Homemaking but Without the Alt-Right Trad Wife Pipeline
Hey Girlie Pops,
Between TikTok and Tumblr, Iβm seeing way too much bedrotting and overwhelm about what actually needs to happen to clean a room or maintain a home. Thereβs a real gap in basic home-training skills; and the people filling that gap are often alt-right tradwife influencers and crunchy pseudoscience.
So!
I am here, as your big sister whoβs been living alone and maintaining clean, functional spaces in both surgical/clinical and cozy domestic settings for 6 years now, to teach you the basic tools, how they work, and how to keep your home clean cheaply and effectively.
This is homemaking for Competent Women not patriarchal nonsense. I'll cover pet care and pet cleaning routines and supplies in a follow up post, and these are all going to be tagged as #Big Sister Chats
β½^β’β©β’^βΌ Tools and Supplies β½^β’β©β’^βΌ
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The Perpetual Tools β‘ Basics You Actually Need
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α΅α΄₯α΅ An upright canister or Euro canister vacuum
- not a stick vac. If youβre only going to have ONE vacuum, it should be a canister with real suction power and attachments. Supplement with a stick vac later if you want.
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Bucket
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Mop
- Cuban, Spin, Microfiber, Sponge, Deck Brushβ¦ I donβt care, just get a good mop head.
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Broom
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Dustpan & Brush
α΅α΄₯α΅ If you have carpet: A handheld carpet cleaner/spot cleaner, and know where your local rentable wall-to-wall cleaner is (grocery stores, Loweβs, Home Depot).
α΅α΄₯α΅ Rubber or heavy nitrile gloves
α΅α΄₯α΅ Rags
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Scrub Brush
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Plastic Razor Blade
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Garment Steamer or Iron (I am begging you and I promise it's worth it)
α΅α΄₯α΅ A lint brush, lint stone, or lint comb
α΅α΄₯α΅ A clothing drying rack or clothes line
α΅α΄₯α΅ A dish drying rack with mat
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Toilet Brush & Plunger Set
α΅α΄₯α΅ Two Laundry Hampers or Laundry Bags
α΅α΄₯α΅ A sponge with a non-scratch scrub side (Scrub Daddy, Scotch-Brite, whatever)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Plastic Drain Snake
α΅α΄₯α΅ An old toothbrush (For detail bits)
α΅α΄₯α΅ An Ironing pad
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Nice To Haves β‘ Upgrades That Make Life Easier
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α΅α΄₯α΅ A Hand & Stick Combo Vacuum (Bissell Featherweight, Dyson stick vacs, etc.)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Your own wall-to-wall carpet cleaner (if you have carpet)
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Spin or Steam Mop
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Swiffer-type Quick Mop dusty and mist/damp mop system (O-Cedar Microfiber, Swiffer, etc.)
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Wet/Dry Vac (there are very cool all-in-one mop/vac combos now)
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Steam Cleaner
α΅α΄₯α΅ 1β2 divided cleaning caddies
α΅α΄₯α΅ Scouring Pads / Steel Wool
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Dish Brush
α΅α΄₯α΅ Dryer Balls
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Mini Bucket (for mixing small solutions)
α΅α΄₯α΅ A Duster (instead of just using dry rags)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Spray Bottles (Labeled with what's in them)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Dedicated sink plunger
α΅α΄₯α΅ Pumice stone for hard water and rust lines
α΅α΄₯α΅ A floor and a hand squeegee (Wet messes, pet hair if you do the rubber brush + squeegee thing)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Ironing Board/ Arm boards/ Tailor's Hams
α΅α΄₯α΅ Disposable Exam gloves
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The Barest of Cleaning Supplies β‘ The Minimum Effective Arsenal
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α΅α΄₯α΅ Bleach or an ammonia-based cleaner
- Something with actual documented pathogen-killing power (Clorox, Lysol)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Distilled White Vinegar
α΅α΄₯α΅ Scouring Powder
