| Author |
Content |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
November 19, 2006
10:36 PM Post #2929214
|
What little tricks do you have to make it look like you cleaned for hours, instead of ''right before you got home Dear.''
I vacume the two carpets that show vacuming the best and dust everything that shows the most dust. I spot sweep and make sure there aren't any dishes in the sink. Line up the shoes and straighten rugs. Clean the bathroom mirror. Hot breath and a towel will work most of the time. Put things on the counters away, and if you have time, make a pitcher of something to drink.
What do you do? |
corgimom
Clinton, MS
(Zone 8a)
November 20, 2006
8:47 AM Post #2930371
|
LOL ! I don't do that much when I know the president ( of the U.S.) is going to drop in for a cup of coffee :-) so I will leave this thread for the rest of you guys ! |
justfurkids
Toone, TN
(Zone 7a)
November 20, 2006
10:25 AM Post #2930688
|
Sweep up the tumbleweeds of doghair and spritz a little furniture polish on a rag and dust one or two pieces. Use clorox spray on the kitchen sink. Looks spotless and smells like I've cleaned all day.
carol (whose DH should be home from a business trip at midnight so I'll be doing this stuff at some point today.) |
slcdms
Ripley, MS
November 20, 2006
2:23 PM Post #2931357
|
You all are too funny. Libby, you are my sister from another Mother again. If I was busy with something else, the cleaning is the last thing on my mind. I try to keep my washing done and put away and dishes washed, but all the other stuff is done when my back feels like it for one thing and when I just can't take it anymore.
I was congratulating myself on having enough leftovers from last night that I don't have to cook today. Thinking of something for supper everyday is hard enough to do without wondering if Jerry will wonder what I did all day.
Sandra |
hey_jude
Scottsdale, AZ
 November 20, 2006
2:32 PM Post #2931380
|
I got a big kick out of reading your post billyporter mostly because it reminded me of when a newlywed and thinking I 'should' have done something that showed. Today if I sort my sock drawer I'm doing GREAT! |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
November 20, 2006
4:19 PM Post #2931720
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Laughing! Sometimes it's cleaner and neater outside, but I feel guilty that I have all the privileges of being home. I can at least fake 8 hours of work! :)) |
bksmall
San Andreas, CA
(Zone 9b)
November 20, 2006
8:03 PM Post #2932350
|
Reminds me of what I do when my SIL is due! No matter how clean the house is, she will find some little way of mentioning housekeeping (not in my favor.). I am trying to feel confident enough not to let this bother me. |
Ticker
Lisbon, IA
(Zone 5a)
November 20, 2006
8:11 PM Post #2932367
|
You're supposed to clean before they get home??? hmmmmmm, what a novel idea. Not the part about before they get home, just the part about cleaning.. :) Just kidding. We both work, so... odie well...
Diann |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
November 20, 2006
8:42 PM Post #2932436
|
Bksmall, she's the one with the problem. I rather like the phrase, don't sweat the small stuff. I follow a whole new philosophy now! :))
Anyone who works outside the house is exempt from cleaning rules!!! :)) You already do your part. |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
November 21, 2006
10:02 AM Post #2933558
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My mom always told me - "Wash the dishes, make the beds, put all the laundry out of sight, and straighten up the clutter. It will "look" clean, even if it's not"
She was a school teacher and did not have time to clean every day, but we would work together Saturday morning and have everything "shipshape" before noon. But we did "straighten the house" every morning - just in case... |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
November 21, 2006
5:48 PM Post #2934708
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Bubba, I love that! ''Just in case.'' Luckily, I seem to have someone come right after I've cleaned. Then I feel good that the house was presentable. I've found that if the knick-knacks don't look dusty that is half the battle! |
plantladylin
Daytona Beach, FL
(Zone 9a)
November 25, 2006
8:34 PM Post #2943924
|
Life Is Too Short ... to sweat the dust and clutter! I spend so much time out in the yard and "playing in the dirt" that inside the house gets overlooked most of the time. I have a VERY dear husband who will come home after teaching and run the vacuum, and he cleans litter pans too! I am blessed ... been married for 37 years! When I was younger I was a "neat nut" and ALWAYS had to have a spotless house! And I also worked full-time. I haven't worked in 14 years and my housekeeping skills have kinda gone by the wayside, but alas, life is too short to sweat the small stuff! My DH loves having me stay home with our 4 cats and making his lunch every day and cooking dinner too! I mow the lawn every week, ( 9 months out of the year) here in Florida, I have tons of plants and love playing in the dirt! So, for me ... Life Is Good ... Even if my house isn't white-glove clean!
