House work :/

Abi

I won't gender discriminate on this one :pac:


I have a love / hate relationship with this. There are things I don't really mind doing around the house like cleaning the bathrooms (must always be fresh smelling!), vacuming and mopping and the likes are ok by me.. But I confess to having cobwebs on the iron because I hate it that much. I know I own an ironing board, but I couldn't tell you where it is

I generally avoid this gruesome task by purposefully buying clothes that look like they wouldn't crease to bits. I recall my mother being a slave to the ironing basket. But I think she had a problem.. the woman ironed socks and face-cloths ffs :rolleyes:

I get all of what I would regard the most important things done, nothing lying around where it shouldn't be, washing etc.. But yesterday a guy came by to fix a problem with my front door. Now, I was sure as hell I had the place looking and smelling good.. but just as he was standing there at the front door working away I noticed some hand prints and the side panel window of the front door, some dust running along the hall skirting.. dust on the chandelier.. its like all of a sudden I could see stuff I'd over looked. This is a common occurance with me, and only recently it happened when my sister visited. She had to tell me to "sit the fukk down" to be precise :pac: And yet I wouldn't by any means regard myself as any kind of house cleaning freak. I'm happy enough with what I do, but as soon as there is a knock on the door I have myself convinced I live in a dump.

Does this ever happen to you? What do you always miss? its like all of a sudden the house becomes alive with all of the stuff you hadn't thought of :eek:

This

1 cleaner.... 4 hours on a friday morning... 40 euro sorts all the problems out... doz the ironing and changes the sheets the 2 things i depise

WindSock

I hate dirt. I'm fairly messy sometimes but dust & grime irk me. I don't consider ironing to be housework though. I guess I'm lucky that I don't have to wear ironed clothes to work.

Xiney

*sighs and looks at her currently decidedly messy living room*

I love having a clean house but it's been really nice out lately



I LOATHE ironing. I would happily pay someone to iron for me if I could.

petes

Xiney wrote: »

*sighs and looks at her currently decidedly messy living room*

I love having a clean house but it's been really nice out lately



I LOATHE ironing. I would happily pay someone to iron for me if I could.

You could PM yourself to get the ironing done

This

I know some laundrettes are doing special offers on ironing at the mo to try boost business might be worth a look

my mam gets 20 items for 12 euro at the mo

Ginny

We generally have a blitz every weekend, we both work Mon-Fri with an hour commute home each night, 3-4 nights Mon to Fri we go to the gym, so there's not a huge amount of time to do stuff. I try to and clean as I go (Thanks Maccers) and there's a wash done every second night.
Little things like clothes on the sofa in my bedroom wait till the weekend as does the hoovering, but generally the house is clean enough.
Although himselfs siblings came for dinner recently, and there I was 5 mins beforehand trying to scrub the windows in the conservatory, as the sun was showing up every little mark, I eventually just made them worse...:D

Gyalist

I love ironing. I find the whole process very soothing. I can also discuss the relative merits of Rowenta steam irons.

I guess I'm just very well house-trained (for a man)!

ciagr297

i loathe ironing, and i've made a point not to know where he keeps the tools for doing this
sheets etc go into the tumbledryer and are folded to avoid creases while warm
its a rule that i don't buy stuff requiring ironing

for the rest of the housework, i'm a very clean person (not big on the tidy part) but i've learned to let some things slide so i don't annoy the bejebus out of people by making them feel paranoid

i make a mental list of stuff that needs to be done, and when i have the place to myself, i make a trojan effort to clean EVERYTHING

btw - is water/vinegar and newspaper the best way to clean windows?

Wibbs

I hate ironing I must say. Water and vinegar is great for windows. The newspaper part I've had variable success with. It used to be better, maybe they changed the ink in the last few years? The paper is ever so slightly abrasive which I think helps though, the lack of soakage is a pain. Better for car windows I found anyway. I'd say water and vinegar with an old tee shirt is the best. Vingar is bloody brilliant in general as a household cleaner though. Lots of uses.

Lia_lia

We don't iron in our home. My Mom stopped ironing about 10 years ago. Instead she just folds the clothes up and puts them in the hot press. And they turn out grand. We only iron something if it REALLY needs ironing.

bronte

I don't mind most household jobs but by jeebus I HATE ironing!!
Surely there's an easier way? I've taken to hanging clothes in the shower room when I'm having a hot shower to get rid of creases :pac:

I make sure all the hygiene related stuff is done - can't stand dishes in the sink or dirty bathrooms. Not too bothered about dust or cobwebs, sure it comes back the day after you do it anyway. I enjoy doing laundry when I have a load of dirty stuff and I wash it and iron it and it's all clean again (very satisfying!), but I have to be in the mood. I've stopped ironing stuff if I think I can get away with it.

