Haven't done it yet - I do not have a good eye for dirt - it frequently eludes me.

I have an electric steam mop that I like, and that really helps get the tile floors clean. I believe mine is a Haan. I was told to avoid Shark.

I need to hire a cleaning person to come every two weeks, but I want to do some reorganization first.

EVERYTHING goes out on the back porch. Floors get washed.

Then one by one, items get dusted/washed cleaned and is allowed to re-enter the house.

Murphy's wood oil, Mop&glow, clorox wipes, sos pads, nylon pad, Comet, steamer, baking soda/vinegar, and countless paper towels that get re-used.

Music from 1971 will play via Alexa.

Clothes that are neither clean or dirty is the worse.

Deep clean, as in fall/spring cleaning? I'm going with that.

Fall clean starts first week of November and corresponds with the start of Christmas music season at our house. Not coincidentally: my goal is to finish before the beginning of Dec. so the Christmas decorations can go up and the carols really put me in the spirit! Reminds me of my goal :)

I do one room type per week (living room, dining/kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, family room). Wash walls, wash windows inside and out, wash light fixtures, every closet/drawer/shelf emptied and organized. Always find lots to donate.

I do the same again in April with the goal to finish before May. Yes, I realize that is not an even split.

May-October is the Farmers Market season and since market farming is our occupation during those months I'm lucky to be able to do the bare minimum of housework. So the November clean is always an enormous undertaking.

Agree with Lindsey. I also take down the drapes and run them thru the dryer with a damp towel. I start with that and then start at the top and work my way down. Run the sweeper on the ceiling and all the walls, clean the windows in and out, dust the baseboards, move the furniture and run the sweeper on the furniture and under it, spot clean any spots on the upholstery, dust all the items sitting on the tables, polish the silver, wash the crystal. I have crystal lamps, stemware and chandelier.

I usually do this starting in October because I have Thanksgiving at our house. In the spring, I usually do not have to clean the crystal, but I do everything else.

Inside out and upside down. Remove all from all cupboards and drawers, wipe out , purge, toss any junk, or donate. Ditto to pantry and fridge. Wash all frames and faces, dust and polish, Wash walls, bottom up, and all trims. Pull out appliances, dust , vac and wash floor under and walls behind. Windows inside and out Purge closets for the season, dust/ vac all inside . Wash, dust, glass cleaner and accessories, art on the walls, frames etc Strip all bedding to bed frame, remove and vac mattress and springs, wash all. Do all floors, ....

It's every week upkeep cleaning all year in between so it's not a huge deal.

April and October end.

What does "wash walls" entail? Neither I nor the cleaning folks have ever "washed the walls." I use a telescoping duster to dust crown moldings and such...but the walls don't seem to be dirty (maybe they are and I am just oblivious, lol!!) I pretty anal about cleaning and between myself & cleaning help it just doesn't seem to ever need more than the current routine.

Deep cleaning - my routine is to do it just before moving into a new house and just after moving out of said house. We are just fine with cohabiting with some dust and definitely germs.

Life is too short and there are so many fun/exciting activities to enjoy that I will not be worrying about this activity. No thanks to being anal.

It's only "anal" if you think it is. For the two days a year involved........ the joy of the lasting fresh, organized , sweet smelling, dust free, and relatively germ free surroundings ? For SOME of us, it is worth the effort !! There are still 363 days in the year for all the other stuff we want to do. Much of it far more easily planned , executed, and enjoyed in really freshened surroundings for ourselves, and for guests..

We may not be fans of your crustier environs, but we're not actually very anal either, and do not necessarily appreciate being referred to as such. We're even glad not to BE guests at your home. How's that : ) ? lol

I am a clean as you go kind of person. I run a duster along the baseboards when I do regular cleaning. I also dust the tops of things with a long handled Duster. Once every 3 months I use a wet cloth on every difficult to reach areas to get any dirt spots. I don't feel very anal about it it's just more my practical, plus lazy, nature. I don't like scrubbing.