Lin
|
justfurkids
Toone, TN
(Zone 7a)
November 26, 2006
10:33 AM Post #2944999
|
When I lived in FL I used to have to evict the unwanted houseguests...Dusty, Hairy and Sandy. Now that I moved to Tennessee, only Dusty and Hairy made the trip. lol
carol |
plantladylin
Daytona Beach, FL
(Zone 9a)
November 26, 2006
10:47 AM Post #2945041
|
Justfurkids: Lucky you ... you've eliminated one of them! Yep, we have all three down here ... there's always the dust bunnies, but we especially have Hairy (from 4 indoor cats ), and Sandy ... This is Florida!
Where is Toon, Tn? My husband and I love to vacation in East Tennessee! The Smokey Mountains ... one of my favorite places on earth! I can't wait for our vacation next spring ... my husbands brother and his wife from upstate New York are going to meet us there in May for a week's vacation! We try to go at least once a year, or at least every other year for a few days!
Lin |
justfurkids
Toone, TN
(Zone 7a)
November 26, 2006
11:02 AM Post #2945069
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I grew up with yearly trips to the Smokies, as my grandparents were from East TN. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge have changed considerably since my earliest memories. Still a great vacation spot though. Nothing like grabbing a grassy spot along a creek for a nice picnic! Pic of DH and I on just such a trip when we were first married in 1998.
Toone is in SW Tennessee...an hour east of Memphis. We wanted to combine our business warehouse and home on one property, and have a separate residence for F-I-L who is 88, so I started searching the internet and found this place. (Fingers crossed ...we finally have a proposed closing date in mid-Dec on the FL property.) Carrying two mortgages for nearly a year has been horrendous!
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
plantladylin
Daytona Beach, FL
(Zone 9a)
November 26, 2006
12:34 PM Post #2945277
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Yea, Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area has really changed over the years. Not the quiet little towns they once were. Even my favorite areas ... Townsend and especially Wears Valley have both gotten a bit commercial. I just hope they never get to the point that Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge have! We took our first trip to that area in the mid 70's and if I had known before hand that it was a tourist area I would NEVER have gone! One of my husbands students at the time suggested the area to us as his parents lived up there. Since we live in a tourist area, I don't want to vacation with a lot of traffic and all the t-shirt shops and such! It has been sad going back each year and seeing how more and more of that beautiful area of Tennessee is commercialized! Even though I understand that people need to make a living, it somehow takes away from the beauty of the area. We like to go in May, before all the MANY tourists hit! It gets VERY busy after schools are out for the summer! We love driving through the mountains and the beautiful scenery. We have been staying in Pigeon Forge the past couple of years, cause our favorite restaurant is the Old Mill, and we like to eat there for breakfast and dinner! But, during the day, we drive to Cades Cove, which has changed somewhat too, but since it's in the National Park, it isn't all gift shops and tourist traps like the cities. We also like going to Chimney Tops ... the park there is just so peaceful! We've never been to any other city in Tennessee ... I know Memphis & Nashville are popular vacation spots too ... some day we may get to that part of the state on vacation. We usually go to East Tennessee, or North Carolina if we go North of Florida. We've been to the Bahama's a few times on vacation too ... Too expensive to go there every year though! Living here in Florida, we have some real nice beaches too ... but since we live here, it's always great to go to the mountains! Many people we've met when in Tenn. tell us that they go to Fla for vacation and people from Florida go to Tennessee!
Lin |
justfurkids
Toone, TN
(Zone 7a)
November 26, 2006
12:48 PM Post #2945301
|
yep..and it seems many Floridians are moving to TN too. (I am such a trend setter! lol) My sister is in Orlando and my momma in Sarasota so if I feel the urge this winter for some warm sand therapy, I know where I'll be going. Orlando got snow the day before thanksgiving btw! All the years I lived there I never saw snow, but I imagine I'll see some later this winter here.
Sorry everyone, we seem to have veered pretty far off topic here. Has anyone tried the robot vacuum cleaner yet? I am so tempted, as I think they'd be pretty good at getting the tubleweeds of dog hair that seem to accumulate on a daily basis.
carol |
bluekat76
Ijamsville, MD
(Zone 6b)
December 10, 2006
1:58 PM Post #2987874
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I empty the dishwasher and load it up if necessary - the kitchen is the first thing he sees when he comes home. Finish any laundry that had been started and sometimes scoop the litter boxes. John is the cleaner, not me.
