Ira

My husband and i just bought a house, ALhamd. Even though it is about 13 years old, the previous owner left it in immaculate condition. Everything's so clean MaashaAllah and i have had people asking me if its a new construction. My question is how can i keep it that way? We have hardwood floors in the kitchen/dining and white carpet (eeks) in the house. With a baby, thats about to be turned a muddy shade i think. I mean even the window sills are soooo spotless. I could have eaten off the floor if i wanted to, when we first moved in, tahts how clean the whole place was.

So please share any ideas or suggestions you guys may have.

mamababaandbaby

if the house is clean initially keeping it that way isn't difficult, i know with babies it can be hard, but try to keep the feeding area limited to kitchen and dining area so you have to just use a a quick dustpan and brush clean up and a mop.

SeaBee

Ira, we have hardwood on the first floor as well (including kitchen and dining). To top it off, it's espresso, so every little particle is visible. Just get hardwood cleaner liquid for swiffer, and voila! It makes it easier to keep clean. As for the white carpet, eek! You could get a wet/dry vaccum. If needed just wash the stained area, and vacuum. That's what we do.

Just keep all your lipsticks/makeup as far away as possible from K as she grows up.

Pareezay

you can put an extra rug on top of the white carpet if that's where your kid likes to play.. you can always remove it when someone comes over.

Afro-Sheen

or go old anti style and put sheets all over the house
bu tyeah i agree with the put nice rugs over it, and let child play there....etc.
just be very quick to be after your daughter in case of a mess. Also they sell those carpet stain removers...so if there is any accident...quick clean before it sets. The rest well, if it does turn muddy, time for new carpet

Afro-Sheen

ps. ira congrats on the new home

dont want to divert this thread, but with kids is it better to keep home with hardwood floor or better to have carpets. My concern is wouldnt too many germs pile up in the carpet, despite vacuuming etc?

Mirch

Get a leash for the kid. Hey , let the kid grow in peace and nurture his/her curiosity. Keeping a house clean even with half a dozen babies is not difficult . It requires hard work and staying on top of it. It is not , as they say, rocket science.
You already know how to keep a clean house clean. Don't stress over it. Just save the kid from getting into dangerous situations , visit safety first aisle of some drug store to get the ideas about how to baby proof some of the places and things around a baby.

Ira

Pareezay, other htan the living room, teh whole house is white and we spend a lot of time in the living room as well as her bedroom. Rugs arent an option at the moment. I am thinking of just getting the carpet cleaned every 6 months or so. For that reason i am thinking of investing in a carpet cleaning machine.

Afro: thanks for the suggestion on aunty type covers but thats not for us. thanks for the congrats

Seebea: yaar is the swiffer worth it? i am loking into steam mops so i dnt have to keep buying stuff for the swiffer.

Mirch: it was in no way my intention to complain about my child. I just wanted to learn how to keep u p with the daily chores and i know its not rocket science. Thank you fo ryour input.

SPECIFIC QUESTION:

how can you make sure the cabinets stay in tip-top condition. I swear they currently look like they are brand new when i know they are not, MaashaAllah.

dawn77

^ put liners in them and clean them once in a while.

chips6

IRA:Heartiest congrats on your new home...m'A

Are you asking about the outside of the cabinets or the inside...??
As DAWN said place liners in them and wipe them with a damp cloth once in a while....they clean well and liners are the best thing to have in the cabinets....
as for the outsides of the cabinets....depending on what material they are....I use a spray I get from Home depot...called 'cabinet magic'...I just spray them and clean them offf with a cotton duster...it keeps the cabinets pretty clean and shiny...and that reminds me that I haven't cleaned them in months....

Another specific question:How to clean the windows...??..for those who do this themselves,any tips to make this disliked job a tad bit easier...!??!

Ira

chipsy and dawn: what kind of liners do you guys recommend? please do advise on whats best out there.

also, she left the cabinets pretty shiny looking and said she used lemon oil on them every 6 months or so to prevent the wood from drying. I might try that as well as this magic spray thingy.

chips6

I got them from walmart a few years ago when we moved to this place...they were the plastic ones,with non skid under surface...they don't slip or fold and stay where you put them...very easy to clean too...you just cut them to fit and place them...there are no adhesives involved...
I got a few rolls at that time...I think it was 5-6 dollars for a roll ...but I don't remember exactly...

chips6

...

Cheegum

Ira, if you don't mind could you please tell me what kind of lemon oil is it to use on the cabinets.

RupayHalwa

Dear Ira,

Congratulations on your new house, it sounds lovely, MA. Hope you and your family have a joyful and blessed life in your new home, IA.

I was going to suggest rugs too, but you have stated they r not an option at the moment. (Personally I would do my best to muck up the carpet asap so that u have to get a new one that is of a more suitable shade )

Afro-Sheen

They also sell these liners in Target, Walmart, etc as well. Or you can even use a cheap waterproof non adhesive wall paper and cut out pieces to fit inside cabinet. That way they are easy to wipe clean every week or few weeks. Helps cabinet life

What is recommended for use on hardwood floors? I have heard of various polishes etc that people use to keep it clean and also shiny? Anyone?

Afro-Sheen

Ira,

Find out what you have under the carpeting in the house. If you have good hardwood flooring, maybe at some point you'd wanna polish it up and display that. Reason I say that is be careful with what kind of "carpet cleaning machine" you get, esp with the ones that use water/soap. Water can seep thru and ruin the hardwood underneath, so just be careful.

Ira

Thanks folks, i found the shelf liners at walmart. Many thanks for the suggestion. And what do youi know, there are some decent prints out there.

Cheegum: I dont know what kind of lemon oil to use. The previous owner just mentioned lemon oil that she got from walmart and let me tell ya, the cabinets are pretty shiny and look brand new, MaashaALlah.

Rupay: Thank you for your wishes! I wthink the baby is doing a great job of mucking up the carpet as is, she spits up wherever she wishes

Afro: yaar the prev owner recommended Murphy's Soap Oil for the kinda finish we have (polyutherane something). I have been mopping once a week with that. It provides some shine but she said her steam mop really made the floor shine. I am looking to see whats the best one out there since i HATE the regular mop.

chips6

I use that Murphy oil thing too....
IRA:You use the Murphy oil with the steam mop...??...

Gosh I hate to mop.....
Does the steam mop really work like the way they show on TV...??

Ira

chipsy, no i use the soap oil with regular mop. But i hate to wash it afterwards so iam thinking of investing in a steam mop. ANy reccomendations anyone?