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AIBU?

AIBU to f***ing hate cleaning? Help!

40 replies

Ibloodyhatethomasthetankengine · 02/10/2016 09:04

First-timer here, but hoping for some MN advice. Like most people, I absolutely love having a clean and tidy house - but, I just hate the act of cleaning it. I'm useless at it - It takes me about three times as long as anyone else seems to and it lasts all of about ten seconds before the kids manage to make everything in it sticky. It's become a bit of a running joke for DH and DP/DPILs that it takes me so long. I can't tell if I hate cleaning because I'm not very efficient at it, or if I'm not very good at it because I hate it. Goes without saying; no chance of us getting a cleaner in.....

I need some MN wisdom in terms of how I can make it either a) more fun or b) quicker. Any tips?

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Soyouare2faced · 02/10/2016 09:10

I don't think anyone can be bothered. I too love a tidy clean home, I'm slightly obsessed with Flash concentrated all purpose cleaner, I use it for everything and it has cut my cleaning time and everything is sparking.

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Soyouare2faced · 02/10/2016 09:10

Also maybe just pop some music on you like and crack on

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Ibloodyhatethomasthetankengine · 02/10/2016 09:18

Thanks Soyou - will check that out. Music - good shout - I might set myself a time limit, put on some gym gear, hammer through it and make it like a workout. Will then save myself the agony of feeling cr*p about myself every week for - again - not getting to the gym (about 5 years and counting now....) :)

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TheProblemOfSusan · 02/10/2016 09:22

Have you heard of the Pomodoro Technique? You can use it for all sorts of stuff - there's a whole method if you Google it, but basically here's the jist.

Set a timer for 20 minutes. Do the thing as hard as you can for 20 minutes. Then have 5 minutes break, piddle on phone, whatever. Then 20 minutes. If you need four lots of 20 minutes, have a 15 minute break for a cuppa or whatever.

If you're on a roll, carry on after the timer, but I find that the breaks help me get back to it. Works for all kinds of annoying tasks that you procrastinate on.

Also, cleaning sucks and I hate it too. Make your partner/kids help if they're so keen on taking the piss.

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TroysMammy · 02/10/2016 09:23

I hate cleaning too. I find I do more if I "accidentally" leave my kindle in work. No distractions like Mumsnet and Facebook then.

I have the notion that if my kitchen and bathroom are clutter free and clean then the rest of the house is too Smile

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HappyHeart87 · 02/10/2016 09:28

I agree that good products make it a lot easier. I've started using cleaning wipes for the bathroom rather than fannying around with cloths and sponges etc. and no longer hate hate hate it.

How are your clutter levels? Again, I've found an aggressive anti-clutter strategy has reduced cleaning heartache.

Then there are little tricks that help you keep on top of it on a day to day basis so that it's not one massive job on a cleaning day. Never go up or downstairs without something in your hands to return / tidy away where it belongs; use TV ad breaks as a 2 minute blitz time (involve DC); have decent storage (baskets & drawer dividers from Ikea) that allows everything to have an obvious 'place'. Those are all MN copyright, btw, can't claim any credit.

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IzzyIsBusy · 02/10/2016 09:28

My mum is the only person i know who loves cleaning. Strange women she is, she also irons socks and underware Hmm

I have so far washed up and put a load in the washing machine.
I still need to hoover and put away the mountain of clean laundry that has taken over my bedroom. I dont want to do it and am on my 4th coffee in an attempt to avoid it.

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Strikingclock · 02/10/2016 09:38

Yes you can't clean clutter - it's boring and time consuming to have to move lots of "stuff" around - much quicker and easier for everything to have its place and to be able to sweep through main areas quickly. (My house is old and fairly cluttered btw so I need to take my own advice!)

I know some people swear by the combination of a chargeable lead-free hoover and one of those bucket free mops that stores the water\detergent in the handle.

Also, are you being too much of a perfectionist perhaps? Jobs done in short focused bursts of activity on a regular basis tend to lead to a better result than one huge purge done only rarely.

Finally, you might consider Flylady who recommends incorporating cleaning routines in to your normal daily life in short bursts until they eventually become second nature.

(You are welcome to join this month's fledgling thread in housekeeping.)

Good luck!

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tibbawyrots · 02/10/2016 09:39

As a PP mentioned, get some music on.
Don't go up or downstairs empty handed.
Declutter if you need to - it's easier to wipe a counter top if there's no crap on it! :)

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ShebaQueen · 02/10/2016 09:44

I agree with happy, it's much easier if you don't let things get to a point where a cleaning blitz is required. I don't enjoy housework at all so I try to keep on top of things, clearing as I go and always tidy the lounge and kitchen before I go to bed. I also have a routine for bigger jobs and tackle these in chunks.

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Ibloodyhatethomasthetankengine · 02/10/2016 09:48

Ahhh thanks everyone! Relieved to hear I'm not the only one who hates it as I was beginning to wonder - It's just chaos with toddlers....I recently found a skinless (and very browned) banana stuffed into the end of a nerf gun which would explain some very questionable 'smears' I kept finding on the walls. My MIL seems to think I should be cleaning all the toys far more regularly. I described to her recently a friend of mine who spends two hours EACH NIGHT bleaching the toys her DCs have played with that day, and when I said I had no idea how she found the time and that it seemed excessive, MIL told me 'Well, Mums just find the time'.

