View Poll Results: Couples who ride: How clean is your house?
House is a mess.
1
2.70%
House is generally untidy.
15
40.54%
House mostly clean, and we do it all ourselves.
18
48.65%
House clean because someone else takes care of chores.
3
8.11%
Voters: 37. You may not vote on this poll
Poll: Couples who ride: Is your house spic 'n span?
#1
My other car is a bike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Wine Country, 1 hour north of San Francisco
Posts: 1,303
Bikes: Specialized Ruby
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Poll: Couples who ride: Is your house spic 'n span?
Hubby and I had to take the day off from riding so my sister could drive up from SF and pick up a piece of furniture in the late morning. I couldn't believe how much cleaner our house is after having those extra hours to straighten up a bit.
So I'm wondering how you working and bike-riding couples do it. How do you find time to work, ride, AND keep up with all the housework? Or do you?
So I'm wondering how you working and bike-riding couples do it. How do you find time to work, ride, AND keep up with all the housework? Or do you?
__________________
Embrace diversity: hug a conservative.
Embrace diversity: hug a conservative.
#2
old but fast
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: elyria, Ohio
Posts: 721
Bikes: Trek 1200, Trek 5000, K2 moutain bike, Giant Option touring. Also have 6 other bikes for rest of family
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
We do what we can when we can, plus we have two teenagers to add to the mess so it's not the cleanest it can be. But you know the day will come when age will keep me closer to home then I'll care.
#3
Boomer
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 7,214
Bikes: Diamondback Clarity II frame homebuilt.
Mentioned: 106 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 16098 Post(s)
Liked 1,457 Times
in
1,064 Posts
The bikes are clean................
__________________
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Salt Lake City
Posts: 389
Bikes: 1986 Univega Grand Touring; 1983 Puch A/D Pacifica; 2006 LeMond Sarthe
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Ours is pretty clean all the time and we do it ourselves. I can see how it could get out of hand, though. For both of us it is just too tempting to go riding on a beautiful (or not so beautiful) day instead of devoting time to the fascinating business of housework. Today (a beautiful, sunny, 70 degrees) I spent the day painting the kitchen, a job I postponed for months, just so I can ride guilt-free next month. What gets neglected are the cars, but I don't really care about them until one breaks down...
#5
gone ride'n
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 4,050
Bikes: Simoncini, Gary Fisher, Specialized Tarmac
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
My wife does not ride, I do enough for the both of us. The house is one step up from a disaster. Most of the major work is kept up with but the general house keeping takes a back seat to life.
#6
Cycler
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 1,499
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Ours is pretty clean, though it's just the two of us as the kids are grown and living on their own now. It's mostly a time and organization thing. Clean the house on rainy days, concentrate on just one room at a time. It's harder when there are bigger jobs to do, like painting the outside. Last time it took us all summer!
#7
Banned.
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 20,917
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 12 Times
in
10 Posts
My wife and I both have MULTIPLE projects going on besides bicycling.
I have my men's singing group (they meet here) and all the music, sound systems, pitch pipes, etc., that goes with that. I have my national and local advocacy groups. Then there are the musical performances. And a bunch of other stuff.
Nora has her ladies singing group, which also meets here. She has reams of music, is always marketing her group. She likes things to be out in the open and visible so she knows where everything is. So, she has a big cloth bag for each project she is into.
Still, we manage to keep things picked up - at least to our needs.
Sometimes she will go to a function at someone else's house and come home all gloomy about the other house being neat as a pin.
I say, "Of course, they had 30 people over - they picked everythng up." Then I tell her that most folks don't have 10 projects all going on at once, either.
I'd rather have the projects than the sterile look that some of these houses have!
I have my men's singing group (they meet here) and all the music, sound systems, pitch pipes, etc., that goes with that. I have my national and local advocacy groups. Then there are the musical performances. And a bunch of other stuff.
