If you always have a clean & tidy house, how do you do it?

[creepymoustache]

I work so hard to keep a nice home but with 2 young kids, I find that it's a challenge just to keep it tidy let alone clean!

I sometimes hear of people who say their house is always clean & tidy and can be ready for visitors within 5 minutes. If you are one of these people. Do you have a system? Are you cleaning one room a day or do you have set days you clean and manage to get it all done in that time?

I feel stressed out by my house not being clean and tidy so it's really something I want to change going into the new year! Very grateful for any tips which may help me.

Thanks.

There are so many of these threads! General consensus is to declutter.

My house is about 20 minutes ready for visitors, but I don't have kids at home.
Everything should have a 'home'
I'm disabled so clean in 5 minute bursts, so do as much as I can in that time.
I have bins in each room, and empty them all the day before bin day.
We have a strict 1 in 1 out policy, so for example DH bought a new shaver on black Friday so his old one went.
I clean the surfaces that tend to accumulate stuff every day.
I wipe the kitchen while the kettles boiling, when my kids were younger I followed the flylady plan which worked well.

Here you go OP
www.theorganisedmum.blog

I have a house that's clean and tidy, so I never tidy up for visitors. It's not spotless, but it's fine.

It's just doing little things all the time. Wash the dishes or put them in the dishwasher as soon as you use them. Change the towels when they are damp. Squirt some toilet cleaner down the toilet if it's not looking pristine. And my number one rule is to never ever set anything on a chair. All chairs are available at all times for actually sitting on.

I don't actually do all that much housework really. But I also don't have loads of 'stuff'.

The Organised Mum Method (TOMM) her videos are particularly good: www.theorganisedmum.blog/category/housekeeping-tips/cleaning-videos/

And: declutter, declutter, declutter. I'm now ruthless, and if someone gives me a present that doesn't fit or I don't like, to the charity shop it goes.

During my last big clear out, I took out at least 14 bin-bags-sized bags of stuff (for bin, recycling and charity shop). Obviously things had built up...

What got my act together, was that I did the 'clutter rating score card' www.helpforhoarders.co.uk/resources/ and was horrified to find I score 1-3 depending on the area of the house...my love of books and a small flat do not mix. It turns out moving things about (e.g. first storing books in a pile there, then delcuttering a bit and moving the pile there instead) is called churning. No wonder it was hard to keep things clean as there was too much in the way...it was only once I really truly decluttered that I was able to keep things clean.

cross post with @softly :)

re: gifts - by getting rid of presents that 'don't fit' I don't mean clothes-size-wise. I mean things like: colours I rarely wear, or a candle holder when I find that I only use 2-3 and won't use another one...

The organised mum method is a really easy way to keep on top of it all.
I did the Bootcamp first because it had all got a bit chaotic.
I work 13 hour shifts but can stick to this.

A lot use the organised mum method.

Declutter is key but I accumulate. In 10 years I will be better hopefully!

The chair is a good one I'm going to use

One in one out policy.

Take at least one bag to the charity shop weekly.

Don't go upstairs without taking something that belongs up there with you be it laundry etc and vice versa.

Do a quick tidy of the kitchen while you're making a cup of tea.

While watching t.v. sort the paperwork

While kids are bathing clean the bathroom

With regards the young children bit, I have instilled strict rules with my two from the start and it's mostly to make my life easier: no eating in the living room or upstairs, they put their own toys/stuff away as much as possible, tidy all the bloody time and declutter constantly. Oh, and invest in a cordless vacuum - the dc fight over who gets to use it

I agree that constant decluttering is the only way. Not a once a year thing. I find that if you have children in particular you probably need to be going through stuff really regularly - so perhaps one day sort through all the clothes and get rid of anything too small; two weeks later sort through toys and get rid of anything broken; etc.

No children and ex-army dh who was also very well trained by his mum.

Before I had a cleaner I was always de-cluttering. I hate having unnecessary shit in my house, if I don’t like it or it doesn’t get used it gets given to a charity shop.

I’m also a big multi-tasker so whilst the kettle was boiling I’d use the 5 minutes or so to clean down my kitchen counters, put the laundry on, fold clothes etc.

I tended to do a big clean once a week (polish, move everything, Hoover and mop) and then daily I clean the shower, toilet, sinks and kitchen worktops.

Once a month I’ll get round to washing out my fridge, wash all the kitchen doors, actual doors, scrub skirting boards, inside windows etc.

Quarterly I wash out my oven, take everything out of kitchen cupboards and wash thoroughly and wash my curtains.

Breaking it down like that has helped immensely.

My mum does, but she is single and works part time. She cleans and tidies CONSTANTLY and is very house proud. Also has a huge house so everything has a place and loads of storage - double garage, shed, 2 loft spaces, spare room with fitted wardrobes that all the crap gets thrown into!

My house is always much more cluttered and messy so I have no tips

we have a 'one hour whizz' at the weekend. one dusts and wipes and polishes, the other does floors.
the kids are semi trained to have places for things- ie shoes on the shoe rack / books on the book case. They have to put those things back daily.
i do the bathrooms twice a week (properly) and we do the showers and screens when in it. i've got magic sponges- i don't know what they are but they are brilliant.
whoever cooks wipes the kitchen down and brushes the floor daily.
i send out washing now having read it on here (towels / bedding/ pants and socks) so it comes back washed/dried and sorted or folded.
it's not immaculate, there are 5 people, a dog and small furries who live in our home and it's a family home. but it's 'ok' despite that.

My gaff is currently minging. I plan to do something about it tomorrow. I have no motivation.

Before it got this bad I used to clear things out of the lounge and kitchen daily. Things put back to kids bedrooms, all crockery either washed or put in dishwasher and surfaces wiped. Bathroom wiped over swiftly each day and properly cleaned once a week. Vacuuming done daily due to 3 hairy dogs. Floors moped daily, dogs again.

As I said, it’s all gone to pot recently but I want it tidied up properly before Christmas. So I’ll be taking a look at that link up there.

Placemarking!

I have never bought much stuff and am not keen on Knick knacks at all.

Couple of sort outs a year and stuff gets taken to the charity shop.

Plus housework is shared, we had people over for lunch today.
DH hoovered entire house, I assembled the lasagne and put on dishwasher as almost full and tidied kitchen so all away before guests arrived, included cleaning hob. I washed the dining table and set it, he also spot wiped the kitchen floor and we sorted some laundry.

Now between us that didn’t take too long at all.

I have a cleaner once a week then only need to keep on top of things

www.aslobcomesclean.com/?m

This is a good website to get cleaning tips from

Stop accumulating worthless shite. Be organized, and never ever go to bed until your kitchen is clean. If you keep up with it this is very easy. My house has always been "company ready" even when my children were little. I couldn't live any other way. Clutter and mess are VERY stressful and damaging to your well-being.

Amazingly since I clicked on the link to the organised Mum blog I got up earlier than usual both Monday and Tuesday, washed bedding early yesterday, then up early today for a meeting, self employed, put a quick wash in and had time for a decent breakfast 😱 I’ve even subscribed to the website

How are you doing now OP?