I think the author meant Barkeeper's Friend, not Bartenders Miracle. Though BKF sometimes feels like a miracle product. :)

i thought the same thing. giggles

I'm not sure who can give their dog a bath in 15 minutes? Is this including prep time to get out the supplies, towels, hose, actually washing/rinsing the dog while they try to run away from you, giving them a few minutes to shake off, toweling off the dog, rinsing yourself free of all the soap/hair your dog shook all over you, then putting everything away. Maybe it's just me...

Perhaps a small, sink-sized dog?

Mine weighs 75 pounds and hates water, so baths require advance preparation: clean towels, a supply of treats, and two people's schedules aligned for the big event.

But this year, I really will remember to take the winter kit out of the car. Really.

I'm not especially squeamish or germ-phobic, but I get so grossed out at the idea of washing my dog in the kitchen sink, like in the picture. I guess if you live in a house with no bathtub, but still, ick.

If I didn't have a tub that dog would get a shower. I agree @repressd...no germophobe but come on.

Dog...in...kitchen...sink?!!!! No amount of bleach wiped down is going to deal with that.

Even our 15 pound Shih Tzu takes more than 15 minutes to clean properly and we do it every week. We use our basement laundry sink (Ick to the kitchen sink idea!). By the time he's thoroughly washed and dried it's at least 30 minutes.

I love the idea of keep a light blanket for picnics or park time! Note to self...

Suggest vacuuming/wiping under and behind the fridge.
Make sure it is on sliders so lino/vinyl isn't torn (my fridge has evil little balancing prongs).
Most fridges have wheels and a removable plastic grill so sometimes moving the fridge isn't even necessary, however if it has condenser coils on the back, that should be vacuumed once/year.
Floor beneath stove can be cleaned easily by taking the drawer right out, then it is an easy wipe for the floor and for the drawer.

I have a 65 lb Aussie and baths are no problem. It did require training though! We started by just giving him treats and putting him in the tub, and giving him more treats and praise while in the tub. Then every time he came inside we would give him treats and get him in the tub and start washing his paws. It takes like 30 seconds and saves my white sofa. Once a week he gets a big bath in the tub, using a cup to pour and rinse. I use lush's gentile lentil (which my vet okay'd) on him. It's also what I use so it's just always out.

Point being, positive reinforcement can make bath time a breeze.

@ Rural tbh raw chicken worries me more than my dog, and it comes in contact with my sink all the time.

15 minutes... wipe down window sills, discard out dated condiments from the fridge and throw the lawn chairs in the back of the car for the fun day at the winery.

Regarding the freezer clean out, schedule it around the same time your garbage pick up day arrives, it can get pretty smelly on a hot spring day melting and creating another clean up task in the garbage can.

I washed my windows this past weekend and cleaned off all the fuzz and outdoor junk that was hanging off the bars. What a difference!!

I need to do some spring cleaning this weekend now that our 2 week guest is finally gone. btw - takes me 10 minutes tops to wash my 22 lb dog in our bathtub. I don't bother drying her during the summer months - just let her run around outside and she's dry in no time.

I'm a big fan of vacuums.

I have two Roombas (one for upstairs/one for downstairs) that are programmed to run every other day.

I use the blower attachment of my wet/dry vac to "blow out" the ducting of the bathroom ceiling fans and the dryer vent.

Vacuum the interior of the AC/Heater filter box and filter.

Drop the stove/oven hood filters into the dishwasher to get them clean.

And don't forget to clean your vacuum. It can't do it's job properly if it's clogged.

If possible, let your car sit for a while with all the doors and windows open to get "winter" out of the interior.

Dogs on furniture is big everywhere if you follow design sites. My dogs act like I'm trying to kill them when I give them a bath and yes I did try and train them. Thankfully they don't smell (short coats, natural diet). Otherwise none of these really apply to me...oh well...wish I had a fireplace:)

Around here it's never safe to take the ice scraper out of the car. It's been known to blizzard in July. We can't swap out seasonal clothing, either (you WILL need your down coat for camping in July). Does this mean I have a leg up on spring cleaning, and it's time for a celebratory drink?

If I had a small dog I would wash in the sink:). I agree with point about raw chicken:)

Vacuum coils behind the fridge and empty the drip pan underneath. The water can get stinky and if you get the dust off the coils, the fridge works more efficiently.

Agree with PaigeP--raw chicken is way more disgusting than your dog and way more likely to make you sick.

No dog. No car. No fireplace. And I clean the freezer and the drip pans on an as-needed basis, as should you. So there. (This is the first time in a long time that I have felt cleaner than the obsessive/compulsive Apartment Therapy handwashers!)

