SAHD Cleaning

Next up, Cleaning!  I have been thinking about cleaning a lot lately.  Mainly because I have been behind in my cleaning ever since the kids' day out program ended in June.  I don't have my designated free time to clean.  Oh well, the CFO is very understanding but my PS3 is getting a little dust on it from the lack of playtime:)

When I think of cleaning a few main areas come to mind.  I want to look at each one in detail.

The Triplets - I know that is a funny thing to start with but baths are the one thing that I did not look forward to as being the stay at home parent.  Not mine silly, the Triplets'.  Back when I started staying at home when they were 18 months old it was much more challenging (a beating).We now have fun but it still takes about an hour and a half if they have fun or 40 minutes if I am in a hurry.  Another thing about baths is periodically cleaning their bath toys.  Who ever invented and sells bath toys that actually squirt water have either never had a child or really believe in planed obsolescence as these things grow mold in them faster than a petri dish.  I run the toys through the dishwasher on the sanitizing cycle from time to time.  You also need to get their teeth brushed and flossed (yeah right) twice a day (yeah right). Add to that the constant cleaning of faces, hands and extremities.  No, I do not use my spit on them, we use wipes.


The Kitchen is one of the heaviest used rooms in the house so it is the toughest to get and keep clean.  The kitchen table gets washed down two to three times a day.  Then you have the cook top, the counters, the dishes, the stuff you must handwash, loading/unloading the dishwasher, etc...  Our Roomba spends a lot of time in the kitchen during nap time.


The House is easy and time consuming at the same time.  For those of you that have not cleaned a house, I mean REALLY cleaned a house, it is a daunting and ongoing battle.  Your main enemy is DUST!  I can't wait for God to explain dust to me:)  WHY is there dust?  Not what causes it but why:)  Here are the areas I hit.  Some almost daily, while others are weekly, monthly, or whenever I notice an issue:

• Baseboard - yep, they get dirty/dusty and we have 5" ones.
• Chair rails
• Molding
• Window sills
• Blinds
• Tops of doors
• Pictures - on walls and on furniture
• Furniture - chairs, tables, beds, etc... under them, around them, etc... 
• All those stupid nicknacks people (we) own
• Ceiling fans
• Corners - cobwebs on the floor and the ceiling
• Sinks, showers, tubs, toilets, mirrors, etc...
• Towel rods
• Toilet paper holder - YES, even they get dusty.
• Refrigerator - the coils on the bottom, the inside, the outside and the top.
• Cabinets - wipe down the outside and the inside
• Windows - why lie, I pay someone once a year to do the inside and out.  I just get the ones the kids and the dog mess up the rest of the year.
• Lamps
• TV and audio/visual equipment
• Kids' potties - yes we still have them.  I hope to be rid of them soon.  Pee just seems to appear in these things!
• Carpet, rugs, hardwoods - even under the furniture, thank you Roomba!
• Microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, etc...

I know I am missing some stuff but that is all I can think of right now.


Miscellaneous stuff must also be cleaned.  The van for one.  In my previous life is would totally clean my car once a week inside and out.  Even when I had a company car for about six years and even when we lived in Seattle.  But now the outside and the windows get cleaned about once a month.  The inside gets cleaned out and vacuumed once a week.  I am amazed at how much stuff the Triplets take into and then leave in the van.  Hats, toys, bags, etc...

Add to all this the constant challenge to keep the house "picked up" with three three year olds running around.  We periodically take a time out of what we are doing to clean up but that can be undone in the time it takes for me to find the chicken in the freezer that I need to thaw for dinner:)

To top all of this all of you must periodically clean/wash the stuff that you clean and wash with: cleaning cloths, dust cloths, dishwasher, clothes washer, wash buckets, dryer filter/vent, vacuums, etc... It all ends up with the shop vac at the bottom of the pile.  I even blogged about our vacuum hierarchy in the house previously.


If all the world's a stage, I want to operate the trap door.
Paul Beatty

I think housework is the reason most women go to the office.  
Heloise Cruse


Al