Birdie086

I like to have a clean house but I firmly believe we werent put on this earth to be cleaning. House is a bit of mess at the mo dut to the good weather but is by no means dirty.
I agree with the general concensus about ironing, cant stand it. Won't iron my own clothes, but always iron my sons clothes. He is usally far better turned out than I am!!!
I have a few niehgbours whose houses are so clean I.m sure the dirt repells istelf of floors etc!!!

Abi

Thanks for the replies


This: A cleaner for 4 hours is a spiffing idea, thanks

Wibbs: I'm also going to try out the water/vinegar idea, the stuff Im using at the moment smears like crazy

Ginny: You both seem to a have a system that works, fair play

Izzy: I'm a germ freak.. virtually every product I have in the cupboard is anti-bacterial! I love the soothing smell of disinfectant in the bathrooms and kitchen. My sister says the place smells like a hospital :pac:

Dispite all of this, I rarely invite my mother within a hundred mile radius of the house. Shes the kind that comes in and runs her finger along the mantel, then screws up her face at imaginary dust.

bronte

Abigayle wrote: »

Dispite all of this, I rarely invite my mother within a hundred mile radius of the house. Shes the kind that comes in and runs her finger along the mantel, then screws up her face at imaginary dust.

:eek: So does mine! :mad:
Evils! I tell her I was too busy out having a life to worry about it. Always goes down well :pac: Crazy woman!

Khannie

To all the ironing haters: There is a new device available and if I had the money I would buy one....basically, you put your clothes from the washing machine into this drawer type device. You hang them up like (on hangers). Come back some time later and they're dry and pressed looking. Saw it on 60 minute makeover (no, I don't watch that, but it was such a fantastic device that my OH called me in to see it).

Animal!

edit: I've had a search for it and can't find it.

Xiney

Back when I had a proper tumble dryer I never ironed anything: just take it out of the dryer still warm and hang it up.

It's only since we moved into this apartment that has one of those combo jobbies and the dryer is rubbish. I have taken to hanging clothes on the line outside though, which saves electricity. Impossible in the winter though, and drying clothes on an airer indoors is just sending mildew a personalized invitation and not waiting for the RSVP.

metaoblivia

I don't even own an iron. I'm not sure I would know how to properly work one if I did. If something's wrinkly, I wear it anyway! Classy, right?

Anyway, I like a clean house, but I loathe cleaning. I'll find any reason to put it off. The thing I hate most is vacuuming because of the loud noise the vacuum cleaner makes. Fortunately, I live in a tiny studio with wooden floors and no rugs, so I don't own a proper vacuum either. Just a broom and a dustbuster. Because my apartment is so small and it's just me, it doesn't require a deep cleaning everyday. However, the thing I'm the worst with is the dishes. The only appliances in my apartment are the refrigerator, the mini-stove, and the microwave, so all of my dishes have to be hand washed. I do have a tendency to let them gather in the sink over the course of a few days... :pac:

Malari

I like ironing. I used to do it when I lived at home.

The system was: laundry basket -> washing machine -> outside clothes line -> hot press (for airing)-> ironing basket -> back into hot press to make sure they are aired -> wardrobe

Now I've cut out the middle steps and only iron when I need to.

My momma was always concerned about wearing clothes that weren't aired. There was a lot of time spent squeezing clothes agonising over whether they were "fully" dry or whether they should spend another 24hours in the hot press.

Abi

Xiney wrote: »

Back when I had a proper tumble dryer I never ironed anything: just take it out of the dryer still warm and hang it up.

It's only since we moved into this apartment that has one of those combo jobbies and the dryer is rubbish. I have taken to hanging clothes on the line outside though, which saves electricity. Impossible in the winter though, and drying clothes on an airer indoors is just sending mildew a personalized invitation and not waiting for the RSVP.

I have a Hotpoint washer/dryer, and I do find it takes a bit longer than a seperate dryer - but it gets the job done. Its has a good energy rating, but I'd only use it during the winter mostly. Any larger items like towels I love throwing out onto a line on a day like this

I suppose its the likes of the skirtings, chandeliers, pictures etc that seem to escape my notice at times.

Actually I've an an oatmeal coloured carpet on the stairs thats bugging me at the moment. Its only down about 8mths, but its developed the odd darker patch. Nothing was spilled on it or anything, just everyday grime I suppose. I've just used soap water so far, but its still noticably darker..