- Bar Keepers Friend, Comet Bleach Powder, Baking Soda, pick one
α΅α΄₯α΅ Oxygen Bleach / OxiClean / OxyPowder
α΅α΄₯α΅ Castile Soap
α΅α΄₯α΅ Laundry Detergent
- powder, liquid, pods, doesnβt matter just something effective
α΅α΄₯α΅ Carpet cleaning solution (if you have carpet + a portable carpet cleaner)
α΅α΄₯α΅ 90% Rubbing Alcohol
α΅α΄₯α΅ Hydrogen Peroxide
α΅α΄₯α΅ Enzyme Cleaner (if you have pets or a period)
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Nice To Have Cleaning Supplies
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α΅α΄₯α΅ Cleaning solutions for any βNice to Haveβ machines
- (steam mop, carpet cleaner, wet/dry vac)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Dish Soap
α΅α΄₯α΅ Surface-specific cleansers
- (stone-safe, wood-safe, bathroom-safe, etc.)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Mirror & Glass Cleaner
- (Though 50:50 vinegar + water does this very well)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Canned Air for electronics
α΅α΄₯α΅ Screen Wipes / Screen Cleaner
α΅α΄₯α΅ Metal Polish
α΅α΄₯α΅ Leather Cleaners
α΅α΄₯α΅ Beeswax Block
α΅α΄₯α΅ Lemon Oil
α΅α΄₯α΅ Essential or Fragrance Oils
- These do not CLEAN they're to make things smell nice, and be sure to check which ones are compatible with YOUR pets
α΅α΄₯α΅ Fabric Softener
α΅α΄₯α΅ Fabric Scent things (sprays, rinses, beads, etc)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Spray Starch
α΅α΄₯α΅ Wrinkle Releaser
α΅α΄₯α΅ Ironing Spray
α΅α΄₯α΅ Color Safe Fabric Sanitizer
α΅α΄₯α΅ Dryer Sheets
α΅α΄₯α΅ Dishwasher detergents & Rinse additives (if you've got one)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Washing Machine Cleaners
- If your machine works with these AND you have them in home, but honestly, hot water + a baking soda scrub + rinse + vinegar will do this too
α΅α΄₯α΅ Laundry Stain Remover Pre-treatment (tide pens work pretty well here tbh)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Niche fabric detergents (woolite, delicates detergent, etc)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Drain Cleaner/Liquid plunger
α΅α΄₯α΅ Citric Acid or other hardwater problem solver if you have hardwater issues
α΅α΄₯α΅ Carpet Powder
β½^β’β©β’^βΌ The Routines β½^β’β©β’^βΌ
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Daily Maintenance β‘ Because it's easier to keep clean than get clean
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Mornings:
α΅α΄₯α΅ Make the bed
- Your mom and that navy admiral guy on all of the inspirational vertical shorts accounts were correct. It starts your day off correctly with an accomplishment and it makes your room look better
α΅α΄₯α΅ If you have in unit laundry and a load, start it before class/work/etc
α΅α΄₯α΅ Do dishes as you cook or right after eating
α΅α΄₯α΅ Quick Trash check
- if it's full, smelly, wet, etc, take it out on your way out of the house
Evenings:
α΅α΄₯α΅ Switch your load from the morning into the dryer or onto a drying rack
α΅α΄₯α΅ Quick sweep of clutter and things where they don't belong back into their rightful places
α΅α΄₯α΅ Quick run through with a broom/dust mop/swiffer/stick vac (your surface level quick cleaning method for hair, crumbs, dust, and dirt)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Dishes, get that sink cleared nightly and wipe it down and a quick pass over your prep surfaces (you can literally take your wet sponge from doing dishes, wring it out, and take a hand towel after it)
- it's the same concept as making the bed in the morning, so that you start and end your day with an accomplishment
α΅α΄₯α΅ Put away any laundry you did that day, pull out and prep your outfit for the next day (iron/steam out wrinkles, hit it with a lint roller doesn't have to be perfect, doesn't even have to be starched, just presentable and not looking like you grabbed it out of the laundry pile and slept in it)
α΅α΄₯α΅ As Part of your evening hygiene routine, wipe down the bathroom sink for toothpaste worms, makeup dust, etc. Grime will build up quick in bathrooms
Keep In Mind: These are all 2β10 minute tasks, totaling about 30 minutes to an hour of maintenance per day.
Doing these small resets cuts your deeper weekly cleaning from 6β8 exhausting hours down to 2β3 manageable hours.
This isnβt about perfection.
This isnβt about being a Stepford wife.
This is about saving time, energy, and effort for Future You, so sheβs not stuck doing disaster recovery every Saturday.