Nora has her ladies singing group, which also meets here. She has reams of music, is always marketing her group. She likes things to be out in the open and visible so she knows where everything is. So, she has a big cloth bag for each project she is into.
Still, we manage to keep things picked up - at least to our needs.
Sometimes she will go to a function at someone else's house and come home all gloomy about the other house being neat as a pin.
I say, "Of course, they had 30 people over - they picked everythng up." Then I tell her that most folks don't have 10 projects all going on at once, either.
I'd rather have the projects than the sterile look that some of these houses have!
#8
www.ocrebels.com
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Los Angeles area
Posts: 6,186
Bikes: Several bikes, Road, Mountain, Commute, etc.
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 83 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
2 Posts
My wife and I both ride, plus she is a teacher, so lots of books and papers about. So yeah, our house is pretty much a disaster most of the time, but it doesn't bother us (much) unless we have guests coming over, i.e. always the best reason to clean the place up!
Rick / OCRR
Rick / OCRR
#9
My other car is a bike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Wine Country, 1 hour north of San Francisco
Posts: 1,303
Bikes: Specialized Ruby
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My wife and I both ride, plus she is a teacher, so lots of books and papers about. So yeah, our house is pretty much a disaster most of the time, but it doesn't bother us (much) unless we have guests coming over, i.e. always the best reason to clean the place up!
Rick / OCRR
Rick / OCRR
__________________
Embrace diversity: hug a conservative.
Embrace diversity: hug a conservative.
#10
Violin guitar mandolin
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Friendsville, TN, USA
Posts: 1,171
Bikes: Wilier Thor, Fuji Professional, LeMond Wayzata
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I would say sort of untidy much of the time. Rather casual. Meets minimum acceptable standards. It's a bit run down anyway, especially after the flood. Really need to gut the old part and start over.
Today wasn't atypical. Nice breakfast made by Gianna, I cooked up some chicken soup from stock I made yesterday. A short ride, her hands aren't up to long ones yet, then a brief skinny dip in the lake. I did yardwork, everyone else goofed off. When things got too hot, I played with my sailboard trying to balance it a bit, but too many waves from the power boats. Then we lounged on the porch for a while. Boy child spent most of the day nude. Girl child in her pajamas. Gianna in a light wrap or nude in the hammock. I read and lounged nude on the porch. Nobody in the boats coming by seems to notice. After a while we cooked some steaks on the grill, some pasta with mushrooms, and some brocolli. Then bulk skinny dipping and dock lounging until it got dark. Now we're doing dishes again. So the dishes have gotten done and a bit of yardwork. That's good enough!
Today wasn't atypical. Nice breakfast made by Gianna, I cooked up some chicken soup from stock I made yesterday. A short ride, her hands aren't up to long ones yet, then a brief skinny dip in the lake. I did yardwork, everyone else goofed off. When things got too hot, I played with my sailboard trying to balance it a bit, but too many waves from the power boats. Then we lounged on the porch for a while. Boy child spent most of the day nude. Girl child in her pajamas. Gianna in a light wrap or nude in the hammock. I read and lounged nude on the porch. Nobody in the boats coming by seems to notice. After a while we cooked some steaks on the grill, some pasta with mushrooms, and some brocolli. Then bulk skinny dipping and dock lounging until it got dark. Now we're doing dishes again. So the dishes have gotten done and a bit of yardwork. That's good enough!
#11
My other car is a bike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Wine Country, 1 hour north of San Francisco
Posts: 1,303
Bikes: Specialized Ruby
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I would say sort of untidy much of the time. Rather casual. Meets minimum acceptable standards. It's a bit run down anyway, especially after the flood. Really need to gut the old part and start over.
