People with tidy guest ready houses. What is your tidying up routine?

[freshstart24]

I'm inspired by the thread asking how many people have tidy, guest ready houses.

Our home is never as tidy as I'd like it to be. I do feel like I'm forever clearing up and DH is pretty good at doing his share. DS (11) is getting the hang of putting things away too.

But then life gets hectic, we are always busy, dashing around.... and the house turns into a tip almost instantly.

I then spend ages and ages clearing up and the cycle begins again.

The answer has to be to keep on top of it, yes?

I'd love to hear how other people do this.

Yes tomkeeping on top of it.
Shoes off at the door and straight on the rack
Coats off and straight in the cupboard
It takes a couple of minutes to run the hoover round the living room so I do that daily.
Wipe down kitchen surfaces while I’m cooking. Clean the hob straight after cooking, it’s easier before it dries.
Never leave washing up.
Put everything back as soon as you’ve finished with it.
Dirty clothes straight in laundry basket.
If you’ve got time to watch telly you’ve got time to dust...
I deep clean my bathroom once a week and give it a quick wipe most days.

Every evening I clean worktops, table and hoover and tidy any mess.

Then every day I do a washing and put yesterday’s washing away.

Then I split the jobs up on a daily basis (floors cleaned Monday, bathrooms Tuesday, dusting Wednesday, change beds Thursday, Friday is for any extra things that need sorted - clean oven or sort shoe cupboard.) these jobs take about half hour a day usually.

I think my house is usually guest tidy as I keep on top of it quite easily. It’s part of my daily routine. I rarely sit down and relax until the kids are sleeping.

No one goes upstairs or downstairs with empty hands. There is ALWAYS washing to be transferred, cleaning/hygiene products to be taken, something to be brought down/put in the bin, school bags to be put in bedrooms, books to be put away... you can always be taking something.

Beds made as soon as you get out of them.

Before you go to bed at night, chuck bleach down the loo. Let person out of the shower sprays the daily shower spray round it. Keep a pack of antibacterial wipes in the bathroom and swish round the sink once a day; it takes less than 30 seconds!

Bins emptied every night before bed.

Dishwasher on after breakfast, emptied when you get home, then put on again after dinner and emptied before bed. My dishwasher always seems to miss stuff if I try and cram a whole day’s worth of plates in, and I don’t see much difference in the energy bill.

I’ve got one of those spray mops (you can find them on amazon) way more convenient than filling a bucket of water.

Wipe down the hob when it’s still hot.

Load of washing on every day; keep on top of it. Fold clothes right out of the dryer.

When you get up off the couch, straighten your cushion and make it nice for yourself to sit down again.

Little bits really add up!☺️

I think maybe I need to find some time. I'm often not home until 7 as I work part time and on other days am dashing around with DS, or volunteering. Then we cook tea, eat together, homework and real life work, maybe a quick game, shower, relax with book / TV, bed.

The book / TV needs to go doesn't it.

I think I'm also maybe on mumsnet too much!

I think the first thing is to start with a big clear out, it is much, much easier to keep your house tidy when you don’t have extra clutter and stuff that you just don’t need. If you are ruthless and are just left with items you really need and those you really love then that is 90% of the battle.

After that it is important that everyone in your household understand the concept of always putting away what they get out and that just a few minutes of tidying/cleaning at a time is what keeps a house clean and tidy not massive clean ups. I am not excessively house proud and am naturally quite untidy but I have taught myself methods as I enjoy having a tidy house and it cheers me up and keeps me in a good frame of mind when my environment is tidy and enjoyable.

I would suggest that if your house gets into “a tip almost instantly” you have probably got way too much stuff for the size of your house. If you can’t in 5 minutes dash around a room and put stuff away and it’s tidy then you very likely have piles of stuff everywhere.