I can just see our 4 cats playing with the Robot. They would probably disable it somehow-LOL. I think our house is too small but I haven't looked up any reviews.
-Kim |
justfurkids
Toone, TN
(Zone 7a)
December 10, 2006
3:08 PM Post #2987996
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hmmm...I don't think it's too late to whisper Rooooooooomba in Santa's ear.
Robotic vacuum or tiller???...decisions decisions...ok Greenhouse! lol
carol |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
December 11, 2006
3:29 PM Post #2990534
|
The Roomba is pretty good, but you do have to clean and empty ALL the collectors. Often if there is a lot of pet hair - and clean the entanglement pf hair from the brushes and rollers. But on the bright side - it runs under furniture where it seldom gets vacuumed.
Also, not as quick as doing it yourself, but it will run unattended - until it gets stuck and beeps at you. |
justfurkids
Toone, TN
(Zone 7a)
December 11, 2006
6:00 PM Post #2990906
|
Thanks Bubba! That's the most thorough review I've seen! Appreciate it!
carol |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
December 12, 2006
10:39 AM Post #2992740
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DW found one at Walmart last year for less than $50 - a year old model.
We just bought a Hoover bagless - (our 36 YO Rainbow Rexair quit) - checked my consumer reports buying guides for 06 and 07, made a list, and had already checked prices several places - Lowe's was cheapest - had the 06 top Hoover on sale - then got a $30 discount at the register - Oh Boy!
It collected so much DUST, we could not believe it. Obviously we expected it to get the pet hair, rocks and dirt, but the dust - very fine. Took it ouside to clean the tanks and used the shop vac to blow the filter clean after tapping over 1 pound of dust off.
Saved time, too. DW usually took 4+ hours to clean both floors (2 story house) - less than 2 now. |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
December 12, 2006
2:29 PM Post #2993348
|
I have a Eureka bagless. Not very powerful, but for the bunnies under the bed. I was just imagining the roomba as a monster under the bed. :)) |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
December 15, 2006
4:12 PM Post #3001855
|
Roomba sounds like a monster in a confined space. Took a while to work its way out with the center support under our kingsize bed, but was stuffed. Indoor cats like hiding under there, so lots of pet hair. |
justfurkids
Toone, TN
(Zone 7a)
December 16, 2006
9:47 AM Post #3003580
|
I think it would be great around here, with four german shedders ...errr ...shepherds ...the hairballs are tumbleweed size in no time and who wants to vaccum every other day? (I don't see any hands raised. lol)
My only concern would be how much pouncing on by an 80 lb dog or two could the thing take? lol (not really...I'd just have to tell them its mommy's and supervise for an hour or so...)
Might be too late for santa to pull off but perhaps the Valentine Fairy might come thru for me! I can dream anyway. Thanks for the feedback gang!
Carol
|
kyjoy
Frankfort, KY
December 26, 2006
12:40 PM Post #3025995
|
I also have the Scuba. It's great too. |
katym
Deatsville, AL
(Zone 8a)
December 30, 2006
8:48 PM Post #3037590
|
I work outside the home as well, and my house often shows it. I just dare DH to say something about it. :) |
WUVIE
Hulbert, OK
(Zone 7a)
January 8, 2007
2:08 PM Post #3065327
|
While I am a stay-at-homer, I don't always have all day to devote
to cleaning, though I love it. If I had more hours in a day, I would
clean for half of them.
Yep, I'm a weirdo.
Straighten everything up. Bring in the leaf blower and
open the doors. Then dust.
Wa-la!
|
justfurkids
Toone, TN
(Zone 7a)
January 8, 2007
7:42 PM Post #3066316
|
ROFL wuvie |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
January 11, 2007
12:32 PM Post #3074372
|
Yep, ROTFL!!! Wish it would work! |
WUVIE
Hulbert, OK
(Zone 7a)
January 11, 2007
2:34 PM Post #3074648
|
Ah, but it does. Seriously.
We have a nifty leaf blower which is an attachment to the
shop vac. It blows like a nasty storm!
I have an attachment that is shaped like a cone, which directs
the force of air to a fine point. I put it under the couch, under the fridge,
all over the place. It works wonders in cleaning out your car, too.
