What is your #1 cleaning tip?

[MamaJune]

My house has turned into a bit of a state recently, between 2yo twins and both of us working full time I just feel like any time I do have spare I'm exhausted and want to sleep/ am looking after the kids/ cooking..etc.

I need to do a big deep clean and clear out and also just need to be better at keeping on top of it going forward so I'm not in the same situation every few weeks!!

Any tips for either the deep clean/clear out or for just daily/weekly cleaning?

A place for everything and everything in it’s place. I never buy anything without deciding where it’s going to live when not in use.

Going through the same her right now. I have thrown out bags and bags of 'stuff' that was always 'going to be needed one day'

Decluttering is the way forward. My house is gradually emerging from under 15 years of stuff and is getting a damn good clean as it appears.

fill a kettle with cold white vinegar and leave for a few hours to de-scale put cotton pads in the spout and soak in same, rinse vigorously ( keep vinegar to use again).
dishwashing tabs in the washing machine drawer and drum will clean it well.
soak dirty dishcloths in boiling water ,and equal measure ( washing powder plastic measures ?) Ace bleach , soda crystals and Daz powder gets all stains out and smells lovely.

You're all amazing domestic goddesses and I am so so grateful! Thank you.
I've done 80% of the house today and feel amazing for it. Must get on top of the washing next as that is my #1 weakness.

I definitely need a new vacuum / hoover. Mines a pain in the arse and it makes me not want to use it - also the kids are terrified of it and scream when I use it because it sounds like a jumbo jet taking off.

I set up a washing station when I moved recently. A kallax storage with 2 white boxes for lights and 2 black boxes for darks. Everyone puts their washing in the right box. Then I just tip the box into the washing machine (conveniently near). One box is one load.

Most importantly, I do a load every day. If it's not full I add towels/tea towels/bath mats whatever. Really important to keep on top of it.

I use an old fashioned carpet sweeper on my long hallways and landings. Just grab it and run it up and down the carpets, looks like I vacuum every day but I literally walk from one end of the hall to the other with it as I am passing and the next day go in the opposite direction.
I also sweep the stairs by hand with a small brush. Every time I walk up them I sweep 4 or 5 steps in a downward motion that way I only have to vacuum the bottom step.

missnevermind that step idea is genius how have i never thought of that!
Definitely get a new hoover iv got a henry for big jobs but he can be annoying but i do love it really
and a cordless that lives downstairs by the dining table as the amount of mess created downstairs is a joke.
I find having the cordless great for a quick once over when crumbs are taling over!

Definitely a once a week blitz is never going to work. The minute it's done, it starts again.
Hard floors need much more attention than carpets- minging it may be, but carpets hold dirt while on hard floors it's there for everyone to see. (Also apparently a reason why hard floors, unless kept spotless, are not as good for people with allergies as you might think, any particles will rise up from a hard floor)
There are 3 of us, no pets. Hard floors throughout. Me and do work full time. If I don't wash the floors every other day at least it's like wading through a dustbowl.
Also, every time you move from one room to another, take something with you that's in the wrong place.

My problem isn’t really cleaning but tidying - after a good tidy/clean I can have stuff everywhere again after a few hours ! So for me it would be ‘put everything away once used’ - I fail in this all the time. I sometimes tidy with a tray/box where I put everything not in its place. That ‘odds and sods’ tray/box then gets left as part of the problem.

I know this sounds cheesy, but I've been trying to think of 'my future self'. As in, doing the job there and then to save having to do it later if it's something that's literally going to take me a minute.

There's a new grout cleaning spray by Flash(? Not 100%) but it's absolutely amazing. Spray it on, come back 5 minutes later and the grout is bright white!

And zoflora diluted in a little spray bottle on all my soft furnishings makes a huge difference, the whole place smells nice and makes me want to keep it nice, I'm a bit obsessed!

I just started The Organised Mum Method and would thoroughly recommend it so far :)

When a room has become a real tip, put a washing basket in the middle of the room for anything that lives elsewhere in the house, then take the basket around the house afterwards putting everything back in its proper place.
Also have two bin bags, one for rubbish and one for the charity shop. Put the charity shop bag in your car and drive around with it for a few weeks before dropping off at the charity shop 

@HereBirdies we need to know about this grout cleaner!! NOW!!

Cleaner once a week.

Dishwasher and washing done everyday.

Lower standards

Another tip would be to get a flat mop (e-mop or similar) for flat surfaces, and a bottle of straight to floor cleaner (from Wilko) I can mop a room in 30 seconds flat now. I do it on my way out and the floor is shiny clean when I get home 

Seriously if you’re super busy and super lazy, get a cleaner

I get the worry about the first visit “won’t they be horrified?!”

I’m sure it’s not that bad. Anyone that even knows the expression “deep clean” - it’s not going to be that bad

My cleaner says she likes doing my house compared to some others as it’s satisfying and she can see the difference

I’ve learnt loads from her as well re products techniques etc.

Best decision I ever made - go for it

My top tips is to put a story on my phone then clean while listening. As I am enjoying the story I keep cleaning longer. I use the audible app.

We are time poor due to kids/ work and have a very messy house here too. I do a big tidy once a week before my cleaner comes - the cleaner coming MAKES me tidy in the way that guests coming over does. It's the best money I spend all week. Totally worth it.

If the cleaner is not due then I would spray a cleaner over your bathroom and leave it to do its stuff whilst you tidy the rest of the house.

Load the dishwasher & put a clothes wash on before you start.

Then make your bed first and tidy your room.

Carry a bin bag with you as you go and throw as much stuff out / recycle / as you can. Also have a bag for charity shop.

Set an alarm if you're short on time e.g if you have an hour then do as much as you can for 10mins in each room - makes it like a challenge too so time goes faster.

All these people saying use babywipes. Don't you know they are one of the prime culprits of plastic in the oceans / blocking the sewers?! Get a cloth and hot water. Then clean it & use it again. It's nice to have a clean home but your kids also need a planet to live on that's not polluted

I second the organised mum method. Been doing it a few weeks now and my home looks so much better. There's a thread on here about it somewhere. She's great.

With small children don’t wait for a time for a “big clean” when it’s so hard to find that time, set an alarm for 15 minutes and do whatever you can in that time. It’s amazing how much you can get done.

Also agree with another poster, wipe down bathroom while you’re in there giving the kids a bath or when you go to the loo.

With small children have a simple clean up system such as big baskets in the living room they can throw their toys into. Do not have too many toys, if you are drowning in them pack up and donate or put some in boxes in the garage for a while, don’t have too many out at once or the tidying up is a nightmare.

Teach them to help you pick up their toys by singing a song:

“Clean up! Clean up! Everybody does their share!
Clean up! Clean up! Everybody does their share!”

Sung in a loud and cheerful voice 🎤 !!!! It works! You can dance too!

My top tip - stop buying stuff that you don't need. Not only does it cause clutter, it's a waste of money and damaging to the environment.

The night before the cleaner comes, everyone does some tidying. Clear floors and surfaces. That way she can actually clean stuff.

I third the organised mum method. Gem is a genius and her instagram stories crack me up. I love the fact that I know there’s literally thousands of people doing the same as me each day (with weekends off!). Clean sheet Tuesday!

I listen to podcasts, I can't really clean without it now! My current fave is My Dad Wrote a Porno.

When mine were toddlers we had a cleaning song (spoonful of sugar). Five minutes with all of us in a cleaning panic would tidy any room they had destroyed. We had to get everything off the floor and away before the final bars. Every fucking day. It worked though