I hate cleaning and would like some shortcuts / tips / cheats

[EggFriedCauliflowerRice]

Just that really, I want hacks tips for making cleaning easier. Please do not direct me to organised fucking mum.

Not exactly a hack, but I do one big clean a week, normally on a Saturday. If the place gets messy the rest of the week then - meh. I just do the bare minimum. But I know it’s all getting a good clean at the weekend.

(Mind you I have a small 2 bed terrace so it’s not a mammoth task!)

A cleaner 😉

Eufy robot vacuum!

I second getting a eufy! So easy and my house always looks clean

Robot vacuum - I have a roomba. It is great, press a button and leave it to do its thing.

Declutter, the less stuff you have the less mess there is.

Have a spare room that you shove all of the crap in.

Plus The organised mum method (TOMM).

Clean the mess up as you make it. It's much easier to clean up fresh grease splashes than grease that's a week old and gone all gummy. It's much easier to dust a surface that doesn't have crap scattered all over it that no one put away.

@Yankathebear

Buy nice smelling products so you are more inclined to clean

Also have a packet of cleaning wipes in every room so you can do quick cleans. They aren't the best for the environment but having a cleaner who drives to your house to clean is much worse than a few wipes.

These might be obvious tips but
When you spray stuff, leave it to do its job, don't get carried away washing it off straight away have a cup of tea first
If you've cleaned tiles and you end up with annoying bits of wet dust (maybe it's just me) buff them with an old flannel
Old flannels work well for cleaning
If you see it, clean it. A spill or a dusty patch, do it there and then
Use the right products, so stainless steel cleaner, mould remover, things like that make life easier
Outsource jobs. I don't clean my oven, it's £20 to have it done and I hate doing it
Use your hoover attachments. Furniture, cobwebs, skirting, dog, Hoover the lot

Lower your standards

Following as I also need some tips. I only live in a small 2 bed terrace so it shouldn't be a lot of work. But it is :(

I don't understand the love for the organised mum. I didnt find it remotely helpful.

@RAOK at the beginning of lockdown, if I'd had the choice between dh and the cleaner, I know who I would have chosen.

Do it as soon as you see it needs doing. Clean as you go. So have a shower and clean straight after. Do loos and sinks and kitchen once a day. Get into the habit of putting things away ASAP. (Not leaving shoes and coats out etc.) if it looks tidy and clean it’ll do. Have a big clean twice a year where you do everything such as moving furniture and wall hangings and washing walls etc if you really can’t face deep
cleaning individual rooms regularly -
And treat yourself for having done it!

Lower your standards Oh, I've tried @QueenPaws, but I am a slattern who wants to live in a palace.

Eufy robot hoover. Today is my day off work.

Made ds and dp tidy all their crap from the floor last night. Eufy did his stuff downstairs from us getting up. Charged it whilst I did the school run and shopping.

Emptied it and carried it upstairs to do the bathroom and ds' room. I had a coffee and lunch instead of hoovering!

The house looks loads better in less than a week since I bought it because the floors are cleared of toys and chargers

@EggFriedCauliflowerRice cleaner is it then
I do have a cleaner, they come every fortnight and it's bliss, only takes them an hour to whip round between 2 of them and it's £16. Well spent

When DP takes DC up to bed I put my headphones in for half hour and clean whatever is needed. The music and time limit helps me and it's like a routine for me now. When you're in the bath/shower grab a sponge to wash tiles etc. Wash window ledge and sink when brushing teeth. After morning pee wipe over toilet and put bleach/disinfect down it. All silly things but i find if you incorporate it with something you're doing anyway, it becomes second nature.

Robot vacs are great tbh. Outsourcing where you can is good be it to children a window cleaner, whoever really.

Also blitz cleaning. I like cleaning when it stays clean but I hate the relentless drudgery and now we’re all home so much it’s never fucking ends! However, I have found it’s surprising how much you can get done in 15 mins which is what I do maybe a few times a day. Leave cleaning products within easy reach of each area and declutter, you can’t blitz clean a cluttered surface but a clear one is wiped down in 10 seconds.

In the long term train your DC right and pay attention to what you buy for your home, so many things I’ve bought on aesthetics only to realise they show every mark and finger print and are a nightmare to clean.

Definitely allocate yourself an hour. Say you'll do as much as possible in that hour. I can clean 2 bathrooms and the kitchen in that to. Yes, it's not pristine but it's at least clean.

I've discovered I don't actually spend as much time as I thought cleaning but I do spend a lot of time procrastinating about cleaning. I made a list of jobs and how long they take and just slot them in when I have time I do the hated jobs first and that spurs me on once I've got stuff off my list. also lowering my standards and doing things quickly. Probably not that much help sorry. I refuse to look at mrs hinch as that makes me feel like a total sloth. I work full time and have 3 sons so don't get a very high standard and don't tidy during the week normally.

TOMM is actually pretty sensible advice about breaking tasks into manageable chunks. It's a world removed from Mrs hinch that a pp mentioned. (IIRC, Mrs hinch employs a cleaner, anyhow!)

I take a photo, then set a timer, put on some good music, when the timer goes off I take another photo. If I feel like it I carry on. If I don't, I don't. I used to just do massive cleaning marathons, and it was like punishing myself for hours. Now I do a little bit, and then reward myself with some non housework time.

Also novelty. I like getting new products, listening to different music, or audible book or a podcast. Putting the TV on when I do the lounge. Throwing the toys in the box or laundry in the hamper and shouting "score" or "goal" when I get the item in. Washing dishes standing on one leg, or on tip toes, or my heals. Dancing around like an idiot mostly. Sometimes I play "the lava game" while cleaning up the kids room and just jump between beds bean bags and cushions putting there things away and not falling in the lava.

Cleaning is really boring but it makes life more fun when it's done. I started doing it when I realised that procrastination and losing things took a lot more time and energy than the actual housework itself. I will never love it. But I don't mind it now. It's just part of my routine.

A place for everything, declutter as much as possible and do it often. A quick wipe round everytime you are in a room. Have cleaning products upstairs for cleaning the bathroom. Tidy as you go, get kitchen spray that you like the fragrance of, it will encourage you to clean as you go. Invest in Tupperware style boxes to keep things tidy, I even have a huge one with shoes in hidden away in the downstairs loo.
Little and often really does help.
Learn how to prioritise, sweeping the kitchen floor makes a difference, wiping the inside of the bin less so.

I leave a small supply of cleaning products in each room so they are always available for a quick clean and I find i'm much more inclined when I see a layer of dust to whip out the Mr Sheen etc. I have a set of whatever I need in each bathroom and plenty of cloths and bin bags to empty all the bedroom bins. I also invested in a decent handheld hoover which I use a lot for a quick gathering of dog hair and dust almost everyday.