I need help to maintain a routine

[CeliaFate]

I work part time but still find it a struggle to keep on top of the housework. It's a 6 bed, 4 bath, 3 receptions - not stealth boasting, just the facts so you don't think I'm a lazy cow . Everywhere always looks cluttered and grubby no matter how much I clean and tidy.

What would you do as a routine? I find I keep the downstairs clean but it takes a good 4 hours. The upstairs tends to get ignored until it's desperate.

We have wooden floors which are a gigantic pain in the arse as they show every hair and crumb so I end up hoovering 3 times a week. I've just mopped it (for the first time in a month ) and it's taking forever.

We used to have a cleaner when I worked full time, but can't afford it regularly now. I need a system.

HELP!

[Paintyourbox]

How about having a cleaning company in to do a one off deep clean then starting a routine? Otherwise you may be continually fire-fighting rather than getting on top of the problem.

We are between cleaners just now and I find that a routine whereby I do the same tasks on the same days each week is really helpful. It's taken a while to get to this point and firstly I did a massive de-clutter to make sure I am not just cleaning junk that we don't need. Also tidy things away as you use them, each night before bed I whip round and tidy away any clutter from the rooms of the house. That means that cleaning time is actually spent cleaning and not tidying things away!

My routine is like this:

Daily tasks: clean kitchen surfaces, sweep kitchen floor, load/unload dishwasher and clean toilets (quick bleach and whizz round with toilet brush.)

Monday: wash DD clothes, clean kitchen

Tuesday: wash towels, clean bathroom and downstairs wc

Wednesday: wash my clothes, clean reception rooms

Thursday: change all bedding and clean bedrooms

Friday: wash dp clothes, clean out fridge and do an online shop

Saturday: Hoover and dust entire house, ironing

Sunday: rest day

I also invested in a few things to help e.g. A mini Hoover which is great for little spills when you don't want to do the whole room, a decent iron to make ironing quick, cleaning products in the rooms where they are required (e.g. Bathroom cleaning stuff in each bathroom etc) so I am not traipsing up and down to get products. Microfibre cloths are great for everything and remove dust fantastically!

HTH

[Paintyourbox]

FWIW all of the looks like a massive amount of work but once you get things up and running it all becomes quite quick.

I am an inherently lazy person and would rather spend my weekends having fun and my evenings in front of the tv or reading a magazine than cleaning and tidying. I find that doing these bits every day keeps on top of things without having to spend a mammoth amount of time on cleaning!

[amarylisnightandday]

Yy to cleaning stuff in the rooms already. Kitchen roll in the bathrooms- I wipe the floor post shower/kids bath etc
Tidy up and clean as you go is what I do - turning it in to a job and delaying it makes it worse.
K am a bit mental about stuff like this but I don't like to let things get gross before I clean. I do a full wipe down in the kitchen every night and our everything away.
The rooms you live in should be prioritised and u will feel less stressed. Clean living room and kitchen no matter what. The rest can wait.
I find some kind of clutter receptacle in each room is helpful. For example there's a small tou basket in the living room. Dd can bring tous in but at the end of the day they are flung into the basket and dumped back in her playroom - no exceptions as she can get them out again.

[OhThisIsJustGrape]

It's easier for me as I'm a SAHM but my house is a similar size to yours but with one less bedroom.

Every day I clean:
the kitchen morning and evening - this means wiping surfaces, cleaning tiles behind the sink, cooker hob, kitchen table, empty bins. Sweep floor and mop.
Dining room - wipe table, sweep floor, mop if needed
Bedrooms - make beds, scoop up washing
Playroom - wipe table, clean French doors (constantly covered in sticky hand prints), bin any bits of paper/snotty tissues which always seem to be left lying around, sweep floor
Hallway - sweep floor
Bathrooms - hang up towels, squirt of bleach in toilet, quick wipe of sinks
Living room - sort out sofa cushions, take out any toys that should be in playroom, bin any newspapers etc

Washing machine goes on as soon as I get up, then straight into dryer, fold and put away. I iron twice a week, theres never a lot to do as it's only really stuff that can't be tumble dried that needs it. Usually do 2 or 3 loads a day.

Once a week, usually a over a Thurs and Fri I:
Clean all the bathrooms Inc mopping the floors, wash towels
Clean kitchen cupboard fronts, all wall tiles, fridge
Wipe Walls down and skirting boards
Vacumn house thoroughly Inc all the cobwebs on ceilings!
Wash all the floors (only rooms with carpets are the bedrooms and main living room so we have a lot of wooden floors!)
Dust surfaces in all the rooms
Chuck out any clutter/random bits of paper/general crap
Wash bedding

It sounds a lot but daily it takes probably an hour, maybe a little more, doing the above stuff. I then have to keep on top of it during the day and I feel as though I'm constantly sorting/folding washing! The weekly jobs take longer, I hate cleaning the bathrooms but can do all 4 in about an hour and a quarter.

I too hate doing housework in evenings and weekends, I still need to do the daily tasks at weekends but doing the thorough clean through at the end of the week usually means the house survives with minimal intervention on a sat and Sunday lol.

I'd be even more organised if I didn't have a toddler following me around all day undoing all my good work - it's like shovelling snow in a blizzard here at times!

[CeliaFate]

Some great advice here, thanks!

[amarylisnightandday]

Wipe down walks?? That's hardcore