How often do you clean your home? Are there any techniques you use to reduce dust accumulation?
Or ways to remove that accumulation fast?
Non-vacuum cleaner tips would be more actionable for me currently, but please do share your ways.
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I would like to say I use a heavy-duty dry swiffer on the floor (wood) every other day, but honestly maybe twice a week. It gets tons of dust and cat hair and it's quiet and fast. I have an old fashioned feather duster that does a decent job on shelves of books and knickknacks without moving them, and fascinates the cat. I have a wet mop but don't use it often. I put MERV13 filters in my HVAC, but I realized the suction was lifting the nearby ceiling tiles instead, so I taped them down.
Consider what contributes to dust in your home: I don't go out much, and can't track in mud, but I live over the garage in my apartment building, over a very busy street, and have sliding-glass balcony doors for windows, so a lot of my dust is tires and exhaust. Also pollen year-round because SoCal, and of course cat and myself shedding. Litterbox dust too, at least she's not a big digger. I don't have laundry machines in my unit but I imagine they'd make lint dust. You might not be able to change things that add grime, but it helps you feel less like it's your fault.
When I worked in a china shop, we wiped down every item on every shelf with Windex (spray your paper towels, not what you're cleaning) every day. But I was getting paid for that. It makes a huge difference, along with knowing someone else will notice.
But I was getting paid for that. It makes a huge difference, along with knowing someone else will notice.
This is where we struggle. We are both tidy as can be at work. I go to new places all the time and leave them in much better shape than I found them. Anyone who has been in a lot of data/comm closets and server rooms can tell you that they are often neglected to the point of ridiculousness. My wife does pretty much all the cleaning at the physical therapy clinic where she works, even though that is not in her job description.
But our house is a mess. We have four cats, two with long hair. I'm usually gone all week so that leaves most of the work to my wife. I try to clean the bathroom when I'm home (toilet and sink at least). I've turned the "dining room" table into my resupply stockpile between trips. Most of the stuff there is used but it looks terrible.
Being paid makes such a difference in our attitudes towards cleaning.
Four cats and your jobs, you guys are definitely doing this on Hard Mode!
Maybe you could figure out some sort of rewards system, like cleaning the home => delivery dinner. And of course if you notice something is clean and you didn't do it, voice your joy!
Absolutely, I thank her all the time for cleaning. It's pretty fair I think. I work a lot more hours, she works pretty much 40 a week. And when I'm home I do dishes, laundry, clean litter boxes, etc.
We considered a cleaning service but we're trying to put a down payment on a house so her mom can come live with us. We spent a lot of money on Christmas for the kids (her sister's), but we always do. We're getting there.
Once we have something that we're working to own, not rent, maybe we will feel differently about cleaning.
That's all good! From experience, owning vs. renting doesn't help much to make cleaning any more enjoyable, at least not after the first week. But at least if you decide you just can't deal with some aspect, you can change it.