It’s just very easy simple routines that keep a house clean and tidy, for example when you go to the loo always use it as an opportunity to quickly tidy up the bathroom and wipe down surfaces. It literally takes a couple of minutes but if everyone in the house is doing similar than it is not time consuming.

Good luck! As I mentioned I am not a naturally tidy person but I taught myself how to create the tidy environment I like. My DH is also great around the house so we are a good team.

F

Moveable you're right. We have too much stuff. I'm terrible for keeping things 'just in case'. However I do hate it when I bravely throw something out and then wish I hadn't!

We also have lots of hobbies and I am a scout leader both of which generate a lot of 'stuff'.

These are all excuses though and I need a clear out!

The biggest thing for me is that everything has its place. We have to be clinical sometimes with what we keep though. I have different jobs for different days and try to multi task. So I spray cleaner on the sink and toilet while I shower and wipe off when I get out. I dust while watching a film etc.

freashstart if you are tempted to keep something think about the fact that you will have to store it, make room for it and keep putting it away! In other words it is another thing thrown onto the pile of “stuff” that is preventing you from feeling light, calm and in control of your physical environment. If you feel your “stuff” rules you then you just have too much. Think about the fact that if you donate it it can go to a good home where someone really needs it and has room for it.

All that stuff is suffocating and taking you time to organize, care for and tidy. It is literally taking (precious) time away from you just enjoying your life more. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy creating a beautiful physical space and buying things that will enhance it but it really has to justify coming home with me! If you look at something and you’re not going to use it straight away or you couldn’t say hand on heart if you would ever use it just DO NOT let it enter your home! It sounds rather than tidying you first need to be really honest about your relationship to stuff. If you truly have hobbies that need things then organize your house and make room for them where they can easily be brought out to use and put away again. But it’s very likely you have a lot of “just in case” stuff. All of that needs to go because it is becoming time consuming and stressful dealing with it.

You don’t have much spare time as a family and you should be using that time to enjoy your life, family and hobbies. Instead, too much of your head-space is preoccupied and cluttered with material clutter. If you can get to grips with your addiction to filling your home with more than you use or need you will truly feel like a new person and have a freshstart! This is not an uncommon experience, and where a lot of us have to start when we want a more enjoyable home that we feel “on top” of. We have never really been taught how to manage stuff and have made it to adulthood with bad habits of acquisition that are incompatible with the environment we want to create .

What I did:

Major declutter. Marie Kondo method is excellent.
Everything in the house has a place, and that place has to be easy to get at/put things away in (otherwise you simply won't do it. That's a Kondo tip.)
As little as possible out on surfaces. (Kondo tip again!) Makes cleaning and tidying much, much easier when there is no clutter or build-up to create dust. This is especially important for keeping a clean and tidy kitchen and bathroom with minimal effort.
Make use of every decent labour-saving gadget going. For me the key ones are tumble drier, heated airer, dishwasher, cordless vacuum. I'm afraid I also succumbed to anti-bac wipes although I know they are pretty awful environmentally.
Deep clean once a week. If affordable, get a cleaner to do this.
Load of laundry washed, dried and put away every day.
Beds aired and/or made first thing in the morning after you get up.
Try as far as possible to put things away as you go rather than dumping them for later. Then all you need to do is a quick tidy-up of the kitchen after dinner, and a quick tidy-up of living areas after DS is in bed/before you and DH go to bed.
Bleach and wipes in all bathrooms so that you can keep on top of it as and when it needs it, in all of 30-60 seconds. Weekly deep clean takes care of the rest.

I find this mostly works. Even if things start to slide then we can get back on top of it fairly easily, mainly because we don't have too much clutter and everything has a logical, easily accessible home.

My routine is same as lastqueenfscotland. I do a deep clean once a week and just keep on top of everything as I go along. I also give the place a good airing everyday as 2 dogs and DP smokes and I worry about the smell

I also think maybe the volunteering could take a backseat. It’s lovely to do; but if your home life is suffering, that’s what needs to go first rather than ‘you time’. It’s nonsensical to give yourself zero down time, and continue volunteering; at least at the rate you are.

