Question about keeping up the shape of a new house

[Metalhead]

I was not terribly kind to the apartment I am moving out of, so I doubt I will get my cleaning deposit back.

I want to be much kinder to the house I am moving into. What are some tips for avoiding the pitfalls of sloth when keeping a place clean is a priority?

 

[Thinx]

I got nuthin. I'm a sloth. I recommend just not giving a damn. Within reason. I used to vacuum occasionally and have big tidying sprees when I got sick of there being no room on any surface. Cleaning? What's that?

The only way I know of this changing is to have a live in person who thinks differently. Then all the dirt and disorganisation magically goes away. But you have to put up with Cleaning Smells, like bleach icky icky icky. I think having a cleaner would also work.

 

[Progster]

I find it hard to motivate myself to clean and I live with someone who is indifferent, so getting a cleaner has been the best solution for me.

 

[GadAbout]

I would be lost without my housekeeper. She has been with us three and a half years. I gave her a raise about a year ago to let her know how valuable she is. She has a law degree, can you imagine? She says she likes coming over here, so that's good. (I almost suggested if she likes coming here, she should pay US!)

My daughter finally qualified for a home chore worker so that is helpful for her. I suggest you have someone come in occasionally to help organize and clean. Whatever level of care you can afford or arrange for. (I don't know your funding situation.)

One thing people don't realize, if they have never had a helper come in, is knowing their visit is coming up pressures you (slightly) to tidy up in advance of their visit. This all by itself is an improvement!

 

[Wolfsage]

I can tell you if you get sick. You do better in a clean house.

 

[unperson]

I just force myself every now and then, whether I feel like it or not...treat yourself like an employer would a lazy servant cos that's what we are to ourselves, our own lazy servants.

I do feel pleased after I've done some housework, it's just making yourself do it in the first place is a big hurdle. I've always loathed it, but I can't live with too much mess either. Just light mess.

Wearing magnifier glasses helps me see dust and other forms of build up. I mainly use them for reading but uh it can be a big prompt in the kitchen and bathroom.

 

[Sherlock77]

I also struggle with cleaning my place, not sure if it's an Aspie thing, could be a guy thing as well, I have a theory that men struggle with cleaning more than women

Not sure what to say, but to make note, perhaps leave a note for yourself to clean, if you know Saturday morning is your lazy morning, schedule some cleaning time using a reminder in a calendar, or...

 

[WolfSpirit]

A lot of people swear by a schedule. It makes it easier for them to remember. . I'm not that kind of person. I find that too stressful. OTOH, I've found making a note of the things I need to do on my "to do list" on my ipod is the most effective way for me to get things done, (in general, not just housecleaning.) Then I can choose when it works best for me. Then again, I've gotten a lot better at being able to manage such organization/executive functioning tasks in the last few years with so little other demands on me.

The idea of hiring a housecleaner is a good idea too, if you can afford it. You may have to put up with the problem of other people putting things back where they don't belong, and/or occasionally accidentally breaking things (they try their best, but rogue vaccum cleaners and other things can sometimes cause trouble, or otherwise jostled furniture can cause things to fall.) if you go this route though.

 

[Aspychata]

Get rid of stuff. That helps. Do a little everyday. l moved four times in one year. l am downsizing.

 

[Aspychata]

Hey- congrats on your move. Sounds like a new chapter of life for you. You have successfully evolved and moved on.......

 

[tree]

I worked out these guidelines for myself.

A. The house should not be stinky.
B. We should be able to use what we have.

A. seems self evident.
B. means that double shelving of books, for instance, or
putting boxes on the floor in front of cupboard doors, or
stacking so many plates on top of other plates that it's hard
to get at them.....that sort of thing is not useful.

 

[OkRad]

I live in a tiny place so learned to use everything, no left-overs (tiny fridge), clean every day, one set of dishes, utensils, etc, love your little space and learn to only use the space you need. Oh, and learn to throw things away.

 

[Sherlock77]

I worked out these guidelines for myself.