1. Go around the house with a broom and sweep cobwebs from the ceilings and corners.

2. throw out open containers of dry goods to prevent pantry moths

I used to live in Chicago and I can say be VERY WEARY of taking the winter supplies out of the car. Removing the scraper is a sure way to get one more snowfall. We used to feel safe about, oh, July, when the humidity was at 100%. ;-)

I can see many others questioned dog bathing in 15 minutes...or even close to 15 minutes. Long hair breeds need to be brushed. That can take longer than 15 minutes. So I recommend taking them to the groomer. Of course, round trip is more than 15 minutes:)

Make sure to clean out your dryer vents!

15 minute commute to/from the dog groomers! Ha!

3 dogs. 25-30 lbs ea. one laundry tub with 3-4 inches of water (per bath). Shampoo, rinsing cup. 10 minutes each. They're in they're out. Pass to boyfriend or son to dry with towel as next one is being washed. No biggie. Firm, but sweet talk and encouragement with ONE treat at end. Then they're all running around fuzzy, happy and full of beans. Good times.

Siam --

Great hint about cleaning under the oven by taking out the bottom drawer!! Thanks.

On cleaning dogs, if I can't do it outside with the hose (hooked up to warm water), I do it in the shower, very quickly. But then It takes me more than 15 minutes to clean the bathroom. The entire bathroom.

No raw chicken goes into my kitchen sink. I'm vegetarian.

And for the record, I'm equally grossed out by cute, human baby bums in kitchen sinks. It's like the separation of Church and State -- there must be a separation of bottoms and food prep areas.

If I have spare time and the energy for it, I attack the house with my Dyson. Floors, rugs, upholstered furniture, curtains, window blinds, pillows, ceiling corners, lamps. Then I mop.

Wash the curtains. (ok, maybe that's more than 15 minutes). Vacuum the filters on your air conditioners. Hose down the front porch. I put the snow shovels and the rock salt that didn't get used this winter in NYC in the basement and cleaned the vestibule a couple of weeks ago. It felt like saying goodbye to winter!

Here is another one (not for everybody): clean out your liquor cabinet, throw out the stuff you bought for a party 3 years ago, and find a new summer drink that you will try out. Then buy the ingredients so you are ready for that first sunny day you can sit on the porch (or by an open window) sipping your new concoction. Alright - that might take more than 15 minutes....
I wonder how many of the people complaining about dogs in kitchen sinks let their dogs kiss them or let them sleep in their beds, both of which will transmit way more doggie germs than a bath ever will. Just sayin'.....
For those (like me) who can't bathe their dogs in 15 minutes: I wipe my dogs' paws every time they come inside which takes just seconds and helps keep the floors clean (I have a towel on a cute hook just for that).
Brushing helps too, just a few minutes every now and then can make a big difference.

I like dogs, not their tongues or their butts. If a dog kissed me on the mouth I would probably have a good cry in the corner and end up scrubbing my lips off.

I don't want anything with skin-cells (that doesn't belong to something I would eat) in the kitchen sink...including babies.

Something that takes less than 15 minutes, being upbeat and not taking someone to task for where they bathe their dog.

Ha ! Cats don't need bath, and mine gets a bath a year, even though she has full access to our garden. But I brush her on a regular basis, and that's more than 15 minutes... and it's sometimes a battle worth watching.

Winter kit is in the car, with the spare tire, so I don't get the point of taking it out of the car.

I guess I'm in for the big spring cleaning starting tomorrow... I'm looking forward to a nice clean house, not so much to all the cleaning.

The pic of the dog bathing in the sink is adorable. I'd do it. I also have bathed my beautiful baby in the sink. :) So there!

sheesh! None of those are 15 minute chores... I double-dog dare the editor to time themselves doing each one, including the prep time.

My housekeeping and errand tips-for-protecting-your-weekends
(aside from hiring a house-cleaner and personal assistant, which is by far my preferred way to handle this issue):

1. Clean the shower while you're in it.
I keep a caddy including a skinny grout brush, a wide scrub brush, and shower cleaner in the bathroom. About every two weeks, I spray down the shower, floss my teeth (to give the cleaner about two minutes to do its thing), turn on the water, scrub the shower, and then scrub myself.

2. Keep a pop-up tub of disinfectant wipes in each bathroom and the kitchen.
Wipe as needed.

3. Vacuum once a week on a weeknight.
Even the hardwood floors.

4. If you have a washer/dryer at home, do one load each weeknight evening while you're cooking dinner or watching the news or talking on the phone or surfing the internet or paying bills. By Saturday, the laundry is done! And honestly, I've timed it: it only takes 5 minutes to fold a basket of laundry (sock matching excepted). And 5 minutes to put it away. Just do it. Don't let folding and putting away pile up!

5. Do errands at lunch or after work.
For example, today I went to the bank and the UPS store at lunch. After work I'm going to stop at Costco and the shoe repair shop.