If you lived in the country, on a farm, surrounded by other farms you would wash walls. Two words: Fly Poo

I think it was more necessary when homes were heated with dirty fuel sources, too. Natural gas doesn't produce soot like coal, wood.

Also, I have to ask: is cleaning a little every day OCD?? Cleaning a lot everyday (at least during the off-season, and could/should be done in summer too!) seems to be my lot in life. Maybe the difference between kids and no kids?

I'm genuinely curious about this, not to hijack the thread.

My cleaning service knows I have dust allergies, so every other week, they dust the window sills, baseboards, plantation shutters -- in addition to everything else. They thoroughly vacuum and mop. The kitchen and bathrooms are scrubbed. They are worth every penny!

I just had my upholstery and wool area rug professionally cleaned last week -- do this once a year.

I wipe out the fridge between grocery shopping, before refilling it.

I have a "10-minute rule" for cleaning each day -- more about picking up things in that amount of time for the house to be in order. Make my bed, straighten the pillows on furniture, etc.

I wipe-down my kitchen counters and sinks, as needed, but more so in the morning while making my coffee.

There are times when I'm just itching to put in a few days of crazy-hard cleaning, and I always indulge that infrequent urge to the max because I never know when it will come upon me again.


But to make my life easier, one thing I try to do is decorate with items I can clean on my own. For example, I use washable curtains nearly everywhere instead of fabrics that must be dry-cleaned. I refuse to have blinds because I can't stand maintaining them. I do have Persian rugs that need to be professionally washed from time to time, but I won't live with wall-to-wall carpeting. I also have about five or six of those colorful cotton bedspreads from India with which I cover my sofa. My dog sheds profusely all year round, and it's just easier to collect all the fur from the lint trap instead of via vacuuming the sofa every five minutes. I'm an old hippie anyway, so I love the look of those funky Indian bedspreads (though it would be nice to actually see the upholstery once in a while).


It helps a lot that I no longer share my living quarters with other human beings. I'm not recommending that to anyone else, mind you, but it works great for me.

I love my Shark for a good cleaning of bathrooms and kitchens no chemicals and sparkling clean I am a bit of a clean freak so bathrooms and kitchens get cleaned pretty well every week and the bathroom a quick once over every morning. I wash drapes once a year have no rugs becuase i don’t like that i have to move them to clean i have dogs that shed but I have leather furniture so not a big issue. I try to keep things in the proper place so i don’t have to always be cleaning the “junk” drawer that many people have . . Dusting is done whenever i vacuum which is usually every 3 days and once a year i wash all the walls and do paint touch ups at the same time. I try not to use anything that smells in my cleaning and i find vinegar water works just great for almost everything as long as it is done regularily

I try to do extra deep cleaning task every couple of weeks. I can't spend 2 days on pretty much anything. So whenever I have an hour I'll do 1 extra thing: organize the bathroom vanity, vacuum picture frames... organize pantry... whatever. Like that Is always sort of under control, but it doesn't feel like a the "big task".

I do the upstairs and basement once a week. Clean the bathrooms in those areas, clean the steps, vacuum and swifter mop. The day after that I clean the main floor, clean the bathroom on that floor, wipe down all the cupboards in the kitchen, vacuum, swifter mop, clean the main windows, mirrors, tables, dust ceiling fans, dust the bedroom dressers and vacuum the breezeway. I also do the bed linens for three beds. The main floor and breezeway gets the above treatment twice a week (except the fans, only once a week). I have hardwood floors, LVT upstairs and tile in the kitchen and main bathrooms. In the spring I vacuum and wash the walls and baseboards.

I work full time, have three kids (aged 13, 12 8) and a dog. So, if I don't stick to a weekly routine the whole house goes to heck. I do have a house cleaner every 2 weeks so I leave the dusting, floor mopping, shower and tub scrubbing to them.

