I am not a neat freak at all. But here is how I keep the place "clean." I was told that it is easier to keep a house clean than to get it there in the first place. So, every evening before I get on the PC at home, I spend 10 minutes doing "clean" stuff. Dishes done, vacuum a couple of rooms, shred mail, make a trash run, store magazines, art crap etc, clean up the computer test bench of trash. Something simple, yet visible. Then on the last Sunday of the month I set aside at least two hours and go to town. I mop the floors, dust the ceiling fans, scrub the sinks and toilets if they need it, spray the tub and wipe it out, basically make the place sparkle.

- if I suspect that no one has ever come out and cleaned the dryer duct itself in the 5 years the dryer's been in the house and in use, like, how urgent is it that I try and get that to happen?

Are your clothes not getting dry in the dryer? Or is the dryer working fine? If everything is good, eh. I have a vent that has multiple kinks and bends in it and I've cleaned it out once in the last 7-8 years. It was not that bad then. I took a shop vac with a long hose and sucked out all the stuff stuck to the sides that I could see. On a scale of 1-10 this is about a 2 IMO.

- what are chores that are easy to miss or overlook that I may not realize I'm missing?

Go through the freezer and throw out the shit in there that is old. If it is almost old (as in month away from expiration date) use it asap. The stuff in the back of the fridge that has turned into a science experiment also needs to go. I do this myself about every quarter or so. All you need is 20 minutes and an empty trash can. If the item is not labeled, or you cannot recall when you bought it, pitch it. If it has.... growth... on it throw it out.

- These crazy cleaning websites are telling me I should be dusting, vacuuming, doing laundry, and cleaning bathrooms on a daily basis. Even if that might be an ideal recommendation, I feel like in practice...does that happen?

Do you have pets? lots of people in the house? Then yea I can see that. I use HEPPA filters to fight the evil Ohio Valley Allergens so I have much less dust and dirt in the house as a consequence. A friend of mine has two dogs that shed their weight every week and he has to vacuum daily or else he lives in a cave of dog hair. 30 mins a day is a lot, but that depends on your situation as well.

WHAT THE FUCK CAN I DO ABOUT THE SHOWER DRAIN PLEASE.

OxyClean. Yea, this stuff. And yes, it is basically pool cleaner with a good marketing campaign behind it. But I swear, it works. Get a container that can hold about a gallon of water. Fill to 2/3 with HOT water. Put two scoops of that stuff in the water and use it to clean your tub with a sponge or a brush to remove any stains or dirt in the tub. Let it sit for a few. Then run the water and use your sponge/brush to clean off the cleaner leaving a nice shiny clean tub in its wake. The tub will be clean and that stuff will also clean the shower drain. I also use this stuff to clean toilets and sinks as I hate having tons of cleaning crap in the house; one big tub of this stuff lasts quite a while and you can use it on just about everything. The only other cleaning supply you really need is vinegar for windows, glass, etc.

And then any other tips plz.

Stop watching that Martha Steward shit and just make your space yours. The Home and Garden shows are evil. People don't live in a museum; they live in a space that gets used and using a space will make it not perfect. The sheets won't match, the pictures won't be perfectly square, the toilet water won't be the perfect shade of blue (yea, I saw this on a commercial once?!??!?) and in general your place will most likely not look like a magazine spread or a TV show. Keep things neat, make sure you can find all your stuff, and make your area comfortable.