House cleaning routine needed

[HadABadDay2014]

I always let my house get so bad it takes 6-7 hours to get it looking tidy.

DC and my bedrooms was done yesterday as was the bathroom.

Cleaned my kitchen cupboards and booked my cooker to be cleaned.

Tomorrow was thinking of doing nets and windows.

Still got my wardrobe, under the stairs and gas meter cupboard to sort which will be done as soon as I can.

[AnnieIncognito]

I have no ideas OP, but I am watching because I am a complete slattern when it comes to housework. I even downloaded the Home Routines app (which is great) but I just ignore it now.

[onepieceoflollipop]

I manage to get most tasks done (to a reasonable standard) in 10 minute chunks. e.g. hoover one room or change one bed, or wash one floor. Each of these 10 minutes approximately. I do a load of laundry 4-5 times a week.
Then every few weeks I do a couple of bigger jobs (e.g. proper clean of shower cubicle, or clean out one cupboard thoroughly)
My biggest tip is to declutter all the time. A big declutter to start with, then at least once a month. Stuff like shredding old admin/letters. Passing on outgrown clothes. Every item of clothing dh or I gets we try to get rid of an old unused one.

[AnnieIncognito]

I don't know you onepieceoflollipop but I dislike you immensely. That comes entirely from envy at your home organizational skills and is not personal in the slightest. Just thought you should know.

[onepieceoflollipop]

My organisational skills are born out of laziness. 10 minutes here and there of cleaning and I then spend hours reading, drinking wine and eating biscuits! :)

[SlatternMissesherGrumpyCat]

Onepiece - that is the best motivation for a cleaning routine I have EVER heard. I might print that off and put it on the fridge.

[Daisybell1]

I've had to try and face this recently (my work g hours are increasing, OH works 7 days a week and is pretty inept in the housework department.

Daily
Unload dishwasher
Reload through the day
Check bin bag and take out recycling
Sweep away toys (and I mean sweep into box)
Clear worktops and table

On non - work days
Load of washing

Weekly
Hoover
Steam mop kitchen and bathroom
clean loo

Now I'm probably just showing that my house is a hovel but I find with doing this small amount it's presentable enough for visiting sales reps etc.

My parents are visiting soon and i'm not cleaning in advance, im going to make them help me! Oh yes, I have no shame...

[arlenelm]

Cleaning can be a very tiresome job and can create a lot of confusions like what to do next, how to do,how much to do, what I haven’t done and so many of them.In order to keep house cleaning under control, I make a small checklist on what all to do and make sure all of them are checked. I may need to edit the list sometimes, but still I feel it is a good way to go. I make a list for daily ,weekly and monthly jobs. It makes all kind of cleaning jobs under control. Also decide a specific time to each job and try maximum to do the job within that time. I have been doing this for past few months and so far it works very well for me.

I like what onepieceoflollipop has said, do the cleaning as fast as possible and then do whatever you like. Great thinking.

[mrsmopps]

I do a quick clean of the whole house every day (surfaces, mop floor, wipe bathroom) and tidy as we go. takes me about 45 mins a day and I think it eliminates the need for a really good clean.
hoovering gets done every second day and washing/ironing when required.
I hoover edges of carpets and do skirtings every 4-6 weeks and try to clean windows once every 2 weeks but not always.
Big jobs like inside cupboards and oven get done when I can be bothered

[thereisnoeleventeen]

I take the lazy approach and take every short cut I can. It seems to work as the house is fairy presentable a couple of friends have commented that it 'always' looks so tidy (it doesn't all of the time imo).

I got rid of as many nets as possible and have just kept a nice voile in one window, the rest of the windows I ditched as they collected the dust. I clean the windows with the DC's as they are young enough to enjoy 'helping'.

The biggest thing is de-cluttering, I had a massive de-clutter about 2 years ago and have remained strict ever since. Pretty much everything has a home which made life a lot easier. If something is not getting used then it goes to the charity shop/ebay whatever, either way it does not hang about for long!

Toys are kept in the DC's bedrooms and I have 1 of those plastic bucket trugs that you can buy at garden centers, toys do end up downstairs but once the bucket is full I take it up put the toys away again.

I do a wash load a day and the aim is to have the washing machine on, dishwasher emptied and sides in the kitchen cleaned before we leave for school.

Before I go to bed the downstairs is hoovered, kitchen sides are clean, sink is clean and the dishwasher is on. If I have the energy I give an extra hoover to get rid of cobwebs/dust/skirting board grim/top of curtain dust.

I do a proper floor mop once a month or so, the rest of the time I do chunks of the floor as needed with those disposable floor wipes (or with bits of old t-shirts/clothes that have died). I do the loo with loo wipes and wash the bathroom sink while the DC's are it the bath.

Very occasionally I'll have a deep clean day where I might sort out the kitchen or one of the bedrooms or whatever. I don't like a strict routine and occasionally I let the house go to complete ruin if there are too many good days/visits with friends that cannot be re-arranged or missed.

[pleaseaffixstamps]

I've found the Unfuck Your Habitat website and general principles quite helpful (I am not naturally houseproud, and their tagline is “Terrifying motivation for lazy people with messy homes.” ): www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/

The key thing that they push is that 20 minutes tidying can make a hell of a difference, and that doing a little bit and taking a break is a much more sustainable method than trying to do a huge clean and tidy-up all at once.

I've found this to be true. I look at my bedroom and it's horrifying, but if I just aim to do one surface, then it's manageable.

[SquidgersMummy]

Funnily enough I booked a cleaner - then did a massive declutter and tidy before she came to look round out of sheer shame. That process has meant it now takes minutes to tidy away in every room apart from the kitchen which is where all the junk ends up. My biggest job now seems to be folding and putting washing away. So def do a mega ruthless declutter. Everything must have a place or go. Book someone like a scathing MIL to come and visit to give you a deadline. I still use a cleaner when it gets manky but I just don't need her every week. The process of decluttering was the biggest help as it then takes a few mins to clean. The biggest job really is putting everything away. X

[TinkerbellTrains]

My housework routine works around daily life so it doesn't feel like I'm constantly doing it.

Dishwasher unloaded while sipping my coffee and the dc eating breakfast.
Load breakfast dishes and wipe down sides straight after breakfast.
Give bathroom and toilet a quick wipe over while supervising children getting washed/teeth brushed.
Make dc beds and open blinds while supervising them getting dressed.
Wipe over en-suite after my shower, make bed and open blinds while getting dressed.
Put wet washing out. Put slow cooker on if needed.
Then I do 15/20mins doing a different thing each day, wiping down skirtings & doors, wiping down kitchen cupboards, dusting all furniture, hoovering whole house, washing bedding. Depending on the day (whether at home or taking a quick break to take ds2 to kindy) I'm done by 8.30am

Load dishes and wipe sides after lunch.

Each evening before dinner the dc grab a basket and load it with whatever crap toys have made their way to the living room and they put it all away in the playroom (carpeted garage minus car)

After dinner (with DP) load dishwasher & turn on, wipe down sides, quick sweep, change cloths. Take bin out.

Before bed put laundry on to wash overnight.

Saturday morning: scrub bathroom properly inc floors
Sunday: scrub en-suite properly inc floors.

Once a month or so we'll spend a whole morning (DP & I) washing inside windows and moving furniture to Hoover under and sorting through paperwork. We'll also get any other odd jobs done that need doing.

I probably spend between 1 & 2hrs a day doing just housework in 3/4/5 manageable chunks.

The key is definitely cleaning as you go. Since I started doing this our house has stayed much more manageable.