How do you organise housework?

[NeatFreak]

Title says it all really- I'm struggling to keep up with our recently extended house and three young dc and an imminent return to work!

Do you do room by room, upstairs then downstairs on different days? Or vacuum the whole house one day, clean the bathrooms all at once and mop all hard floors in one go? Or get everything out and do each room individually? I do washing most days but normally end up with a huge backlog of clean stuff waiting to be put away or ironed!

Please share your routines ( and for those who will suggest a cleaner that is something I will consider when I'm back at work!)

[LilllyLovesLife]

I am going to be watching with interest! I am massively struggling too, and always have done. We are expecting baby number 4 and dreading the extra stress of more cleaning/washing/jobs and I don't want to feel like that - I want to look forward to having my baby!

[LilllyLovesLife]

I am going to be watching with interest! I am massively struggling too, and always have done. We are expecting baby number 4 and dreading the extra stress of more cleaning/washing/jobs and I don't want to feel like that - I want to look forward to having my baby!

[2madboys]

I do bathrooms (3) on one day, dust/Hoover/tidy on another and do a wash overnight on several nights to put in dryer in the morning. Ironing mostly on Sunday afternoons and the everyone puts their own stuff away. Seems like a waste of time to get Hoover out several times to do different rooms. I'm also using Flylady a bit to help witha few extra jobs and decluttering for 10/15 mins a day.

[Magix]

I'd love to know ! I can get my house looking clean and tidy but I cannot maintain it ! Especially with a very active boisterous 16mo ds and working shifts ! I definitely need more organisational skills when it comes to housework !

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Ok this is what i do in the order i do it

Every morning;
Dishes, counters + table
Bathroom
Dust living room
Hoover hall, living room, bathroom (ours is down stairs) and kitchen
Mop all above rooms

When dc's get home;
Put uniforms in machine and switch on
Empty and wash water bottles/lunch boxes

Every evening after dinner;
Take dry washing down off airer
Hang wet wash
Load next wash in machine
Iron an fold clean washing
Put away

Before bed;
Spray and wipe bathroom sink and toilet an bleach in loo
Throw hand towel in washing machine

I have a hairy shedding dog with mucky tendencies so hoovering and mopping has to be done daily downstairs.

Upstairs is done once a week.

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Also have a shoes off and food in the kitchen only rule.

[NeatFreak]

I do have a shoes off rule and food is only eaten at the table. The dc empty lunch boxes and water bottles every night and normally help clear the table and dh does a lot but also works long hours.
On an average day I will clean the kitchen, run the dishwasher, sweep the hall, cloakroom and kitchen and so a general tidy. 2-3 times a week I wash or vacuum all the floors, dust and wipe down the bathrooms (x4). Once a week I try to deep clean the bathrooms, vacuum upstairs and do ironing. Kitchen work tops and table are always clear before going to bed. It's just the order of doing everything that I struggle with- I can never get the whole house looking clean and tidy at the same time! I think maybe I should have a schedule I.e Mondays mean wash floors throughout, Tuesday vacuum throughout, Wednesday clean bathrooms etc. but then what happens if there is a mess on a carpet on a Friday?!

Maybe I'm over thinking it but I need to get control of it!

[TeaOneSugar]

I do fly lady but in my own way, I could never do the whole thing without giving up work, but I use the principles.

Basically one evening a week (when dd is at guides), I give the house a once through but very superficially, for example I vacuum every room but I don't use the edge tool or move anything to vacuum behind, I only dust horizontal surfaces etc. Fly lady calls it a home blessing.

On top of that I have a short list of things to do everyday, which I do as I go along, so I'll give the bathroom a wipe while I'm in there getting ready for bed, wipe the kitchen work surfaces and steam mop the kitchen floor after dinner.

Then every week one room gets special attention, I'll vacuum properly, clean the windows etc. this isn't hours of work just what I manage to get done. depending on what's happening at work and DHs shifts I'll do a second room.

Saturdays I strip and remake the beds.

The house is far from immaculate, but I don't panic when the doorbell rings which is my barometer of whether I'm comfortable with the current state of the house. When you work outside the home and have dc people should take you as they find you.

[Sixpencenonethericher]

I find the fly lady thread on money saving expert really good now I need to actually do it instead of reading about it lol

[TeaOneSugar]

I even bought the fly lady book, much more entertaining than actually don't it