Anyone have any idea what I could use on that? its bugging me

Thumpette

Jaysus this thread is giving me serious guilt about my house working! I love having a tody house but I (and unfortunately the OH) are both useless for tidying. We do huge blitzes and make everything spotless, and then within a couple of days its sooo untidy again!

I keep waiting for some kind of grown up streak to kick in but it hasnt happened so far!

Ironing doesnt even get a 2nd thought!

Xiney

Abigayle wrote: »

Actually I've an an oatmeal coloured carpet on the stairs thats bugging me at the moment. Its only down about 8mths, but its developed the odd darker patch. Nothing was spilled on it or anything, just everyday grime I suppose. I've just used soap water so far, but its still noticably darker..

Anyone have any idea what I could use on that? its bugging me

Just get yourself a spray on carpet/upholstery cleaner (you can find them at DIY shops), spray it on and scrub away at it with a piece of an old towel or some other rough (but clean) rag.

There was carpet in the hostel I worked in last summer & people were always bringing coffee from the kitchen up to their rooms (not allowed!) and of course, spilling coffee on the oatmeal carpetted stairs.


(The true reason why coffee is not good for my blood pressure, revealed!)

Abi

Thanks for that Xiney, will give it a go. I bought some upholstery cleaner for my sofa a while back and have some left over. Never thought of that! :rolleyes:

Xiney

You can also rent a carpet cleaner from Homebase, forget how much it is but oooh the water gets sooo dirty even though you thought the carpet looks clean.

Very satisfying.



I hate carpets, one of the things I loved about this apartment is its complete lack of them.

...as an aside, I'm sitting at home slowly starving to death (no food in the house) because I've got clothes on the line but it's threatening rain and I don't know if I should go get them or what but I can't go grocery shopping and leave them... argh!

Honey-ec

I have 3 large dogs, so my house is never going to be immaculate. There's a huge difference between mess and dirt, though.

I LOATHE tumbledriers. They'd be banned overnight if I had my way. The most wasteful, expensive things ever. I was genuinely surprised to learn that there are people out there who dry absolutely everything in them as a matter of course. I dread to think what their electricity bills are like. Not to mention their carbon footprint.

Lia_lia wrote: »

We don't iron in our home. My Mom stopped ironing about 10 years ago. Instead she just folds the clothes up and puts them in the hot press. And they turn out grand. We only iron something if it REALLY needs ironing.

Same here. If you unload the machine as soon as it's finished and hang it on the clothes horse properly, 98% of things won't need to be ironed. If something that I'm about to wear specifically needs it, then I'll iron it.

Abigayle wrote: »

I'm a germ freak.. virtually every product I have in the cupboard is anti-bacterial! I love the soothing smell of disinfectant in the bathrooms and kitchen. My sister says the place smells like a hospital

There's mounting evidence that the current obsession with all things anti-bacterial is contributing to the huge increase in asthma sufferers. Nobody's house was ever meant to be sterile. You need to be exposed to a certain level of germs/bacteria/microbes in order to maintain a healthy immune system. There is also a concern that the emergance of MRSA and other superbugs is related to the overuse of biocides.

sam34

i HATE ironing.

i have to admit that in teh celtic tiger era i occasionally chucked out clothes simply because they needed ironing and there was no way i was gonna do it - im talking easily replaced things like a white shirt etc. and i only did it two or three times.

now i just dont buy things that look like theyll need ironing.

the other thing i dislike is cleaning the shower. i dont mind cleaning the loo, but i hate the build up of residue from shampoo and shower gel etc, its just slimy.

This

id totally agree with above...... both my sister and my cousin have asthma both the same age...we have animals in the house and an averagly clean house but my aunt is a completely obsessive about cleaning and loves the anti bac has an animal ban and refuses to let anyone who has been ill in the past 2 weeks into her house.... my sister manages alot better and we think its coz she is exposed to regular germs etc... slightly off topic

Xiney

LOL

yeah, just the fact that I managed to survive my upbringing and the quality of my mother's housekeeping is a testament to my amazing genetic material!

Morgase

Xiney wrote: »

drying clothes on an airer indoors is just sending mildew a personalized invitation and not waiting for the RSVP.

I have to admit this is normally how I dry my clothes except when weather is good enough for hanging them outside. Perhaps it's because I have the windows open very often, but I haven't had any problem with mildew at all. And that's with washing 3 loads each week!

