Tell me your top house cleaning tips

[ElizaDoolots]

Firstly, I know this is a complete first world problem, and there are bigger things going on today. I need a break from the news.

I’ve had to cancel our cleaning service (that we’ve had pretty much since we bought our first house!) The price went up 30% overnight and I’m due to go on maternity leave next month so can’t really justify the expense any more.

I’ll have a two year old at home most days as well as the baby so need to find efficient ways to keep the house clean and tidy.

Please share with me your top tips. Best products to go for? Eco friendly swaps? Ways to keep on top of everything?

I realise I might just need to drop my standards a bit, but I find it hard to relax when the house is a mess so do want to keep on top of it as much as I can. DH will do some things but works very long hours so realistically won’t be doing loads, I’d prefer his ‘free time’ to be spent pitching in with the childcare.

Thanks!

Also a tub in the hall which I put everything that needs to go upstairs into. When DC go up to bed I take it up, put everything away while they clean their teeth.

Stop stressing and do the bare minimum. Only on MN are people scrubbing skirting boards and bleaching everything to within an inch of its life.

If it's a five minute job, don't put it off, just get it done.

Use the time it takes to boil a kettle or warm something in the microwave to do any little jobs...wiping surfaces, giving the fridge a quick wipe, putting something away, there's usually something quick that needs doing.

I find laundry can take over if I don’t keep on top of it. So every day I do a load, fold a load and put a load away.

Not too much clutter on kitchen worktops makes it look tidier and is easy to clean.

Only on MN are people scrubbing skirting boards and bleaching everything to within an inch of its life

I agree with this. I only know one person in RL that’s like this and cleaning is genuinely a hobby for her. She enjoys it and spends most of her non work hours doing it. The rest of us fit it in where we can, as and when.

Never leave a room empty handed, stuff to go back upstairs is put on the stairs and the next person up takes it to where it's supposed to go.

Not having too much stuff is an absolute game changer. I got into a pattern of buying more and more storage options when mine were little when actually what I needed was less stuff. I had a massive sort out and was able to get rid of some storage too. I now don't buy anything unless we really need/want it, better for the environment and my pocket and sanity! I refuse to buy any storage items, if it looks like I'm needing them then I will have another sort out and get rid of stuff we don't actually need any more.

I find if things are tidy then cleaning is much easier so I'd say start there before your baby arrives.

Priority for me is the kitchen so I clean as I go and even if knackered make sure the kitchen is tidy and clean before I go to bed, much nicer start to the next day to get up to a clean kitchen, no dishes etc.

Accept any help offered when baby arrives. My mum was fab and would clean and hoover etc every time she came round (local) for the first month or two and we were so grateful it made such a difference.

Hi. I recently moved in my first home and noticed that on one of the pvc doors there is this yellow stain. Ive tried everything i can think of to get it cleaned and the yellow stains removed but nothing has worked. Does anyone have any tips?

Harpic limescale tablets, bung in the loo, leave it, and then next time you go in, give it a scrub.

Also method direct to floor cleaner (almond or rhubarb) I have one of those flash mops, but instead of putting wipes on it, I use a microfiber cloth. Every so often I do a proper bucket and bleach job, but in between I just do the quick mop and straight to floor stuff.

A tub of pink stuff and one of those scrub daddy things for tough bits.

Cordless hoover is a must! Shark is the best.

Also those play mats that bundle into a bag, so you just fold all the toys into them.

I do this too. Hot soapy water cleans just about anything.

Before I start cooking I fill the sink with hot soapy water, clear and clean down as I go. Makes cooking so much easier.

Lock the kids and husband out!
Works a treat stays lovely.

iRobot

Denture tablet down the loo, then scrub.

Large bathroom wipes in each toilet. When you go for a wee, wipe round sink and anywhere else, then wipe toilet, dispose. Obviously only do this once a day, per loo.

Basket or similar at bottom of stairs for things to go up

When I get up I collect washing, empty bins before I go downstairs and put a wash on, put stuff in bins whilst kettle boiling.

