Who here at DU are really good housekeepers?

[Raven]

What is your secret?

I'm a lousy housekeeper...not a complete slob, but pretty incompetent. I tend to feel that if I've slaved to mop the kitchen floor, it should not get dirty again. I have a constant struggle with the vacuum cleaner...dragging it around corners, having trouble with attachments.

Now, having said all of that, I have managed to produce a son who is a fabulous housekeeper...very fast, very efficient and he doesn't seem to resent it at all. Go figure!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. I am..my secret IS

paying the cleaning people to do it. :D

BTW...do you know you can add Ortega chili to the tomato cheese pie and it tastes FAB???

[Raven]

7. Oh! I Love it that you've used that recipe!

Sounds yummy! :hi:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

16. Many times....making it more frequently now

as I have my garden in full bloom...even going to try it with green tomatos

[havocmom]

2. Raven, we can either have sparkling homes of do our part to save

the world! We will forgive each other our dust bunnies. :D

[prolesunited]

4. LOL!

My philosophy exactly!

(Oddly enough, my house wasn't spotless before Bush stole the election and I found DU either.)

[havocmom]

21. see, you were doing your part to save the world before it came into

vogue! You are SOOOOO cool;)

[ashling]

3. Ah can, how you say, keep

zee house with a Franch accent - oops, wrong thread ...
:shrug:

[underpants]

6. Right the maid outfit really gets me motivated

I have to say that our apartment is by FAR the dirtiest place I have ever lived. Not to slam my wife but I have always lived in a VERY clean place. I will let it go for a couple of days and then WHAM bust a** to clean it.

I would say schedule a job per day. Every Wednesday vacuum for instance.

[billybob537]

5. My ex-wives

they all kept the houses (RIMSHOT)
Just kidding.

[Red State Rebel]

8. I think that gene skips a generation...

My daughter is the biggest neat freak and I swear she gets it from her Dad and his parents.

These people were so bad they would pull their car into the garage at night (guided by a plumb bob) wipe the car down and cover it with old bedspreads. EVERY DAY!!

I manage ok - now that the kids are grown and gone it's easier, now if I could just talk the dogs into stopping the shedding we would be fine.

[JitterbugPerfume]

9. sigh

I try , but I just can not seem to keep a really neat house

Im a damn good cook though

[JitterbugPerfume]

10. and by the way

I made the tomato -cheese pie too-------

and boy is it ever yummy -- I will try it with the chili

[prolesunited]

11. Raven

Could you please repost the recipe?

Now I want to try it. :-)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

18. here it is:

Sharp cheddar cheese...grated, about 6 oz.
10 pear tomatoes (peeled and sliced...drop them in boiling water for about 20 seconds...transfer them to very cold water until they cool...then peel them and slice them.)
Basil, fresh, chopped about 1/3 of a cup
Scallions...chopped...about 6 stalks
About 1/3 cup of mayo mixed with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of kos. salt and a touch of pepper.

Make your own pie crusts or buy them. Get the pie ready.
Line the bottom of the shell with the tomato, basil and scallion mixture.
Cover with 1/2 the cheddar cheese.
Cover that with the mayo mixture.
Cover that with the rest of the cheese.
Put a few slits in the top pie crust.
Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes.
(Put some tin foil under the pie because it bubbles over.
Let this cool a bit before you eat it

This is also pretty good cold.

(I copied this out of Raven's post)

If you are going to do ortega chili, substitute them for the basil and spread half on the bottom and half on the top..small can drained

[Raven]

25. You are really wonderful!

Thanks!

[SOteric]

12. I am. I got it from my mum.

My secret: Organisation and timing, and a few well-designed tools.

I've learnt the secret of cleaning as you go as a child and brought it with me into adulthood. If there's no other place one does this, in the kitchen, it's essential.

I organise my things according to usage patterns. For instance, I have the coffee maker and the toaster right next to each other. When I make breakfast in the morning I don't wreck the whole kitchen, I've just got a couple of square feet on one counter to tidy and wipe down and I'm done.

A bit of time thinking about when things are used and where it makes the most sense to group them lightens the cleaning load in every part of my home.

With regard to timing, - I get most of my cleaning done in 15 minutes a day extending that to 1/2 hour two days a week. Thats it. 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes is over, I stop even if I think I might find more to do.

I don't vacuum every room every day. I have a carpet sweeper that I use on high traffic areas and a handvac I use on areas where the cat likes to sit.

And last but not least, I use some of the new 'Swiffer' type products that have come out. If my regular routine is to brush one of these things over the kitchen floor after cooking dinner every night, the need to actually mop becomes relatively infrequent. If I use one of those Windex handiwipes on the bathroom mirror a couple of times a week while I'm brushing my teeth I don't need to haul out the bucket and squeegie more than 3 or 4 times a year.

My final secret is that I make it fun. I have some Motown I save just for my daily 15 minutes, I crank it up full volume and boogie down.

Truly, people I like don't fuss about their housekeeping. My best friend's home is always comfortably dishevelled. Always has been, likely always will be. I used to socialise with a woman whose home always looked like a photo from House and Garden. I could never be comfortable there.

Decide what's really important for you in terms of your own comfort and nevermind about the rest.

:hi:

[HallowsEve]

14. GOODness, Soteric

You must be a Virgo!!

My advice, stick to the biologicals...if it can rot, stink, infect or get that way, clean it...a little dust never hurts...clutter? bah!

[SOteric]

15. Nope.

Taurus. :7

[HallowsEve]

20. hmmmmm

that's a lot of words for a taurie!