As for ironing; what's an iron?!?

shellyboo

I'm an intermittent cleaner, but a frequent tidyer. I can't abide mess, but it doesn't really bother me if the carpet needs hoovering or the windows are a bit grubby.

That's not to say I live in filth... I don't! Some things I'll always do instantly when they need doing are cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the cooker, emptying the bins, and doing the dishes... I'm less good on hoovering and laundry.

I don't mind ironing too much, I just iron as I go!

buckieburd

shellyboo wrote: »

I'm an intermittent cleaner, but a frequent tidyer. I can't abide mess, but it doesn't really bother me if the carpet needs hoovering or the windows are a bit grubby.

That's not to say I live in filth... I don't! Some things I'll always do instantly when they need doing are cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the cooker, emptying the bins, and doing the dishes... I'm less good on hoovering and laundry.

I don't mind ironing too much, I just iron as I go!

I'm the opposite to you! Hate tidying but like cleaning, my house is clean but always looks messy ) :

Dont mind ironing too much, try and do it while watching corrie and it takes the edge of it!

snazzy

I love the sound that occurs when something large is sucked up by the vacuum.

/weirdness

Lia_lia

Honey-ec wrote: »

I LOATHE tumbledriers. They'd be banned overnight if I had my way. The most wasteful, expensive things ever. I was genuinely surprised to learn that there are people out there who dry absolutely everything in them as a matter of course. I dread to think what their electricity bills are like. Not to mention their carbon footprint.

Yeah, we don't have one either. Just don't see the point. Unless you have a HUGE family and don't have enough room to put everything up to dry. And they make clothes come out different. They change the texture.

Abi

snazzy wrote: »

I love the sound that occurs when something large is sucked up by the vacuum.

Couldn't help it! But I know what you mean. And those little stones / gravel you get by the front door

I hate tumble dryers as well. I've had to use one this year as I had no washing machine in the apartment and most of my clothes are ruined. They shrink things, ruin the texture, make the colours fade, basically wreck everything. The only good thing is not having to iron as it removes a lot of the creases. When I'm at the parents' house, I only use the dryer to put on a load of towels as air drying them makes them all scratchy.

Khannie

Honey-ec wrote: »

I LOATHE tumbledriers. They'd be banned overnight if I had my way. The most wasteful, expensive things ever. I was genuinely surprised to learn that there are people out there who dry absolutely everything in them as a matter of course. I dread to think what their electricity bills are like. Not to mention their carbon footprint.

I did the J1 thing in San Diego a few years ago and was staying in a nice complex. They had a bunch of rules, one of which was that you couldn't hang your clothes outside! You were basically forced to use the dryers they had on site. IN SAN DIEGO!!!!!

edit: I also love that sound from the hoover when it sucks up something big....or even better when it sucks up lots of medium sized things at once. *thuk thuk thuk thuk* YES! Hahaha.

:eek:
I always use the dryer. I love how it makes my clothes feel! Only an hour and a half once a week though, I mean it doesn't hike up the bill that much.
Ugh, hate hanging clothes!

banshee_bones

Xiney wrote: »

Back when I had a proper tumble dryer I never ironed anything: just take it out of the dryer still warm and hang it up.

It's only since we moved into this apartment that has one of those combo jobbies and the dryer is rubbish. I have taken to hanging clothes on the line outside though, which saves electricity. Impossible in the winter though, and drying clothes on an airer indoors is just sending mildew a personalized invitation and not waiting for the RSVP.

ME TOO! for the dryer thing but my last housemate got me into this clothes horse gig so im cool with that, keeps the esb bills down & my carbon footprint have a huge sitting room so no mildew problem?!

My dad always made me use the vinegar water newspaper cocktail if i was cleaning glass or mirrors or whatever growing up!

I also really dont mind ironing i guess im one of these few that find it theraputeic! and I love hoovering! but only with a dyson! ooh you can SEE the dirt and empty it out without all the hassle of messy expensive hoover bags! (yes i know im weird)
and theres alot to be said for the immense satisfaction of looking at a clean room after you have cleaned the living daylights out of it!

*sighs blissfully*

Dolbert

Lol, reminds me of when I used to rent with the house owner. He looked on with bemusement as I hung my clothes on the line.

Him: But the dryer is free...

Me: Yes, but it's sunny outside, there's no point in wasting electricity

Him: *blank stare* B-but the dryer...

I think I was the only person in that house to ever hang out clothes. He genuinely couldn't understand why I would choose to do so.

GirlInterrupted

Lia_lia wrote: »

And they make clothes come out different. They change the texture.

