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.

I also get the kids doing their bit (age 6 and 8) and view it as a life skill they genuinely need. They take their own sheets off their beds and use the handheld hoover a bit and vaguely dust. I help them out their clothes and crap away most evenings before bed to keep on top of it all

Agree that it's all about the surfaces. Floors, worktops, tables, units. Those are the things that I notice. Keeping on top of them, even if it just means shoving stuff in drawers and cupboards so they're clear and you can wipe them quickly, will make you feel much better.

I let my kitchen get into a state last week. Basically because I was literally coming in on my break eating my dinner and going straight back out again so just throwing my pots on the side. When that happens it's usually 3-4 washes and it really annoys me. Did a partial clean over the weekend from what I saw of it. Filled the bath up with hot water. My bath in thermo once it's run, and put laundry detergent inside it. Placed all my pots, pans cups, cutlery inside it and left them to soak for around 20-30 mins. Put come cold in and washed them all up then dried them on a hand towel. Took me about 15-20 mins to do it plus put them away. Then once I'd rinsed the bath out and scooped out the bits of food I squirted all round the bath with antibacterial spray, left for 15-20 mins and wiped the bath down so it was clean and sparkling ready for a bath the next day. It's not something I would do all the time but it was much easier having more space to put everything in at once rather than barely being able to fit a plate it the washing up bowl

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

I'm trying flylady

I once 'left' MN fpr about 6 weeks.

My house looked amazing.
I decluttered, I made lovely meals, I relaxed.

It made me realise how much I dossed about on here.

Im back though

My sister pays herself to clean her own house.

So it sort of changes her mindset in her own head from faffing about and procrastination to actually getting a job done as efficiently as possible..

She picks 2 mornings a week and her DH and kids have to get out the house whilst she's working if not already at school/work and she does 2 or 3 hours each time. She pays herself £15 per hour from their joint account. I think it's a bit bonkers personally but it works for her and her house is always clean...

Lol I came on to say get a Eufy too , have a look on the thread 'New Eufy Parents ' to see the love for them .
It not only vacs but you need to keep the floor clear for them so it helps keep things looking tidy..
Wash the pots and wipe worktop before going to bed , I can cope fine with dust and mess in other rooms but I dislike coming down to a messy kitchen.
Buy a shoe rack and if you have space £s one that has a coat rack incorporated, I had shoes lying around and coats on the back of dining chairs for years before I moved things around and made space for a proper place to dump put everything.

@THisbackwithavengeance, that’s inspired! I’m going to do the same, starting tomorrow!

1. Sweep the room with a glance.

1. Shut the door so you can’t see the mess.

1. Don’t get carried away. I did “speed-cleaning” on Saturday and ran into a door. I have a black egg in the middle of my forehead now. I’ve learned my lesson.

I used to be a cleaner. Some houses took longer than others even though they are the same size. And it down to clutter.

Keep ur house tidy. Everything in its place and it is much much easier to clean if u don’t have to move 17 things to clean the top of a unit. Or if I have to spend five mins picking everything up off the floor before I hoover.
There are also products that u can use on all surfaces.
Make urself a caddy. All stuff u need in it. Move it from room to room.

I was also coming on to say you need a Eufy!! Total game changer when it comes to cleaning.

Have a set of tasks you can do in 5, 10 or 15 minutes and fit those in when you have little waiting times. I tend to give the kitchen a wipe down while waiting for the kettle to boil or for something I'm microwaving, and I do the dishes while making meals, so only the dishes to do at the end.

Learn to speed clean. Hoover, wipe down surfaces (preferably keep them clutter free so this is easy), fling the windows open, bleach the loo and wipe down the basin in the bathroom, and do any dishes (you can shove the baking tins back in the oven for now!). Oh, and make the beds. That will get the place ready for visitors and look like you are on top of it even if you really aren't.

I have two empty ottomans in my house, and I just shove everything unsorted into them. Then I go through them later. It's a good task to do while watching tv in the evening.