I like starting the workweek with a clean, organized house. So, on Sunday I do a moderate cleaning. Kitchen: a good wipe down of all tables and counters. Spot clean cabinets, I empty all trashes in the house. I wipe down appliances, spot clean the fridge, throw away anything old, take food out and wipe shelves down. I spray trash bin with bleach cleaner and wash it out in sink. I tidy up the pantry and do a good sweep. Family room: I spot clean the leather couch from any drips, fold up throw blankets, deodorize and vacuum area rug, give the throw pillows a good shake and fluff. Rec Room: same as family room. Bathrooms: I restock toilet paper in each bathroom, throw the toothbrush cup in the dishwasher, de-gunk the toothpastes (kids make a mess). Wipe down sinks and toilets and throw hand towels in laundry and replace with fresh ones. Clean trash cans with antibacterial spray and hot water. Bedrooms: kids are on their own, I just spot check their rooms to make sure nothing is growing in there.

Wednesday and Sunday are grocery shop, laundry & cooking days (I wfh on wed.)

The only difference with a deep clean, is 4X a year I also wipe down windows, and clean out the gunk in the inside sills, I dust fan blades, I clean and wipe down the freezer, run the oven self-cleaner, clean INSIDE of appliances with vinegar, do a wipe down of all chairs, then clean and polish cabinets and hardware, and clean light fixtures. And lastly, the dreaded baseboards. I go room to room with a bowl of warm sudsy water, a microfiber cloth and a magic eraser and attack those pesky baseboards.

I have houseguests coming tomorrow and just finished a 2-day deep clean. I do a little every day anyway, so a deep clean for me only means the addition of steam washing floors, washing windows inside and out, and using a telescoping duster on ceiling fans and top of kitchen cabinets. It takes 2 days because I'm getting on a bit in years and can't do it all at once. I do have a lot of visitors, so deep cleaning happens quite regularly. I was lucky to move into a spotless, brand new house and am trying to keep it that way!

Off topic - dont you want the Cleaning Tips forum?

Not understanding the Houzz desire to glom everything together in one unmangeable and overwhelming heap. BTW, I still dont understand what Im supposed to do with 68,000 images.... let alone why I would want to have my post appear in 6 different forums instead of the community of my choice. Sometimes simple is better. Sometimes less is more/

Hi Current Resident - This post does appear in the Cleaning Tips forum. When you post, you can post in only one topic, or if it is relevant, you can post to up to three topics. You can keep it as simple as you like! :)

"if it is relevant" - yes, that was my point - that it ISN'T relevant to this forum.

]Im certainly not against change and if it makes sense to re-think, rename, merge, add or eliminate forum topics.... then have at it. But hopefully any changes would make it easier to get around and find our areas of interest, rather than more difficult. A lot of times Ill see a post and then later want to get back to it - helps if its in its proper category.

Emily, if you cross post, do comments cross-post with it? Or, would the OP have multiple separate threads of comments to keep track of? If the latter, than what's the point? Why not just post your question in the forum that it most relates to?

Could someone explain how you wash walls? I dust window frames and sills and baseboards but have never washed walls. What is the technique please?

To wash walls: If necessary, vacuum down any cobwebs. Fill a bucket with hot water and your preferred cleaner. Obtain a cleaning rag. Could use a mop with a telescoping handle if your ceilings are high. Start at the top left corner. Wipe down the walls, removing any dust, fly poo, dirt, handprints. Replace water as needed. Wash white moulding, window frames and baseboards last with fresh water to minimize dirt transfer if it's quite dirty.

Thanks Lindsey, I felt silly asking but now I know what to do!

No problem! It made me smile :-)

By the way, you could start upper right if you're a leftie!

I am a leftie! Glad it made you smile and not cringe. I am pretty clean and have dusted walls and spot cleaned, just never washed. Will be added to my cleaning list!

I was thinking about it and it doesn't really matter which side you start on; that's just what I do! And to be honest, I tend to work backwards for a rightie: I prep on the right side of the stove for example which is apparently "wrong"!!

Without fail whenever I wash my walls someone asks me if I've painted! It really freshens things up in a surprising way :-)

Have my cleaning lady do it; done with that at 70!

