Cleaning year round vs 1 or 2 large cleaning sessions per ye

[chilli]

As stated in the subject - what do you prefer?

A cleaning year round where you are always busy but therefore you have a continued cleaning of your home?
Or a cleaning session like HGP or spring cleaning where you have 1 or 2 large cleaning sessions per year?

I think both strategies have advantages and disadvantages - so I'm not sure which concept would be right one
for me...

Chilli

 

[Pamelajane]

I never get around to a Spring Clean unless we have decorated a room and everything has been moved out!!

I have been following the Flylady prompts on zone cleaning which has been a big help to me and meant that i have got round to tasks i wouldn't have time for otherwise without feeling overwhelmed.

Pamelajane

 

[momof4]

I have to do something year round. With 4 kids I have a mess to take care of somewhere all the time; but I also have several extra helpers which helps the work get done faster. I also know I won't get much, if anything, done some weeks - I don't let it bug me anymore - I just start with a new list the next week and move on.

 

[jackfrosty]

I wish I knew! This summer I'm struggling to keep my head above water!-or clutter as the case may be!

 

[teachermomof2]

I deep clean 2 times a year....summer and winter break. I clean all year, but do the woodwork, rugs, drapes, curtains during deep cleaning time. I do clean the kitchen constantly and the bathrooms.

I just deep cleaned for 2 weeks.

 

[luludou]

Well I do 1 deep clean a year (used to do 2 but working full time with 2 kids can't do it anymore)..... I clean all year lon but the spring cleaning is for cleaning walls, curtains, etc... anything not done during the rest of the year. Actually, I spring-clean 1st floor and in fall I move downstairs.

 

[Gingerbug]

This is an interesting topic. Try as I may...I NEVER seem to make it through an entire Cleaning Plan...AND my house is relatively small!!!

Having four plans: New Years Cleaning, Spring Cleaning, Summer, and Fall....would mean you were working the plan all year...which is good as things do not accumulate...and also because if you miss a room in one of the plans...you get a second chance the next go round. So I like the idea of the year round but I can't say I've ever accomplished it!! LOL The Spring and Fall are also VERY busy times for me because of school so basically those are the most difficult to do.

This year I am going to try extra special hard to do either the Holiday Grand Plan or the Houseworks Holiday Plan...will see how that goes.

Basically if you follow a weekly cleaning routine...then you are cleaning year round anyway and then I just think of these plans as being for deeper cleaning or the bigger jobs. However if that's the focus...then the Room a Month approach would work too....Do all your regular cleaning weekly and then when that Room comes into the roatation...deep clean it.

Honestly I think the plans and the success of the approach are more based on:

1. How well you do your daily and weekly chores...if you do these consistently then jumping into one of the "PLANS" is so much easier and probably not near as much work...maybe that's where I have fallen short.....need more focus on daily and weekly before getting into the BIG plans!

2. The approach you choose has to fit your house and your life style. Working full time makes it difficult to work a plan because sometimes one can barely keep above water with regualr chores and family.

3. How well you follow the plan to begin with....making the list is not enough...you have to actually DO IT. Also have a back up plan for one of the rooms do not fit your home...for example if you do not have a guest room...what will you do that week instead!

Most of the time I have found it easier to work on my weekly lists and add some deeper cleaning tasks each week....I hope eventually that means the whole house gets cleaned. I feel a sense of accomplishment with completing them instead of a sense of failure from not finishing a plan. And little by little it is making a difference....the little 15-30...Move it out Mondays etc....they add up.

If you are interested in a weekly basic schedule...HERE is Mine I will be making some revisions along the way because my goal is to eventually move the Sunday tasks to another day and have Sunday as a day of relaxation and family time. If I am working on deep cleaning a Room of the Month...I add one or two items for that Room into the blank spots and try to do some each day!

 

[Ahorsesoul]

I use to follow the spring and fall deep cleaning thing. Never got completely done, was always worn out and hated it.

Then I started the FlyLady plan. I love it, I never have to deep clean. It takes a time to get into her plan, it doesn't happen overnight but a house didn't get dirty overnight either.

 

[SparkleNana]

This is a great thread, chilli! I do both -- and don't do either one completely.

I try to do regular cleaning every day - always "aiming" to have the house company ready. Of course some of the company, especially grandchildren, undo the cleaning. So what - that is life. Cleaning just sets up the background to enjoy life.

So - I do daily pick-ups and cleaning. Then -- I build in as many extra incentives as I can -- so I look at things with a fresh eye.

Inviting people over for dinner ALWAYS involves much cleaning and reorganizing. I just look at things differently when people are actually invited for dinner. Someone once said "If you want to have a clean house, invite people for dinner at least once a month."

Then - the holiday cleaning plans at Organized Christmas - always encourage us to look at our houses with a fresh eye -- to see what we would like to accomplish in each room to get things ready for Christmas.

