Annie has a series of 4 questions for Tuesdays. Some of them have made me think or reminisce about times in the past. This post did not require a whole lot of thinking, but simply reading the word Tuesday did remind me of this song. I had this when I was in high school and it is probably in the basement along with the rest of our old vinyl albums. I bought it because I liked "Nights in White Satin" but after buying and listening to the entire album, it turns out that was my least favorite song.
Some questions, like today, are pretty straight forward. But before I go any further, let me make it known that I absolutely hate housework. I do it because it has to be done, but I get no pleasure from it. I do like the after effect, but the process sucks.
1. What laundry products do you like to use or find best for you?
I use Shout for stains, bleach for the white towels, All Small and Mighty unscented detergent and Myers Lavender fabric softener
2. Dryer, line or combination of both?
Dryer and a hanging rod in the laundry room. Our neighborhood does not allow clothes lines
3. Do you have wood floors or carpeting and which is best?
Living room, dining room, powder room and all hallways are hardwood. Next I will put hardwoods in the MBR and the main level den. Currently I have carpet in all the bedrooms, the dens, and the music room
4. Housekeeping professionals give the following guidelines. Which do you follow? Do you have better ideas?
1. Open windows first No
2. Clear up clutter before cleaning. Mostly but I can ignore a cluttered coffee table or dresser
3. Start in bedrooms first No, but I do make the bed before I leave the bedroom in the morning
4. Give cleaning products time to work. Yes
5. Always sweep or vacuum before mopping Sweep
6. Use a toothbrush for hard to get at areas Yes
7. Keep things on a central cart if you can No. I keep multiples of products where there are used. i.e. Each bathroom has its own toilet bowl cleaner and scrub free, toilet brush, paper towels, and glass cleaner
8. Dust everything Depends on the day
9. Vacuum your furniture often, mattresses once a month or so. Furniture, yes. Mattress only when I wash the mattress pad
I can remember reading about a gentleman (and I use the term loosely) who divorced his wife because she didn't replace the pillows every month and turn the mattress each time she made the bed. He replaced the mattress every year too. This woeful housekeeper would have got the boot very quickly. And gone with no regrets.
ReplyDeleteLike you I am not a fan of housework - but do feel better when/if it is done.
Wow, I would not have even lasted a day with him!
DeleteI was looking for what gave you stabby thoughts-well, cleaning would do it for me.
ReplyDeleteI try not to call anyone out on the blog and my shabby thoughts have to be just shabby thoughts without specific mention. TheHub does know who I wanted to stab yesterday though, and it was not him!
DeleteI keep multiples of products where there are used, makes cleaning quick and easy. I just clean when and where needed these days.
ReplyDeleteI do too and even have a separate vacuum I keep upstairs, because I hate cleaning so much that I keep it as simple as possible.
DeleteIt certainly sounds like you are far more organized than I am. Last year, while the house was listed I was a much better housekeeper - I had a daily routine to ensure it was could be shown. I have a tendency to let clutter gather up on surfaces. And I don't think I've ever used a toothbrush for cleaning anything.
ReplyDeleteI only use a toothbrush around the faucets in the kitchen and bathrooms, but I had to buy color coded cheap toothbrushes so each bath and the kitchen has its own cleaning toothbrush
DeleteI did not tell you how may steps it took to clean these laminate floors only to have the dog walk in and ruin them.
ReplyDeleteI would have been beyond unhappy!
DeleteI line dry my laundry. I have a drying rack and I also put a line up in the corridor when I have too much laundry. Never owned a dryer so far. My sister is in love with hers though. As for detergent, I like Alo (in Turkey) which is Tide over there. The first time I arrived in the US in 1990, I was shocked at the variety of cleaning products and I had no clue as to what brands were considered better. I remembered Ivory brand from my Marketing book and the first soap bars I bought were Ivory. Lol!
ReplyDeleteI confess to always having Ivory. We don't use it in the shower, but there is something about having it around that makes me happy. Maybe it is because that is what Mom used in our bathroom when we were little kids. I wonder if it still floats?
DeleteI will have to check out your fabric softener. I love the smell of lavender.
ReplyDeleteI do not like the heavy scents of fabric softener nd this is just a hint of lavender. It is kind of pricy so I wait until it is on sale (rarely) and stock up
DeleteI'd heard about certain communities not being allowed to line dry and found it so strange. Pretty much everyone here line dries. It'll always be in the back garden anyway so I don't know who would be offended by it. I have a drier but I think I used it maybe once in 10 years. Apart from being cheaper to line dry, there is nothing can compare to getting into a freshly made bed on sheets that have dried outside - the windier the better!
ReplyDeleteNo doubt nothing smells better than air dried sheets!
Delete1. Tide original only, due to skin sensitivities, though I can use X-tra in the blue bottle, but it doesn't clean well.
ReplyDelete2. Dryer, but as a special treat, I might line dry sheets if the weather cooperates. I don't have a clothesline here, though.
3. Nary a square foot of carpet will darken any home in which I live again. Carpet is the devil's underarm hair. Moreover, every time we have a pet accident, I can be heard uttering the words "Have I mentioned I love the wood floors?"
1) Usually I always have a window open
2) I have tried to banish clutter. I am back to my "remove 3 items/day from my home" so the kids have learned to keep their belongings organized as well. I have maybe regretted trashing something about 6 times.
3) Kitchen first.
4) Sort of
5) Combination of both
6) No
7) I have a caddy, and try to keep cleaning products under the sink of each bathroom
8) As much as I love housework, I loathe dusting. I polish the furniture with Old English oil weekly.
9) I would never let my vacuum touch my bed. I wash our sheets every 3 days. Our chairs and couches are all leather, so those I dust.
Wood floors are great
DeleteI enjoyed reading your answers.
ReplyDeleteThanks, it is fun to see how differently folks answer them
DeleteI've heard of more and more who don't allow clotheslines. I am glad I can have one as my dryer is broken.
ReplyDeleteIf my dryer is broken I have to jury rig s system from a folding rack and kitchen chairs. It is not fun, but you do what you have to do.
DeleteThat's how often I vacuum the mattress, too. I should probably do it more often since I remember the demonstration the Kirby salesman did when I was a kid. Pretty gross what's on the mattress.
ReplyDeleteDon't tell anyone but I only wash my mattress pad quarterly, mainly because it takes about 4 hours to get it dried.
DeleteIt was fun to read your responses to the questions. And now I have that song playing in my ear!
ReplyDelete:)
I used to listen to this album throughout high school and then it went with me when I went to off to college. When I started to answer the Tuesday questions this song popped in my head and started a cavalcade of musical memories.
DeleteWe're hardwood floors all the way (carpet on the stairs, though -- a previous owner of the house glued some kind of linoleum to the stairs (yuck!) and it was impossible to remove, so we just covered it up). Love the way they look and they're pretty easy to clean.
ReplyDeleteYes they are!
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