A couple of times a year, I have my yard man an extra day, and he wipes down all the window sills - the parts on the outside, too. He also carefully vacuums the valences on my curtains. He gets down on his knees, and using a scrub brush, scrubs the 3 tile bathroom floors, using tile cleaner.

I also have a window washing company come every year or two, when I can afford it. They do every window, inside and outside.

Other than that, cleaning woman comes every two weeks, vacuums floors and upholstered furniture, dusts everything (things on tables, lamps, pictures on the wall, books in their shelves etc), and mops the kitchen wood floor and the 3 tile bathroom floors. I take the books out of the bookcases and dust each one individually when bookcases are repainted - about every 15 years or so - perhaps longer. I have a LOT of books in multiple cases in multiple rooms, so doing this is a HUGE job, involving photographing each shelf so they go back in the correct place.

Baseboards? If they are visible, they get dusted a few times a year; those behind furniture, when they are painted!

I'm far more a neat freak than a clean freak. I cannot abide "stuff" sitting around, mail all over the place etc). I don't want a dirty house (will not tolerate a dirty bathroom or kitchen), but a bit of dust does not offend me at all. I heat with natural gas, forced air, change the filters regularly, and the windows are never open due to severe allergies. Even with a dog, it doesn't get that dirty.

Reading these comments is making me want to go home and clean right away. My major cleaning is done on the weekends. The house is usually spotless by Sunday and a mess by the following Friday.

My cleaning people are my routine. They come every two weeks, and in between I just try and keep it clean by sweeping up kids' dropped food, cleaning kitchen after dinner (duh) and doing laundry as necessary. I only get out the vacuum for major accidents (mud tracked in the house; a spill) or if I can actually see the dirt on the rug.

@KLaurence - saw your comment about having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Hope you're getting help! As you probably know, OCD sufferers have the highest rates of suicide among all mental illness. Please look after yourself and know that OCD doesn't have to ruin your life or your light. There is hope and there is help! It's very brave of you to share this in a world that often treats Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as a joke.

@lindsey - it would be best to discuss any OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) questions with your doctor. Only trained medical professionals can give you an accurate diagnosis of a mental illness. However, I would say, that if you clean a little every day you likely do not suffer from OCD. There are a wide variety of Obsessions in OCD - obsessions with cleanliness with a compulsion to clean are the most common, but by no means the only obsession. If you feel content with how clean your space is or are OK with quitting when things are "clean enough," you likely do not have OCD. OCD sufferers will clean obsessively every day for hours, until their hands bleed, until they have caused serious problems with work and relationships, etc.

Again, if you have any concerns about having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, please discuss it with your doctor. Having OCD is not your fault - it's a chemical issue in the brain. There is help and there is hope! Please take care of yourself and reach out to your doctor right away. OCD sufferers have the highest rate of suicide of any mental illness - don't wait to get help, please reach out as soon as you can! I wish you all the best!

I think the "OCD" was used with a bit of descriptive humor here as we are all prone to doing with a bit of over describe or embellishment.. '.I am OCD about ironed sheets..... OCD about white towels...... we are all "picky /fussy" about something. I do NOT think she really meant OCD in its most serious or debilitating form .

Just as "neurotic" usually means if you can identify it in yourself ....you are probably not in any serious way neurotic, and right as rain in most every regard. Just a bit picky perhaps or prone to worrying. Usually needlessly : )

To me , it's only a misery worth worry if it affects your own enjoyment of process, result, and destroys your happiness or relationships in maintaining or getting that result. THAT is a problem for which to seek help

@Jan Moyer - do you really think Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, mental illness, and suicide are types of "humor"? That is very sad and very scary.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is in no way funny. Someone killing themselves because of the fear, the compulsions, and the isolation they feel is not funny.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder doesn't mean "fussy" it doesn't mean "picky". It means a serious, potentially life-threatening and certainly life-altering, mental illness. It's not a joke. It does mean "serious" and it does mean "debilitating." You can lie about the meaning of words all you want. But what you are doing is wrong.