A. The house should not be stinky.
B. We should be able to use what we have.

A. seems self evident.
B. means that double shelving of books, for instance, or
putting boxes on the floor in front of cupboard doors, or
stacking so many plates on top of other plates that it's hard
to get at them.....that sort of thing is not useful.

You clearly aren't a collector...

 

[Wolfgangus Faldestolius]

While nobody is looking, so as to accuse you of obsessiveness, pick up largish crumbs as they fall.

Use a "carpet sweeper" fairly frequently and a "dustpan and brush" fairly frequently. (Keep them extra accessible on standby.)

Organise your stuff by rational categories with their right places.

Having used something, if you are too rushed to put it ALL the way back, have space to put it NEAR. The "staging points" or "halfway stations" have got to be rational in themselves, then you'll immediately see what you were doing with it as soon as you've time. But don't leave more than one thing per room, in a "half way station".

My home help vacuums (to save my wrists) and you've reminded me - I bought a shampooer ages ago and I can't find instructions in my favourite medium so as soon as I put the full stop to this post I'll look for a video showing how. That's because of all the spots on the carpets (which are mine this time anyway).

My previous landlord (I was told by the agent in the end - not to begin with hahaha) reckoned on replacing a carpet every other time on average, and had factored that in the rent.

Smudges on walls can be dealt with nicely by a damp sponge or cloth with a weak dab of old-fashioned soap in.

Kitchen towels used on coffee spots or small grease spots can, if not attracting germs, sometimes be reused on a dirtier floor or some major spill before discarding. There is a corner where they reside in between times.

I make sure I have plenty of kitchen spray / bathroom spray. I don't like the thicker ones. I use a vinegar one AND a (VERY weak smelling) fruity or flowery one per room. (Once I got my home help to "find a home for" something I had forgotten to check - it was too minty smelling - after only one "squirt") My home help can get more from a shop I'm not going to.

I now always have lots of extra packets of bicarb of soda (household), "washing soda", "liquid soap flakes" and all such like trad "remedies".

As running short was a deterrent, I now tell myself that when I'm down to the last four packets of something I can ask someone to fetch more.

"Exfoliating sponges" I have discovered, are large enough and rough enough to be useful in a lot of situations (they last weeks or even months they way I use them). I get plenty in.

An autistic lady taught me to discard half the empty supermarket bags at any time (my home help passes the right recycling points) - then their numbers do not get out of hand but I've got several should I suddenly want to pack or hold things. (It is also the regulation way for us to put the modest amount of "rubbish" I have, down the chute.)

Bags I have are folded in piles, by grade of thickness and shape, and even design, very artistically, under a shelf.

Likewise I only keep a few unblem ished meal trays for reheating anything that hasn't got the right kind of one.

All categories of things have their place of pride. And I use a lot of shelves.

I more often discard when reorganising, than the other way round. I like to devise deeply rational new schemes for arrangement periodically. But sometimes I have an inspiration to just part with something anyway.

Ten years ago it took a doubly dyslexic foreigner to tell me to put all my pans together, and all my stationery together (they were mixed up).

I had the advantage of taking some things here in advance (by people's car boots or by hand baggage) of the big vanload.

What gets put on the van last has to be put in place in your new home first.

I have huge problems scheduling so the "do a little bit now" philosophy helps me a lot.

Everything looks well organised - even if not spotless - for when someone comes. And things get piled up out of the way for cleaning, but in such an organised way that I know "where I had got up to" when I unpile them.

 

[tree]

You clearly aren't a collector...

You clearly have never been in my house.

 

[WolfSpirit]

I worked out these guidelines for myself.

A. The house should not be stinky.
B. We should be able to use what we have.

A. seems self evident.
B. means that double shelving of books, for instance, or
putting boxes on the floor in front of cupboard doors, or
stacking so many plates on top of other plates that it's hard
to get at them.....that sort of thing is not useful.

