The Organised Mum Method - have I misunderstood or am I really slow?

[NameChangeyMcChangerson]

I have a new baby, and my house is a tip. I kept seeing people on Mumsnet recommend the organised mum method and saying it's just 45 minutes a day. This seemed like a great plan, as I find it hard to get much done during the day with DS (and I try to be out of the house as much as possible anyway) but I thought DH and I could take it in turns to look after DS and the other one do a 45 minute blitz each day. However, I've just looked at the blog and been seriously put off by this on the 'level 1 jobs':

These never change and are the same every day. This is the minimum that needs to be done in order to maintain an orderly home. This is supposed to be a quick top-level tidy – It should take no longer than 15 minutes. These are not included in your 30 mins because it is assumed that you are doing some (if not all of them) already … these jobs come with the territory of being an adult!

Quick floor clean of main living areas. This obviously depends on what floors you have (carpets, tiles or wood floors). If you have hard flooring mop at least once a week.
1 load of laundry
Quick clean of bathrooms, this includes a mop of the floors at least once a week.
Make beds
A little word on bathrooms… bathrooms are included in your level 1 jobs but you don’t have to do the same thing in there every day. Make sure you change it up so that all areas of the bathroom are getting attention. So, for example, one day you might tackle the floors and another day you might do the mirror and sink (I do clean the toilet daily though).

I can't do that in 15 minutes! Even just folding and then putting away a load of laundry takes me that long (and that doesn't include putting the load on and hanging it up in the first place). Similarly mopping the bathroom floor or hoovering our living room (which is a living room diner, so quite large) take that long once I include getting out and putting away the hoover/mop bucket. So then I wondered whether I was just supposed to do one of the tasks on that list - but surely not as it includes making the bed?! Can other people do that stuff in 15 minutes and if so how?!

Don't forget that Gemma has following the method for years! We have been following it a while now and it is definately getting better. Dishwasher/washing up gets done while cooking tea. I change what is cleaned in the bathroom daily, some days I don't do anything!

Dd is 6, ds is 18months. We do a 5 min tidy up before bed, it generally doesn't take 5 mins but means I can do the level 1 hoovering at the same time.

The thing about it is that its a small manageable 45 minutes a day. If you spend 45 mins a day doing something - things will improve.
I used to see housework as a major task - and as such there would be days when I didn't do anything because it felt like too big a job and so would get even worse.
Now I really try to make sure even on tough days with the kids that I spend some time on the house.
Also when I read her website I took away from it that its really up to you and your house as to what works for your house. My equivalent of level 1 each day is a) stick 1 load of laundry on b) sweep up kitchen floor c) wipe round toilets (I have young kids!) d) wipe down kitchen sink and surfaces e) wipe down bathroom sink.
Also I find that I prefer to do these tasks as and when during the day when I am in that room rather than run around the house trying to do them in all in a consecutive 15 mins. Then at some point in the day I'll try to spend 30 mins on a better job of something - proper clean of kitchen surfaces actually moving stuff and wipe down of cupboards, hoover out toaster. If I feel I have a bit more time I might do a wipe down of windows, clear a cupboard. What I no longer try to do is clean the whole kitchen in one go...
I am finding it more sustainable - am about 4 weeks into being more methodical and I like it. Feel like I will still be doing it in another 4 weeks. (Also we all had shitty colds - in the past I would not have done anything, but this time I tried to maintain my level 1's - house has not descended into the chaos that usually happens when we all get a nasty cold)

I found all these stupid schemes to get clean just stopped me from actually doing the housework, so I don't bother now.
I do a little bit everyday, if it isn't enough then I'll add another jobe each day, it's hardly rocket science.
They always seem to have something you can buy too

I've been following this and have found it really useful. Like others, I'm learning that its not about following it exactly, but adapting it to work for your family. And doing little and often, and not getting overwhelmed by how much needs to be done.

I do Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I also do all the laundry, as due to my working hours, it makes more sense for me to do it when I'm around to hang out on the line etc. I usually do 2/3 loads on those days - but that leaves me with an empty wash basket, and allows for bedding /towels changed regularly too. DH does Mondays and Wednesdays, but honestly, he's not so good at keeping up with it.

The key is little and often, and speedily using those little of pockets of time that were previously wasted (the 15 mins while the kids have their breakfast/the half an hour while dinner is in the oven, the 10 minutes til the school run etc) I've been doing it 3 or 4 weeks now, and the general level of cleanliness in the house is definitely better. As a result, there's more incentive for all of the family to keep things clean as they go along.

My one big tip would be to get a caddy to put in all your general household cleaners and cloths. Get that out during your 30 min clean and its quick and easy to do things, as the stuff you need is directly at hand - so fingermarks on the mirrors/windows or a mark on the wall or a stain on the carpet are dealt with there and then, rather than putting off "window cleaning" or "washing down walls" or "cleaning carpets" as a separate job in itself to do another time, which never comes around...

I have been following The Organised Mum method for a few months now and I can honestly say that my house has never been cleaner! I agree with numerous posters who say that you can't follow it religiously, you have to adapt to your house and situation. I rarely, if ever, use the list of jobs she says for each room but I always do the room she suggests for that day. For example, today is living room so I set my timer for 30 minutes and in that time I vacuumed, dusted all furniture, cleaned the glass on the doors and took anything that didn't belong in there back to where they came from. I think I still had 10 minutes left on the timer by the end. I suppose I could have cleared out a cupboard - maybe next Monday! I also agree that 15 minutes is not long to do level 1 jobs and, again, I don't stick to that religiously, I just do what I can. My kids are both a bit older (6 & 9) but I wish I had discovered this when they were babies!

