Scrubbing Day!

Lost Salient

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7BXkNt_eLA

Every Monday before work I dust, polish, vacuum and mop everything. It basically makes me want to quit everything in hatred. Cleaning is the worst, after being gross and dirty!

Also today I blasted myself in the face with 409 by accident, and my mop head appears to be disintegrating due to the bleach in the water.

When/how often do you guys clean your filth? What's your cleaning routine? Any tips you'd like to share to make me want to burn the place down less? Has anybody used this baking soda and vinegar thing? Because everyone yells at me for using bleach.

ASimPerson

I care so little about this apartment the answer is basically never. I've vacuumed my room maybe twice since I moved in. The common areas we hire someone to clean though (my roommates' idea, not mine).

When I actually like a place, though, I'm way more responsible

Lost Salient

Note to self, never visit ASimPerson's place

(Kidding)

But yeah I find the best case with roommates is having people who care about their living environment enough to nudge you into doing the same but not to such a degree that their neurotic cleaning compulsions leave you secretly littering belongings everywhere in an attempt to gaslight them.

Fandyien

i'm naturally not a particularly clean dude. not horribly unimaginably filthy but i'm sure as hecks not neat and tidy

been trying to conquer that lately by trying to maintain cleanliness after cleaning instead of periodical huge gross mop-ups involving mold and beer bottles and stuff

i also moved a new bed into my room and cleared out six years worth of shit this weekend in preparation for classes starting so i can have a more clean and productive environment when i'm not on campus so it feels less like a stoners den and more like a place where a worthwhile student lives

feelsgoodman

The Lovely Bastard

I vaccuum weekly and spot clean everything else.

Though now the landlord here tried to rob me and also allowed all the damage to my place build and build, i don't give a fuck.

I mean, if you aren't gonna take care of it, people that own this building, i won't either.

Also the whole moving thing has me checked out.

Raijin Quickfoot

I don't have a cleaning day or schedule. We just kind of clean as we go and once in a while do an extra good clean.

Lost Salient

Nice job dude!

One of the reasons I set aside a specific day for cleaning a few years ago during my Positive Life Changes phase was because I really did find that I was more productive and happier, not to mention more able to study and focus, when everything wasn't stacked and cluttered.

I've never been inclined to leave actual garbage around but I find that things (clean laundry, paperwork, um, literally everything I own) form into To-Do-Someday mountains around me unless I make a conscious decision to prevent it.

And that's frustrating when you have a really small space to call your own.

Raijin Quickfoot

Our schedules are just so out of whack that it's nearly impossible to plan out a day we can clean. Plus we spend so little time together that when we're both home the last thing we want to do is clean so it's easier to just keep it clean as we go.

My house is usually a little messy with clutter but never dirty. We have 2 kids, they tend to spread junk all over.

Fandyien

i have a friend who lets mountain dew bottles pile up to knee level in the passenger seat

Quoth

I do my best to clean but dang my kid is clingy and also wants to put everything in his mouth

This is not a helpful combination

I sadly rely on Swiffer and those Lysol wipes more than I'd like

Lost Salient

The Lovely Bastard wrote: »

I vaccuum weekly and spot clean everything else.

Though now the landlord here tried to rob me and also allowed all the damage to my place build and build, i don't give a fuck.

I mean, if you aren't gonna take care of it, people that own this building, i won't either.

Also the whole moving thing has me checked out.

This is basically the reverse reason for a lot of housing and urban reform problems plaguing India and Mumbai! Landlords can't evict tenants who inherit rental properties even if they haven't paid rent or the fixed rent rate is so low that the landlords are basically earning nothing, so they have no reason to keep up the property as a whole. In an attempt to drive out tenants they let the place fall into disrepair. You end up with super-classy clean and beautiful apartments or offices that are accessible through filth-ridden collapsing stairwells in structurally unsound buildings.

Lost Salient

Also my mop just completely fell in half and the sponge bit has scattered blue fuzz all over my bathroom

Fuck you mop

Fuck

You

Fandyien

indulge in the raw pleasure of buying a new mop

Veldrin

I usually vacuum our unit once a week, but we've been so busy for the past few weeks that I haven't had a chance. Dust bunnies make me antsy, so I'm going to get on that soon.

Also, does anyone have a good solution to getting rid of that green calcium/lime build-up that appears on sinks around the taps and stuff? I've tried a few cleaning products that claim to fix it, but they didn't. I've heard that some sort of vinegar mix works, but I haven't tried it yet.

