So here's to you, Mrs R....

mrs_robinson_3

The House Mistresses 2 hour cleaning plan

From my post to Hypno's thread, where there were a few requests for my cleaning process, should you be interested:

Oh, ye of little faith. Yes, you can have a clean and tidy house in 2 hours. And here's how:

Enter kitchen. Before you've even taken off your little cardi or tied on your vintage pinny, assess the situation. You might need to wash up a few bits and pieces, put stuff away, or clear to the dishwasher first, but then you must clean the sink and taps. This is how it begins.....so put that pinny on, and go to it.

Don't forget the bottom of the washing up bowl - a little bit of cream cleaner does the job admirably. And don't forget the plug hole and drainer thing, either.....and if the sink is by the window, why not clean the splashes off the window, whilst you're there?

If you've got a plastic sink drainer rack, and a dishwasher, pop it in there (bottom shelf). If not, poor you, but you'll manage somehow - at least spray it with some cleaner, wipe and rinse....they can get so mingy, otherwise

Lift each and every item on the work tops and clean underneath - no need for any special cleaning stuff, just a bit of washing up liquid in hot water

Now, to the hob. Always use a cream cleaner - Mrs R prefers Ecover, but any one will do (MSE tip - Tesco's Value one is 31p.....), remover burners and get right in there.....wipe over burners too. Rinse out cloth and wipe them all, then buff dry (especially important with stainless steel, less so otherwise).

Have a look at the oven glass door - does it need a wipe? I normally just do the outside though....

OK, now wipe that toaster and kettle, front, back and all round. I use a glass cleaner for this (most of my clients have stainless steel, and the glass cleaner is just fine for this) and really buff them to a shine. If they're plastic, just the rinsed out cloth should do.....

Microwave next. Most people just have a nomal level of messiness in there, in which case a wipe with the soapy cloth is fine. Serious cases need a lemon slice or two in a cup of water on full power for 3 minutes, then wipe and rinse.......

Cast your eye over the appliances and wipe splashes etc off the fronts....ditto cupboard doors (though sometimes I accept defeat here, and just do one or two a week, so they all get done in time).....American fridges have nasty little drainers under the ice dispenser - remove, wash the drainer, wipe the tray underneath.....

Wipe top of bin - I remove my own bin lid and wash it competely - but other people's bins cause my nose to wrinkle in distaste sometimes, so, fearful of the inside, I tend to just wipe the top and rims here...and use kithcen paper, not a cloth (eeuw)

Wipe kitchen table (if there is one)

OK, to the floor. Sweep or vacuum every last crumb, then mop. Work from the back of the room to the sink, so you don't walk on the clean bits. Mrs R favours a Vileda mop and bucket, as you can make them just damp, not too wet. Generally I take my own, as most people forget to wash them, and then, oh, the pong....yes, your mop must really be clean before you begin. And on that point, I take a clean set of cloths to each job. The very idea that you could take cloths you've used in one person's house, to another, is so very uck. V small kitchen floors I will do on my hands and knees, but it's not my favourite thing.....a mop's the thing for speed. Rinse the mop. Pop back in clean bucket.

Feeling a sense of progress yet? If you've time, you could always do the insides of windows, and maybe dust any objets - I do sometimes it all depends....

Dining rooms are normally just a case of vacumming and dusting - you must move the chairs and you must get into the corners. There are normally mirrors here, and yes, you do those too....and did I say, you tidy as you go? By which I mean, you make neat piles and put like with like.......

Sitting rooms are a favourite. You want to clean it and show it to its best advantage. So you tidy, you plump up cushions and artfully deploy them (I favour them square on, with a small one in front of a larger one....), you lift up the sofa cushions and you vacuum underneath them. You remove all the old socks, hairbrushes, spare change and TV guides and put them somewhere they can be seen (you want the client to know you've done this, for goodness sake!). Not every time, but sometimes, you must move out the chairs and sofas and vacuum under them....You dust, you shine glass - but not all the ornaments, not in two hours....but significant and big things I would do. You gingerly clean the flat screen, or be sure to do the back of an old style big box TV where the dust collects. When cleaning mirrors, be sure to hold with one hand whilst cleaning with the other. Oh, and it's good to open the windows to air....and this goes for every room. You put magazines and papers where they belong, or otherwise in neat piles. You might fan a few, a la a hotel lobby. Books tend to slump down a bit, so I would straighten them up....and I do like symmetry when it comes to ornaments. So I might move things around, to achieve same.

You've probably done an hour now, so it's time to move on....You may have tea, or water, but don't stop....just take it with you.....and be careful where you put it....

Downstairs claokrooms and shower rooms we tackle a la the bathroom, to whit.....

It's good to do the bathroom next, as it takes a while, before you're too pooped. It must be the best it can be....Start with the loo. Now even though I a am green cleaner 80% of the time, I do like a bit of bleach in the loo. And believe, they generally need it. I figure once a week won't hurt too much, and the rest of the time, I use Ecover loo cleaner (whch smells v nice, too). So give a good squirt of your chosen unguent right around the rim, and leave it there until you've finished the whole house. Lift seat, spray with a bathroom cleaner and wipe (you are wearing your gloves, aren't you?) and don't forget that really uckky bit behind the seat, and right around the hinges. Oh, and the handle or press switch. And of course the seat, upper and lower sides. Can't bear toilet briuhes and if you have one, throw it away right now, thank you! And again use paper for the loo. Never a cloth. The thought! Fall to your knees and do the bit where the bowl meets the floor, it's amazing how dusty that is!

