House a mess-need top tips!

[NickyEds]

I feel like my house has been a mess since DS was born. That was nearly SIX MONTHS AGO. I used to work for myself at home so would finish early on a Friday and get the place spotless. Now it feels like a constant battle! I'm OK either keeping on top of little things OR doing a proper clean of a room a day but find I can't do both.

I need top tips for keeping on top of stuff. My sister keeps bin liners in the bins they go in-so when you go to change it you lift the full one out and the roll of liners is underneath it to replace it. I need more things like that please!TIA

[mameulah]

Empty the kitchen bin each night and put in the wheelie bin.

Bleach down the toilet every few days.

Bathroom wipes for the bathroom. Buy HEAPS of them out of a discount store.

Get over the idea that you can blitz the house. Our pfb ds is 18 months old and it took me ages to realise that blitzing the whole house is too difficult.

Lower your standards!

[ToFollowJulie]

Agree re: blitzing the house. I find it much easier to have a pattern of small cleaning habits which I try to do every day. Flylady is good for habit-forming but it can be a bit full-on for most people! The Flylady tips I have found most helpful are to clear the kitchen and shine your sink every night (I don't always shine the sink but I do clear everything up before I go to bed so that I can come down to a clean kitchen, ready for the day) and 'swish & swipe' which is a bathroom cleaning activity. It need only take a couple of minutes, but it encourages you to get in the habit of wiping the washbasin & toilet every morning. Useful to avoid mortification in front of an unexpected visitor!

[whereisshe]

Storage solutions. Put things in baskets, or trunks, or boxes or whatever. I find if I have enough then the tidying can be "chuck it in" rather than "neatly place it" which is what shelves etc tend to require...

[JudysPriest]

I know it's twee but I do love flylady.

Her approach is little and often which is great if you have quite a busy life.

[Singlesuzie]

I have the basics that i must do every morning

MORNING
Dishes and counters
Hang washing
Wipe bathroom basin and toilet
Hoover and mop downstairs

EVENING
Dishes and counters
Bring washing in and fold and put away
Load machine with next wash and set to come on early next morning.
Wipe bathroom basin and toilet.

[mameulah]

Only have a few toys and books out. Toddlers don't need all of everything all at once. And it makes it novel if you rotate it now and again.