Of course, life interferes - so nothing gets completed - that is why it is an ongoing plan. (With decluttering as the absolutely most important part.)

 

[snowangel00]

I also do both.

I clean year-round because it always seems like something is needed tending to. But, I also devote 2x a year to really deep clean. I always feel better after my house has had a good scrub. I prefer to do the deep inside cleaning when the weather is cool outside so that I can air my house out as well.

I don't have a 'cleaning day' per se - but most of my cleaning does get done on Friday afternoons and Saturdays. It's not a perfect schedule - but it works for me (most of the time).

Great topic!
I'll be reading this to see what other people do.

 

[cmerth]

I can't do spring cleaning or grand plan cleaning. I get sick half way through the intensive cleaning.

I have been doing my zones each day and then I add one or two extra tasks per week to each room. That way it is a "process". I will repeat the process all year round.

For example: Tuesday is bedrooms- each week I chose a room and an extra cleaning chore (clean out a dresser or touch up the closet). Wednesday is Kitchen day--I have been cleaning out 2 drawers or cupboards each week along with my regular cleaning chores.

My hope is that my house will not get out of control again... I will be constantly maintaining. By the time October rolls around it will be time to start again in each room-- a little each week.

 

[starflake]

Another FLYBaby here. I clean year-round, but I also "deep clean" periodically. It's not really "deep" -- just seasonal chores that don't need to be done often.

Honestly, getting the good habits started and tweaked to fit us best was the real "work" involved; I hardly notice any motivational or physical struggle now (key word "now"). Now it's just routine -- contributions that go into making our house a home. The rest is living life. :love2:

 

[Tasha]

Great topic!

I don't really do either. I try but it just doesn't work. I do hope to get through the Houseworks Holiday plan this year. It might not happen but anything I do makes the holidays that much easier.

 

[HouseElf]

I prefer the twice yearly deep clean with GP format.

I have a daily list, and a weekly list too, but I enjoy (I know I need help) following the routine of organizing and cleaning GP style. I like to know that everything is in it's place and to find solutions to any problems that may of cropped up since last time (like boys finding a new dumping place for clutter :slap: )

 

[AuntJamelle]

I would have to say that doing DEEP cleaning once a year is my preference.

I look forward to the HGP and have the added motivation of the coming holiday season to get me moving and keep me moving.

Now, I will be honest and say that inevitably, something happens, LIFE intervenes and I derail from following the plan perfectly at some point.

But I get alot more done than if I'd never tried to follow the plan in the first place, that is for sure! :haha:

I do random acts of deep cleaning throughout the year - but for organized, room-by-room action it's the HGP for me!

:applause:

 

[Snowbelle27]

I prefer the twice yearly deep clean with GP format.

I have a daily list, and a weekly list too, but I enjoy (I know I need help) following the routine of organizing and cleaning GP style. I like to know that everything is in it's place and to find solutions to any problems that may of cropped up since last time

I have to agree with you HouseElf. In addition to the daily and weekly lists I also have a monthly list, and I do like to follow the routine. I prefer deep cleaning GP style as I feel it gives me enought time to complete the tasks successfully on the shorter plans I feel rushed and often can't keep up and then I just abandon it altogether!

:frosty:

 

[Cindylouwho]

FlyLady here too -- so year-round. And then I'll do Houseworks Holiday Plan to gear up for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've been on FLyLady about a year now, with some ramp-up time before that. My old system was to clean the main areas as I could during the week and then cram super hard to deal with the side-piles on the weekends. But the spare room was a disaster, the closets were a disaster, the garage was a disaster and these I would only deal with when I was sooooo frustrated I couldn't take it any longer. Or if I had someone coming over -- God forbid someone would drop in unexpectedly!! I hated how long everything took and felt like I had no life. The whole thing just exhausted me. I was sooooo tired. It wasn't just a physical drain, it was an emotional drain.

Now I follow FlyLady and have read the books on Side-Tracked Home Executives. I made a flipper (index cards in a little "flipper" photo album) with my tasklist in it. I wrote down my list of everything that has to be done daily, weekly, monthly, and I use a dry-erase marker to check them off as I go. It took some time but now I've got my morning routine on auto-pilot (so I can pretty much do it sleepwalking, before the kids wake up).

My house is now basically "clean" -- all rooms, including the garage. BUT I still have clutter that needs to be banished and that is an on-going project. I do the 27-Thing Fling, and maybe over another 6 months or so that will make a dent in getting rid of all the unnecessary items I have in my cupboards, closet and garage. I keep a box in my closet and every time I find something I don't absolutely LOVE, into the box it goes! Fingers crossed that this year's Houseworks plan is much easier than the last one! I'm sticking with the Holiday party the first week of December again, so that I have a goal to shoot for!

(I'm really gabby today -- DH and the kids are out for the day -- woohoo!!!) ink: