House Cleaning

I used to have a lovely man who would clean my house once a month. He came with an assistant. The assistant would start in on our primary bedroom and bath, then do the guest room and library. Dusting, vacuuming, floor washing. The boss would start in the kitchen and clean the counters, the stove top, the blinds over the sink, the microwave, the oven etc. Then between the two of them, they would dust and mop the floors, vacuum the stairs, and repeat the process on the second floor. They would even do extra things such as washing windows, cleaning blinds, and dusting ceiling fans. 

It took the two of them about three or four hours to do the job. Then Covid descended upon us and we had to hold off on having them come to clean. Then the lovely man who owned the business decided to retire. By the time lockdown was over, we had no more house cleaners.

Our house is 3400 square feet and has a lot of floors. Carpets in the bedrooms, hardwood and porcelain tile in the foyer and bathrooms. Lots of vacuuming, lots of floor mopping. The floors are the worst of it. Vacuuming carpeted stairs? No thank you. 

My husband said he could do the job. And he has been for the past couple of years. He vacuums, washes floors, cleans the bathrooms. I appreciate it so much, but those extra things just aren't getting done. Window washing hasn't been done in ages, ceiling fans are coated with dust, the baseboards are dingy, mirrors are splotchy, and kitchen cupboards are sticky.  I feel as if things are out of control.

Since I'm not working anymore, I told my husband to relax, I'd take over some of the jobs he had been doing (or not doing...). 

I knew I needed some motivation, so I started watching YouTube videos on house cleaning. Most of the gals who do these cleaning videos are energetic women in their 30s who have three or four kids. It's pretty amazing what they can accomplish. But that's not me. I may not have any kids living at home, but I am in my 70s and don't have the energy I used to have. 

After watching hours of YouTube (when I could have actually been cleaning the darn house), I decided I needed to step up my game. It was kind of like knowing you need to lose weight and reading diet books while you have a snack. But now I'm ready.

I learned a few tips that may make the house cleaning chore a bit easier. The first thing I got was a cordless rechargeable vacuum for the hard floors in the house. These work great in kitchens and bathrooms and anywhere else dust, hair, and debris accumulate. The price range for these things is from $125- to over $600. I got a Eureka at the lower end of the price spectrum and it is charging as I write this. It weighs less than 5 pounds and there is no cord to wrestle with. It has a little canister that shows all the crud the machine is picking up and that you have to empty after use.

Other supplies I got are microfiber cleaning cloths and a special toilet scrubber that gets under the rim and does a splendid job. See the picture at the top of the post? The blue round-shaped sponge on a handle? The one I got is similar in concept to that. Clorox makes them and so does Scotch Brite. They do such a better job than a regular toilet brush.

I also learned a few "hacks" to make some chores less onerous.

If your blinds haven't been attended to in years, you may have to face the music and get on a step stool with a spray bottle of cleaner and some rags. However, once you get your blinds in clean shape, all you need to do is dust them every couple of weeks with a Swiffer. Honestly, I did this and it only takes a minute or two for each window. 

Another idea is to designate a "power hour" a couple of times a week. Set your timer and pick a couple of rooms and do what you can just in that specific area. After an hour, "ding", you're done. 

I am going to see how it goes, and I'll keep you posted. My husband will still help me, particularly with the carpet vacuuming and floor washing. I sure hope we can do this ourselves because hiring it done is so expensive and it is such a pain to get started having someone new in your house and having them do things your way.

Do you have any secrets for keeping up with housework? I'd love to know if you keep to a schedule, hire help to do it for you, just let things be a mess (no judgment), or get other family members to lend a hand. And if you have any cleaning tools or products to recommend, please weigh in!

Comments

[Mary]

I keep a neat house and don't mind cleaning, but sometimes I'd rather not have to deep clean. I appreciate your tip on the blinds. We have plantation blinds (my great idea), and I would now rather have something different. Until that comes around, I'm going to try your idea.

[Pam D]

Oh, Nichole, you hit such a chord with this post. I too am in my 70's and things are totally out of control. I also bought a cordless vac for wood floors and it is especially helpful in the kitchen which needs done daily. I am eagerly going to read the comment section on this one. Thanks for the inspiration and good luck!

[Debi]

My trick is to never clean my house again. I retired at 55 and could have cleaned my house. I'm now 67 and I'm arthritic. Even if I wasn't, I have lots to do in retirement and cleaning isn't one of them.The money I spend is well worth it, even if I have to buy less fabric. Life is too short to clean blinds!

[Ginny]

I have a lady come in once every 3 weeks. On that day my entire house is clean. I just try to keep up with it daily so it doesn't overwhelm me. One bathroom at a time etc. My husband does the vacuuming as my shoulder could do that motion. I can't do as much as I could even a few years ago but at 72 I do the best I can and my husband doesn't complain.