You really feel it's appropriate to laugh and make emojis at mental illness? You really think it's OK to tell people who suffer from mental illness that they are just "embellishing" their pain?

@cewsb

I don't think she meant it as a serious ailment from the tone of her post . Sounded to me that she simply likes clean and her process for upkeep of that clean. Read my post again if you will. I am not laughing at all at the actual and quite debilitating variety of an illness. I said that quite clearly. I routinely say "I am a little ocd". Truth is I am NOT in any serious way, that.. So you are quite mistaken in your post, as it applies to what I clearly said... and meant. You may want to read the K lawrence post again as well.

An ocean of misery exists between ordinary picky and true OCD.

Thanks for your concern cewsb. My question was more tongue-in-cheek rhetorical but as someone who lives with depression (usually mild, thank goodness) I know how much it can mean when someone reaches out, even--sometimes especially--a stranger. So thanks for caring.

OCD is indeed a serious affliction, and some who live with choose to face it down with humour. My mom is one such. So I too am used to speaking of it in a light tone.

ETA: just looked back to my previous comment and saw why you took my comment very seriously: the genuinely wondering part. I was genuinely wondering about the kids v. no kids aspect :-) But again, thanks for caring!

Washing walls sounds OCD to those of us that never do it (: I do clean any dirty spots though. I'm a tad OCD about dirt around door knobs on white woodwork..yuk

I once tried to wash a small spot on a wall. It dried a slightly lighter hue, so I had to wash the whole wall. Then the whole wall dried slightly lighter than the other walls and I had to paint the wall. Yes, you've guessed it, when the paint dried it was slightly different again! I wasn't going to paint the whole house so I left it and told myself it was an accent wall. I've never gone near a wall with a wet cloth since! But I do keep touch-up paint and just dab a little with my finger on any marks as soon as I see them. Works like a charm.

Wash walls? Oh Lord, one more thing I will never do. I clean as needed, I don't reserve a special day or 2 or time of the year. I "deep clean" off and on when the spirit moves me, so I don't have to exhaust myself trying to do it all at once.

I grew up on a family farm (not a cult compound...lol) and everything including basement pipes were scrubbed.....that doesn't happen now......we try and I really, really want a cleaning service more than once a year for the deep clean.....

In our old house, I had to give my dog a bath in my kids' bathroom. She would stay in there to dry for a few hours, so washing those walls was imperative!

I read Marie Kondo's book about organizing your home. It was a game changer for me. Reduced clutter and simplifying your home goes a LONG way towards cutting down on cleaning time.

Still, I too am neurotic about a clean home, We just moved into a new build and I underestimated how much added time craftsman style trim adds to my dusting! Typcially, I try to wipe down all surfaces (sinks, kitchen counter) each night. I have three kids (two boys who have "lightsaber wars" while going to the bathroom....don't ask!) so scrubbing toilets happens twice per week at a minimum. Floors get cleaned weekly. I wipe down cabinets and trim as needed. We have a lot of dark wood so dusting is far more frequent than I'd like!

Well, I occasionally feel the urge to deep clean....really get in there and get rid of the dirt.

Then I have some chocolate and wait a few minutes and the urge goes away.

I grew up where there was help four times a year to really get deep....I wish I was that person. I do deep clean and clean year round but admit to being a bit sloppy in the private rooms.

Cleaning crew once a month! Worth every penny.

Moving house is the best deep cleaning available.

As a rule though, I have a schedule for doing one or two "deep clean" kind of things every month. This month, it's all the protective covers on the bedding/pillows that get washed and the mattresses get rotated. And I make sure the space under the beds is particularly well vacuumed. Curtains are vacuumed in March as well.

Magic erasers take the sheen off paint! I just use microfiber cloth and water on walls if necessary. When I bought my house, before I repainted, I used some kind of harsher cleaner.

I usually start with the kitchen, then move on to the living room > rooms > bathroom

The bathroom is always the last just in case someone need to use the bathroom.