My DM has a particular issue with my lack of exemplary ironing (I am an avid fan of the 'tumble dryer and shake' technique) and has revealed this week that I 'won't have to worry about it much longer' as she's bought me a £300 iron (WTF? I didn't even know these existed) for Christmas.

I had no (repeatable) words......

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wheresthel1ght · 02/10/2016 09:48

I am with the previous posters saying music and declutter.

Declutter here is a nightmare as dp is a complete hoarder but have taken to boxing up his shit and dumping it in his garage - he then moans that it's a mess and he can't work ergo I get to say "well how do you think I feel when it's dumped all over the house" he shuts up and we are all happy-ish Grin

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Oysterbabe · 02/10/2016 09:51

I'm the same, bloody hate it and can't be arsed.

Have a look at this site. It's about doing housework in 10 minute bursts.

www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/

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CantChoose · 02/10/2016 10:00

Erm, if your DH, DM and PIL find it so hilarious they can make jokes about it, I suggest they come round and do it for you instead - giggling the whole time, presumably. Sorted.

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Ibloodyhatethomasthetankengine · 02/10/2016 10:05

Agreed cantchoose - thank you. Think they just see it as one of my (many) 'quirks' Hmm

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Pineapplemilkshake · 02/10/2016 10:22

I hate it too. I've found that decluttering and having the house tidy helps to create the illusion of cleanliness!

I tend to focus on the most important rooms i.e. Kitchen and bathrooms by giving them a quick 5 min blitz after e.g. making a meal or having a shower. I can't remember the last time I dusted around the living room or bedrooms though, maybe DP is doing it, who knows, but it looks ok

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ijustdontknowanymore · 02/10/2016 10:26

Totally with Oyster. Unfuckyourhabitat is fab!

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ItsJustNotRight · 02/10/2016 10:26

I hate cleaning but not as much as DH hates sticky, tacky surfaces. I found the only way to prevent it was to keep DC sat down when eating/drinking and never let them wander around with drinks, biscuits etc and wipe them down (DC) when finished. Also agree with the timer thing, pick a job that needs doing and set a time to have it done, e.g kitchen 15 mins. It's also useful to break that down to specific tasks, wash up, clear draining board, empty dishwasher, sweep floor etc so you know exactly what you need to do rather than a vague tidy up. If DC leave stuff everywhere use the bin bag approach just gather everything up and stick it in a bin bag. After about six weeks the house will be more or less tidy all the time as they won't have any stuff left. About this point though they may actually begin to miss things! Filter the stuff out of the bags a few at a time keeping most of it out of the way and swap it over occasionally. Stay out of the house as much as possible if you can.

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justdontevenfuckingstart · 02/10/2016 10:28

Me and the oh had a talk the other night whilst drinking wine and smoking fags and decided we preferred that to cleaning. We'd love a tidy clean house but settled on fags and wine and us instead. We do what we have to do. don't get me wrong we don't live in a hovel but it's really not the end of the world is it?

Oh AIBU?

No.

I fucking hate cleaning.

Grin

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DoYouRememberJustinBobby · 02/10/2016 10:33

This will sound weird but the only thing that gets me up and focused for cleaning is watching cleaning routine videos on YouTube. I find a playlist, watch two or 3 then let the rest play whilst I get on with it.

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Sackmagique · 02/10/2016 10:38

Do people bleach toys? Is that a thing?!!!!

Agree with others, Unfuck your Habitat is perfect for people like us!

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Graceflorrick · 02/10/2016 10:42

You need a place for everything, then it's just a car of putting everything away.

I also hate clutter, so once everything is away my house in completely minimalist.

Mine gets messy at times too, but it only takes 30 minutes to reorganise - I clean immediately as required so it never builds up.

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yummycake123 · 02/10/2016 10:57

I don't like cleaning either but it has to be done...
What we do is we have a mid week vacuum clean/mopping and clean the bathroom and kitchen. Usually on a Wednesday. We wipe kitchen tops and tidy toys/mess daily, in the evenings.
Then on Saturday morning we go on a cleaning frenzy: thorough bathroom cleaning, vacuum clean everything, mop all floors, tidy up all rooms, dust. Takes about 2 hours but after that it's all done.

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Pagwatch · 02/10/2016 11:07

I hate cleaning.
I use Netflix on my iPad, audiobooks and music.
I use a timer too. It makes me concentrate for some reason.

I also do a list of four jobs to do first so I don't end up getting distracted by cleaning out the coats cupboard or something equally pointless.

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SpringerS · 02/10/2016 11:11

I absolutely hate, hate, hate cleaning. Sometimes I'm just washing up and about halfway through it I absolutely lose the will to live. I listen to music and find 80s playlists the best because they tend to have a fast beat, are up beat and easy to sing along to and DS loves them, so he will often come join me in singing and 'help' with the cleaning, so he's less likely to keep dragging me off to do something else.

Though the thing I find most helpful when cleaning is to listen to an audio book. If I get hooked on the story I can push on with cleaning because I want to hear what happens next. It's useful for doing a big clean but I need DS to be elsewhere because it just doesn't work when I have a 3yo wanting me every few minutes. I have to get stuck into the 'room of shame' that is soon to his bedroom next week, so I'll have to pick a really good book to listen to.

Funnily enough last week, DS made a big mess before bed and I was explaining to him that it made me angry and sad because now I'd have to clean it up. He looked at me really perplexed and said, 'but you love cleaning mummy!'

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