Open all four doors, make certain you don't have loose items in
the car, and blow away. Wow. Then wipe down the dash and such.
Bingo!
It really does work. I've been through two of them over the years and
if they died, I would buy yet another one. Porch covered in leaves?
Blow 'em off.
Hubby covered in grass from working outdoors? Blow him off before
he's allowed into the house.
It really is a versatile tool to use in and out of the house.
KM
|
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
January 11, 2007
2:57 PM Post #3074692
|
Still laughing because I'm thinking about the force behind mine when I blew the garage out. It was the first time I used it and it immediatly shot the end up in the air. That worked out ok. I just aimed higher than I intended. The dirt did fly! Well, when you find something that works, share it! |
WUVIE
Hulbert, OK
(Zone 7a)
January 11, 2007
7:52 PM Post #3075436
|
LOL Billy, how funny about the end of it shooting off, I know just
what you're talking about. It sort of makes a giant "Floooop!" sound.
:-) |
justfurkids
Toone, TN
(Zone 7a)
January 12, 2007
1:34 PM Post #3077151
|
ROFL...I was at a garden club meeting the other day and we had some serious wind. DH proudly exclaimed that he had opened doors on both ends of the house to blow out all the dog hair. Since then I have found dog hair in some very unusual places...a bath tub...stuck in the fronds of some indoor palm trees...wrapped around the brugs...all the dog's water dishes...in the fireplace. Gotta love him for trying to help clean though. :-)
carol |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
January 12, 2007
1:55 PM Post #3077194
|
ROTFL!!! And he didn't even read this thread. Bless his heart, but that's funny! |
crimsontsavo
Crossville, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 6, 2008
2:04 AM Post #4501387
|
omg, i thought me and my sister were the only ones, LOL!!!!!!! |
Brinda
Yukon, OK
(Zone 7b)
February 6, 2008
12:06 PM Post #4502391
|
LOL I always smile when this thread pops up on my watched list! |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
February 6, 2008
1:51 PM Post #4502878
|
Thanks, I thought it was a good one too! |
MsKatt
Mid-Michigan, MI
(Zone 5b)
February 6, 2008
3:41 PM Post #4503510
|
I used to have a little sign that hung on my front door:
My house was clean yesterday...sorry you missed it!
Michelle in Michigan |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
February 6, 2008
3:56 PM Post #4503575
|
Wonderful!!!
DH has retired now so he usually gets to the vacume cleaner first. I let him. I'm busy with laundry, which I like to do : )) |
sallyg
Millersville, MD
(Zone 7a)
February 8, 2008
11:59 AM Post #4511764
|
nice to know I'm not alone!
Yep, make it look a little clean and smell a little clean and quick Get Off of the Computer!
Nobody that lives with me can tell if I cleaned all day or an hour.
Love the leaf blower idea, esp in the car. |
crimsontsavo
Crossville, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 8, 2008
11:54 PM Post #4514414
|
Weeeeeeee I hope hubby doesnt stumble onto this thread, hahahaha.
Ive been busting my hump all day and night and I swear you can't tell I did anything. Doesn't smell like diapers though, so I'm good, hehe. |
sallyg
Millersville, MD
(Zone 7a)
February 9, 2008
11:51 AM Post #4515666
|
"Ive been busting my hump all day and night and I swear you can't tell I did anything. "
That's what really kills the motivation. I'd rather clean anything that shows evidence I did something. Quite a few times have I thought, let's play 'What did Mom/ ,DW clean today?' and see if anyone can guess LOL
I like to leave little clues, like yesterday I cleaned the bathroom, and left a spray bottle and the trash can just outside its doorway- oh, I forgot to put those back AFTER I CLEANED... |
crimsontsavo
Crossville, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 9, 2008
12:10 PM Post #4515740
|
omg, genious! LOL
Will remember that. |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
February 18, 2008
6:42 PM Post #4556910
|
Doesn't smell like diapers and forgot to put them back! ROTFL!!! I love it! |
TheMinimalist
Portland, OR
February 24, 2008
1:53 PM Post #4582179
|
Turn down the lights, light some candles, put on something gorgeous, pour some wine. He'll never notice the dust.
[HYPERLINK@minimalisticlifestyle.blogspot.com] |
billyporter
Nichols, IA
(Zone 5a)
March 5, 2008
3:26 PM Post #4626266
|
Sometimes men are so easy!! |
