To just do the house at weekends

[Poisongirl81]

I work full time so does OH. 2 kids.

All I seem to do at weekends is clean. I work and clean that is my life. OH helps but we seem to have so much to get through.

I just feel there must be more to life than this, at the same time I can't stand a dirty house.

Anyone else?

[nowifi]

I don't even get time to do it at weekends I don't know how anyone does! I've given up the best I can hope for at the moment is clean clothes and a semi clean bathroom!

[Metoodear]

I work pt I have a cleaner and I still have loads or ironing at the weekends and cleaning I feel your pain

[NancyDonahue]

Can you manage any time at all during the week, 20 minutes a day? You could start a system

Loos on Monday
Sinks on Tuesday
Hoover Wednesday
Mop Thursday
Change beds Friday

If not, what is sucking your time? Can you batch cook to make mid week meals quicker?

[PurpleDaisies]

What do you mean “OH helps”? Is it not his house too?

It’s hard to get it all done. I miss our cleaner. I do find doing 20 mins a day through the week helps keep on top of the mess.

[Jesuisleloup]

Op : I’m with you on this . I’m desperately wondering what I can juggle to afford a cleaner. Sometimes I do bits during the week but I’m always left with a pile of clothes to sort at the weekend and a messy kitchen. Some weeks I Cope with it better then others .

Definitely need to arrange a cleaner for my mental health more than anything

[Poisongirl81]

things like the loo I do every day as with 2 boys it gets rather horrible.

I try and do a little in the evening but by the time I have finished I just can't be bothered.

It's really getting me down.

I'm glad it's not just me. if I could get up earlier that would help but I get up at 7am anyway.

[BoxsetsAndPopcorn]

I do mine in the week, the only things we do at weekends are the laundry and cooking/washing up.

If kept on top of, it doesn't take long each day and means a break at weekends.

[PumpkinPie2016]

I feel your pain! The weeks are so hectic that is barely time to do anything and I am exhausted after work!

Hoping to have a big declutter/clean over the summer hols and then try to get a bit of a Rota system going.

[MissMarplesKnitting]

The organised mum method!

Once it's established it's a doddle. Everything done during the week, weekends off. I tend to catch up on washing a bit then, but it's definitely helped us.

[PurpleDaisies]

How does it work missmarples? I decluttered everything to the bare minimum but it still needs cleaning. I can’t believe housework is a doddle.

[Teacherlikemisstrunchball]

One of the deals when I went full time is that we got a cleaner. Is that an option? We have one fortnightly and they do an amazing job. It also means we have to do a PROPER tidy up in all rooms, at least every two weeks. At the weekends all we have to do is clothes washing and we just keep surfaces clean and bleach the loos every day or so.

[redexpat]

I try to have the kitchen tidy before I go to bed everyday. That helps.

What is it that is taking so much time? Is it actually cleaning or tidying? If its tidying then you need to tjink about how much stuff you have, where you use it and where you keep it. Read Marie Kondos book for help on cutting down on stuff.

[XiCi]

If you can find the money get a cleaner.. I have 3hrs every other week and it's makes such a difference

[Bluntness100]

Can you afford a cleaner? Say two hours a week at an average of ten pounds an hour?

We have one and she's a god send. I've had a cleaner for 26 years now. You just then need to keep on top of it for the rest of the time.

[Anniegetyourgun]

What... every weekend?

[MissMarplesKnitting]

It's an 8 week system but works on you doing these each day (i don't do them all, but manage most): vac high traffic areas, loos, wipe sinks, do a load of washing/put yesterday's away.

Then each day there's 30 minutes 'level 2' jobs. So Monday is lounge day, Tuesdays is bedrooms etc. Friday there's a "Friday focus" on a particular place on the 8 week rotation.

You have to be fairly sorted before you start (or do the bootcamp!) But it works. I set a timer, and if this week the mirror and glass gets ignored in the lounge and I run out of time then I prioritise that next week.

Idea is by Friday night each room has had attention and you can have weekend off.

I have to admit, bedroom Tuesday gets the better of me, but I need to bootcamp. I tend to do ours and hoover/dust but the kids rooms need more time but I do that on my day off.

It's all about being your 'future friend' and getting organised and prepared. Slow cooker meal recipes are on the blog, as are hacks.

It's genuinely helped me get my house far cleaner.

[BackforGood]

No.
You must be over cleaning. It can't take 2 people x 2 days to clean the house every weekend.

[cardibach]

What cleaning are you doing OP? A whole weekend for an average size family home seems a lot - as PPs have said, a cleaner can do the place in a couple of hours. Are there jobs you could do less often or not at all?

[BigPinkBall]

You need to drop your standards, I do a thorough clean if I’ve got guests coming to stay, only do a thorough clean of the living room and bathroom if someone’s coming for coffee and otherwise it’s a quick hoover and wipe over at the weekend.

[halfwitpicker]

I'm the same as nowifi.

[userabcname]

We have a cleaner once a week who does a thorough clean of bathroom and kitchen and vacuums whole house once a week. In between, we do 'top ups' but nothing major e.g. will vacuum living room as that's where DS crawls around but not too fussed about upstairs unless something gets spilled; put dishwasher on everyday and a quick wipe-down but nothing major in kitchen. Laundry is loaded and dried regularly but nothing is ironed unless for a wedding / interview / formal occasion. I can honestly say I spend a very small proportion of my weekend cleaning.

[LM1970]

Apologises if this comes across judgey, I don’t mean it to.

Can you not do anything during the week OP? I spend no more than an hour in the evening cleaning- come home from work put a laundry load in to wash/dry and fold, prep dinner and while it’s cooking I’ll do some cleaning. Tea, fill dishwasher and hang laundry/put load on to dry and fold put away . DC in bed and chill! I’m always sat down in front of the TV no later than 8pm -usually with a -. Mornings I fill the dishwasher again, fold laundry and put a load on to wash before work while I’m doing breakfast etc. It does massively help that I have DH who will do it if I’m busy with DC.

Monday and Thursdays I do bathrooms x3 (clean loo sink and bath, wipe down glass surfaces, mop and replace towels). Tuesdays and Fridays I do the living rooms (clean under sofas, get rid of clutter, dust and wipe down mirrors) and I hoover all communal areas daily and obviously keep up with mess in the kitchen. Wednesday is ironing night.

We do have a cleaner who comes for 3 hours a week- does the beds, hoovers the entire house, cleans kitchen. Friday I will usually do a weekly shop but if I can’t be arsed then DH goes very early Saturday morning

It can be hard and tiring/feel like I don’t catch my breath in the week but want my weekends to be spent doing things I enjoy!

[Sciurus83]

Life is too short, get a cleaner if you work full time

[Itchytights]

I clean my house. A lot. I work and I have children.

Don’t want a badge for it but I just get on with it.

It really isn’t that hard.

[mononoaware1907]

We do ours every Thursday, but other mini tasks during the week (laundry, ironing, changing bed sheets, cleaning bath tub+ toilet+ sink). Also tidying. When we start cleaning we make sure everything is tidy and there are no dishes in the sink. He helps me, more than help actually, more a 50%, so usually it takes about 2.5 hours. If we start at 17.30 when we usually get home, we'd finish by 20;00, which to us, is great.

We used to do a full clean on a Saturday, until I realised weekends are for something completely different than cleaning.