I’m super organised and my house is always tidy.AMA

[Kitchenbattle]

Off the back of another thread I realised am ridiculously organised and my house is always tidy, always ready for visitors etc didn’t realise how tidy I was until I started commenting on and reading the other thread. So just a fun, or nosy AMA.
maybe there’s nothing to ask 🤣 thought it might be interesting though…

I got lots of “you’ve got no life then” or assumptions that I’m a miserable obsessive cleaner type comments on another cleaning thread 😂

I’ve got a question for you OP, what temperature and how long is your washing cycle with that one massive load? Much to everyone’s displeasure, I’m an every day washer, but, I do probably most of them on 30c quick wash (20-40 mins, depending). If I had a big load like yours that had been sitting about I’d be going for a much longer and hotter wash. What’s anyone think is better or worse environmentally? Also if someone (me) does many other things that are not shit for the environment, can I continue being an avid washer?

My house is always clean and organised for the most part, but my washing basket is almost always empty and I wash things like pyjamas after every wear, ditto school clothes. My kids get showered and changed as soon as they get in, and once I’ve got all the uniform and kits it’s in the wash every evening on a short cycle. Bedding once a week, maximum for anyone’s bedding is two weeks. I also use a lot of method spray around the house particularly kitchen and high traffic areas, and wipe with cloths. Which go in a separate basket and regularly get washed on a hot wash. Honestly my brain struggles to compute how people avoid regular cleaning, I just see it as a part of life and entirely unavoidable. I’m glad you’re not getting slated for it OP!

I got lots of “you’ve got no life then” or assumptions that I’m a miserable obsessive cleaner type comments on another cleaning thread 😂

All miserable, obsessive cleaner types are more than welcome to pay me a visit with their mop and pail in hand. 🪣

Do you think you may be a little bit OCD? Not a criticism. I just can’t get that much energy together for cleaning constantly. I do think I probably have ADHD - so swings and roundabouts 😆

You probably don't have ADHD nor does pp have OCD as you suggest. We're all different, that's all.

I wash everything - when it needs washing - on 40° except towels and bedding which goes on at 60°.

With regards cleaning, the OP's clean as you go works for me. Round here cleaners cost £20 p/h. Madness!

@EverybodyLTB I have very similar systems to you :) Also a Method spray fan

@EverybodyLTB i usually wash at 40 or 60degrees depending on the items. I use a bio wash detergent too. It’s an hour and a half wash cycle.

Ooh Kitchenbattle see now I feel vindicated for single-handedly fucking up the planet. My cycles are more regular, but shorter and lower temperature, so maybe it all works out the same environmental impact in the end? The benefit to me is having it all clear and done on a quick turnaround which makes me feel more on top of things and organised. Not sure if you’ve mentioned this but IRL do you feel like anyone criticises you for being too clean and too organised?

SummerDaysAreTheBest I’ve definitely considered OCD but don’t think I have it, because I’ve had bad anxiety before, and feel like I can recognise unhealthy habits and feelings. In the way I keep clean and organised, it doesn’t feel connected to anything else mentally if that makes any sense? It’s not the be all and end all, just what I see as a brilliant routine of keeping organised. I also can walk away from things around the house or go to bed with washing up in the sink if I’m really tired, that kind of thing.

In my mind, the keeping very clean and clear is THE WAY, the ultimate way, to buying myself more fun time and more headspace. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on life because I spend time that used to be dead time on cleaning. I tend to do loads of it between 7am and 8:30am while me and the kids are all getting ready in between - bathroom is last to be done. I used to be, when the kids were really little, frantically trying to get myself and them ready, and do all the cleaning and organising once they were in bed at 7/8pm. Now we all are clean in a clean house by 4pm every day, outside of clubs and hobbies, and evenings are clear of most tasks except a wipe down of the kitchen and dishwasher after dinner.