It does get quicker and easier.

Level 1 jobs take me about 30 minutes as I have wooden floors and dogs. The vacuuming takes me 15 minutes daily downstairs.

When I first started wing down kitchen cupboards took me an hour as I didn’t realise they were so dirty today they took my 5 minutes whilst I was waiting was on hold to the bank. The living room might take you a good few hours with pulling furniture out to start with. The next time won’t take as long because you haven’t got loads of crap and dust under the sofa.

Unfortunately there is no magic wand. If you want a clean house you have to clean it. If washing takes you 45 minutes to put away then that’s how long it takes you. Is that with no distractions though? I’ve done the weeks ironing for 5 of us today and it took me 10 minutes to take each pile upstairs and put away.

I have been following TOMM for about a month now. I have four small children and a job and I certainly don't manage all the level 1 jobs every day or even manage her focus rooms every day - I tend to bulk a couple of days together. Even though I'm rubbish at doing exactly what she suggests I have noticed that just by doing a little bit every day my house is definitely becoming more organised. The surface mess is just that - on the surface - because the rest of my house is getting a clean day by day. Pick and choose what you need from her plan, but it'sdefinitely a good starting point.

I cba with 45 mins everyday but I do the kitchen everyday and sweep or vacuum (or at least the dustbuster thingy) everyday to keep the cat hair and dust at bay.

I wash once in the week and everything else at the weekends (only me DH and ds10)
My 2 days I finish work at lunchtime I do a big job - bathrooms/vacuum properly/etc.
DS has to do his bit too. Hang up his clothes, put dirty things in the laundry basket, tidy his room at weekends and the weird child likes dusting!
That keeps things habitable 🤣

I agree with other posters, if you keep up 30 minutes a day Mon to Fri you WILL see a difference in a few weeks. It all depends on the starting point of untidy / mess.
We do a 5 minute blitz after tea on whatever tomorrow's room is. So tonight 5 minutes in bedrooms to put stuff away so tomorrow I can crack on actually cleaning. It makes every one responsible for their own belongings and develops the habit of being tidy - this took maybe 15 minutes a day when we started!

Washing my kitchen floor takes me no time at all.

I get DH to do it.

Are there any do it all cleaning products that smell nice anyone would recommend? Rather than having one for bathroom, one for the kitchen worktops, glass cleaner etc etc?

Watch her video of her doing the level 1 jobs. It explains it better. You don’t need to do everything. Just do what you can. Your level 1 jobs and my level 1 jobs will be completely different because you have a tiny baby and I don’t.

I'd recommend the boot camp first. And be ruthless throwing away junk and things you don't actually use (think clothes you haven't worn in the last 18 months, old toys etc).

Once it's clean it is much easier to keep on top of and you'll feel much better.

Everyday put one load of washing on and fold and put it away, make the beds, tidy up toys etc at the end of each day before sitting down. Washing up etc is just part of being an adult. I don't get why that's so offensive

Then 30 minutes in whichever room it is doing as many of the jobs you can on the list. Or if it's pretty clean anyway just tackle an extra job like oven clean or clear out the cupboards.

It's transformed my house and attitude to cleaning and I love Zoflora!

Ha ha ha ha those level 1 jobs are things which get done maybe once a week on our house..... And making beds is a monumental waste of time so ours never get made apart from when changing the covers. Clearly I am a massive slob but frankly there are more important things in my life and nobody ever gets tummy bugs on our house so clearly it's doing us no harm..

I already hate it for being called "the organised MUM method " cleaning my house isn't me being a mum. And other people can clean my house and be organised, it's not just up to me.

Now I've said that though I might write my own plan in a similar way....but for everyone, not just me!!

Is this the method that involves a mother getting up an hour before the rest of the household?

Is this like Flylady? I used that until I got into my own routine.

These are not included in your 30 mins because it is assumed that you are doing some (if not all of them) already … these jobs come with the territory of being an adult!

That's me f**d then!
Oh well, if I suck at being an adult does that mean I'm allowed to officially pack this adulting lark in and go back to my Fuzzy Felts and colouring in fulltime?!

Motortroll I couldn't agree more!

Flylady, that's what I was trying to remember. Sounds very much like that.b

bonbonours

I would've agreed with you a few years ago about making beds

But now I do it religiously because it makes bedtime something to look forward to - a nice well made bed is a real treat

Kids sleep better too

It's worth the few mins to do it

OP, what struck me me was that you try to be out of the house as much as possible and I’m wondering why is that?

Do you feel isolated?

Would you find it all more do-able if you stayed at home a bit more and had a cleaning day?

It's actually healthier to leave your bed unmade.

The 'organized mum' put me right off. Why can't dads clean?

I looked at it hopefully, but it's taken me a month to gut and organise my playroom, and the rest of the house is a mess. She reckons if your house is messy, you need to take 1 day to sort it all before starting the organised mum method. If it was easy as just doing in a day the. I'd be an organised mum already and not need any help.