pride in that role, giving it her complete attention.

So many of us have to go out to work to help meet family financial commitments such as Mortgages, increased utility bills etc. The days of an average working man's wage being sufficient to keep his wife and family in relative comfort, run a car and afford a holiday have long gone.

Harold Macmillan was right in the 50's - we'd never had it so good, and I don't think we've had it so good since!