[SOteric]

24. Oh?

I'm more than a little verbose, I acknowledge. I'm not very well versed in astrology so I really wouldn't know that this is in some way exceptional for the sign. My birthday is May 5th so definitely Taurus, not on the cusp.

[HallowsEve]

28. Well...

In astrology, when you refer to yourself as a Taurus, that is short for "my Sun was in Taurus" when born. There is the moon and 8 other planets all in a particular sign when you were born. So your communication methods and mental tendencies (Mercury) may have been in Taurus or perhaps, as I suspect, GEMINI. Geminis love words!

[cally]

13. Not me

I do keep my kitchen and bathroom clean because it matters to me. The rest is just messy except my husband is a neat freak. :eyes: He's insane about it and we compromise that I have my spaces and he has his.

[Misunderestimator]

17. My housekeeper is a GREAT housekeeper :)

I'm neat but I'd rather pay someone else to clean bathrooms.

[Skittles]

19. I SUCK

my only saving grace is occasionally I look around and am so disgusted I do a thorough cleaning. :o

[HEyHEY]

22. What is this "Housekeeping" you speak of?

What like instead of moving when the mice take over?

[Red State Rebel]

23. It's an ancient form of masochism...

It involves bowing down to look under couches for dust bunnies, dancing with a strange machine called a vacuum cleaner and dipping eating tools in hot soapy water, rinsing and drying them.

[marigold20]

26. I'm not .

I always keep the bathroom clean but that's the only room I'm OC about. My place has a "lived in" look!

[tigereye]

27. ha ha ha ha

let's just say that my house will not be seen in any magazine any time soon. I do clean, but it isn't my biggest priority.

[Missy Vixen]

29. My secret weapon

www.flylady.net

Her routines are simple, easily learned, and will get the house clean, once and for all in 15-minute blocks.

Julie

[WilliamPitt]

30. I wonder how that happened?

I TOLD YOU TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM DON'T JUST STUFF EVERYTHING INTO THE CLOSET HAVE YOU CHANGED THE LITTER PUT YOUR DISHES AWAY WHERE'S MY EGG BEATER TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF BEFORE YOU COME IN ARE THE LEAVES RAKED YET DID YOU SHOVEL THE DRIVEWAY RINSE THOSE DISHES BEFORE YOU PUT THEM IN THE DISHWASHER FA CHRISSAKE DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE I TOLD YOU TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM DON'T JUST STUFF EVERYTHING INTO THE CLOSET HAVE YOU CHANGED THE LITTER PUT YOUR DISHES AWAY WHERE'S MY EGG BEATER TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF BEFORE YOU COME IN ARE THE LEAVES RAKED YET DID YOU SHOVEL THE DRIVEWAY RINSE THOSE DISHES BEFORE YOU PUT THEM IN THE DISHWASHER FA CHRISSAKE DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE I TOLD YOU TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM DON'T JUST STUFF EVERYTHING INTO THE CLOSET HAVE YOU CHANGED THE LITTER PUT YOUR DISHES AWAY WHERE'S MY EGG BEATER TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF BEFORE YOU COME IN ARE THE LEAVES RAKED YET DID YOU SHOVEL THE DRIVEWAY RINSE THOSE DISHES BEFORE YOU PUT THEM IN THE DISHWASHER FA CHRISSAKE DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE I TOLD YOU TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM DON'T JUST STUFF EVERYTHING INTO THE CLOSET HAVE YOU CHANGED THE LITTER PUT YOUR DISHES AWAY WHERE'S MY EGG BEATER TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF BEFORE YOU COME IN ARE THE LEAVES RAKED YET DID YOU SHOVEL THE DRIVEWAY RINSE THOSE DISHES BEFORE YOU PUT THEM IN THE DISHWASHER FA CHRISSAKE DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE I TOLD YOU TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM DON'T JUST STUFF EVERYTHING INTO THE CLOSET HAVE YOU CHANGED THE LITTER PUT YOUR DISHES AWAY WHERE'S MY EGG BEATER TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF BEFORE YOU COME IN ARE THE LEAVES RAKED YET DID YOU SHOVEL THE DRIVEWAY RINSE THOSE DISHES BEFORE YOU PUT THEM IN THE DISHWASHER FA CHRISSAKE DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE I TOLD YOU TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM DON'T JUST STUFF EVERYTHING INTO THE CLOSET HAVE YOU CHANGED THE LITTER PUT YOUR DISHES AWAY WHERE'S MY EGG BEATER TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF BEFORE YOU COME IN ARE THE LEAVES RAKED YET DID YOU SHOVEL THE DRIVEWAY RINSE THOSE DISHES BEFORE YOU PUT THEM IN THE DISHWASHER FA CHRISSAKE DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE I TOLD YOU TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM DON'T JUST STUFF EVERYTHING INTO THE CLOSET HAVE YOU CHANGED THE LITTER PUT YOUR DISHES AWAY WHERE'S MY EGG BEATER TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF BEFORE YOU COME IN ARE THE LEAVES RAKED YET DID YOU SHOVEL THE DRIVEWAY RINSE THOSE DISHES BEFORE YOU PUT THEM IN THE DISHWASHER FA CHRISSAKE DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE.

:)

[VelmaD]

31. Didn't they ever tell you...

parents don't HAVE to be consistent about this stuff. Hell, my momma is a slob and all I heard growing up was "this room is a pig sty clean it up now or you're grounded". :eyes:

Nice to know some "mom" things are universal. :)

[MissMillie]

32. I'm a pretty good housekeeper

My secret is that I don't get too behind on anything. I keep everything picked up and put away and I do light dusting and vacuuming often. That way when it comes time to wash windows, floors, walls, curtains, etc., I don't have to spend a lot of time on the light stuff before getting to the big projects.