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The "Adulting" Midi Cleans (1-2x weekly) β‘ for a little more heft (1 hour max in addition to above daily)
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α΅α΄₯α΅ Run the Vacuum, just... hit the open floors, should take you maybe 10 minutes per room assuming fairly large rooms, my entire apartment takes me about 20 minutes and 30 minutes if I'm wrestling with the stairs, and I only do stairs once a week
α΅α΄₯α΅ Quick scrub the toilet, just a quick inside the bowl with the toilet brush, swirl (not even 90 seconds)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Hit all the kitchen and bathroom countertops with a quick wipe without moving your knife block, spice rack, etc. (3-5 minutes a room)
These are your touch up cleans, Not your deep cleans, not your maintenance cleans
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The Weekly Reset β‘ 2-3 Hours Active Time
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Bedroom:
α΅α΄₯α΅ Sweep under the bed
α΅α΄₯α΅ Strip the bed and throw the linens in the wash (Pillowcases, sheets, duvet covers, mattress pad/protector)
- Blankets and comforters that don't have a cover should be laundered monthly, covers and sheets should be laundered weekly, and inserts should be laundered every 3-6 months
α΅α΄₯α΅ Gather any dishes that didn't get caught in the daily sweeps
α΅α΄₯α΅ Vacuum
α΅α΄₯α΅ If you have hard floors: Mop and dry with a towel (a towel under the feet works great for this and you can use your dirty towel from the bathroom)
α΅α΄₯α΅ If you have carpet: use carpet powder or baking soda on freshly vacuumed carpets and let it set while you clean the rest of the house, then vacuum again at the end
α΅α΄₯α΅ Remake the bed with clean linens (either the ones you just stripped, or a secondary set)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Wipe mirrors and surfaces
α΅α΄₯α΅ Dust frames and bookshelves
α΅α΄₯α΅ Tidy Nightstands, put books away, etc
α΅α΄₯α΅ Straighten Drawers and closet
Bathroom:
α΅α΄₯α΅ Clean Makeup and Skincare Brushes/Sponges
α΅α΄₯α΅ Launder towels, washcloths, and bathmats
α΅α΄₯α΅ wipe down toilet exterior, toilet seat, sink, and tub with lysol or bleach solution
α΅α΄₯α΅ Scrub any necessary stains away
α΅α΄₯α΅ wipe mirrors
α΅α΄₯α΅ Chemically clean toilet bowl (lysol or bleach into the bowl, then scrub with toilet brush)
Living Space/Office:
α΅α΄₯α΅ Vacuum and mop
α΅α΄₯α΅ Wipe Down Surfaces
α΅α΄₯α΅ Straighten throw blankets and throw pillows
α΅α΄₯α΅ Sort Mail into shred, address, and file
α΅α΄₯α΅ Clear your junk mail tab in your email
α΅α΄₯α΅ Empty digital and real recycle bins
α΅α΄₯α΅ Hit upholstery with a lint roller
Kitchen:
α΅α΄₯α΅ Vaccuum and Mop
α΅α΄₯α΅ Wipe Down surfaces, cooktop, and oven; move knife blocks,spice racks, and small appliances as needed
α΅α΄₯α΅ Thoroughly clean any small appliances like toasters, coffee makers, or air fryers
α΅α΄₯α΅ Wipe down sink
α΅α΄₯α΅ Check fridge for expired goods, wipe down one shelf (rotate which shelf you wipe down through the month)
α΅α΄₯α΅ Check freezer and scrape frost if necessary
α΅α΄₯α΅ Wipe the microwave out with a damp cloth if you have a microwave
Outside and Entryway:
α΅α΄₯α΅ Sweep leaves, dirt, and gravel from front step, shake out welcome mats and entry rugs
α΅α΄₯α΅ Tidy your shoe rack if you have one
α΅α΄₯α΅ If you have dogs, now is the time to clean up poop in a back yard.
α΅α΄₯α΅ Straighten up outerwear, "dump tray", and purse/bag
α΅α΄₯α΅ Check the car for random fast food trash or general clutter
Closing Words:
It's not your fault if no one taught you any of this, that's okay. I had to teach myself a lot of this, so I'm sharing this to help you learn so that you don't have to struggle through trial and error like I did. My asks are always open for your unique challenges and home keeping struggles and I hope this helped!