UnbreakableVow

I vacuum the living room every week usually, and clean the bathtub about once a month with Clorox and the shower walls with Scrubbing Bubbles

My room...damn, my room gets vacuumed a lot less

Lost Salient

Veldrin I basically use bleach or those fancy white scrubbies that are impregnated with some mysterious chemicals... But I don't have green buildup, I have pinkish grout mold.

Also I have a dog so if I vacuum less than once a week I start getting some man-sized dust bunnies.

Cornell002

I try to sweep/vacuum/dust once a week, do the cat boxes daily, and the first day of the month that I'm off, I do the full clean featuring mopping, etc.

FirmSkater

I currently live in my 11 year old sister's bedroom - which she abandoned not long after I moved back in. I only recently moved my actual belongings into it and it desperately needs cleaned by I am lazy and don't care enough

marty_0001

I used to struggle with vacuuming because the place never looked dirty, or smelled dirty, so why bother?

Then my housemate came in with a big dyson and I was all LOOK AT HOW MUCH DUST I FOUND

I think that visual feedback is important

Uriel

I mopped my kitchen floor the other day.

It was sticky.

Tonkka

I clean every couple months.

I don't get much company.

Lost Salient

Just pour bleach on everything

Works like a charm

Uriel

I need to vacuum and stuff.

But I really don't like cleaning my house since it's so leaky and falling apart anway and quite honestly I hate the place.

So like, I don't do it often enough.

sarukun

Lost Salient wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7BXkNt_eLA

Every Monday before work I dust, polish, vacuum and mop everything. It basically makes me want to quit everything in hatred. Cleaning is the worst, after being gross and dirty!

Also today I blasted myself in the face with 409 by accident, and my mop head appears to be disintegrating due to the bleach in the water.

When/how often do you guys clean your filth? What's your cleaning routine? Any tips you'd like to share to make me want to burn the place down less? Has anybody used this baking soda and vinegar thing? Because everyone yells at me for using bleach.

Vinegar by itself is fucking incredible. Not only does it smell really nice (I like sours), it fucking cuts through all kinds of shit it has no business cleaning.

We don't mix ours with baking soda, but I would give it a shot if I were you.

pooka

i have cats, and i'm a bit paranoid about harsh chemicals anyway, so i tend to use vinegar and baking soda most of the time. it will pretty much knock out any typical problems you have, but it's easier if you're mindful and keep on a bit of a routine. you'd probably get the same effect with lemon juice, but buying vinegar in bulk is cheaper and simpler; you could always squeeze some lemon juice in, for a nicer scent. once it dries, you won't smell the vinegar, but using it in tandem with the baking soda will cut down on the smell, and makes for a fun, fizzy effect that may or may not help clean more effectively.

for lazier times, i use Method products in unscented, or failing that, lavender; i know that what may smell 'clean' and light to me might still be overpowering for the kitties or my friends with allergies, so i try to be aware of fragrances and dyes. you can go a long way on vinegar and water alone, or even just a mild soap and water, but vinegar makes a great rinse. YMMV.

i need a bit of structure to get back into the house state i'd like. i'm not making much progress so far, but the mantra is 'baby steps': http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/; i do get a minor twinge of satisfaction each time i dry out the sink. incidentally, i used vinegar instead of the bleach called for, then baking soda and a bit of coarse salt as the scrub, and my sink is still shiny. i didn't use a butter knife to clean around the edges, since i think it would've just messed with the sealant; a toothbrush worked great, though. i used to be in the habit of vacuuming every Friday, and i would like to make that a weekly ritual again.

like i'd mentioned, dumping a 1/2 or cup of vinegar into the toilet tank once a week to maintain its cleanliness is way easier than letting it get intolerable, scrubbing the toilet and sanitizing it for a few hours, no matter what product you use -- just make sure the concentration isn't too high (i really think this would be difficult to accomplish, unless you drained your tank and replaced it with vinegar, but i'm just saying), as it is an acid and might do bad things to the plastics or metals in your tank. i've also used vinegar and baking soda to clean the fridge seals, and that worked really well; they were rather gross, before, and they're still clean months and months later.

i clean the kitten box once or twice a day, and the other one once or every other day. i'm trying out this hardliner called Wonderbox, and it seems to help with the ambient smell some; i keep the kittens isolated at various times, and opening the bathroom door will occasionally be a kick in the teeth. smelly caaaaat... i'm also seeing if this walnut-shell litter will work, but i've mixed it in with the pine litter i normally use, and the paper pellets i occasionally mix in. sifting out the sawdust is a PITA, but doesn't take too long, really, and it's the safest option i've figured out. the blend is just odor management.

