How many times a week do you vacuum?

[lizz]

This may seem like a strange question, but I think I may be bordering on the obsessive-compulsive. I have four animals, 2 big dogs and 2 cats. I have laminate wood floors in most of the house, and I find myself having to vacuum several times a week. Every day would be ideal, but I just don''t have time to vacuum daily. Pet hair and dirt gets everywhere.

Which got me wondering . . . how often do the rest of you vacuum/clean your floors per week?

 

[dbgaap]

zero

Actually, when we got married, I told hubby we MUST hire housecleaners since I was already used to having a cleaner and I refuse to do all the housework (or fight about it) while holding down a job.

He just said, "sure if we need to, we can hire cleaners".

Well, the man is amazing- he vacuums every few days, cleans up after himself and cleans the cats'' letter box every day.
So it turns out I don''t mind doing a good scrub on the bathrooms & kitchen every now & then.
And the money for housecleaners is ours to spend.

Every now and then we remind ourselves to go out for an extra nice dinner or whatnot, cuz we earned it!
And yep- with 3 cats (to answer your question) we do need vacuuming at least 2x a week. I do try to brush them often and that seems to cut down on the cat hair.

 

[snlee]

I have wood floors and vacuum once every week or two. Before was even less frequent. =X But I don't have any pets. It's mostly my long hair and dust.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Well... I guess I can confess to you guys since it''s unlikely that any of you are coming over any time soon!

We have a cleaning lady that comes every two weeks and she''s the only one that vacuums. We have marble or hardwood on three of our four floors, so I do use the swifter *on occasion* but for the most part I just ignore the dog hair on the oriental rugs and the carpet on the bedroom level, reminding myself that it will only be X days until Grace (our cleaning lady) is here.

Funny story: On Christmas morning this year we opened a gift that had those styrafoam peanuts for packing and there were little white bits all over the floor. It was going to be several days before Grace was coming so I got out the vacuum (had to find it first--she keeps it in the strangest place!) and started cleaning the big rug in the living room. Hubby came FLYING down the stairs and just stared at me.

"OMG WHAT''S WRONG!?" he screamed. I told him I was just cleaning up some of the packing material, that''s all. He slumped against the way. "Oh, well I got really worried because I''ve never seen you vacuum before."

We''ve been married for 7-1/2 years, LOL.

 

[Snooper]

"I" used to vacuum once a week until we recently bought a new one. Hubby is loving how ''quiet'' it is and how well it works he is ''breaking it in'', so HE has been vacuuming!! And I didn''t even have to train him! LOL

 

[Mara]

we vacuum about once a week but i never feel like it's clean anyway...i can't wait til we get wood floors in our main living areas so i can SEE the dirt...hehee. with pets it's harder to have carpet IMO, and portia doesn't even shed much. i also have the carpet cleaners come once about every 3 months.

my mom vacuums daily and has since i was little!! she's a little OCD about the house being clean. thankfully i didn't pick up any of that particular obsession...tee hee. to greg's chagrin. he is great about splitting housework.... he always does the dishes, cleans the kitchen and the toilets. yay!

LOL DJ that's hilarious. greg knows how much i hate house cleaning so if i ever am feeling super proactive and do a bunch of stuff on my own one day he peers at me and goes 'what's wrong, you feeling okay?'...

 

[strmrdr]

ummm are you spose to vacuum more than twice a year and once every 3 years for bedrooms?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
isn't there a law or something?!?!?!?!?! or is that only for bachelors?!?!?!?!?!?!?

They passed it in 1998 I think.. for the record growing up it was a every saturday job.

 

[TravelingGal]

Once every couple of weeks for us. No pets and we have carpet. I clean the kitchen floor a little more regularly.

Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but when you were growing up, whose job was it to vacuum? You mom or your dad''s? My FI and I have had a bit of a debate on this. In my house (and all of my Korean friends) it was my dad''s one and only job. That was because vacuuming seemed a bit more "physical" so my mom was spared the labor. So I always grew up thinking trash and vacuum was a man''s job.

In my FI''s house, his mom always did the vacuuming. In fact, his mom did ALL the housework. His father was in charge of anything outside the house...mowing lawns, etc etc.

FI initially agreed to take on the chore but it was never done. Instead of forcing the issue, I said I would do the vacuuming (I''m anal about how it gets done) if he would do all the laundry (we have to go to a laundromat). I HATE doing laundry more than anything. He agreed and does it...folding and all! So it''s worked out OK for us...

But I STILL think it feels odd that I have to do the vacuuming!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 7/1/2006 4:14:45 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Once every couple of weeks for us. No pets and we have carpet. I clean the kitchen floor a little more regularly.


Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but when you were growing up, whose job was it to vacuum? You mom or your dad''s? My FI and I have had a bit of a debate on this. In my house (and all of my Korean friends) it was my dad''s one and only job. That was because vacuuming seemed a bit more ''physical'' so my mom was spared the labor. So I always grew up thinking trash and vacuum was a man''s job.


In my FI''s house, his mom always did the vacuuming. In fact, his mom did ALL the housework. His father was in charge of anything outside the house...mowing lawns, etc etc.


FI initially agreed to take on the chore but it was never done. Instead of forcing the issue, I said I would do the vacuuming (I''m anal about how it gets done) if he would do all the laundry (we have to go to a laundromat). I HATE doing laundry more than anything. He agreed and does it...folding and all! So it''s worked out OK for us...


But I STILL think it feels odd that I have to do the vacuuming!

My mom did pretty much all the housework and the garden with the help of the kids.
Dad did the lawn and garbage untill I was old enough to do it then I had to do it.

 

[mrssalvo]

every day..my doggie sheds something awful and if I don''t do it everyday her hairs are everywhere

 

[Gypsy]

Four Cats and 1 dog. Cats are shorthaired, dog is a shedding mess. But we get the dog clipped every two months... because when she's not clipped... I have a vacuum at LEAST twice a week. We only have one room with carpet and the cats aren't in there too much. The carpet I have to vacuum once a week. The floors get vacuumed about the same. And all the upholstered furniture gets vacuumed then too. Dogs bed gets washed about every week and a half. My sheets every 4 days or so get changed-- that's where the pet hair is worst... even though the dog isn't allowed in our bedroom. Bloody cats!

I have been drooling over the dyson animal for a while now... but we had an Oreck... and when it broke they offered us a great deal on a new one... so we just got that... it does a good job. But I still want the Animal.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 7/1/2006 4:35:53 PM
Author: Gyps


I have been drooling over the dyson animal for a while now...

me too. I so want a dyson...

 

[february2003bride]

We don''t have pets but we do have KIDS! And one is crawling so I have to vacuum our carpets and hardwood floors 2-3 times a week. I insist that shoes be taken off when inside (not with guests though) just because I worry what my kids may have gotten on the bottom of their shoes while playing otuside, walking in the parking lot, stores, school.

Add me to the "lusting Dyson" list!

 

[dbgaap]

Date: 7/1/2006 4:02:08 PM
Author: Snooper
''... we recently bought a new one. Hubby is loving how ''quiet'' it is and how well it works he is ''breaking it in'', so HE has been vacuuming!! And I didn''t even have to train him! LOL

One of the firs things we bought after we moved in together was a vacuum cleaner. Hubby really took to it, too! It has a special nozzle for upholstery & stairs.

Plus, when TravelingGal mentioned her Dad, it reminded me how my hubby acts; kinda like it''s a man''s job to heave that thing around....um... OK!!!
I''ll take it!

 

[galeteia]

My mother has a border collie that isn''t too bad for shedding, unless it''s shedding season, but she still vacuums once a day. She has a fairly small apartment, and the dog is long haired.

 

[movie zombie]

7 indoor cats, tile floors throughout, wood staircase: easy as a breeze with my miele once a day...perhaps every other day. if i go twice a week there''s too much ''stuff'' on the floor.

the problem for me is mopping the floors; solution: iRobot which i love as it is hubby''s chore to fill her and make her work, clean her up and put her away. however, she can be programmed to do her thing on her own.

there is a vacuum model........

movie zombie

 

[lizz]

My mom always did the vacuuming (we had the canister kind) when I was growing up until she was a certain age, when health problems started to hit. Then my dad took over and always did it from then on.

We bought a vacuum when we first moved in our new house 3 years ago. It was a cheap $69 Bissell model from Wal-Mart, the bagless kind with the plastic container that you just empty. It may sound weird, but that was ONE OF THE SINGLE GREATEST DAYS OF MY LIFE. My husband wants a Dyson so badly, but I tell him I will not get rid of my Bissell. It''s just the best. The cool thing is that the first day we used it, we swiped it over a small segment of carpet, like a 2 foot section. We tested it and opened the plastic container where the dirt collects and YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE how much dirt and dust was in that small section of carpet. We were floored! (No pun intended

.) For some odd reason, I like to see the dirt that collects so I can feel satisfied that the vacuum is really useful and effective.

