apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I just clean as it needs to be done - you know, the picking up, washing dishes - the everyday stuff. But I'd like to start charting out the deep cleaning tasks, so that when I do decide (say, on a Sunday afternoon) to REALLY clean, it isn't so overwhelming.

Any suggestions for the latter?

I usually do a quick tidy first thing after work each day. This includes any combination of putting away clean dishes, washing any in the sink, 'dust busting' the kitchen floor, cleaning the stove top/ counters, clearing away clutter build up on the coffee table, dealing with clothes piles in the bedroom, wiping down the bathroom sink/toilet (while brushing my teeth), and watering plants...Basically any small task that makes a noticeable difference. I find that doing it as soon as I get home while I still have energy helps me relax (I'm not looking at mess) and makes it easier to cook dinner. I know if I sit down and 'take a break' first, I'll never get back up to clean.

I save the dusting, vacuuming, and heavy cleaning for the weekends and try to bust it out in one day.

I clean-as-I-go, for the most part. This makes the big jobs a little easier. I used Flylady's cleaning schedule from flylady.com (after customizing it a bit for my own needs) to really start my routine.

Reader's tip: Don't sign up for the emails...oh my god... Just take what you need and get the heck out of there.

My basic routine is to do the general tidying throughout the week, and do the larger jobs (bathroom scrubbing, etc) Friday after work. I like doing my big cleaning on a Friday, because it leaves the house nice and shiny for the weekend, which is when we normally have friends over.

I live with two other females who are not as clean as me :(

I made a chore chart with a picture frame, and under the glass is the list of chores, with the frequency at which the cleaning should be done (i.e. "Clean Bathroom 1x/wk). Each roommate is supposed to initial and date the cleaning they've done so we can see who's contributing and who is not. It clears up any confusion about what needs to be cleaned and what has been cleaned recently.

The hardest part is getting my roommates to clean things like the fridge, microwave, and toaster oven! One day I will have control!!!

As I am a student who only works part-time I do the household for me and my husband. I usually do wash on monday and cleaning on tuesday as those are the days when I don't have classes. This way I also don't have a lot to do the rest of the week.

I grew up with a chore chart much like the one above. My boyfriend's family had no chore chart - the mom just delegated. Now, as adults, my whole family passes the buck and purports to have "done it last time" or to be in the middle of something when a tiny task needs to be done, even if it would take no time at all. Yet everyone in my boyfriend's family is willing to jump in and help with a task, or do things unsolicited.

I put this to you as evidence, before you start sticking your kids on a chore chart.

I have a lovely cleaning lady who comes in once a week and does it all for me, so I don't have to. She's worth every penny. Saves all the tears and me nagging my boyfriend to death when it all gets too much.

I tried setting up a chore chart for me and my roomies in the past, but it never took off. I have a very physical job so on weekdays I'm usually too exhausted to do anything. I make myself and my roommate do most of the cleaning on the weekend. the good news is that I just bought a portable dishwasher, as the dishes are the hardest to get either of us to do.

We all clean as we go and then once a week, we each have a room we do a deep clean on. We do have list in google documents with each room and all the cleaning that needs to happen in each room that can be referenced by anyone cleaning.

I like guitarrasara's system. I don't have roommates, but that seems to beat this chore wheel system for people who live with others.

My goal is to do a little cleaning each day, but after work, gym, and dog walking, I'm usually too tired to clean. So I end up doing most of it on the weekend.

I tidy up as I go and make the bed every day. Every weekend I clean the kitchen and bathroom, and every other weekend I do the laundry, dusting and floors.

I *highly* recommend Cheryl Mendelsohn's book, Home Comforts, for many reasons, but particularly because she addresses this exact issue. She includes information about the cycles of our life - daily, weekly, and monthly - and how that corresponds to our cleaning; what tasks to do when; tidying up, and more. She is the guru! (and her book is much better than Martha Stewart's)

I'm starting to make a chore list just for little ol' me (why can't I train the cat to help out?) So far I have Tuesdays for cleaning the bathroom, and I usually do laundry on the weekend. Saturdays I visit the library and buy groceries (errands count as chores).

I aim to have a list of daily, weekly, monthly, quarter, and yearly chores.

One chore that I've found makes a huge difference in my outlook/stress level is making my bed daily.
I find that coming home from work to a pretty, made bed is totally wonderful and soothing for me, even if the rest of my house is an explosion.
A messy bed doesn't hurt me obviously, but it doesn't provide that extra dose of ahhhhhh.

For years I struggled with making my bed on a daily basis. It's just such a boring, futile chore and there are so many others more pressing.
A couple months ago, I decided to completely revamp the way I dressed the bed to make it super simple to make after I get out of it.

Gone are the patterned comforter and blanket, along with the top sheet and extra pillows.
I bought a high-quality, but thin silk-filled duvet off overstock.com and a bunch of duvet covers from Ikea.
One high thread count white fitted sheet and two matching plain white pillow cases and that's it.
Come winter, I'll add a second of the same duvet.

I wash and change the single sheet, pillow cases, and duvet cover at least weekly, and my bed making time is seriously 30 seconds for a fluff of the duvet to a perfect bed.

the rest of my house? we'll see.

My two-flat apartment building has just been put up for sale, and the landlord brought the first interested viewers through yesterday. The news that the building was being sold was shock enough, but when I realized that my bedroom, my inner sanctuary, my fortress of solitude would be viewed by discerning strangers, I had to clean from top to bottom.

I'm not a messy person, but I am a pack rat, saving magazines and newspaper clippings, odds and ends, etc. for that inevitable use at some point in the future. Forced to accept that I may have to move out sooner than I expected, clearing all of this out made me angry at first, but as I was going through stacks of stuff in all four corners, I realized how ridiculous it was to save some of the things I was saving. At the end, the floor was clean, the shelves were organized, and it felt like a completely new room. It was comfortable and peaceful. The distracting clutter was gone and I could sit quietly without my eyes jumping from one place to another.

It's too bad that it took the sale of the building for me to appreciate the cleanliness and order of a room well kept, but it's something that I will perpetuate in my future residences.