My house is spotless from top to bottom

[upandmumming]

Now how the bloody hell do I keep it like this?

I do this every 5/6 weeks, blitz every room, I mean every little corner every appliance all bathrooms all floors hoovered and mopped so the house is like a show home and I tell myself right now you've done it, all you have to do is keep it like this, which will never take more than just putting away what you're doing and doing a little tidy in every room before you leave it

Yet within 5 days the house is a bomb site again and I just feel grim and it all gets on top of me until it becomes unbearable and I snap and spend another whole day cleaning and the cycle repeats

So anyone wiser than me - how do I maintain this?!

A place for everything & everything in its place.

Don't put anything down, put it away.

Agree, sell the kids.

Living alone is not the answer! There’s only one person to do everything but you don’t get half the housework compared to two people sharing the load. The garden hasn’t got any smaller since I have lived alone.

I have a house that is pretty well always tidy, which has been achieved by lots of decluttering. Cleaning is a relentless drudge, the sun is out showing up the dust on surfaces that I am sure I only did recently and CBA to do today. I have put clean sheets on the bed today though and the set I removed are drying on the line.

Go for tidy with heavy de cluttering and clean where it matters most (kitchen worktops/sinks etc).

If you have de cluttered well and can afford it, go for a robot vacuum cleaner, cheaper than a cleaner.

I thought you were going to say your DC(S) had gone to Uni or moved out. My house hasn't been tidy since I had toddlers who napped.

Robot vacuum cleaner.
Get rid of clutter.
Have a "place" for everything and make everyone put stuff away.

Your description of the division is already out of whack. If he does laundry then that's putting it away but you've absorbed that task? Indicates you need a revisit of whats really going on before it slides further into you being in charge rather than part of a team.
As pp say have a lot less stuff, put things away (like the old days in offices: "only touch a piece of paper once- do it right then and there") same applies to things.
Examine your mental loads and chart responsibilities and days between e.g. bathtoom is wekly minimum but the daily wipe of toilet, squeegee of shower, rinse of sink makes the weekly clean easier .
When I had to get a cleaner (disability) I wrote a detailed task list room by room and broke it down to weekly, monthly, quarterly. At two hours/week, one week in four is 3 hr session, one week in twelve is 2x 2hrs. This is our contract and I respect her autonomy and hard work! Even if you don't get a cleaner this detail helps stave off resentment. Also make sure there is slack in the system because kids will add heaps of work!

I'm so envious. I've cleaned up today but as we are mid renovation it's a pointless waste of time. The dust and grime is unbelievable.

TOMM
www.theorganisedmum.blog/

although we can’t even keep to that in this house!

I think the organised mum method will work for you.

I asked a friend once and she said 'you have to do it as soon as you see it, so if there's a bit of fluff on the floor you pick it up, if there's a toy needs putting away, as soon as you see it you do it. I think if its important to you and you're a details person, its doable.
I like to keep it nice for us and I don't let it get too bad, but I prioritize relaxing and exercise on weekends and evenings and housework fits around other stuff. A five minute tidy after tea listening to a podcast does wonders.

Ask LilyAnne, I believe she has a lot of time on her hands 😂

Tidy every evening before you go to bed - everything has a place to be. Tidy always looks cleaner IYSWIM

Never go upstairs empty handed

Shut the doors on older kids bedrooms, that’s their space to keep clean/tidy (but obvs intervene if becoming a health hazard

Bleach in the loos everyday, wipe round wet sinks and shower trays with a hand towel, fold and hang towels in the bathroom

wipe down and anti bac kitchen surfaces every night after dinner. Get a spray mop off Amazon and give the kitchen floor a quick whiz every other day

Hoover high traffic areas mid week and everywhere at weekends

Have no kids and no pets, and you’re almost there.

I live in a spotless house. I don't let it creep back - clean every day. Have a cleaner for deep clean every week.

You're so lucky you can get it clean in the first place. I have so many parts of my home that I just can't clean. I would need a totally new place.

Oh, OP, I am with you on this. It's cleaning groundhog day in this house. I am SICK of it. I just said to my partner that i'm on the verge of dragging everything into the garden and starting a bonfire! A little extreme, perhaps, but I have PMT and the idea just seems so pleasing. haha

I am about to get up of my lazy behind and go start boxing up stuff for charity, however. The less we have, the less there is to dust! Then i'm going to check the going rate for selling a toddler on vinted.

This thread brings back memories!
I had a (now former) newly married friend who was totally OTT about keeping her house clean.Her poor husband had to change from office work clothes to house clothes in the porch every evening . As soon as a newspaper or magazine had been read it was thrown away. She shampooed her carpets every week and we had to wear the little plastic blue swimming pool bootee things over our socks when we visited. They were divorced after a couple of years.

There’s a woman on tik tok who does “Sunday church” (cleaning) and I always get motivated through watching her videos. She basically does every crevice of the house on a Sunday - hence how she keeps on top of it.

I do find that if you do a quick going over EVERYTHING weekly (blinds, skirting boards, out of reach dusting) it never “becomes a job” because it’s never left to build up

Just do bits every day rather than saving it up for every couple of months so it doesn't turn into a monster in your mind!

Declutter and and not just the small stuff.
If you have furniture that can be used for storage it will be, get rid. Then you can only keep what will fit.
Clothes- I have one rail, if it doesn't fit on the rail then off to the charity shop something else goes.
Crockery/cutlery only enough for one serving out in the cupboard, the rest are stored away for unexpected visitors or breakages. Less washing up as it has to be cleaned not left, although dd has used random items for food before!
Overall be ruthless, so much easier now less clutter.

I'd add and have no life either.

My house is not, never has been, and never will be "spotless". I could not care less.

Another vote for The Organised Mum Method.

we don’t follow it properly but we just about keep on top of everything

Tidy daily. Clean weekly. Have a cleaner. Long ago I had to tell dh the options were immaculately clean or immaculately tidy.

MIL and mother live in immaculate houses. They are retired and the children are long gone.

It's a life stage.

I have a little confession. I hate cleaning. So used to put an episode of How Clean is Your house onto YouTube and that always inspired me. Plus, it means 20-30 min of cleaning (more if you watch two eps!). However, I’ve now watched all the episodes. But I still do it in pre-agreed (with me!) stints. Eg put a timer on for 25 mins. I think this is what the FlyLady (?) suggests? The other thing she suggests (if I recall rightly) is to always go to bed with a clean kitchen sink. Rock n roll! But actually, this is a brilliant hack. Even if you only do it 80% of the time, it’s a great habit.

what I’m saying, in other words, is little and often. Clean sink every day. Maybe 30 mins every few days, perhaps indeed after five days (sounds to me that five days is when your house starts getting messy, after all!).

That said, my mum swore by cleaning daily, straight away. She had a REALLY TIDY museum-level clean house. But she was always a miserable, control freak.

So whatever works for you.I think your mega cleans sound ace, but I also think this is too much (for you!). Hence little and often…

Same here.

I’m the same. And living alone is not the answer!!!