Nothing is ever lost, house is always welcoming to anyone who knocks on the door, I know where everything is and am very much a lender and a helper when people need things. Kids help round the house and have friends round all the time. I never need to say no to anything because I’m so ahead on everything that missing a day or two or a weekend doesn’t impact much because it’s been kept on top of. I can see why people think it’s nuts because I’ve heard it a million times from everyone from my mum to my friends to half a Mumsnet thread. I genuinely still think my way is preferable to ‘having better things to do’ and always struggling to get out the house of a morning or rowing with teenagers who live in a pit. We have fulfilled and fun lives, I promise!

some people can make comments but to be honest my family and friends all know that it’s just me and how I am. They know I don’t spend all day cleaning and I leave the house I’m just a tidy person i always have been. I was doing the konmari method before Marie kondo herself (I just did many know what I was doing 🤣) I was 14/15 in the year 2000 and I was organising and sorting since before then so that will tell you. I think if anything others may feel I judge them for not being like me, but I don’t. I have had friends and cousins coming to my house and say things like “God, I could never be this tidy” whilst laughing. I don’t trust people with how they keep their houses that’s up to them. I just love organisation.
To be honest, I can be messy when I don’t know where things go yet. So when I move house or when I am introducing something new into the house, it takes me a day or 2 to figure out where it goes and if it stays there. So for that few days it may look on the more untidy side, but it will soon get sorted.

today I was up at seven and had the bed stripped. I have my breakfast and got dressed andI had a wash in for 8. I went and did my food shopping, came back and myself and DP cleaned the fridge and put the shopping away. I then emptied the washing machine and put on another wash. I rallied up my kids and we went to celebrate a birthday. My DP stayed home and took the laundry and sorted it into a few bits that can dry outside and a few things that got put in the dryer. I’ve come home and now I’m sorting out laundry into the to be ironed pile and to be put away pile whilst I enjoy a cup of tea.

I was thinking about the disparities in how long people spend cleaning and tidying, thinking I was maybe deluding myself and maybe I did spend longer but just didn't realise it? So this week I have made notes on how much time I spent cleaning. Yes, I know this is sad!

We were away till Tuesday evening, so Wednesday I washed 2 loads of laundry. It was raining (and the laundry was mostly kids clothes, bedding and towels) so both went in the dryer. It took me about 25 minutes to do the loads, fold them and put them away. I also hoovered our kitchen, stairs and hallway, plus gave the 2 bathroom loos and sinks a quick wipe - another 20mins. DH did everything kitchen-related. The next two days this was faster as I didn't hoover the stairs, and we set up a robot hoover, so only about 15mins. On Friday I also wiped down the fridge - about 5 minutes (it had been quite empty).

Yesterday I spent a bit longer in the bathrooms, plus cleaned the shower and bathtub, as well as putting away DC paperwork from previous school year (which I should have done earlier!). I also descaled and deep-cleaned our coffee maker, and generally tidied away a few items that were just floating around the house. I also started a textile recycling bag for ratty school clothes and few other clothing pieces. Did this whilst listening to a podcast and it was about 45 mins long, so that's about how long it took.

This morning, woke up at 6.30am, DH was already gone with his walking group, and our kitchen was more messy than usual as we'd had friends over and hadn't properly cleaned up the night before as usual. I came downstairs at 7.05 and DC woke up 7.55, and between that time I'd emptied the dishwasher, put in a few new things, handwashed wine glasses, given the counters, hob and splashbacks etc a very good clean. I also fed the cat and cleaned her bowl. Took out recycling, loaded up a washing machine (for a quick load of sports stuff as we have free electricity today) and flattened out and took out some cardboard boxes and put away some DC toys. I also gave the downstairs bathroom a quick wipe. But I also made coffee, drank it and cuddled the cat, so we'll call it 40 minutes.

Not expecting to do much else today apart from hanging up the washing and then putting it away later. There's only about 10 items so shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes.

So that's 2h55mins - call it 3 hours as I'm sure I've ended up picking a few toys/putting things in dishwasher/etc over the course of 5 days. DH has probably done about the same. I'd like one of us to sweep the front garden today, but it's very small and it's also not an essential job. Takes no longer than 15 minutes

I'm not sure how average that is, but I think things that definitely help me is having very un-cluttered kitchen counters for easy clean/wipe (we only have a coffee maker - it is a heavy bean to cup machine so doesn't get moved often when cleaning), a toaster, a nutribullet and fruit bowl - so only things that get used daily. Toys are decluttered regularly, and post/paper dealt with immediately. It's not perfect but much better than it used to!