Absolutely must have the towels put through the dryer. They come out lovely and fluffy.

I'm sickeningly domestic.

I'm half-ashamed that I like housework as much as I do. When I've a lot on my mind or am particularly stressed, I like losing myself in some essential, but also fairly mindless chores. I especially enjoy watching sheets and bedding flap on the washing line in a nice breeze. I get a lot of satisfaction when its all done, and often follow it up by cooking and freezing my meals for the week, or some serious baking.

I even like ironing, and iron anything that stays still long enough, I love the feel of ironed sheets on a newly made up bed, even better if they're linen.

The above can make me very unpopular when the subject comes up amongst my less domestically minded friends.:(

The only things I really hate are cleaning the oven, and windows. I hate windows.

Abi

GirlInterrupted wrote: »

Absolutely must have the towels put through the dryer. They come out lovely and fluffy.

I know what you mean, but they take so long to dry :eek:



One thing I absolutely refuse to put on the line are tea-towels. The idea of a fly making a pit-stop on the cloth I use to dry the dishes makes my stomach turn

Latchy

Abigayle wrote: »

One thing I absolutely refuse to put on the line are tea-towels. The idea of a fly making a pit-stop on the cloth I use to dry the dishes makes my stomach turn

Never thought of that .Have to make sure all tea-towels are spin dryed

Xiney

I don't dry dishes with towels.

I figure it's way more hygienic to air dry in a dish rack.

Hermione*

GirlInterrupted wrote: »

I'm half-ashamed that I like housework as much as I do. When I've a lot on my mind or am particularly stressed, I like losing myself in some essential, but also fairly mindless chores. I especially enjoy watching sheets and bedding flap on the washing line in a nice breeze. I get a lot of satisfaction when its all done, and often follow it up by cooking and freezing my meals for the week, or some serious baking.
I even like ironing, and iron anything that stays still long enough, I love the feel of ironed sheets on a newly made up bed, even better if they're linen.

I'm a bit like this! I find it particularly satisfying to let mess build up over week or two (this happens organically, if I happen to be busy with work or evints and whatnot) and then have a huge tidy-up session at the weekend. I love being at home. I'm a great one for pottering around the gaff.

I always, always iron my bedlinen. Many people have tol me how strange they find this but I couldn't imagine sleeping on unironed sheets. They're so much fresher and crisper and lovelier when ironed.

Snowie

Mondays I Hoover, attack the kitchen floor mop and clean the skirting board...

Tuesdays I clean my bathroom and i cleen my bed sheets, well the ones i use for a week then change them.

Wednesday 's I clean my bedroom and begin the laundry boxers and socks first then moving on to tshirt's don't wash my jeans because i live in short's... at the moment.

Thursday is mop kitchen floor and a quick hover and dust of the skirting boards...

Friday get rid of the clutter that attacks the kitchen table and my desk, clean the fridge out... make shore the freezer has enough ice for the weekend...

saturday I cut the grass.

sunday i do nothing...


I like cleaning give me a sense of satisfaction since I currently don't have a job i think its important... I would also like to say i dont do ironing, if my flat mates wanna wash the windows they can.

Madame Razz

I have a cleaner:o

Abi

IronyMaiden wrote: »

I don't dry dishes with towels.

I figure it's way more hygienic to air dry in a dish rack.

I'm even scatty about this. I disinfect the dish rack and cutlery holder daily. I just fill the sink and dump them in seperating parts and scrub the in betweeny bits.

One of my biggest loves is Zoflora, a disinfectant that leaves a lovely floral scent I love using it in the bathrooms, put a few drops into the mop bucket etc. Springtime is my fave :pac:

Ginny

I don't have a dishwasher or tumble dryer...:(

madbev90210

Im quite obsessive about my apartment some days.. and other days I just dont bother and find if I have the blinds at a certain slant, you cant see the dust etc

but I do do things like the dishes, sweeping, washing clothes, and disinfecting surfaces everyday. used to love ironing when I lived at home and did it when I wanted, now i have my own place, I have a room dedicated to crumpled clothes and I keep the door shut!!

As for smells, im a Febreze obsessive, spray it everywhere on everything.. <inhales> mmm.. nice

Honey-ec

Ginny wrote: »

I don't have a dishwasher

Neither do we. There's only two of us in the house, we'd have run out of dishes before there was enough in the dishwasher to justify running a load.

I'm of the opinion that people who run half-loads in the dishwasher or washing machine should be taken out and shot. Along with people who boil a full kettle every time they make a single cup of tea...