6. Splurge on a housekeeper once every 3 months to do the deep cleaning. Baseboards. Fridge. Oven. Windows. Then all you have to do is the maintenance!

ahhh cute wire fox terrier! We have a utility sink with a sprayer which is perfect for a quick doggie bath

I suppose the people who wouldn't wash a dog or baby in the kitchen sink also get queasy about putting dirty underwear in their washing machines. "But the sink and the washing machines are ... CLEAN things! And dogs and underwear and raw chicken are ... DIRTY things!" Sinks can be cleaned.

@Urbancricket - just curious, what does it cost to have a housekeeper come in once every 3 months? and what city are you in?

classof65

Crazy! coincidentally i just gave my little dog a 15 minute bath before i read this! But he is a good dog and he loves baths so it was a breeze. Laundry tubs with sprayers make great dog baths in my experience.

@bee-- what does a washing machine and dirty underwear have to do with a kitchen sink? Scary.

@BEE FOR BRIAN So so true!

Thanks everyone for the tips, good stuff!

Huh. I find all the little bits of food that collect in the kitchen sink's drain protector WAY grosser than my dog.

Clean out your spices! Get rid of spices you haven't used in a long time - open them, if their aroma is faint and "dusty," they aren't doing your creations any good!

On the dog in the sink issue... I was our Boston Terrier in our utility sink in under 15. But size and "sink" area could rule this out of the "quick" category.

I throw my 60lb boxer in the shower with me. In the summer then he just hangs out on the back deck until he's dry.

Okay, I feel better knowing I wasn't the only one grossed out by the wet dog in the sink. Next to the wet dog towel. Next to the coffee pot.

I don't get this. Recently, I was reading a lot of comments somewhere on AT that Americans think that having a washing machine in the kitchen is gross and unhygienic. Put in laundry and detergent - close door - switch on - remove lovely clean laundry ... I don't understand why that's less hygienic than a dishwasher. (Especially since some people take several days to get a full load before they run it - according to another AT topic).

But a dog in the kitchen sink is okay????

1) Since when is bathing your dog a "spring cleaning" thing to think about? Mine get bathed about once a month, and even then I feel guilty for not bathing the Yorkie frequently enough. I take my shower, and my wife brings the dogs to me while I'm all wet. The dogs are stuck in the shower and I don't worry about soap suds getting on me. It probably takes 15-20minutes per dog (25lb and 11lb), including drying.

2) I do freezer assessments whenever we buy enough frozen food that loading the freezer requires any rearrangement. Occasionally we purge things, but more often than not, we rotate items out and plan to use them in upcoming meals. It reduces waste and expense grocery expenses.

3) Maybe I grew up in a funky part of New England, but nobody I knew used a fireplace on a regular basis.

4) All-weather tires are "good enough" unless you're in a more rural setting. A scraper weighs less than one pound, fits in the corner of my trunk, and will never be used anywhere but on my vehicle. I say leave it in the car. I similarly store my umbrellas in the car- one in each front door pocket. Of course, this only works if you've got covered parking spots at home. The lightweight blanket is a pretty good idea- we'll probably adopt that one.

5) My rental has stove drip pans for the electric stove. I look at the pans any time I cook something that bubbles over (typically superheated pasta water), but we probably only clean the drip pans every other month or so. When we do that, we also wipe down the stovetop "underneath" the stove. It's pretty quick: take out the burners and put the drip pans in the sink. Then spray the drip pans with oven cleaner. In the meantime, lift the stovetop and wipe down the second stovetop. If there is any crust (and there usually is), I soak a paper towel, lay it over the crust, and walk away. I come back anywhere from 15mins to 12 hrs later, wipe everything down, and put everything back together. If I'm a few plates short of a full dishwasher, I toss the drip pans in before the final reassembly.

If it grosses you out to wash a dog or a baby in the sink, maybe don't have one. Man...I feel sorry the cutie pie dog. He really does not look like he is enjoying it.

Amaranta- I don't think a washing machine in the kitchen is unhygienic, provided one doesn't also have hampers overflowing with soiled clothing right next to the food prep area. As long as that stuff is contained, and not encroaching on my workspace, it should be fine.

And no, a dog in the kitchen sink is not ok at all! Honestly, I'm amazed that anyone finds that acceptable.

Thank you Esmeralda. When I was in the UK, the laundry hamper lived in the bathroom and was transferred to the kitchen just for dumping-in-the-washer purposes.

You see how close the coffee maker is in the photograph? A dog hair in my coffee would freak me! I recall that a wet dog, once released from its bath, shakes - and shakes - and shakes. More hair to go everywhere.

A baby I could cope with better. After all they are bathed every day and cleaned at changing time, but even so...

I'm trying to imagine a home where a dog or baby MUST be bathed in the kitchen sink and I can't. Everyone has a shower or a tub, surely?

