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How much time do you generally spend on housework, cleaning, mopping, laundry, dusting, etc? Seems like it goes on and on. I have thought of hiring someone to clean but it is difficult to find someone in this area. I think better organization is key. I tend to let stuff accumulate and don't know where to put things or when to throw something away. Any tips?
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
Interestingly this actually is a money question for me...I asked for a 1/week housecleaner for christmas just to do the bathrooms and wash the floors. My DH said it was over $100 so he dropped the idea.
Anyway, the key is do a little at a time. Don't walk past something without picking up/putting away/wiping up. I am a pretty disciplined person so I do stuff 5 minutes many times a day instead of 5 hours once a week or two.
The few chores I finally decided to let go (ie the floors and dusting) get done once in a while. Unless of course I find that great cleaning lady...
Post your cleaning person costs here, I'd be interested and would be willing to pay about $35 for a couple hours every saturday.
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
I generally average an hour or so every three days. I am doing better on picking up after myself and cleaning as I go, which is really the key to keeping it easy.
Try www.flylady.net for setting routines and simple procedures. She can be a little cheezie at times, but her system and mentality really work well. She helps you do it a little at a time without getting overwhelmed.
Good luck!Comment
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
I too am a flylady user. So in reality I don't do 'housework' per se. Nope, I don't even do the weekly hour long blessing. We just do the little missions and when the floor really does needs vacumning or the dust needs swiping I assign one of the boys and set the timer for 15 minutes.
We have been decluttering for about a year and a half so things are getting better, but like disneysteve when my d-fil came to live with us and then shortly afterwards passed away a bunch of his stuff came into our basement. Much that we wanted to keep has been integrated into the house but there is still much to go thru come springtime and an estate sale is to be had.
Key for me is this: I wash a load of colored clothes everyday, a load of whites and a load of colored on Saturday. I do make up my bed every morning before I leave the bedroom, the dishes are rinsed and put into the dishwasher after every meal. CashHappySon is assigned to see that dishwasher is run and emptied each night. FrugalSon moves laundry to dryer and sees that it's folded and put away. EVERYONE is responsible for picking up after themselves. I will do gentle reminders "Oh, you forgot your shoes in the living room" or "Did you forget to hang up your towel?" I try to gently monitor the boy's rooms but not get uptight over it. I just send them in with the timer for 15 minutes if it gets too much.
Important has been to do Kelly's assignments on flylady and doing the clutter flings, clearing of hotspots, etc. Over time it comes under control. I am a sidetrack queen so flylady has been a godsend. I read the emails I want and trash the rest - the flywashing does work.
Mom doesn't do trash, so that's a guy thing here. I do the swish and swipe each morning and do the monitoring and assignments if something NEEDS doing. I'm not a stickler so this method might not work for those that are.
I'd advise that if you have children and even if they are small start teaching them to help do the things around the house that need doing.Comment
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
I have a 16-month-old daughter so it's hard to say. I spend most of the day mopping up spills and picking up Cheerios I've found in unexpected places.Comment
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
Hmmm. Maybe 2 hours a week, if you count doing dishes (and hour or so if you don't count it). It's just DH and I, no kids to pick up after. We keep on top of it so it' doesn't take much to keep things more or less neat.Comment
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
None.
I'm a man and I'm married.
j/k! I actually do quite a bit around the house to help keep things clean and well-maintained.
(Please don't tell my wife I said that first thing.)
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
My husband does most of the housework except laundry and dusting. i would love to hire someone too. They look at my house and want $25 an hour and I am not willing to pay that. that is what my husband charges to build houses.Comment
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
Oh pound you are in trouble!!
Any one else besides ima have cost for cleaner? At $35 for say - between 2 and 3 hours - with tip, that's not bad money.Comment
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
I don't know exactly but not enough I have lots of laundry piled up right now.Comment
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
How much time? Somewhere between Not Enough and Too Much.
On a weekly basis about 3-4 hours not including laundry.
Now that I am unemployed it is one of my goals to clean everything. However, there is so much to do that I don't know where to begin and I am not making much progress.
I did clean the refrigerator today though!Comment
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
It feels like all I ever do when I am home is clean the house. I have a 15 month old DS and I am constantly picking up after him. Whenever he is occupying himself (even if it is only for a minute) I try to do whatever I can.
DH does most of the vacuuming and some of the laundry when he is home at night, but I pretty much do everything else.
I would looooove to have someone come in to clean the floors and bathrooms!!!! Maybe someday.
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
TOOO MUCH! Ok well dh would say not enough as I'm a big slacker. BUT I do spend atleast 6 hrs a week. I also have 2 lil ones.... so it's hard to get anything done + as fast as I vaccume a few hours later you couldn't even tell! OMG!
I"m going to hire on POUNDWISE to pick up my slack since he has nothing else to do @ his house!!! *LOL*Comment
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
When I was still working I couldn't figure out why it seemed like I was spending all my free time cleaning, so I tried flylady. I laid out a cleaning schedule (as she suggests) and actually timed how long each task took because I was so annoyed about the whole thing. It turned out that no matter how I sliced and diced it, there was always about 5 hours of cleaning per week. I could either do it all at once on the weekend or spend an hour after work every night, but it was 5 hours just the same.
DH didn't want to spend time each night cleaning, and didn't like losing so much weekend time. I decided I didn't either, so rather than continue to nag him or do most of it myself, I hired someone to come every other week. And guess what -- it takes two people working together 2.5 hours, or 5 hours total! It's $80/visit and worth every penny.
Most housecleaners don't think it's worth their while to pick up less than a full house, but maybe you could post an ad on Craig's List or at your local grocery store to find someone who would be willing to do a smaller job on a regular basis for less.Comment
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Re: How Much Time Do You Spend on Housework?
I try to do the quick chores as soon as I can and the bigger chores I'll leave for the weekend. I also try to overlap chores...throwing a load of stuff into the washer, running upstairs to clean the bathtub, then catching the washer as it's done. I'm also notorious for 'partially unpacking' the dishwasher... drives DH up the wall! At least I'm helping him unpack it!
I will not allow myself to get a cleaning person. I have to be stuck with the fact that it'll take a full month to clean the house.Comment
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