@caloula90 have you tried cif? Worked really well on my pvc door frames

I agree with this. TOMM has revolutionised my housework.

@caloula90 another vote for cif cream, or any cheap alternative works the same. Morrison's used to do a savers version but I haven't looked for a while so unsure if they still do. It'll remove any dark bash marks off upvc doors and windows too and works wonders on the bath

Was that in Viz?

When your second baby arrives you may anticipate it's just one extra, and a very small and sleepy extra one at that, but actually the amount of mess increases exponentially and the energy you have available to take care of baby plus toddler decreases in the same way.

Two year olds generate a huge amount of mess. They experience the usual challenges of being two, and also the challenges that come with a new focus of mummy's attention. A previously sweet, biddable toddler can turn into a human tornado overnight. Babies take a lot of time and headspace. Chasing after a two year old all day when you haven't slept for more than three hours at a stretch in the night for ten weeks is going to limit your ability and motivation to keep up with cleaning and tidying.

I would have your cleaner come once a month for a good deep clean. Cut back on something else just to be able to afford the service. Rest when you can. Turn on the TV for the toddler.

How much time do you spend cleaning?

Just don’t forget to clean your windows. And not just the glass. The frame and inside and the hinges.

i remember going to my cousins place. Really nice and clean and she said to go to the window to see her new water feature. Then i saw the inside of the frame.

@IHateHeatWaves

Denture tablet down the loo, then scrub.

They're basically citric acid which is much cheaper bought by the kilo from Ebay. If you boil a kettle of water, add a teaspoon of citric acid, leave to fizz and then cool, it's a great descaler.

From the eco POV is use washable kitchen cloths for wiping up. Use a new one each day and chuck the dirty one in the machine to be washed with the next load of any colour.

I have an almost three year old. Split the cleaning with your husband and do little and often everyday,

When she is home I hoover the downstairs morning and evening as I find the crumbs she leaves irrationally infuriating. When it’s dry I take her table outside and we paint out there so I don’t stress as much about her making a mess.

When my husband comes home from work he wipes down the kitchen and when needed takes out the bin. We both take responsability for the laundry and do this when it’s needed and put the clothes away the same same day. We both tidy everywhere before bed.

I clean the en-suite when it looks dirty, husband’s in charge of the family bathroom.

My daughter loves to clean the windows/mirrors as she gets to squirt the cleaning solution so we do this as a mummy/daughter activity whenever I feel the need

Differentiate cleaning to tidying. Tidying only works if you have a place everything should be. I've been throwing stuff out for five years now and we still aren't there yet!

Cleaning tips from me:
One major room a day - kitchen, bathroom, other bathroom. That's three days of work. Start from one corner and go all the way around.
Other rooms - split upstairs and downstairs. Do one one day, the other the next day. Split the jobs. Hoovering every week. Dusting once a month.
Two cloths and diluted multi surface cleaner. Wash then dry. My cleaner uses a microfibre and ab artificial Chamonix. I use two kinds of microfibre.

My kitchen takes over an hour. My downstairs bathroom takes me half an hour.

My biggest thing is to schedule the time to do it. Because it's seen as women's work it is rarely figured in the week planning. If you know you have four hours of cleaning to do in a week in addition to maintenance cleaning between those times, you'll approach it differently.

I wouldn't stick to a day of the week schedule. I'd do a day 1, day 2 etc. That way you can keep it going even if you spend all Tuesday out having fun, and you don't worry about catching up.

Who needs enemies when you’ve got family like this?

Those who are suggesting decluttering are on the right track although if you have kids living at home it is difficult as they just accumulate things. Also sitting in a pile of Lego with a 2 year old is one of life's joys.

Nonetheless when I separated from my wife I took a conscious decision to declutter and I pay for a cleaner (money well spent and I'd give up other things before that). I still have lots of things I love - about 1500 books for example - but am quite keen to keep my place mess free.

In terms of products most are much of a muchness. Cordless vacuum is very useful though - Dyson gets talked about the most but I found a Bosch one with long battery time about £250 quid cheaper than the comparative Dyson