I guess I do have obsessive-compulsive cleaning problems

 

[CareBear]

Before getting a dog I used to vacuum every month or 2. I was really lazy about it! After the dog it''s been a lot more frequent. Especially during shedding season which is about 2x a year, for month or 2 each time. He shed his undercoat and his hair is everywhere, big chunks of it too. I got tired of pushing the heavy vacuum around everyday so I now use the handheld a couple times a day to suck up the big hair balls. Everyone week or 2 I use the real vacuum cleaner. on top of that I have to use the lint rollers constantly to get rid of hair on our clothes (esp socks) and the sofa. Pets are lot of work!

 

[dani13]

I vacuum definitley once, if not twice a week. Dont go by me though, I am borderline OCD about cleanliness. It is only my FI and I living here- and we barely mess anything up- I am just a total neat freak by nature! It actually gives me anxiety if my house is not neat and clean! Crazy, I know, but true!!!

 

[marvel]

Date: 7/1/2006 4:02:08 PM
Author: Snooper
''I'' used to vacuum once a week until we recently bought a new one. Hubby is loving how ''quiet'' it is and how well it works he is ''breaking it in'', so HE has been vacuuming!! And I didn''t even have to train him! LOL

What kind did you get?

 

[KristyDarling]

One sheddy mixed-breed dog, one 3 y.o. boy, one toddler girl. Vacuum once a week, Dyson animal model. It''s a GREAT vacuum....very sucky and easy to empty. But man is it LOUD!!! Louder than any other vacuum I''ve evern owned. As far as I know, the only difference between the Dyson Animal and regular Dyson is one attachment. I think.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I love my dyson animal. It is AMAZING how much it sucks up. Even dust. Everything. We have two cats and our couch even gets the dyson treatment.

 

[3hearts]

I vacuum every other day. I have 2 dogs and 2 kids. We have laminate floors in the kitchen and if I don''t run a swifter or something on the floors every other day, it looks like I have 5 dogs - hairballs in the corners. The living rug takes a beating with the kids, if I don''t vacuum every other day, something will grow out there...also traded in my hoover for a dyson and man!!! does that thing suck up dirt!!!! it works so good, my husband even uses it!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

For the first few months after buying our new home, I vaccumed every other day. . .now, after a year, I''m down to once a week. With two kids and a cat, my carpet would be best off twice a week, but I''m too busy and too lazy to go over 2600 square feet that often.

 

[Lorelei]

Persian cat owner here x 4! 365 days a year I vacuum!

 

[blodthecat]

Every day!

 

[Mannequin]

I was not good about vacuuming my other apartment. Our new place has wood flooring throughout and I''ve been using a little Devil Stick-Vac on the floors here about once or twice a week, and spot sucking as need be. We are contemplating getting a kitten sometime, so I may have to change my habits a bit if needed.

There are two huge Golden retrievers and an African Grey parrot at my parents'' home that shed/molt(or pluck - dumb bird) constantly, so Mom vacuums with a Stick-Vac a few times a week and breaks out the Dyson Animal about once a week. All of you who are contemplating buying an Animal, do it - that thing is amazing. Mom will do one room where the dogs hang out and play a lot and the collecting area goes completely Golden.

 

[Apsara]

I am confused--we have wood floors throughout the house EXCEPT in the den (berber) and main staircase (thick carpet--too slippery & loud with the wood)...I have NEVER vacuumed my wood floors. I swiffer 1X a week and do a Murphy''s wash every 4-6 weeks. My husband does vacuum the den & steps 1X a week. The carpet on the staircase is a luscious thick, deep garnet/ruby red... I have 3 blond dogs so white fuzzies start piling up about 4-5 days into the week.

Am I doing soemthing wrong?

 

[lilyinct]

Have you tried the Swifter Max yet? We have hardwood floors and I just swift around the house every day...it''s good exercise- I put my 5 week old in the sling, and go to town!

 

[lizz]

Date: 7/2/2006 9:37:30 AM
Author: Apsara
I am confused--we have wood floors throughout the house EXCEPT in the den (berber) and main staircase (thick carpet--too slippery & loud with the wood)...I have NEVER vacuumed my wood floors. I swiffer 1X a week and do a Murphy''s wash every 4-6 weeks. My husband does vacuum the den & steps 1X a week. The carpet on the staircase is a luscious thick, deep garnet/ruby red... I have 3 blond dogs so white fuzzies start piling up about 4-5 days into the week.

Am I doing soemthing wrong?

No, you''re not doing anything wrong. Some people vacuum their wood floors, some don''t. Ours aren''t actually wood, they''re wood laminate, but I vacuum since I think the dirt is best cleaned up that way. But a vacuum may scratch some real wood floors, and I wouldn''t want to risk that. Sweeping or swiffering wood floors is another option.