Any tips for cleaning an old house?

Question

The house is almost 75 years old and i can never seem to keep it clean. Its very hard. It seems imposible. I would just like some tips from some nice people about how they clean their house. Thank you!! ( :

Answer 1

Ah, yes, I grew up in an old house. Fond memories of cleaning it! ;) If you have wood floors, like many older houses do, be sure that you're cleaning them properly (with wood floor cleaner, not just pinesol and water or something). Usually, I hate to say, bugs are a bigger problem in old houses, so be sure to get the pesticide crew out to your house at the beginning of each season. It's true that old houses do seem to have more dust. If you have allergies or anything like that (asthma, etc.), you should consider replacing the carpet, because the decades of dust can just build up, even if you vacuum it. Older houses may also have "special needs," like an old fireplace or wood carvings. If you have an old wood fireplace, that has potential for both great memories and major mess because of the ashes you'll need to clean up if you use it. So weigh in your mind whether it's worth it to you: if it isn't, just remove the wood and whatever other stuff is inside the fireplace and decorate the inside with some nice pillar candles, or something like that.

As far as just staying up on the cleaning, that's always a challenge. :) If your house is very big (depending also on how much free time you have if you work, have kids, etc.), you might consider having a maid come in weekly, bi-weekly, monthly--anything helps, especially with an old house that needs extra cleaning. If you have kids that are old enough, have them pitch in. And remember, you don't have to hire a professional "maid." If you know a teen who needs extra cash, have him/her help you however often you want to. Just tell them exactly what you want them to do. (My mother used all of the above options to help keep our 6-bedroom house in order). Often, teens are looking for ways to raise money to go to summer camp, etc., and they're tired of babysitting and washing cars.

Apart from that, here's my cleaning method: pick your priorities (they're different for everybody). First priority: whatever weird pet peeves you have. Do you get irritable when your bedroom's not vacuumed? Do that first. Hate to see any trash in the bathroom trash can? Take it out as often as you need to. Do what you need to cut down on stress. After my pet peeves, I have a general hierarchy as to what gets done first. For me, first I keep the bathrooms sanitary. Not perfect, but sanitary. (Toilets clean, trash out, no weird stains anywhere). Next, I keep the carpet vacuumed. (If you have kids or pets, this may need to be done pretty often). Next, the kitchen basics. Keep the dishes moving, keep the counters wiped down, floor swept, etc. Those are my house priority basics, and after that I move on to things that aren't as important to me, like dusting and cleaning the oven. It gets done, but not before the other stuff does.

When to clean: depends on your schedule! I'm a college student, so my schedule is pretty busy, with weird and unreliable hours. So I often clean here and there, in the fifteen-minute windows that pop up throughout the day. I'll get the bigger cleaning projects done on the weekends, during longer spurts. For me, I clean most right before tests. I'll study for a while, until I'm tired of sitting and thinking, and then I'll get up and do whirlwind cleaning for an hour or so to blow off stress. (You're probably not a student if you have your own house, but maybe some of those ideas will fit with your life).

Most important cleaning principle: don't be a perfectionist! Do NOT compare your house to the clean freaks you know. Just do what you feel is important to make your house feel like a home. Good luck, and I hope some of this helps. :) And enjoy your house! I love old houses, even if they are a little extra work.

Answer 2

We live in an old house. One of the first things we did was get rid of the carpets. We now have all wood floors or "easy care" floors, which is much easier to keep clean.

You probably have a lot of dust?? We do! If you have hot air heat make sure the air filter is changed frequently. Do you have an old basement? If so, you might want to use a shop vac to get rid of the extra dust there.

Have the walls been repainted recently? That is a big job but you might want to consider it. We did that, and it seemed to make a difference.

We had a dirt driveway which was contributing greatly to a mess in the house. We put some crushed stone in the driveway which has made a huge difference. Consider the condition of your outside steps and walkways and verandas. Are they contributing to mess in the house because people bring in the mess on their shoes?

I use this site quite a lot and recommend it to people. It has lots of very sensible, easy and practical ideas. I hope this helps.

Answer 3

I experienced to live in an old house. And the first thing that I did is to disposed all the stuff that we won't use anymore. Then, I start to cleaned the second floor and disposed and clean all the rooms and areas. Third one is I started to organized the ground floor of our house by rid of the carpet properly, sweep the floor and mop the floor properly. I hope this will help you. If you want to have more tips and suggestion you can also visit this website :

Answer 4

What is the biggest problem with your old house? Is it extra dusty? Is the heating system getting soot on things?

I live in an old house and the windows are loose. I had to add a lot of weatherstripping to keep outdoor dust off the windowsills and curtains.

Answer 5

yes always pick up after your self never leave things out of place you dirty it wash it you drop it pick it up and the house is old that don't matter old.my house is 70 years old and when the house need a good cleaning .and am so tried .i go buy something to make it look difference .something little like candy dish or .red is my favor color and gold. /smile

Answer 6

Getting organized means you can organize your home quickly. Tips, articles, and links to organize every room of your home. Organize the office. Organize the garage. Organize closets. This site will help you organize the entire house.
http://housekeeping.about.com/od/getorga... (About Housekeeping

Answer 7

Nothing is impossible!

HERE....
ALL KINDS OF CLEANING TIPS
IN ONE SITE!!!!!


http://cleaning.lifetips.com/faq/28539/0/how-do-i-remove-stains/index.html

This will be a lot of help.
U can also ask them all about cleaning tips!

Answer 8

Try this website:

www/flylady.net

It will help, it helps me!

Your house didn't get that way in a day, baby steps!

Answer 9

Hire a maid and go have martinis with your friends