Do you have a system for cleaning your house? / LJWorld.com

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Asked at Hy-Vee, 3504 W. Clinton Parkway on May 18, 2009

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“Doing it as fast as I possibly can.”

— Danny Glover, selector, Olathe

“Yeah, I just let my roommate do it.”

— Cody Sawtelle, engineering major, Olathe

“We split up the chores between my four roommates.”

— Carly Weis, leasing agent, St. Louis

“I do the dirtiest stuff first.”

— Cheryl Zabel, retired, Lawrence

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Pywacket 4 years, 11 months ago

Make a difference and Multi~~ Those sound like words of vast wisdom to me!

make_a_difference 4 years, 11 months ago

When I became a stay-at-home mother, I discovered that being at home didn't make me like housecleaning any better. But I do like the end result. So when I clean that is what I focus on. But I've never hesitated doing/spending time with my kids because in reality the household chores will still be there waiting. The day comes when the kids aren't. A friend told me years ago that she liked being at my house...in her words "It's clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy". That remark stayed with me & continues to remind me of what is important. But when I am cleaning...put on music that ones legs just have to move to, turn it up & begin.

Multidisciplinary 4 years, 11 months ago

deja, My mom did the 'immense cleaning' every week all my life. Me too for years. It wasn't until I worked on a cleaning team at a local apartment complex that I learned something about life. Those apartments. A group of students can move in, not do any cleaning for a whole year. We could take a team of five people in there, for 5 hours. One would vacuum and steam clean the carpets. One did the kitchen, One the bath. The other two would paint. And it would look like the kids had never been there.

And I realized, my mom had slaved her entire life away, being 'perfect'. No time to ever play with us, no time to listen to what happened at school, short tempered because she was exhausted from working a job and being spotless (mind you, we were never allowed to make a mess in the first place, so cleaning anything was just applying a routine, not truly going at dirt or mess)

Life is very short, so is the time your kids will be at home.(I know you spend time with your kids, don't get me wrong) Cut yourself some slack.Get rid of belongings that you don't need, cut chore time, and go play! Trust me, I can't begin to say that all the time I spent cleaning ever paid off for me in the long run other than damaging my body.

Donnuts 4 years, 11 months ago

I got a KU basketball player to use the feather duster on the coffee table and thaw out the freezer. Maybe next week his cleaning project will be to scrub the wood floors with a toothbrush to make sure he gets all the dirt up.

Deja Coffin 4 years, 11 months ago

My husband and I have completely different systems for cleaning the house. He just wants the house to appear clean while I'm a deep cleaning maniac. He can "clean" the house in 30 minutes while I sweep, mop, wipe down, etc. every single room which takes at least 3 hours....I straighten throughout the week and leave one day for a nice deep cleaning.

passionatelibra 4 years, 11 months ago

classclown - Be careful with that. I heard they make things disappear...

classclown 4 years, 11 months ago

Dow Scrubbing Bubbles. They do the work so you don't have to.

I spray the house with it and go out for a beer.

passionatelibra 4 years, 11 months ago

Autie - I find that hard to believe!

But, I did grow up around Alaskan Roughnecks and am a bird of a different breed LOL

autie 4 years, 11 months ago

I don't know about the housework part, but I have had people offer me money to put my shirt back on...

passionatelibra 4 years, 11 months ago

gnome,

I think the attraction for me is seeing a man do housework. The naked I could do with or without. Now if he was shirtless with his bottom half covered, oh yeah baby. Now that would be the icing on the cake.