@JadesRollerDisco 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.

Oh, what a wonderful image you have conjured in my mind

@THisbackwithavengeance

My sister pays herself to clean her own house.

So it sort of changes her mindset in her own head from faffing about and procrastination to actually getting a job done as efficiently as possible..

She picks 2 mornings a week and her DH and kids have to get out the house whilst she's working if not already at school/work and she does 2 or 3 hours each time. She pays herself £15 per hour from their joint account. I think it's a bit bonkers personally but it works for her and her house is always clean...

I do this when my lovely cleaner doesn't come - I pay myself what I would pay her - only to be spent on frivolous things

LOVE the idea of paying myself when cleaner hasn't come - should have done that throughout lockdown...

I HATE cleaning. Over the summer, I taught DCs (15&13) how to properly clean a bathroom - they share one and it's disgusting to clean, so thought they may take more care if they had to clean it themselves. They learned the art of learned incompetence 🙄. But it meant I only cleaned their bathrooms every 2-3 weeks instead of every week, so it still helped me. I also asked them to keep their own rooms tidy and clean. Eldest did ok, youngest not so much, but did an end of summer blitz with him at the end, wasn't too bad.

Otherwise, try to keep everything in its place so actual cleaning is quicker and easier. The problem is it takes twice as long when you're also tidying as you go.

I try to break things down into zones:
Bathrooms - do all 3 at same time 30-45 mins
Kitchen - wipe surfaces etc every time use kitchen, but proper deep clean weekly - 40-45 mins
Upstairs dust and hoover - 45-60 mins
Downstairs dust and hoover - 45-60 mins
Mop floors - 45 mins
It takes my cleaner 4 hours to do my house, I don't have the inclination to spend 4 hrs in 1 go, although occasionally I've thrown toys out of pram and we all clean for an hour. The rest of my family aren't as thorough though (and my standards are already quite low), so it leaves me doubly frustrated, because I know next time I clean I'll also be making up for their ineptitude.

Sorry to hijack but I have questions about the Eufy! How does it do the corners and edges of rooms if it’s round? Do you just do the stairs separately? Does it go over rugs/doormats ok? I might ask for one for Christmas

@bananamonkey

Sorry to hijack but I have questions about the Eufy! How does it do the corners and edges of rooms if it’s round? Do you just do the stairs separately? Does it go over rugs/doormats ok? I might ask for one for Christmas

Yes it will get over rugs and doormats. Ours does better with low pile than high pile/shag rugs. It’s little brush does well at getting into places but I also got a handheld Eufy to do any bits missed.

Yep a cleaner!

2 dishwashers in the kitchen

Just use them as cupboards and never put anything away - except when you use occasional things.
Everyday plates, pans, bowls, cutlery etc use out of the clean one, put back in the dirty one and alternate.

@bananamonkey
Hop over to the thread 'new Eufy Parents '
( sorry can't do links on my phone ) or search my name to find it.
Lots of questions answered on their, but yes he is great at edges and only misses about 2 or 3 inches in the corners .
And won't throw himself down the stairs, but also won't clean them, so I bought a little dustbuster type vac last week to do the stairs .

Ah I can post the link now

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3994205-Any-new-Eufy-Robovac-parents-out-there?pg=2&messages=50

Having done some research (aka procrastinating rather than cleaning) I have realised it was the flylady that I didn't get on with NOT TOMM.
So I'm going to give TOM a go. I'll have to spend longer than the recommend 15/30 mins to start with to actually clear the junk, but it looks like a method that should work for me.

I love the idea of paying myself to clean.

I hate cleaning. It doesn't bring me joy or satisfaction.

I tend to break it up into really small bits.

Like wash a window, then watch the telly for half an hour.
Throw the mop around, then spend an hour sitting on my arse playing on my phone.

So basically every 20 minute task means I get a minimum half hour break.

Oh and always put off today what you can do tomorrow.