Today's post addresses a topic that many of us ponder: how often should one really clean? It's a question that doesn't have a simple answer, as it depends on various factors such as household size, lifestyle, and personal preferences. Nevertheless, there are some guidelines that can help create a balanced cleaning routine.
How often is it normal to clean? It's a question I get quite often. You might think the question is strange, but consider that many lack routines. We all come from different backgrounds, we have different views on cleaning, what it should look like at home, and what is clean and what is dirty.
So, to clarify this: you don't have to clean all the time or so often that it becomes a problem or a burden, but neither so rarely that it becomes uncomfortable or a health/hygiene problem. If you ask me, messy and dirty are not the same thing, so many children and toys everywhere are not necessarily as untidy as a stinking sink and rotting, overflowing trash bag. If you have many in the family and have trouble with things lying around, a good tip is to have a basket for each person, and when you pick up and clean, you put things in the right basket, and each person is responsible for sorting out their own things.
The longer you save and wait, the harder it gets, so here are some tips on how often you should do things.
1. Try to make it a rule never to go to bed with dishes in the sink and things on the counter. Wash everything every day! If you can maintain this, you've come a long way. Starting the day with an empty sink and a clean countertop is a big advantage.
2. Sort, throw away trash, and take out the garbage. Do this as soon as the trash bag starts to get full, and of course, it depends on how many people are in the household.
3. If you have the opportunity, start a washing machine as soon as the laundry basket starts to fill up; if there are many in the household, it may need to be done quite often. But saving up for a mountain of laundry just becomes a hassle. A washing machine is not the end of the world to take care of.
4. Bed linen should be changed about every 14 days. Towels should be washed every week, but here too, common sense applies, and there is a difference between living alone or just two people, or if many share a bathroom.
5. The toilet and kitchen should be cleaned a little more thoroughly at least once a week. By that, I don't mean you need to empty all the kitchen soaps, but the stove, countertops, and cabinet doors can be wiped down once a week. The toilet should also be kept clean, and here you should have separate cleaning tools. Do not bring cloths, brushes, and bottles from the toilet to the kitchen.
6. It's suitable to bring out the vacuum cleaner once a week. But if you have pets or it's the season for gravel that comes in, then it's needed more often.
7. Dusting, cleaning windows, cleaning out cabinets, and other things can be done when you have time and see that it's needed.
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Questions and answers
1. How can you avoid cleaning becoming a burden?
By having small daily routines to keep certain areas clean, you can avoid cleaning piling up.
2. Why is it important to wash dishes every day?
Starting the day with an empty sink and a clean countertop can make it easier to handle the rest of the cleaning and create a more pleasant environment.
3. What is a good tip for organizing cleaning in the household?
Having a basket for each person and letting each person be responsible for sorting out their own things can help reduce clutter and distribute the responsibility for cleaning.