laundry and house cleaning poll - for those with little ones!

dkhedmo wrote:

With a 5.5yo and a 1.5yo, I'm killing myself trying to keep up with the
mounds of laundry that accumulate and I'm wondering if I'm creating my
own circle of hell by using too many clothes over the course of the
day/week. So, a little poll on laundry and other housecleaning items...

My answers below are based on kids that are older, 11 and 13, who can
be relied on to help more around the house.

How many sets of clean, fresh pajamas do you use per week per child?

I grew up with one set per week. My kids when they were little seemed
to have a new set every night. Now that they're older I've argued, with
some success, that if they haven't dribbled milk all over themselves or
something, they can wear the same set over and over again.

If you live in a cold climate and use undershirts, leggings under the
clothes, etc, how often do you put on a clean, fresh item?

Anything against the skin -- undies, undershirts, socks -- fresh every
day.

For those with partners working in a "professional" environment, are you
ironing dresshirts or blouses, or sending them to the cleaners?

Since I ride my bicycle to work, I just wear my work clothes at work.
As a result, they need cleaning much, much less often. The activities
that would ruin my work clothes were things like running for the bus
and sweating up a storm; or coming home and immediately starting to
cook and then spattering dinner on myself. If all I do is walk sedately
around the office in a suit and silk blouse, these items stay nice for
a long time. I send only dry-clean only suits and similar to the
cleaners. I hand-wash silks and wool sweaters (even those that say
dry-clean only) without dire consequence.

For the members of the household who shower/bathe every day or nearly
every day, how often does each person get a fresh towel? For those who
bathe only a few times a week, does that person get a clean towel every
time?

Again, I was raised with a fresh towel once a week. My husband was
raised with one use and wash. Then again, my mom was employed outside
of the home, his wasn't. I try to get everyone to hang up and reuse
their towels, with some success.

How often do you change the bedsheets?

Ha ha ha! Again, I was raised with once a week. When they were younger,
I did everything once a week. Now, well...if they get fresh sheets once
a month from me, they're lucky. I tell my kids that if they want fresh
sheets more often, that's their responsibility.

Do you ever get all the laundry put away, or are you living out of
laundry baskets?

We have massive laundry folding parties. Traditionally, a video is put
on that everyone has seen, so no one has to be glued to it. Load after
load after load is up-ended, sorted, and folded. Everyone then has to
put away their laundry.

How often do you thoroughly clean the primary/only bathroom?

We have three bathrooms. One kid cleans one, the other the other, and a
parent does the third, once a week. Since the parent will do a more
thorough job than a kid, we have to rotate which bathroom is the one
done by an adult. Otherwise, the kid-only cleaned bathroom starts to
get really grody.

How often do you mop the kitchen floor? Do you do any floor maintenance
between moppings?

We sweep the floor about every day. It gets mopped when it's a dire
emergency.

Any particular comments from those without a partner, or an absentee
partner (away for work, school at night, etc) trying to handle the brunt
of the household responsiblilities?

One word, one website: http://www.flylady.com. Yes, it's really
oriented to specifically women, and specifically those who aren't
employed outside of the home. But flylady made a huge difference for us
in the organization of housework in our household. We don't follow all
of her rules, but it's still incredibly helpful.

Warm Regards,

Claire