Today wasn't atypical. Nice breakfast made by Gianna, I cooked up some chicken soup from stock I made yesterday. A short ride, her hands aren't up to long ones yet, then a brief skinny dip in the lake. I did yardwork, everyone else goofed off. When things got too hot, I played with my sailboard trying to balance it a bit, but too many waves from the power boats. Then we lounged on the porch for a while. Boy child spent most of the day nude. Girl child in her pajamas. Gianna in a light wrap or nude in the hammock. I read and lounged nude on the porch. Nobody in the boats coming by seems to notice. After a while we cooked some steaks on the grill, some pasta with mushrooms, and some brocolli. Then bulk skinny dipping and dock lounging until it got dark. Now we're doing dishes again. So the dishes have gotten done and a bit of yardwork. That's good enough!
Today wasn't atypical. Nice breakfast made by Gianna, I cooked up some chicken soup from stock I made yesterday. A short ride, her hands aren't up to long ones yet, then a brief skinny dip in the lake. I did yardwork, everyone else goofed off. When things got too hot, I played with my sailboard trying to balance it a bit, but too many waves from the power boats. Then we lounged on the porch for a while. Boy child spent most of the day nude. Girl child in her pajamas. Gianna in a light wrap or nude in the hammock. I read and lounged nude on the porch. Nobody in the boats coming by seems to notice. After a while we cooked some steaks on the grill, some pasta with mushrooms, and some brocolli. Then bulk skinny dipping and dock lounging until it got dark. Now we're doing dishes again. So the dishes have gotten done and a bit of yardwork. That's good enough!
__________________
Embrace diversity: hug a conservative.
Embrace diversity: hug a conservative.
#12
Senior Member
Our place is usually presentable (my wife might disagree with that on occasion). She hasn't been employed since we had kids but helped a lot at the kids schools when they were younger and now she is spending 5 - 6 hours a day helping out her aging mother so stay at home mom never really described her. She has been a La Leche League Leader for years so she gives monthly classes and helps breastfeeding moms with problems. Even with all of that, she does a great job keeping up with the housework during the week. I do most of the cooking on weekends so she doesn't have to deal with that and we've got 2 teenaged sons who actually do a lot to help around the house (although their bedroom doors are best left closed). Living in a condo limits yardwork to blowing off the patio. I will say the place looks much nicer when we are preparing to host a dinner party for 20 or 30 friends.
#13
Software for Cyclists
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Redding, California
Posts: 4,618
Bikes: Trek 5200, Specialized MTB
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My GF is a national caliber runner, and I'm a dedicated cyclist, and we're both getting into tri's.
We call our house - T3.
It's messy sometimes, but we try to tidy it up at least once a month.
We call our house - T3.
It's messy sometimes, but we try to tidy it up at least once a month.
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 11,016
Bikes: Custom Zona c/f tandem + Scott Plasma single
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 77 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 19 Times
in
11 Posts
If you don't throw stuff around to begin with you don't have a mess to clean up.
Big compliment when grandkids were over visiting years ago. Grandchild dropped food on kitchen floor and is ready to throw it in the garbage. Daughter-in-law says: "You can eat it, this is grandma's floor!"
Besides being a hell of a great stoker/wife she is a great housekeeper too.
Big compliment when grandkids were over visiting years ago. Grandchild dropped food on kitchen floor and is ready to throw it in the garbage. Daughter-in-law says: "You can eat it, this is grandma's floor!"
Besides being a hell of a great stoker/wife she is a great housekeeper too.
#16
Don't mince words
Bwahahahaha! House is clean, hee-hee-hee!
I wish.
The downstairs is darned near immaculate because cgallagh vacuums and mops the floors. I do the bathrooms on a regular basis because I can't bear a dirty bathroom. Upstairs is a different story, however.
We had a housekeeper for about 3 years; she came every other week and I was forced to tidy up before she came so she could clean efficiently. I let her go last year, when the market began to tank. I just don't have the funds.
So we tolerate some dust and disorganization (I have a basket of clothes to iron and one to fold) because we'd rather ride.
We fit in cleaning when we can. I never thought it would come to this, but hey, one must have priorities.
I wish.
The downstairs is darned near immaculate because cgallagh vacuums and mops the floors. I do the bathrooms on a regular basis because I can't bear a dirty bathroom. Upstairs is a different story, however.