. Sounds reasonable. Except that I have way too many books not to have to make double, and sometimes triple rows of books on my bookshelves, depending on what the shelf will allow. . But then, books make me happy, and provide a certain level of security for me, so... (and yes, I'm a bibliophile, in case it wasn't already obvious.). I don't know how much space you have, but yes, generally, things should be tidy, and accessible. In small spaces, sometimes it's hard to avoid stacking things on top of each other, or crowding things together. However, having things around on the floor to the extent that you're tripping on them, or anybody else who comes in would, is generally not a good thing.

Anyways, good luck, and good thoughts directed your way!

 

[Mulder]

Pick dirtiest spot/area and clean every day for about 15 minutes to half an hour depending on how much it needs. Personally, it makes me feel better.

 

[Metalhead]

Thanks for all of the advice. Somebody else suggested to me keeping a deep cleaning schedule and focusing on one room or area of the house a day, a different one for the seven days of the week, and not turning on my television until after that was done. That does make sense, as well as putting all of my cans in a recycling bin as I go through them instead of piling them up in the living room.

 

[WolfSpirit]

Thanks for all of the advice. Somebody else suggested to me keeping a deep cleaning schedule and focusing on one room or area of the house a day, a different one for the seven days of the week, and not turning on my television until after that was done. That does make sense, as well as putting all of my cans in a recycling bin as I go through them instead of piling them up in the living room.

Yes, avoiding clutter is a good thing. I find it makes life easier if 'everything has it's place'. as I'm sure many of us do. That includes garbage and recycling, etc. Also makes things easier to find!

 

[Wolfgangus Faldestolius]

putting all of my cans in a recycling bin as I go through them instead of piling them up in the living room

Some years back I bought a matching set of three "recycling holders" like big square bags with names like "papers" or "cans" on the front.
One I gave to a friend, one is in reserve, the one I use its handles fell off but I cradle it to take it down with me.
It resides in my internal hallway or beside the doorway of my living room.
I pack my cans, bottles (squash 'em thin to get more in), cartons & redundant paperwork (minus private details) in it.
When it is full the overflow (before I go down) is in a specific nylon shopping holdall, which is different from the other ones.
The bins outside are for separate categories.
The segments of paper with my details on, I shred by hand (carefully not to break the shredder).
I use an empty "tea bag carton" to collect the shreds plus other paper scraps too small to pile up or "file" in aforementioned recycle bag,
Things that have their place of pride are: the hand shredder, a decent hole puncher, and a decent stapler - the latter red to match both my 1980s "ghetto blaster" and my decent sticky tape holder.
I have LOTS of magazine holders manufactured from wire mesh, for categories of personal or organisational records / articles (e.g about people coping well with their "specific learning differences" or history or science ) / leaflets before I deal with them (my scanner broke down). Check for jagged corners before purchase! They don't need labels on because I closely associate the contents and can see what it's about not only at a glance but by its position along a shelf in a progression of subject matters. This also makes it far less disruptive and smoother to weed out.
What "box files" I still have are the most brightly coloured ones - a functional part of decor.
When I was giving away box files I was ceasing to use, I found some charities wanted to use them in their offices rather than sell them, also a few friends wanted one.
The transparent paper holders open at the top and side are handly, for stacking wodges of pieces of paper, by categories e.g my history jottings in one, probable lines for poems in another . . . (perhaps I shall type some up)
In a couple of main happening places in my home are half a dozen pens and pencils, plus erasers. The sharpeners have their place.
No home is complete without large numbers of foldback clips of all sizes and colours, in little china or glass dishes (or the box they were sold in if aesthetic enough)
I keep a wodge of blank sheets (A4 torn in half) in my happening places.
Hardware stores had nice batches of coloured plastic baskets.
Shirts finish airing over chair backs (I don't get condensation) and then I fold them and they pile up in the clothes corner of a shelf.
Once most of the moths were got rid of I strew cedar balls on shelves (don't trip on them). Learn to recognise the unhatched ones (elongated shape)
Over the years I acquired folding shelves in wood or metal.