I, too, am grossed out by dog washing in sink because of possible transmission of parasites between pets and people. I keep a heavy plastic storage tub with all the appropriate dog bathing stuff in it. When I need to give the dog a bath, I empty the shampoo, rinse, brush, etc., out of the storage tub and use it for a bathtub. You can sit the tub on a chair or sit on a chair yourself to make it a convenient height. I use the lid, turned upside down on the floor to sit the wet dog on and dry off. You can get a great pet hose at many pet stores that makes it easy to reach from the sink to the tub so you can still do it in the kitchen or wherever there is a faucet.

That is a great solution, Teapotrose.

Some good tips here! And with the mother in law visiting in a week just the boost I needed to start on this. My dog's still small (4 months) and afraid of the sound of running water, so I fill a laundry tub in the bathtub and bathe him from that. I think it saves water too.

PS - before I saw this pic I never even thought of bathing the dog in the kitchen (or bathroom) sink -- the only problem I would have is that the shaking during or after would distribute water all over clean surfaces...

dogs in sink, Yikes. If I would be over for dinner I would not be able to stop thinking that my food was prepared in a dog bath. Even if cleaned, the mental thought.
Would not like to eat of a plate that is used to feed the dog either, and you can wash that too.

For those bothered by the dog washing in a sink. How do you deal with the fact that you use your hand to, well, wipe and clean your nether-regions in the bathroom AND to handle the food that you prep in the kitchen? Sure you clean your hands. But, well, I'd imagine that the sink also gets cleaned - and indeed cleaned with products much stronger than the soap found in most bathrooms - after the dog bath. Your hands are around bodily fluids very frequently, but most people don't freak out about the fact that those very hands are then used to prepare the food they eat.

I guess I just don't understand the disgust that things get dirty, given the fact that those dirty things can be cleaned. Something that is dirtied won't stay dirty forever.

Spring cleaning: look up! Clean places you never see or even think about: tops of cabinets, top of refrigerator, tops of doors (ick!), dust your ceilings (you'd be surprised at how much stuff collects in all the tiny nooks and crannies), and dust your walls/corners!

I love Bar Keeper's Friend. I use it for *so* many things.

When I had a dog I washed him in the sink, it was more comfortable for both of us; however, I wash all guest dishes in the toilet as the thought of other people's saliva in my sink makes me gag.

Item six would need to be clean out the kitchen sink and everything within ten feet, after washing a dog in it. Every other cleaning task pales in comparison.

love your comment, clur! Very funny and spot on

Spring cleaning...usually means taking my broom outside and eradicating all the cobwebs that have accumulated around my cabin over the winter. After that I clean the outside of my windows which is so satisfying. About dogs in kitchen sinks. I loved the comeback about raw chicken carcass being far grosser - no kidding! People can be so full of crap sometimes! So here is a tip when you do put your little fella in the kitchen sink (GAK!!) or bathtub~ put down a wet hand towel first so they feel more stable and have something to grip. Slipping can be very scary and when they do their "shakety shake" at the end they won't be in danger of slipping and hurting themselves.

Thanks to Siam for the reminder about vacuuming the back of the refrigerator!

@classof65 ... depends on the size of your home. I live in Salt Lake City, which has an average cost of living for the U.S. Our house is 3800 square feet, and I can get two housekeepers for about $250 for 4 hours.

That's my dog's twin! She's equally humiliated by bathing in the sink.

URBANCRICKET has the right idea. Employing her tips will keep things from getting out of hand. CLASSOF65: Employing a professional to come in to do deep cleaning every 3 months can be expensive if a home owner doesn't maintain at least a weekly cleaning schedule. Most qualified professional cleaners work for a minimum of 4 hours and charge $20 and up per hour for general cleaning and up to $25 per hour for heavy cleaning (ovens, garages, barbeque's etc which require special equipment and/or heavy chemical cleaners). Size of house and number of full bathrooms are taken into account when making a time estimate over the phone but a first visit (which normally take longer than subsequent visits) is when your cleaner can map out a strategy for doing the tasks you need and let you know what her/his particular skills are (can operate a carpet shampooer, grill steamer, floor polisher, etc; willing to use green products; ironing, laundry, etc . Matching skills to your needs is essential to guaranteeing a good job done in good time.

You can't justify putting a dog in your kitchen sink by saying that 'you use your hands to wipe yourself and then prepare food', or 'you put raw chicken on your sink'. That's ridiculous logic.

It's impossible to avoid using your hands or putting raw meat on your kitchen surfaces (if you eat meat). There is no need to expose your food preparation surfaces to whatever comes off a dog's fur/butt/paws. I wouldn't wash my own body in the kitchen sink, for that matter.