I completely agree with you about the less clutter = less cleaning point. It makes such a big difference when there’s less “stuff” sitting around to wipe under or move out of the way. I’m the same in that I don’t really feel like I spend much time “clearing up” or “tidying the house” because I tend to do it as I go along – while I’m cooking I’ll tidy and wipe down, when I’m putting laundry on I’ll often fold or put things away, and I’ll usually give the sink or shower a quick wipe as I’m finishing up in there. It means I don’t often have to block out chunks of time just for tidying because it sort of happens in the background of other tasks.

I’d love to have less clutter but my youngest is still very into toys and crafts. 90% of my clutter is kid related!

Though I hear other mums complaining their kids aren’t interested in toys and just want screens all day, so perhaps I should be grateful. I think having easy access to the toys and paints does encourage free imaginative play (at the expense of tidiness!)

I’m not feeling 100% this morning so having a lie in. Thought I would resurrect this to see if anyone has any questions etc. happy Sunday to you all 😊

Good morning OP - how do you keep on top of household maintenance?

Do you get your gutters cleared? Do you have a window cleaner and how often do they come (there was a thread recently about window cleaners that turned out to be riveting!). Do you get your boiler serviced annually?

And internal decoration ... our house has paintwork that needs touching up and I'm trying to motivate myself 😊

We have a power washer for gutters etc. I’m thinking of a window cleaner to be honest. Right now I do them myself. I do the inside anyway but it’s a pain to do the outside of the upstairs windows. There’s building works going on in the next phase of our estate so a lot of dust around. I’ll get a window cleaner when that settles.

Our house is fairly newly done but what I have done is kept a tin of each paint in the shed, to use for touch ups.

We have an air to water system which will need an annual service yes.

Hope you’re feeling a bit better after your lie in. I can’t remember if you mentioned it previously but do you work full time and have young children? And if so when do you get organised? I have a 2 year old and always playing catch-up. I feel like I’d need a month off to get my house in order in the first place before being in a position where I could maintain!

Yes I work mon-Thurs 8-4:30 and 8:00-3:30 on Fri so 39hours. I wfh on Thursdays and Fridays. My dc are 10 and 12 now. I have always been very organised etc. even when they were young.
In terms of getting organised, I just find that I arrange things in a simple or manner and they stay that way due to the way that I manage things. I tidy as I go and I have areas for everything as such.

I think if you are determined then what I would recommend is not to pick a room as such, but to pick a category to arrange. Start with clothing, after that pick books, then pick electrical items, sort a drawer in the kitchen that is dedicated to spices etc and one by one they will be sorted. Find spaces where you would need to store certain items so for example I have a sideboard in my sunroom where I store batteries, a sewing kit, a small screwdriver set, some stationery, and other items that are needed to hand daily.

@Stateyourbusiness if you have space to arrange and organise it helps. Designate drawers to certain items and have them in an area that makes the most sense for ease of use. For example if opening letters/post/bills always happens in the kitchen then try to allocate a drawer in the kitchen to whatever is needed for that activity. So a scissors/small knife, tape, stapler etc etc.

these are the drawers in my sunroom where I would do little things like change batteries, open post, fix a jumper etc. so I have all of the useful items right there where needed.

Thanks for this. Can you recommend anything for people like me that forget to do things if I can’t see them.
For example I have the pets’ medication and mine on the kitchen island at the moment as well as a birthday card to write and send in a few days, something I want to return to an online shop but am waiting for them to confirm and send me a label and finally some kimchi I am fermenting but don’t want to forget to check every day.

I have a reminder on my phone for my meds 🙌 works a treat!

Another idea for this would be to choose a designated spot for the items like the card, the item to return. If those things are always in that place then it’s easier to work with. They don’t need to be in the kitchen. A little table under the stairs or in a corner of the kitchen/living room tidily on the table would work.

Thank you!

Thanks for this. I think you’re absolutely right, space is key. It’s a big part of why I struggle. There are just not enough places to put things on my house and the rooms aren’t big enough to create more storage. Good idea to tackle one category at a time, I like that, less overwhelming a task and helps you stay focused. I’m in awe of your battery storage box 😂

Ahahaha…thank you most people really don’t know what to say about that. I’m sure people think I’m crazy 🤣…I probably am though.

You’re welcome ☺️

@Kitchenbattle how do you organise your kitchen cupboards etc? Mine are a mess! I need inspiration