Arghhh! Are you managing to stay on top of housework?

[crazychemist]

Looking around my house today...... and it looks awful. I’m 24 weeks pregnant with twins and I have a 3 year old. Fortunately very little work to do at the moment (I’m a teacher). The house looked pretty good (by my standards at least!) until this week, but I found the heatwave absolutely exhausting and just couldn’t stay on top of things. Today I feel much better, but it feels like too much to get on top of!

Any tips for getting started? There’s very little in the way of washing up or washing that needs doing, but it’s too messy to vacuum and just thinking about tackling it makes me feel exhausted!

Would also be greatly comforted to hear that other people have found being pregnant in the heat hard, I’m feeling a bit pathetic and useless. Also slightly panicking about how ill cope when I’ve got newborn twins here if I can’t stay on top of things when I’ve only got one 3yo to deal with!

[crazychemist]

Ok, just me being useless then!

[user1493413286]

I got a cleaner when I was pregnant as I just couldn’t keep on top of it while pregnant, working and looking after my 2 year old. Baby is now 6 months and other than during lockdown we still have her come every fortnight as while I do what I can I never seem to get a chance to do a proper clean

[ivfdreaming]

Nope! I'm 12 weeks with twins, 4 year old at home and also working from home to boot! I really feel like I'm slacking! The ironing pile looks daunting - I have a big garden which looked amazing when I was furloughed for a month that now looks like a jungle and DD has also removed all the clothes from the sylvanian families and it's setting my OCD off so that's 2 hours tonight I've got to spend on google trying to dress them back up properly! 🤣🤣
Thank god my cleaner started back this week but I can only afford a fortnightly clean but it's a help!

[chargeorge]

I was pregnant with my daughter (now 13) when it was very hot and it was really draining! I'd just take a small area of a room at a time and tidy that then rest and then do more - let me know how it goes

Charlotte

[kkr168]

I think everyone has struggled with the heat, not just us preganant ladies, my not pregnant neighbour was saying yesterday how even running the hoover around is exhausting in the heat.
I did clean the house top to bottom yesterday after slacking all week, I was pouring with sweat & exhausted by the time I was done. When I was finished I sat directly in front of the fan, with an icy drink & it still took me forever to cool down.
When I get overwhelmed with cleaning I just tackle 1 room at a time, I'll have a bag or box which I put items in that don't belong in that room. When I'm finished I then empty the contents of the bag/box into there correct rooms. Have a rest in between each room & if you don't manage the whole house in 1 go its no big deal.

[Zhampagne]

a) make sure that your partner is doing their fair share
b) look at ways to start training your 3yo - with the right storage, like baskets or Ikea trofast, they can be trained to pick toys up and chuck them in the right place at the end of the day
c) have a look at the Organised Mum Method. I don’t stick to it religiously but I find the principle of doing a little every day helpful
c) if it’s financially viable, throw some money at the problem and hire a cleaner in anticipation of the fact that you’re about to have newborn twins

Good luck!

[Footlooseandfancy]

Hoovering nearly killed me off the other day! I'm just trying to keep on top of it as much as possible - toys away at end of the day, surfaces wiped down, keeping on top of washing but anything too strenuous can just wait.

[Pinktruffle]

I have a friend popping over today and my kitchen floor is looking awful, I cleaned it last week but just couldn't do it this week because the heat was exhausting. Our house also looks a little like a DHL depot, there are boxes everywhere from deliveries and it's a mess. I need to get my arse in to gear and clean up.... I'll get off the sofa any minute now....

[moonriver32]

My house is a shit tip. But I feel extra guilty now because I don't have a 3 year old to contend with as I'm pregnant with my first, so you definitely have a good excuse! Just being 36 weeks pregnant combined with this horrendous heatwave has been enough to make sure the house has become a state. I was so on top of things while I was furloughed but now that I'm officially on maternity leave and feeling like a hippo, I've got no motivation to do anything - I just look around in despair. But today it's finally cooled down a bit so I'm really going to try and tackle some of it so it's not such a depressing state of affairs 😂 But no, you are definitely not alone!

[moonriver32]

Just to add, I was absolutely useless in the heat. I've done nothing for over a week except lie indoors with all the blinds and curtains shut, in front of the fan. Feel a bit bad for my husband who enjoys the heat and would probably quite liked to get out and do things - but he wouldn't dare ask! Has just been bringing me ice water and cold flannels for days!

[WhatWouldPennyDo]

No, but then even in non-pregnant times I have a cleaner with the rest of the chores split between us. My husband would normally do a bit more round the house than me anyway, as in pre-pandemic times I was out of the house more.

Now I’m pregnant, we still have a cleaner and he’s picking up almost all of the chores as I have PGP.

Do you have a partner at home? Looking after 3 kids will be a full time job so hopefully you can split the household chores between you once s/he is back from work. Good luck!

[bokchoy]

Im 25 weeks pregnant. I have a cleaning schedule. I do a room everyday. Sometimes I miss a few days. On weekends I get my partner in on the cleaning, so we essentially do the whole house together.
I would recommend a room a day, as it's 20-30 minutes

[crazychemist]

@user1493413286 @ivfdreaming a cleaner would be lovely, but in all honesty would be beyond the budget - when we planned to have another child, twins didn’t cross my mind! So we’re likely to be rather stretched financially for some time (we’ve had to make extra purchases e.g. double pram, very narrow car seats because the ones we had for DD won’t work with twins, childcare will be twice as expensive, and in the long run we are likely to have to extend the house as the room we had in mind for baby is not really big enough for two), and are cutting back on non-essentials as much as possible.