I bathed my dog in the tub. The actual washing took 15 minutes. The prep, the picking-up of dog and keeping-in-the-tub of dog, and the chasing-wet-dog-around-apartment-with-towel took a lot longer :)

For spring: Wash the windows (I have a terrace), thoroughly clean out the heating unit, remove and clean the blinds, set up a clothing donation box when going through winter/spring/summer seasonal storage.

hey now, the dog is probably thinking: "What am I, a crockpot?"

washing windows - let the light in (although in my case that usually takes more than fifteen minutes)

- I don't touch myself, or I try hard not to, when wiping
- I don't wash my hands in the kitchen sink after using the bathroom
- There are other options besides the kitchen sink to wash a dog....do you clean yourself in the sink
- I apologize if I offended anyone that does this, but it does not lessen the "omg.ew" factor for me and I'm convinced as easygoing as I may be in other areas I will always be nauseated by a dog being washed in the kitchen sink

I think it's discusting to wash a cat or dog in the bathtub and kitchen sink.

The set of things that are actually dirty and can make you sick has little in common with the set of things that people *think* are gross. I call it "irrational ick," because it rather rolls off the tongue.

A good fifteen minute cleaning chore is to open up your desktop computer case (while the computer is turned off and unplugged!) and blow out all the dust with compressed air (cheap, you can find it in any tech/office store or department), then wipe off all the case fans and vents with a clean, dry cloth.

Other brief chores to perform as needed: install all the security updates for your operating system, remove all unwanted shortcuts off your desktop, and uninstall unused programs.

What laetitiae said.

Boiling water will scald out and sterilize a sink, hands will be washed, laundry will be done.

Seriously, and I'm not being snarky I really want to understand, all those who are squicked out by baby bottoms/pets/raw chicken/touching yourself when you wipe...how on earth do you have sex? I mean, squishy body parts, fluids, sweat, saliva, hand to genital/mouth to genital contact...how is this different?

Or am I being stupid?

I'd bathe my dog in the kitchen sink and at the same time I'd kiss him on the mouth.
Really, when was the last time anyone heard of someone getting sick from their dog ?

I need to ask everyone in my office, that has a dog, if they wash their dog in their sink. If they answer yes, I will most definitely not eat anything they bring in for potluck. So disgusting.

I have an outlandish suggestion. Maybe that's not the kitchen sink in the picture. A coffee pot doesn't make it a kitchen.

I agree that bathing the dog (regularly) is a wise thing to do, but I used to have a Chihuahua, and it took a lot longer than 15 minutes to bathe him.

Spring Cleaning in my mother's household meant washing ALL the woodwork---with vinegar water. Oh, how I hated the smell of vinegar! But here I am----decades later---washing my cabinets and woodwork with vinegar water.

@Madame Suggia: I like your thinking. Anything can and does get sterilized. Those same people complaining about a dog in the sink probably don't have kids (well, neither to I, for that matter, but I'm not grossed out by a baby urinating during a diaper change or pooing in the bathtub either). Sterilize and move on!

...on another thought, I never place food directly ON my sink. Usually it's in a bowl. And the things I DO place ON the sink are dirty dishes waiting to get washed (read: sterilized) anyways so who cares??

Thanks, Amaranta! I grew up on a farm and my daughter's a veterinarian. Look up giardia and don't bathe your dog in the kitchen sink. Yes, you may be able to completely sterilize your sink afterwards but, odds are, most people won't be that thorough. There are many, many other low budget, apartment-friendly options. But I do really appreciate the ideas for spring cleaning. It's great to have a routine and breaking it down to 15 minute projects is less intimidating and more likely to get done.

"I really want to understand, all those who are squicked out by baby bottoms/pets/raw chicken/touching yourself when you wipe...how on earth do you have sex? I mean, squishy body parts, fluids, sweat, saliva, hand to genital/mouth to genital contact"

I'll explain. Human beings have a daily shower (or more if they live in a warm climate). They wash their hands several times throughout the day. Unless they work at down a coalmine, they rarely get filthy dirty.

The ASPCA says that dogs should be bathed once every three months. They also say that you shouldn't bathe a dog too frequently as it can cause skin irritations and flaky skin. Even if you bathe your dog every month, it's going to be pretty mucky.

The USDA says: "Salmonella bacteria are the most frequently reported cause of foodborne illness.Salmonella is usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with *animal feces*. Salmonella present on *raw meat and poultry* could survive if the product is not cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature, as measured with a food thermometer. Salmonella can also cause foodborne illness (salmonellosis) through cross-contamination, e.g., when juices from raw meat or poultry come in contact with ready-to-eat foods, such as salads."

Now you might think that's over-reacting but when there are hygienic ways of washing your dog, why take the risk?

I'm not weirdly over-hygienic but I wouldn't want to eat food prepared in that kitchen.

@Amaranta , I kinda see your point, but I'd disagree with the idea that we're all showering daily, with impeccable personal hygiene; just because someone looks, smells or seems clean doesn't always follow that they are.

I'll take more notice of the USDA when they stop trying to ban the sale of 'raw' milk, and generally being all-round food fascists (and that particular 'f' word isn't one I use lightly).

