House cleaning help!

[cantcopenow]

I could use a bit of help getting myself organised today.

I’ve got a day at home with my children and feel a bit overwhelmed. Our house is a mess due to a chaotic couple of months and I’m knackered for the same reason. I need to help DS with some homework stuff (studying) and do the usual setup for the week - kids showered, sheets changed, enough shirts ironed etc etc.

It’s also forecast to be 30° today which is scorching hot in the city!

Where would you start? Please help me come up with a rough plan. I know I’m not going to be able to clean the house top to bottom but I’d like to do SOMETHING. Am feeling a bit lost.

[Sparklfairy]

Work out what would make you feel better. You probably won't get everything deep cleaned and perfect in one day with everything else going on, and will feel disappointed if you try and fail.

Would a sparkling bathroom give you that sense of calm and achievement, more than say the living spaces being tidied/hoovered/your relaxing space? Or the other way around?

Tidy up everywhere, get the essentials done, then tackle the one room that when it's sparkling gives you that sense of 'zen'. Personally I avoid kitchens as a priority like this, because they get trashed again at the next meal

[declutteringmymind]

Get the kids to help.

[UncomfortableSilence]

Is it just you and DS or is anyone else in the house that can help?

You won't do the whole house in a day so you need to focus. It's great drying weather so get the first wash on now and out on the line. I would focus on kitchen and bathroom being clean and tidied, washing done and prep for next week. The best way of keeping on top of things is having less stuff. I'm ruthless and it's so much easier to be organised and tidy, gradually go through one room at a time, chuck rubbish, donate what you don't need, organise then give it a good clean. It will be much easier to keep once it's done.

I'm in the city too and also forecast 30 keep your blinds/curtains down to keep the house a bit cooler.

[cantcopenow]

Thank you all. The DCs are 10 and 12 so can do plenty.

@UncomfortableSilence you are so right about keeping on top of things and tbh that’s the only reason I’m not in despair right now - I’m usually on top of things and fairly decluttered! Yesterday was the first day off work I’ve had in about 6 weeks (responsible role, irresponsible deadlines!) and I collapsed relaxed for the day. Before that we had to travel due to a bereavement.

I’m going to put a wash on now (great idea) then do some study stuff with DS now and get him set up. I WFH one day a week so I’ve managed to keep up with the washing, it’s just the ironing that I can’t do while working!

A sparkling clean bedroom is going to be the best thing for my mental health so I’ll focus on that. The children can do the hoovering and change their sheets, except for the duvet covers. Then we’ll have lunch…

[LexieLoos]

Following along as I'm in a similar situation!

[cantcopenow]

Have you put the washing on? 😊

[declutteringmymind]

I do power hours. The kids help with 30 mins of it.

So one child walks round the house with a bin bag and picks up all rubbish and empties all bins.

One child has a basket for things that shouldn't be in that room.

I go with them room to room and tidy up.

Maybe start with that?

[Sunnysidegold]

A power hour is a great idea.

I have a bit of a routine on the weekend. Empty bins in all rooms, gather up recycling in another bag. Grab a laundry basket and go room by room chucking out of place stuff into it.

Open windows.

Stick on a wash and the dishwasher.

Wipe the bathroom sink and scrub the loo.

Put laundry away. My least favourite thing is making beds so I do this early to avoid flopping into bed and realising the sheets aren't on.

Save the ironing for the evening with a good programme and a glass of something nice.

[Sunnysidegold]

Oh and later dump out the laundry basket, sort into piles of different rooms and get everyone to grab their stuff.

I'm a bit more chilled about bedrooms - one kid keeps his tidy and the other doesn't but I set a timer for ten mins and we can do what we can.

Timers are your friend. Ten minutes here and there.

[LaMaG]

I would have to write a to do list and cross it off, otherwise my brain fries! Writing and thinking slowly with a cup of coffee takes away the panic and motivates me, it's 10mins well spent.

Tidy and clean are 2 different things, for me I can ignore the dirt a bit but a mess is stress! I'd do a general tidy first getting everything into the right room and then do a deeper clean of just 1 room and see how you feel. Then move onto the next priority room. If you have 1 day you won't get to clean out cupboards so just do smaller jobs that make a visible difference.

[PopsicleHustler]

I do a to do list and colour in each job as I go! It feels really great to see a full two pages coloured in blue! Tick off as I go! Then during the week I just do a general round Robin cleaning. But weekends I do a list.

Weekend is:

• beds made immediately as soon as you wake up
• breakfast bowls immediately washed up after cereal.
• tidy lounge, organise shelves and books, toy corner, organise dvds and PlayStation 🕹 🎮

-plump up sofas, hoover and polish, pull out sofas for anything underneath, organise cushions, hoover under sofa if needed.

• cleaning lounge windows

-clean bathroom, clean bath, tiles, panel, shower box, glass door on shower, organise bath bottles shampoos and what not
-clean sink, window frame and outside and inside of toilet, fold towels and organise loo rolls

-mop bathroom and downstairs toilet
-load a wash in the machine while that's washing, wash up. Anything left over from night before, clean sink and drainer and taps, water plants,
Organise snack cupboard and clean the worktops and outside of cupboards, give the fridge a wipe down and inside of fridge a quick wipe down too.

• mop kitchen and take bin and ♻️ recycling out.
• tidy bedrooms and fold away dry laundry, organise kids uniforms for Monday!

-hoover bedrooms and stairs and landing, hall.
-polsih banister and wash the radiators and doors and door frames.
-clean mirrors and door handles
-hang up the first wash and load another
Give myself a Cadbury dairy milk for a good job well done.
I have 6 kids from 5 months old to 16. So the eldest kids pitch in too.

Weekdays I Polish one day and miss a day off, bathroom done as soon as we have all finished showering and brushing teeth, laundry loaded before school run helps, beds made as soon as we wake up, and I find if you're leaving the room or going to the kitchen, take something with you and a 10 minute whip round of kitchen and lounge before bed helps too!!!!

[TheChosenTwo]

Start with putting a load of washing on, empty the dishwasher and then go round the house looking for stray glasses, cups or plates (my bloody teens 😂). Bin bag for each person to throw away absolutely anything that is crap.
that’s my starting point.

[LexieLoos]

@cantcopenow I have now 😂 And been inspired to do a 5 minute whip around the living it actually looks much better already!

[LexieLoos]

*living ROOM

[frozendaisy]

Put the radio on first
Put a laundry load on
Whilst that is washing get washing up in kitchen cleared

Gather clothing/material two piles one put away on in wash basket

Clear a surface kitchen table and have make piles off clean clothes for respective rooms - each child, your stuff, towels tea towels and get clean stuff out away

Sort out stuff for school

Get a box for all the little things that have a home but you don't have time to run around putting it all away.

Clear out rubbish recycling

Run around bathrooms with some wipes

[LaMaG]

@PopsicleHustler wow 6 kids all young. And you sound so organised. Good for you!

[PopsicleHustler]

@LaMaG thanks so much, I try my best! Its hard sometimes but I have no help (grandparents or friends) and just get on with it....