We had a housekeeper for about 3 years; she came every other week and I was forced to tidy up before she came so she could clean efficiently. I let her go last year, when the market began to tank. I just don't have the funds.
So we tolerate some dust and disorganization (I have a basket of clothes to iron and one to fold) because we'd rather ride.
We fit in cleaning when we can. I never thought it would come to this, but hey, one must have priorities.
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Memphis
Posts: 246
Bikes: 2008 Specialized Roubaix Elite Compact, 2004 Giant Cypress, 1981 Specialized Sequoia
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
At our place, at times I am tempted to fire up the gas-powered leaf blower, bring it inside and just blow the joint out. So far I haven't yielded to temptation . . . yet.
#18
Streetfire
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Slightly Off Center
Posts: 723
Bikes: Trek 1200c, BMC Streetfire, Gary Fisher Wahoo
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
1 Post
With just the two of us, our place stays pretty clean and tidy. We have fallen into a routine where we use early Sat morning to clean and do errands, which leaves the rest of the weekend to ride. Unless of course there is a bike event early Sat morning, then the cleaning waits a week.
#19
feros ferio
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us
Posts: 21,839
Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;
Mentioned: 44 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1405 Post(s)
Liked 1,358 Times
in
856 Posts
Our house is typically cluttered and just clean enough to keep the health department from shutting us down. I am making an effort to clear things out, but frugal do-it-yourselfers with multiple hobbies and interests tend to accumulate a lot of stuff over the years, and we have lived in the same house for 27 years. Son #1 moved out about 3 years ago, but we are still storing some of his possessions, school papers, etc. (His apartment is immaculate. )
__________________
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
#20
Senior Member ??
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Englewood,Ohio
Posts: 5,098
Bikes: 2007 Trek Madone 5.0 WSD - 2007 Trek 4300 WSD - 2008 Trek 520 - 2014 Catrike Trail
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My mother always described my house as clean but "lived in" I imagine that's a good description for many of us. The overall condition is clean but you'll find piles of papers on the computer that need to be filed, clothes stacked on the dryer waiting for someone to put them away, dishes in the sink drainer that need to be put away or other similar things around the house. The only things that gets cleaned every week are the bathrooms and kitchen floor. Clutter drives me crazy so I don't let it pile up too much.
I've become a lot more relaxed about housekeeping as I've grown older. Maybe it's because there aren't as many people in the house to mess it up now
__________________
=============================================================
Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
-- Antonio Smith
=============================================================
Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
-- Antonio Smith
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,990
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Another one in the "clean for visitors" camp.
I'd like to keep things a bit tidier than Mr S but I've kind of given up the fight.
It's more fun to ride than to clean.
I'd like to keep things a bit tidier than Mr S but I've kind of given up the fight.
It's more fun to ride than to clean.
#22
Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Central Illinois
Posts: 449
Bikes: '01 Specialized Hard Rock, '06 Specialized Sequoia
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I'm not a couple either, but I'll throw my two cents in. There's woman clean and then there's man clean. My house is man clean and it's quite satisfactory to me.
#23
Senior Moment
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Lakeside California
Posts: 952
Bikes: Litespeed Blueridge
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Well let's put it this way, my husband and I spend more time on the bikes and other fun things then we do on the house. There is a lot of room for improvement as far as housekeeping goes, when you really start looking around, but at least we pretty much pick up after ourselves. All the bikes live IN the house and when they need cleaning or just fiddling with (which is just about every night), my husband will take them in the garage and I don't see him for hours. Yes, the outside yard could use some work, but we are just to busy (now that we are retired) to not do what we want to do. We never have company and we don't have kids so no one wants to really see us. Life is to short to worry about a little stain or dust. As long as the health department doesn't come here, I'm good with it.
#24
Senior Moment
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Lakeside California
Posts: 952
Bikes: Litespeed Blueridge
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Oh -- another thing. People who are organized are just to lazy to look for things.