@Zhampagne you’ve given some really good advice there. My DH would normally be more helpful (although day-to-day cleaning is usually my job, he does other things) but he’s away a lot at the moment because his DMum is very unwell and has nobody else to support her. She lives 3 hours away so he can’t just pop in occasionally. My DD is normally relatively cooperative with tidying up, she knows where things go away, but she does still need telling and we tend to do it together, and during the heat wave I just didn’t stay on top of it with her at all.

To those of you saying a room a day, that sounds like really good advice. I think I was just feeling overwhelmed as I couldn’t believe how bad it got in the space of a week! DD and I picked up the toys this afternoon, and it does look better after vacuuming it.

I think I need to just accept that it’s not going to look great for the foreseeable future...

[LuchaGarcia]

35 weeks here...FTM. I'm an absolute clean freak and just had a good cry after DH and I finished cleaning the house...because I fear the house will forever be a tip once the baby is here. Ridiculous thing to cry over, I know 😂 If I see something left out or not put away or wiped down (even if DH is planning to do it later once he's done with work) I just HAVE to sort it out myself there and then. I'm basically driving myself crazy. Need to learn to let go clearly.

[Worrier85]

I am 27 weeks and have really struggled recently to keep on top of things. Since lockdown began I have been working from home, DH has been working different shifts and my step kids have been here a lot more than usual so we have been totally out of routine and things have really slipped. I had a meltdown a couple of weeks ago about how our bathrooms needed a really good deep clean so we actually got a one off cleaner to do them and as its a bit cooler today I have managed to get a bit more done in the rest of the house and feel like I've got some control back. DH is back to his usual shifts and kids back to school full time next week so back to their usual routine with us, I am going to try to start following the Organised mum method next week to break it down into rooms and see if that helps.

[crazychemist]

Have Looked up the Organised mum method. I’m terrified! The idea that the daily jobs can be done in 15 minutes seems hugely ambitious.... especially as it includes cleaning loos and giving bathroom a wipe over (my bathrooms being disgusting is one of my current problems) AND doing a quick tidy.

Those of you that do this - does it work??? Am I just getting anxious?

[serialplanner]

Not keeping on top of it at all

Don't really care

Husband is being amazing

When I do have energy I do all that I can

Usually rather tidy and not a slob but something has to give

[Spark27]

I started The Organised Mum Method a few weeks ago, and it is working for me. Level 1 tasks are done in around 15 mins (minus hanging out/folding/putting away washing. I have no idea how she fits that into the time limit). For the bathroom clean I just do a quick toilet clean/bleach daily. I've moved my days around a bit to fit with how they work for me and when DD is at nursery. So monday is living room/dining room and hall (all rooms small), tuesday are bedrooms as DD is out, wednesday kitchen, thursday bathrooms as shes out again (1 family, 2 ensuite and 1 cloakroom so needed it's own day). I dont do all the jobs every day. So I change beds and towels fortnightly. I'll only do a sofa dive, under bed tidy, skirting board wipe fortnightly, etc. Just pick the jobs you need to focus on that week. It does get quicker as you go.

I also found that it kerbs the frantic need to nest/clean (I'm nearly 34w) as I try and stick to the time limit xx

[Mc3209]

@crazychemist Maybe give TOMM or flylady system a try. Your house will not transform overnight, but having to do small bits will eventually reduced the amount of cleaning that needs done. I am doing a combination of the two (and hanging out on housekeeping flylady thread on MN) which made a big difference.

[Mc3209]

@Spark27 cross post ☺️ glad I am not the only one who likes that system

[crazychemist]

@Spark27 @Mc3209 I’ve looked at TOMM, but honestly I’m intimidated, I just don’t think I could do her level 1 stuff in 30 minutes, let alone 15! I just spent 30 mins sorting and putting away laundry . Daily bathrooms sounds terrifying too. I just can’t imagine being able to do something every day once I’m back at work, it sounds impossible while juggling children in the evening. Do you manage it???

[Zhampagne]

Sorry to hear about your MIL, OP.

Don’t be intimidated by TOMM. It becomes manageable over time because you chip away at the problem until you get to the point where you’re just maintaining everything. It takes a while to get there! If you just adopt the principle of targeting a room every day and doing a little often then over time you will see a real improvement.

But also - give yourself a break! You’re pregnant with twins!

[Mc3209]

The trick is to pick the bits that need doing, don't aim to do every little thing on the list when you start. Just do what you can/the most desperate bits. I most certainly don't clean the loo every day. The longer you stick it out, the quicker it will get, and what I like the most about it is that the house actually looks presentable for most of the time (where beforehand it was presentable for approximately 1 day after a big weekly clean, and then mayhem struck again 😂) Use it more as a guide than rigid rules.

[Spark27]

It's good to do a little bit every day, and then eventually you wont need to do as much, and it will gradually get more manageable. I try and get up 30mins before DD so I can get a quick shower, dress and make my bed. When I get DD up I always make her bed and do a 5min room tidy while she picks her clothes (almost 3 so terrible combinations!) I probably do a laundry load every other day. I have started guarding my washing basket, and it's great. I used to dump clothes in there as I thought it made things tidier, quicker. But the amount of time it took to hang up and put away ruined that. I now have so much less washing just by not washing things that dont need it. Also being your future friend is great (even though it sounds ridiculous). Putting the washing in the machine before you go to be so you can just switch it on in the am. And I take 10mins before I go to bed to straighten things up. 5mins downstairs and 5mins upstairs makes all the difference for the morning. I'm aware that this sounds like rubbish, but I have found that it works.

The only thing I cant really do in the time is the hanging/folding of washing. But by guarding my washing basket I have so much less xx

[Dogsgowoofwoof]

25 weeks here and have a 2 year old.
Really struggling to keep on top of it all. I’m worried that if I cant manage now, how will I manage with another child to look after. We’re also renovating so feeling totally overwhelmed.