i did get some Barkeeper's Friend after i burned the hell out of my pot, which scared the shit out of me the entire time, and i was paranoid about using the same sponge to clean the cat's dishes for hours afterward; i think i actually tossed it in the dishwasher rather than chance it. the previous times i'd let it boil dry, soaking it in vinegar and scrubbing in baking soda or salt took care of most of the oxidation. i may be forgetful, but at least i compensated by buying a pot that can endure the abuse...

i mean, i go for the ten-second rule, so i'm not entirely neurotic. i just want to minimize my use of toxic or overly powerful compounds! plus, this is an arena where homemade seems to be cheaper and just as effective, at least for my needs.

SightTDW

I usually clean every other week. Generally Wednesday, partially because its a day off for me, but mostly because its when I would do most of my chores when I was younger. Not the worst habit to have. Just wish I half assed it a bit less most weeks. I'm never too motivated to do it. I just can't see dust and such unless its really bad. I at least found myself vacuuming more since I started using one that has a little sensor for how much stuff its going over that goes off when you should slow it down to get a spot cause there's lots of crap there.

Oh, and there was that one time I took out the attachment and vacuumed the edges of my carpet. That was shockingly gross.

End

I really need to clean my apartment

I cleaned my apartment real good like two or three months ago, but I haven't spent a lot of effort since then, so it really needs it again

Usually I'm not too bad about it, but once it gets dirty, I don't want to clean at all, and it just gets worse and worse until I break down and get it back into shape again

JayKaos

I would probably clean my room far less if my roommates didn't have a lab. Dog hair gets everywhere so I have to vacuum or at least sweep once a week, minimum. Even that is probably not often enough but damnit I'm lazy.

ThreeCubed

There ain't nothing in this house I can't clean with white vinegar, baking soda, peroxide, salt, lemon juice, and castile soap

Except:
Laundry (All Free&Clear)
Cat box (KLEEN GREEN enzyme cleaner, fucking hate that spelling)
Self... but that's a whole different thread

I have a sick cat, so I try to limit the amount of "chemicals" he breathes. Plus I'm slowly turning into a hippy.

Word up: if you don't want your pans to look like this:


stop buying spray lubricants like Pam. A baking soda and peroxide soak will return your pans and pots to shiny new unless you use spray propellants on them. If you hate dishes, learn to love parchment paper, foil, and silicone baking mats.

Bucketman

Whats that you say? Scrubs day?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgewyPhGYHM

CorporateLogo

Cleaning your house in 90+ degree weather is the pits

Dronus86

I really really need to clean my apartment. I haven't had anyone in it in an incredibly long time, so I basically never do.
I should do that.

Or one of you could come clean my apartment for me. Please?

ThreeCubed

CorporateLogo wrote: »

Cleaning your house in 90+ degree weather is the pits

Get drunk. I'm not kidding. I prefer drunk cleaning to drunk anything (including drunk sex)

Meiz

My cleaning routine involves in being lazy and going to "her place" for anything and everything.

Weaver

Raijin Quickfoot wrote: »

I don't have a cleaning day or schedule. We just kind of clean as we go and once in a while do an extra good clean.

Satanic Jesus

I have loads of old papers I should throw out, but I'm too lazy to.

Sticks

Clean...ing?

TrippyJing

itt people who don't clean often get shamed into cleaning

Artreus

So I work at a food place.

One of the things we use there was unbelievably filthy, and nobody ever takes the time to look inside and clean it out.

So I take it to try to clean it and end up breaking it

which really sucked.

But since I had already broken it, I figured I may as well clean it. So I spent like 4 goddamn hours cleaning the thing, and I wasn't even getting paid for half that time. It was the worst

SightTDW

TrippyJing wrote: »

itt people who don't clean often get shamed into cleaning

I shamed someone into cleaning recently. I don't feel good about it, but they got revenge by dumping their bags of recycling with me and then never getting back to me on doing something with them.

Noisymunk

ThreeCubed wrote: »

Word up: if you don't want your pans to look like this:


stop buying spray lubricants like Pam. A baking soda and peroxide soak will return your pans and pots to shiny new unless you use spray propellants on them. If you hate dishes, learn to love parchment paper, foil, and silicone baking mats.

I love you so much right now and I am buying another bottle of peroxide at the store tomorrow and cleaning up my dang pans.