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?!

Also: get some ‘crap baskets’ for living rooms & bedrooms especially - just a place to dump things until you put them away

Find the ‘dumping zones’ where clutter ends up in your house (eg my parents place it was top of microwave) & get some kind of box/basket to contain it and then sort that when it’s time to do that room

DON’T allow a junk zone to build up in your kitchen though or it will get impossible to clean :)

@BeanStew22 the most resonating part of the post is "I don't have children". Also you seem to have a lot of time around work. I cannot comprehend taking a 3pm break to do housework or being in at 5pm.

You have given a lot of housewife tips but haven't really taken cognizance of the pressures on working mothers.

@RosesAndHellebores : then maybe those tips are not for you. My DSis (lone parent) found my suggestion worked for her

The basics are : get the house clean to start, then clean it regularly- either a weekly blitz or bit every day in a way that suits your schedule

I have plenty of ‘cognizance’ of the pressures on working mothers: my best friend (who works and has 3 kidS, 2 with SEN) says she ‘basically never stops’, others who find cleaning less of a priority have a cleaner weekly and just keep on top of things

A system such as TOMM helps as does adequate storage & not too much stuff

PS - I’m not a housewife, I’m an Oxford educated professional and usually work 60 hour weeks, housework is my brain decompression time. HTH

I separate out clean and tidy. So I’m not worried if there are piles of books on the big table in the living room (well, it would be illogical of me to mind as they’re mostly mine!) but I am worried if the table is dusty. A row of clean mugs in the kitchen - fine. A row of dirty mugs - not fine. A pile of ironed clothes waiting to go upstairs - fine. A pile of dirty clothes - not fine.

Lower your standards. Instant relief!

Also can confirm.

I don't do what you do and blitz then do nothing. I'm constantly cleaning, always, it's just part of my daily routine. And before bed I ensure everything is done and I'm coming down to an immaculate house. I clean in breaks during my work. I'm self-employed and work to my own schedule, so it's a constant thing. The only time I need to blitz if if I've been out and family have been home making a mess.

I disagree, I used to be a working mother and my schedule was very similar to @BeanStew22 's. Minus the deep cleaning........ I had trouble with that...

I used to be at my desk (working from home) at 7.30-8.00 in the morning to be able to keep all the plates spinning, while my husband got the children ready for school. It's hard, but much easier if one has a well organized routine.

We have a cleaner so the house is always reasonably clean and we tidy for her each week which helps a bit. Realistically it's easier if you have plenty of space. So our sitting room is always within a few minutes of being spotless whereas the playroom is quite often 'room of doom' like (although we've recently blitzed it and it's looking tidier), the downstairs bathroom is always fine but upstairs is only 'guest ready' on the day the cleaner has been, the hallway can look OK quite quickly but the cloakroom is full (even after being blitzed earlier this year). The kids bedrooms constantly need decluttering as they grow out of stuff. The kitchen is OK but the utility room looks terrible just before the recycling gets put out and I have a constant battle with DH about putting away DIY stuff. The attic bedroom and garage are where things go to die, I really need to start having regular charity shop trips to donate all our stuff.

I think easiest way is to have less stuff or a bigger house where there is more storage and a place for everything so less clutter on show then it's just a case of cleaning the floors, and bathrooms weekly. I think I find laundry the most time consuming as it's a while process especially hate putting clothes away.

Honestly I just accepted that I couldn't actually do it all and DH agreed that he's a bit crap at housework so we got a cleaner once a week, his suggestion as he knew he wasn't going to get much better 🙈. It's definitely not spotless all th time but it's so much more manageable. now I don't feel like I'm drowning in housework. I still have the usual cooking washing etc but it's now easy to do a quick run around before bed and it's all back to how it should be and that's with 3 DC under 5. She's been a miracle in our house.

‘Decluttering at the Speed of Life’ by Dana White has helped me, though my home is still a work in progress.

I used to think we just needed a bigger house/better storage, now I realise we just need to only keep the stuff that fits the space we have.

Everything in its place can’t work with our stuff spilling everywhere: I have to move it before I even start to clean!

@upandmumming

how are you getting on OP, how’s the house, did you adopt a system?

When you see something that needs to be done, do it. Don’t wait till later because by then there will be more that needs to be done.

10/15 minutes clearing and tidying before bed. Fold throws, fluff cushions, tidy magazines/toys/books, wash up last minute cups, wipe down kitchen counter.

Do something while you wait to do something else. Wipe down kitchen when you’re waiting for the kettle to boil. Clean bathroom while you wait for the bath to fill. Keep a basin of hot soapy water in the sink while you cook so you can clean as you go…

Go Quentin Crisp, then it won't be a problem for you.