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I check here several times a day hoping you have posted some really good advice I missed earlier.

Oh and instead of nasty toilet brushes. I use the throw away kind. I use one a week, more if we are sick. I can use a box for several weeks (three bathrooms). I clean the toilet, toss it in can, empty can, no more messy bathroom brush, no more cleaner to be spilled. I know they can be expensive, but I only use them once or twice a week, so I can justify the cost.

Several years ago we were visiting my brother and sister-in-law. They house is always so peaceful and clean. They are the most laid back people I have ever met. Sister-in-law is a nurse so you know her crazy schedule. They also have two cats, several dogs, bunnies, and two children. How did she keep her house so clean and I was a full time stay at home mom, cleaning 4-6 hours a day!?!

Well as I looked around admiring her home with no dust bunnies, no litter box smell, I realized it. She doesn’t have animals in her home. They all have homes outside her home. Soon after that, our two cats decided my entire house was their litter box. Trips to the vet didn’t find any reason, so one fine April day, I moved them and their litter boxes to a screened in porch. Since then one kitty died of old age. The other has actually gotten healthier. Seems she was stressed in the house and has relaxed once we moved her outside.

The dog comes in at night and when it’s cold, but he’s outside during the day while we are at work.

Since then, I have started cleaning my house on Mondays. Takes about 2 hours. I could dust once a month if I needed to. My laundry has gone down by 50% or more because nothing has cat hair on it anymore.

I love my animals and they get good care and food and love, but I will never have another one in the house.

And my mild depression has gone away. So I would say the chore I hate most is cleaning up after animals. Not just poo as ours were good litter box users until right at the end, but hair, things they chew up, pull out, knock over.

Second would be mopping, but with the kitties outside I don’t do that as often either.

Oh, but they are. They really, really are.

@Tracy. Cleaning the oven??? Why? I bake constantly and never clean it. If stuff spills I just let it burn off and occasionally vacuum out the ash.

Reading stories about dog poo, cat puke and hairballs makes me wonder why anyone ever owns a pet. The rewards cannot be worth it.

@ Kendra – The age at which boys learn to aim correctly is approximately the same age that you hand them a cleaning rag and make them clean up their own mess. Having Daddy show them again how to aim as a followup also helps. Chores + embarrassment = quick learning curve.

@ chicken – Clean up as much of the puke as you can with a paper towel, being careful not to scrub it in. Apply a coat of Lysol spray, then spray on a good foaming carpet cleaner. Don’t let it dry: let it sit a few minutes and then, use a rag to carefully blot it up. If any color is left, apply hydrogen peroxide, let set until color is gone (no more than 10 minutes), and this time scrub with a clean rag. Blot mostly dry. Sprinkle with white vinegar and again blot dry. If any stickiness remains, final rinse with club soda or distilled water and another clean rag. Drop a towel on the floor and walk on it to remove as much moisture as possible. Now the quick way: pick up as much as you can with paper towels and use a handheld carpet spot cleaner. They are so worth it if you have kids or pets. ;o)

@ Tracy – Try this: remove the racks, warm the oven slightly, then turn off the heat. Spray the oven with white vinegar and then dust on baking soda – it will foam up. Close the door and let sit for 20-30 minutes. When you come back, you should be able to wipe the oven mostly clean. Soapy water and a copper scrubber or green fiber scrub pad should remove any stubborn spots. Really stubborn burned on grease spots? Try GooGone on a Magic Eraser.

@ JP – I never hung up any of my kids’ clothes, just folded them onto shelves. One of the best lessons I learned as a young (19) mom was being too perfect was going to drive me and the kids batty and would benefit no one. Do yourself a favor and do some simple, quick folding. Whatever works that will stack neatly. When your kids are old enough to put away their own clothes, it’s a lot easier to get them to fold and stack than to hang because folding requires fewer steps. Two in one blow!

One last observation on guys who can’t aim…particularly the adults…warning, this will be graphic, but not “dirty.” Without going into detail about how I found out, I determined that when at least some males sit, they are automatically aimed for the gap between the toilet seat and the rim. So if they pee sitting, the liquid goes down the front of the toilet, and looks like they have “missed.” If this is where most of the mess is, and all of your guys swear they are aiming, this is probably what’s happening. The tricky part will be explaining to them that they must use their hand to direct things downward when sitting…oh, that is not a fun conversation. /