For the bath, you must use a cream cleaner and elbow grease. A limescale remover is good (and there's an Ecover one.....) on taps, plugs and horror of horrors.....shower screens....Showers are the one thing I don't like to clean. They really are a bit.....personal. But I must, so I do. So I normally begin with a spray of limescale remover, then a really good scrub with cream cleaner, right into the corners. And to do a good job, you normally have to physically get in the shower, otherwise you'll just be tickling it, at arms' length. The reason grouting gets dirty, or goes kind of orangey....is that people just don't try hard enough. So rub some cream cleaner right in there (again, you might need a progressive approach here), using an old toothbrush, even, and you'll find you can make a big improvement. Satisfying, if rather....uck.

It must all be rinsed really really well - and a really clean bath and shower will squeak if you rub them with your finger!

Don't forget the mirrors! Buff the taps...and make sure there's not a single hair left in the shower, basin or bath. Including your own. Tiled and hard floors I will tend to do on hands and knees, rather than mop, but it's very much size dependent. As is so much of life, I find.

Empty the bin. Fold towels nicely - though if still damp, I tend to spead them out a bit. If looking for "signature touches", yes, the end of the loo roll thing is always good, but I favour the grouping of toiletries, myself. Groups of 3 or 5, of course.

If there's an en-suite, cloakroom, other bathroom, you might have to do all the above, again. Well, I might....you will probably like a little lie down about now.....and who could blame you, frankly?

And so to sleep, perchance to dream. Or not, in your case, as you've got to get the bedrooom looking like it's been transformed into a boutique style bijou bolthole. Well, as far as you can. In truth, with my clients, I educate them that what they really want is a really clean kitchen and bathroom and reception rooms looking just so......and the bedrooms get vacuumed, tidied and dusted once in a while.

So, that's how you do it. I use Ecover, Maison Belle, and Method to clean with. I like Sarah Smith cloths as they're cute. I generally use my clients' vacuums, but I like a Sebo for preference. Expensive.

But then, you're worth it. Or perhaps not, just yet. This is a debt free thread, after all.

Mrs R

mrs_robinson_3

Am v proud today as the eldest of the DSs, who is 15 and so only yr 10, got the results for the 3 GCSEs he took a year early. He got an A* for RE, an A for statistics, and an A for Business Studies. He is pleased but so modest he is not posting it on Facebook or even texting his friends, whereas his proud mama would like to shout it from the rooftops!

Other than that, have just finished 6 hours of HM'ing and have one more 3 hour job tomorrow, then no more for 10 days.....am out tonight, having my hair done tomorrow afternoon (scandalously it has not been done for about 6 weeks, since before I went to France, whicc must be the longest ever), going to a party tomorrow evening, and then away from Saturday. Can't imagine when am going to pack, or sort out this house, etc.....but I like to be busy, so bring it on!!

Mrs R

hypno06

Very well done to DS!!! My DD didn't post hers on fb either, but what made me laugh was that as soon as we got home on Tues, the woman over the road came over to ask what grades she got, then promptly told me her DD got 2As, 4Bs, and 5Cs.........then later on went on FB and posted about their brainy daughter who got "A's & B's"......no mention of the C's!

Nothing like selective facebooking!!!

beanielou

How many GCSE's do the4y sit then?

Well done MRs R to your DS.
Have a good holiday.

hypno06

11 or 12 usually, but depending on their combinations of science etc it could be more.

beanielou

Aaaah right its normally 8 standard grades here.
HYpno~If ya want a wee packet of the Suzy Smith cleaning cloths ( :eek:: ) just shout.

RubySewSew

My cleaning method is pretty similar. I tend to rotate which room I start in and finish in so that week 1 the kitchen gets a deeper clean, week 2 the bathroom, week 3 the lounge etc. I always look in every room and assess before I start. I use colour coded cloths for kitchen, bathroom, toilets and floors. At home I use a tesco value toilet brush and replace once a month. I put a bit of bleach in the stand to. I keep the duster in my back pocket so I can dust picture frames, rails etc as I go. I empty all the bins and I know it's really silly but I always put a little triangular fold in the toilet roll so they know I've been. I make the beds and fluff the pillows. I also pay attention to little things like watering plants, hanging out washing (or folding dry laundry) or sometimes cutting flowers from the garden and arranging them as a surprise. When I start somewhere new I will do a deep clean usually 5 hours. After that it's just maintenance cleaning.

And just so you know I cannot clean my own house in 2 hours. Just can't be done! It takes me 2 hours just to do the kitchen! I would so love to pay someone to clean my house!

mrs_robinson_3

Signature updated. Another £400 paid down. Wonder what I spent it on originally? Anyway, more later.

Mrs R

honeybear_2

Mrs R, your 2 hour cleaning routine is a revelation - I may copy it & save for future reference, if that's ok?

beanielou

Wow, nearly under £3000