I have been prepping my home for the last five hours and I’m exhausted. Couldn’t really do it sooner because I was working. My family always make me feel bad when there is cat hair or dust somewhere. Is it okay to put the bar a little lower? Would it be okay to just do less? What are your own standards about cleaning?
This is one of the primary issues in my marriage.
My wife’s cleaning standard is MUCH higher than my own. It was fine before we had kids, the house was small and she did most of it. Now we have a bigger place and multiple children.
She wants cleaning time to be equal. I say it’s not equal because the total hours required are dictated by her standards not mine.
It’s not like my standards are disgusting or unhygienic though. I just don’t need the hallway swept every day, or the dishes completely washed every night. The dishwasher still runs daily.
My wife and I also have a disconnect when it comes to “cleaning” as she says that word to mean “organizing” and my understanding of it is more around dust, dirt, and grime. We also haven’t figured it out so I don’t have any suggestions or solutions for you, just wanted to commiserate.
One thing that actually has helped is bringing in a cleaner with some degree of regularity. It could be weekly if you can afford it, but even monthly or quarterly can be really helpful. I usually also clean while the cleaner is here, but it gives me some assistance on bigger projects or takes the every day stuff off my hands so I can focus on less frequent tasks (baseboards, really giving the shower a good scrub, cleaning carpets, wiping the tops of the ceiling fans, etc.).