Also, given that processed food manufacturers are legally allowed to have a small proportion of fecal matter in their products (I guess that's the USDA saying, in effect, '$hit happens") I'll take a cleaned-down domestic kitchen-especially in my own house, where I have both knowledge & control over the standards of cleanliness, no matter who, what, or which body parts may or may not have been washed in or around the sink.

@ MADAME SUGGIA I agree, mostly. I do think though that most people take a daily shower. But I'm in Florida and it's impossible to survive the day without a shower.

My mum used to say "you have to eat a peck of dirt before you die" (she had an old wives saying for just about everything!) and people, especially, children, who are never exposed to germs can't build up an immunity.

But it does seem that if there is an alternative to washing the dog in the sink, it's better to take that option. And surely, it's not often that there isn't an alternative?

I'm not remotely germaphobic. I change toddlers' diapers on a regular basis and I can assure you I'm not 'squicked' by sex, raw meat, or animals in general.

I still think that keeping a dog's butt as far as possible from food-prep surfaces is a no-brainer.

Yep, @Heathergirl, as a long-time Chicagoan, I know better than to take anything related to winter out of my car before Memorial Day, maybe even into June. It's just asking Mother Nature for cold weather!
I don't have a dog, so don't really have an opinion about the sink issue, but I think it's accurate to say that MOST of the world outside the U.S. does not shower every day, even in warm climates. I lived in Spain for awhile and this was definitely the case. They're just as healthy as Americans.

@Amaranta, I know what you mean, I'm in Florida too and those daily showers (sometimes twice a day) are kinda essential.

Having said that, I have to agree with both your Mom re exposure to germs helping to build immunity, and with @candle96, re other countries' health Vs hygiene issues.

Maybe AT people are animal lovers (I am), and if your pet is healthy, and clean, what is the problems with them?

...and I only don't bathe my dog in my kitchen sink because he's a grumpy ex-show dog who expects to be professionally groomed at great expense and inconvenience.

@clur - LOL!
@nanoinfinity - I'm with you on the "irrational ick" part. I think I will start using that :-)
@Madame Suggia - Your comments are dead on :-) Also, I buy raw milk and love it.
Even if my dog fit in the kitchen sink, I wouldn't do it in case she tried to jump out.. I can just picture a soapy dog slipping and sliding all over the counter and finally falling on the floor.
To all you squeamish folks - don't ever eat at a restaurant. If you think a dog in the sink is bad, you don't want to know what goes on in a lot of restaurant kitchens. And I don't think anybody here is planning on picking up a stray dog off the street and having him hang out on the kitchen counter as dinner is being prepared.
There is such a thing as too clean btw - you can't build up immunity and you are much more prone to allergies. Why do you think almost all Americans who vacation in Mexico (or Asia) get sick if they venture outside of the safety of the hotel compound?

@HHRI, you are dead on with your comments on the kitchen sink and the dog. I've bathed mine in the kitchen sink, and still alive, well, and healthier than ever !!!

Much of the world, while there are sanitary issues particularly in 3rd world places, have pretty strict hygiene rules when it comes to sharing spaces with animals. It appears to be more of an American culture that embraces this from my personal experience.

I can see the POV from both sides, but I think depending on how people are raised some things are acceptable and some are not, so I guess it's pointless to debate. I also notice though, that in places like AT and other design blogs, there's more of a culture of sharing (too much sometimes IMO) with animals than even the average American is willing to do.

But like I said, it's culture and a very interesting conversation. I am originally from W. Africa where dogs are typically not allowed in the house, and though I don't support that and would sneak the family dogs in all the time, some things have stuck.

I have found though that I like dogs, but can't live with them so that's also where some of my "irrational ick" comes from. I'm happy with my cockatiel and leopard gecko :)

If you've eaten in as many backstreet curry houses in the UK in the old days as I have, no restaurant holds any fear :) There, the problem wasn't that dogs had been bathed in the sink, but that dogs appeared on the MENU :)

I did it the easy way take the pooch to the groomer! My tiny bathroom doesn't get completely messed up. nor do I. Done.

People have so many hang ups about germs, dirt, cooking, cleanliness and all sorts of things...... Its quite fascinating.

I don't get all this freaking out over the dog in the sink. I don't have cats, but when I've been to homes that do, it seems to me that the cats regularly jump up on all the furniture, including dining tables and kitchen counters. And then they walk on it. With their feet. The same feet they use for digging around in the litter box, among other things. But people still seem to keep cats in their house and do not die from terminal squicking. So what's the difference between that and putting an average pet dog in the sink?

For the record, I have dogs and babies, and have never bathed either in the kitchen sink--mostly because the dogs are way too big to fit in the sink, and the kitchen sink would've seemed too dirty for my sweet newborn babes for the short amount of time they were sink-sized. After all, I wash my dirty dishes in there! I much preferred our nice, white ceramic bathroom sink for the babies, which is rarely used for anything but hand washing and teeth brushing. But I didn't even register the dog in the sink until I saw the comments about it. If the dog had been out rolling in dung or something, then sure, I would prefer not to use the kitchen sink, but I assume that's not the case. I'm sure they'll give it a good scrubbing down afterwards and everyone will survive.

It's not really freaking out. I remember lengthy conversations on AT where people were saying that guests should remove their shoes when they visit to keep out the nasties they might bring in on the soles of their footwear.

And another, more recently, where just about everyone agreed that the toilet lid should be put down before flushing because of the 'particles' that can land on your surfaces and toothbrush.

Neither of those hygiene matters had ever occurred to me before I read them.

So the AT consensus seems to be that people coming into your home wearing shoes isn't OK. Flushing the loo without putting the lid down isn't OK. But bathing your dog in the sink is. You can see why I'm confused ...

@ Amaranta " If you've eaten in as many backstreet curry houses in the UK in the old days as I have, no restaurant holds any fear :) There, the problem wasn't that dogs had been bathed in the sink, but that dogs appeared on the MENU :)"

W-O-R-D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_meat

Laughing my head off at the suggestion that someone could become infected with salmonella after washing their dog in the kitchen sink. Yes, salmonella infection often arises from eating food that has come into contact with animal feces. But you know how that happens in the real world? That would be when cow manure is liquified and sprayed onto your organic arugula. I think that people who are so squicked out by that photograph would positively die if they saw how their veggies were grown.

@Amaranta - I would never ask my guests to take their shoes off because many people are uncomfortable to do so and as long as they don't put their feet on the couch, I don't have a problem with the icky stuff that might be stuck to shoes (unless it smells).
I also have never thought about only flushing with the lid down. I have heard of people keeping their toothbrush in a cabinet to protect it from said particles though.
And I don't have a problem with a dog in the sink. I also don't have a problem with washing machines in the kitchen, it's logical in my opinion because the plumbing is already there.
So, I'd say my opinions are pretty consistent - maybe the difference is in the people who are commenting?

A kitchen sink, even if it is not being used to wash dogs, is SIX THOUSAND TIMES more contaminated than the average toilet. It's frequently cited as being the dirtiest thing in the house. The sink is going to be crawling with bacteria no matter what, so who cares if a dog is occasionally washed in it? I wash my dogs in the bathtub, or outdoors when it's warm enough, but I still will not let food or clean utensils come in contact with the kitchen sink.

@HHRI I guess you're right. People post in topics they feel strongly about after all. In people had no feelings either way, they'd just keep quiet.

@ENGINEERGIRL I hear you but I still don't get it. Why is the sink going to be more contaminated than the toilet? Kitchen sinks get cleaned every time they're used. Toilets don't. I'd still rather rinse a lettuce in the kitchen sink rather than the toilet.

I have never tried to wash my dog in the sink...but she's a 40lb boxer who HATES water. We put her in the shower with one of us, while the other holds the shower door closed so she can't escape. It takes about 10 minutes to wash, rinse, and dry with a towel.

Well, whatever your thoughts on what should be in a kitchen sink, hats off to AT for letting us all express our opinions! Kinda got off topic on the spring cleaning tips, lol.

@TEAPOTROSE Very true!

Ha ha ha. If I worried about the germs after my dog was washed in the sink, how would I be able to live with everything else around us? I have to say that sneezing and coughing coworkers who do not bother to cover their mouth worry me a lot more than some dog germs.
Unfortunately, greyhounds are a bit too big to fit into the sink (I wish! - it would have been much easier) and I agree that bathing a dog requires 2 people and everything needs to be orchestrated with a military precision. Nothing worse than having a wet dog escape from the tub trying to shake off the water all over the house.

This discussion is killing me! I've had my mini pin for about 7 years now, and have washed her in every sink in every rental I've ever lived in. We're both fine. I've washed her in the bathtub as well, and hate it. It's not comfortable, and takes longer (which she hates too.) I never put food directly in the sink, always in a bowl or colander or something. None of my relatives, guests, or coworkers have managed to die from food prepared in my kitchen. Fairly certain they've never even gotten sick.

And as to the comment about the dogs shaking themselves dry on the counters, who is leaving the dog on the counter after the bath? Mine gets put in the floor, where I towel off the majority of the water. She then runs out of the room to beat up inanimate objects as she is not big enough to beat me up and I feed her. But there is no shaking all over the coffee pot. She has no interest in being up there any longer than she has too. I will not be serving hairy coffee, I promise.

Yeah... my little Jack Russell shakes too much to wash in the sink, but I don't think I'd wash in the kitchen sink anyway. I also do not have a baby, so that doesn't get washed in the sink. Comments on this are so funny... I, too, wondered why dog bathing was considered Spring Cleaning.

Quick Spring Cleaning Tasks?

Pick a junk drawer to clean out... or two!

Clean & Organize under your kitchen or bathroom sink in 15 to 20 minutes.

Look in your closet and very quickly choose 5-10 items to donate or give to a friend.

Grab a grocery bag or a box, set a timer for 15 minutes and try to fill it with items to donate, sell or give away to a friend. Go!

If I must comment on dog washing in the sink... I'd rather them not be in the kitchen sink. Utility sinks would be fine, but dogs are rolling around in poop and dirt and bringing all sorts of junk in with them. I adore my dog and he's my son, but I'm keeping him in the bathtub where I can close the shower curtain when he shakes all over the place!

Babies in the sink are fine by me. I grew up watching my Nana wash all the babies in the clean kitchen sink. No way could she bend down and wash in the tub. Babies are much cleaner than dogs, and you don't stick them in the sink with poo all over them. You can wipe their butts before you stick them in there. :)

Pretty funny, though, all these comments!

@SHEENAC I don't think that any of the anti dog-in-the-sink people are saying that it's going to kill anyone! It's more the dog hair in your pasta or cup of coffee syndrome.

Dogs aren't allowed in restaurants for a reason.

Is it me or is there an awful lot of people making more negative comments than positive....if you wash your baby, dog or chicken in your sink - well, it's YOUR sink! Maybe I don't want you to wash your dog in my sink, but I'm sure you'd be respectful of that. What you do in your sink is not my business and certainly isn't something for me to judge you about. Have a wonderful day!

ps - I think your ideas are great and can be used for jumping off points for anyone. :)

Yeah, I don't think not wanting to wash a dog in the sink = germaphobe, scared of everything else.

No matter how you try to rationalize it but comparing it to other things we come across in daily living you have to admit that it's pretty understandable why some folks are skeeved out by it. I mean, you can see that, right?

I think the issue that the folks that are having issues with this (got that sentence? lol) is that washing a dog in the sink is typically an avoidable choice. We have to wipe after using the bathroom, we have to deal with co-workers sneezing, and touch doorknobs etc. These are things we have conditioned ourselves to live with because they are unavoidable....germaphobes have fear of germs in even the commonest of scenarios and they don't have the ability to turn of their logic blinders (which, yes, if you breakdown everything we do, much of it is pretty disgusting).

Trust me, I have the stomach for things that would probably send dog sink washers to a vat of bleach. Granted they are things I don't choose to associate in but if/when I do I'm ok with it.

@Madama Suggia has a point, but I believe rinsing raw chicken in sinks is now discouraged for this very reason. I don't eat meat often, but I open the package on a large, lipped plate that can be properly cleaned, and away from vegetables, etc.

FYI: this is what the Cornell U. Med site had to say about toxoplasmosis: "In the United States, people are much more likely to become infected through eating raw meat and unwashed fruits and vegetables than from handling cat feces."

I didn't shudder at the photo of the dog in the sink, but it just makes a lot more sense to use the tub, which is going to be cleaned afterwards and which is not near food prep areas. What comes off our own bodies in the shower is not that much different. We don't trim our nails or brush our hair in the kitchen -- well, not if our parents taught us manners. Every space for a purpose.

In keeping with the point of the post: I just got an 18v Black and Decker handvac with a pivot/folding head and I LOVE it. It does have to be plugged in quite often to maintain a decent charge, but I use it 3-4x a week in my NYC apt for dust, rug-shedding, couch, etc. It's so easy to pop open the canister and dump everything out without making a mess.

Anyone else do a "deep clean" in the Spring? I usually scrub the bathroom/kitchen floors thoroughly with a brush, and do a scrub-down of my fridge, in addition to windows and the heating unit.

@canadianmango, are your greyhounds retired racing greyhounds? My adopted dog died a few years ago, and I've always wanted a greyhound, but my studio apt is a bit small. Are they really canine "couch potatoes" like everyone says?

It probably takes me like 5 min to wash my dog, but I just towel dry her. However, it takes me 10 min to clean the bathroom after I wash her, what with the wet fur ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! It's kind of amazing how much fur she sheds. When it's warm outside, I just use the hose out on the deck, and it's SOOOO much easier.

As for the dog in the sink, that would not be possible for my dog, since she's almost 50 lbs, but whenever I mop the floor and wash the mop off, TONS of her fur ends up in the sink, so she might as well have been hanging out in the sink all day.

Forget the germs, the FUR! No one wants to eat fur. I cat sat for a month and years later, that Izzy's fur still shows up in my clothes. I didn't let her in my kitchen because the first time I got a bite of her fur in my mouth, that was it.

I just spent the long weekend cleaning our home and am still not done. Shampooing and steam cleaning rugs and carpets. Floors. Dusting. Attacking things in bathrooms that you wonder how you missed. Cleaning people should be paid a hell of lot more for this I tell ya.