[Anita]

I do the cleaning in our house which is about the same size as yours, I am about your age, and I HATE clutter and a messy house so have several tips and tricks I use. First is I choose one day a week and go like gang busters in the morning, stopping in time to shower, have lunch, and be ready for an indulgent day in my sewing room by Noon. You can stand anything for half a day. Some cleaning supply tips that I highly recommend:
1. A mixture of 1/4 cup alcohol, 2 cups water and a few drops of Dawn works far better than any purchased glass cleaner on mirrors and marble counter tops. Purchased glass cleaners always streak.
2. Sheila Shine is a product I use on my stainless steel appliances and it is wonderful! I have had a serviceman tell me WD40 does the same thing, but the fragrance of Sheila Shine is worth the expense and it lasts a long time. Note - spray on cloth then wipe appliances, don’t spray directly on appliances.
Do you know the trick of keeping the little kitchen spongey thing filled with water and a few drops of Dawn in your shower to wipe down showers after every use? Instructions are on Pinterest.
I attack cleaning like any other project and watch for shortcuts and helpful tips all the time. Once you get into a rhythm, it really is not that difficult and well worth the money you save.

[Pam O]

I use a NORWEX WINDOW CLOTH to clean windows and mirrors.
Shower doors, too. Just wet in water and wring out. No streaks.

[Erin]

I've been a homemaker for most of my life, working mostly PRN until 20 years ago. I'm approaching 70, but I have MS, so house cleaning is a bit of a challenge at times. My darling husband found a house cleaner who comes every two weeks to do most of the cleaning. I clean all our wood floors myself. I feel guilty having her come, especially since we are supporting two other families besides ourselves, but my husband know it makes my life mush easier so I can quilt, garden a bit, and do some things I enjoy like fixing vintage sewing machines. Keeping clutter in check helps so much. Squeegeeing the shower walls daily helps, too.

[Dianne]

Nicole
I use fiber cloths from Amazon on my windows . Make it wet, wipe the windows and dry with another cloth. Your windows will shine. Works very well for the inside windows of your car. As Anita said, Norwex also makes a cloth like these. Fiber Magic streak free cloth on Amazon. Three to a package for $10.99. Wash them, without fabric softener and they last for a long time

[Jan]

I'm in my 70's, as well. I taught school for 30 years, then hostessed in a restaurant that my friend managed for another 12 years. Once I really retired I decided that I just wasn't going to 'work' anymore! We have a lady come in to clean every 2 weeks for 8 hours. We pay her hourly but my husband also does little fix-it's for her because she's a single grandma raising a 9-year old granddaughter. (Nothing huge...putting a bike chain back on, fixing a simple wall clock, etc.) She's in her 60's so we alternate the rooms on her schedule so that 4400 sq. ft. doesn't overwhelm. In between weeks we try to keep clutter picked up in the kitchen & family room. Most housekeepers in our area have gone to charging by the square foot which is far more expensive than paying hourly. She still prefers to stick to hourly which makes us happy! We use WD40 on stainless steel & glass cleaner from Costco that doesn't streak at all. We know we're lucky to have someone who is thorough & reliable because starting someone new isn't fun!

[Ina]

I pay to have a woman and her husband clean my windows and screens every June. So worth it! everything is so dusty around here. ;p

[Carol]

I guess I have just accepted that I will never be known for my housekeeping. I try to spend an hour a day tidying up and all of Saturday morning— it’s just not enough. It’s not like I’m lazy or even sewing all the time— meals have to be made, cleaned up, food shopping, a part time job. Housekeeping was a full time job for the women before us and I do not honestly know how the young woman of today keep up with kids, house, and career. Still searching for answers on this one!

[Carol in Texas]

My son and daughter-in-law gave me a Dyson battery powered vacuum years ago and I love it! I am now on my second one, as the first just died after 6 or 7 years. This one is heavier but easier to empty. Do they vacuum!!!!! They also gave me a Roomba last Christmas and it is okay. I had one years ago when they first came out. They have dogs that shed a lot so theirs is more useful than mine, but I do find it fun and it does pick up dust, etc. For the tile and vinyl floors, I use a Bissell floor steamer and I LOVE it! I hated mopping floors and feel like this does a so much better job than my mops did. I’m in my 80s and have never had help with housework. My house is not spotless for sure, but I do keep things picked up which helps. I think I’ll try to get someone to clean the windows this fall….they need it so badly and my husband and I are just not up to that job anymore. I’m going to look into the window cloth another reader mentioned. What good responses you got! I love your blog and share your book suggestions with several friends.

[Bonnie]

Nicole, do you follow Nancy Birtwhistle on IG?You'll recognize her as a British Bake-Off winner. She's very personable and had written books on no-harm-to-the-environment, make-your-own cleaning products and they are really super. They work well, she's a great problem-solver, and they are easier on the budget than many products.
--Bonnie