Thanks for the info! If I ever have money I can spend on something totally frivolous, I just may do that :oP~

bearded_gnome 4 years, 11 months ago

Passionate libra, for some reason I can't get my computer to pull in the link...thing needs some wd40 or somethin'!

go to google and type naked housekeeping without quotes, you'll find, brisbane(australia), london, and craigslist/NY among others.

this is a popular service worldwide it seems. also some women will do it too.

me, I don't get the attraction to watch a naked woman doing housework.

and I'm not allowed to make the bed because no matter how hard I might try, I can't get it right.

now ... Autie isn't it better that way!

autie 4 years, 11 months ago

Py, we do have an understanding regarding the division of labor. It all works out in the end. As to the fish, she understands that her only requirement will basically be to enjoy the tender pieces after they have cooled a bit. And I get to mow, edge, till or conduct any process that involves a hammer or power tool. and I'm not allowed to make the bed because no matter how hard I might try, I can't get it right.

Donnuts 4 years, 11 months ago

I hired a former KU football star to clean my house. He cleans the clocks as well. I couldn't see of anyone more worthless so I gave the pathetic scurge a job.

Pywacket 4 years, 11 months ago

Maybe Cody is kidding... I will give him the benefit of the doubt, as he looks pretty good humored.

As for that Autie.... I hope Mrs Autie extracts a fitting payment for magically making the cleaning happen while he's out fishing. ;-)

As for my spouse & me, we don't always do the same things, but we both do our share. Although I hate the endless drudgery of (for instance) vacuuming, I don't bug him to do that, as he is so good about fixing whatever goes south on the vehicles, lawn mower, etc... He puts in his time doing the really dirty and labor-intensive jobs, so I don't mind that he doesn't do as much traditional housework as I do. (Autie, is that how it is at your place?)

think_about_it 4 years, 11 months ago

I tell my wife to do it.

smitty 4 years, 11 months ago

Open the front and back doors during a wind storm. Kinda hard on the paper work but other wise, very effective.

salad 4 years, 11 months ago

I think Cody represents alot of what's wrong with this country: "I can make as much mess as I want, someone else will clean it up."

Pywacket 4 years, 11 months ago

Prospector, you mean you didn't save one of those beer-can-equipped hats from the 70s (or was it 80s?)? No matter... A lot can be solved with surgical tubing, duct tape, and an active imagination.

The video was interesting.... those efficient Brits! But laundry will always be tedious. I actually hang all shirts, so they're not the problem. It's the stupid socks & odd little things that take up time. Not to mention, if you have more than 1 article in your laundry, those 2 seconds here, 4 seconds there add up!

prospector 4 years, 11 months ago

Pywacket, that power washing looks like a two handed job so, duh, where does the beer go? If the Hazmat suit is equipped with a beer delivery system I thought maybe. Then you forgot where we are, Kansas, "a moderate wind"? I only know hang on to your hat wind around here which makes any day a good cleaning day to me and it is free.

Fold your shirts in two seconds.

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fold-a-t-shirt-in-2-seconds-explained

edjayhawk 4 years, 11 months ago

Only what is critical. Laundry, clean furniture for dust mites, etc...

passionatelibra 4 years, 11 months ago

bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

heard of a business, might have been in britain, where men were hired to come and do housework … in the nude.

dunno if said service is still going.

passionatelibra replies...

If you hear of that business here in town let me know. I will scrounge pennies until I can use it at least once!

Ha!

bearded_gnome 4 years, 11 months ago

gootsie, "ditto george" is that a cleaning lady, or a cleaning gentleman in your case?

heard of a business, might have been in britain, where men were hired to come and do housework ... in the nude.

dunno if said service is still going.

my system: dynamite.

Gootsie 4 years, 11 months ago

ditto George

Pywacket 4 years, 11 months ago

Prospector~ A power washer does the job much better than an ordinary garden hose. They're not cheap, but you'll be amazed at how clean they leave the place. No more messy pet hair (b/c no more messy pets!), shoots the kids right out the door, peels the grease off the stove and any tired wallpaper off the walls, and it really does a dandy job on bathtub rings & aquarium/toilet algae. Even shoots the creosote right out the top of the chimney!

Wear a haz-mat outfit while power washing and you'll emerge later fresh as a daisy! It's important to power wash on a hot sunny day, preferably with a moderate wind, so the house can bake & blow dry.

Now, if I could only find as efficient a method for folding & putting away laundry....