I use The Organised Mum Method (TOMM) - there's a current thread on this.

It has changed the way i do housework and, honestly, I could have guests without warning at any time now.

I ❤️her

• everything must have a home.
• every night tidy surfaces to stop clutter buildup.
• unpack dishwasher once clean so once you use dirty dishes you can put them straight in the dishwasher.
• have a schedule for laundry.

Spending quality time with children, partner and friends is all that matters.

I agree, 1tis, but many people find it hard to enjoy time spent at home if the house is dirty and messy. I certainly do. So my priority housework-wise is to identify ways of keeping the actual time and stress spent on it absolutely minimal, precisely in order to maximise time spent doing more important things. I find it's an investment well worth it.

Organise storage - everything should have it's own place.

Always put everything back where it came from - and insist on your DH and DS doing the same - do not let piles or collections of things to be out away start.

Never leave a room empty handed - look around you and take anything with you that doesn't belong!

Seconding TOMM less time spent cleaning and better results. Her lamb kebab recipe is lovely too.

Don't leave anything to later. So if you empty the dryer, it goes away right away. When you come in the house shoes and coats are put away. Bags emptied, lunch boxes emptied and cleaned out.
No going upstairs empty handed.

Then I do around twenty mins cleaning a day.
Monday is bathrooms, watering plants inside house.
Tuesday is hoover dust and mop downstairs
Etc

I am ruthless about getting rid of stuff we don't need. I hate clutter.

Don't ask me, I'm due a big tidy up on Friday my first day off alone in 7 weeks.
I last hoovered nearly 4 weeks ago, 2 of those i was abroad. There's dust on the glass...mirrors need cleaning..bannisters need cleaning....hoovering...bathrooms. I'll be busy Friday.
Normally once weekly but cba in school hols.

Wow thank you so much for the thoughtful responses, I'm not able to tag everyone as I'm on my phone but I'm really grateful and I can see I need to up my game, keep on top of it and do little and often.

I definitely need to work on my relationship with 'stuff'. I did have a big clear out before we moved 3 years ago and it was wonderful to have less stuff. A ruthless friend helped me. However, since then I have wished I'd kept some things that we god rid of e.g. fondue pot and some craft stuff. I struggle to get rid of those 'just in case' things as I long for a day when I have time to make use of them, and money is tight so I don't want to have to replace them if it turns out we did need them....

I guess you can never stop thinking about ‘having a tidy house’. I know all the ‘never leave a room empty handed’ advice. Sometimes I just want to switch off from constant tidying. I know I make it harder for myself in the long run. ‘Time to watch tv, time to dust’ makes me want to weep!

I’m more of a ‘blitz every few days ‘ person.
I accept this isn’t the right or easiest way though!

It’s boring stuff I’m afraid:

A place for everything and everything in its place

Little and often tidying/cleaning

Prioritise public rooms.

I grew up in an always immaculate (not just tidy) house. It was a bit stifling if I’m honest.

I’m trying to keep mine tidy but I do remind myself that a bit of mess is normal. If I visit friends and they have immaculate houses it puts me on edge a bit.

Interesting thread. My house is a tip almost permanently and I think the reasons are:

We have too much stuff - kids and husband very reluctant to get rid of anything. Many things don't have a home because there is no room

Kids and husband have no concept of tidying up as they go - clue arguments etc.

My children seem to need little sleep - to bed 9-10 and up at 6-7. I have to be up at 6 for work and quite often am shattered by 9 and fall asleep before them. So the pp who said "I don't relax until my children are asleep"... well some of us don't even get that. 99% housework, life admin, DIY, socialising etc has to be done with the kids around

Keeping my house tidy is a losing fight so by now I hate cleaning and tidying up. If I had something to show for it I would probably do it more often