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...

I read somewhere that housework is a mix of "prettifying" and making things
hygienic. Mine are a lot older, but thinking back to when I had kids
that sort of age - as a point of reference, I've got three kids with
two years between each pair.

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

I'd change them after a week, unless they were dirty sooner. Some kids
stay clean a lot better then other kids: so one of my three would
probably need a clean set every other day, the others would last a week.

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?

Underclothes would all be changed daily.

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

I'd wash the shirts, but DH would iron them. He was also in charge of
the dry-cleaning schedule, although I'd sometimes take them in or collect
them.

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?

We'd have a set of two or three bath towels out, and they would be used
by all members of the family. I think I'd probably change them at least
weekly.

How often do you change the bedsheets?

My aim would be weekly: OTOH, when I lived in residential accomadation
at college, we'd be provided with two sheets and get a single fresh one
once a week.

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

I used to aim to put some clothes away every day, but rarely got everything
away.

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

I'd aim to clean the loo, bath, basin and floor over the course of a
week, although it might be all done on the same day.

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

I'd aim to mop it weekly, but I needed to brush up crumbs after every meal.

For those living in the stone age with NO AUTOMATIC DISHWASHER, how
often do you do dishes over the course of a day?

They'd be two sessions over the course of the day - DH would do them
in the evenings, and I'd do them in the morning.

If you're not much of a housekeeper, or having a very busy day or week,
what are your "bare minimum" items that you do daily or weekly?

On a busy day, I'd aim to clear away all the meals, and wipe up any spills
in the kitchen. One website ( http://www.organizedhome.com - I found the
forums here extremely helpful) talks about "dinner, duds and dishes" as
being the absolute minimum. You need food, clothes and to wash the dishes,
and that is about it.

When my kids were this sort of age, I'd think in terms of what I'd want to
get done over the course of a week.

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?

Looking for a little perspective, becuase I perpetually feel at least
day and a half behind.

Its the age of your children: as they get older your house will begin
to look better, and be easier to keep clean.

--
Penny Gaines
UK mum to three