How do you keep on top of your home?

[Gymmum82]

If you work full time?
In the past we had a cleaner but unfortunately due to the costs of everything increasing we can’t afford that anymore. Both me and DH work full
time. I feel like my house is constantly a mess, I feel like all I do is get home from work try to clean up a bit, cook dinner. By the time I’m sitting down to eat it’s 9pm then we go again the next day.
Does anyone have any methods which work? I’ve tried flylady (too much to do every day) tomm (worked for a bit but I found it unsustainable)
I know part of the problem is we just have too much stuff. But I never get time to declutter so the mess remains. Can anyone help with what you do each day?
I leave the house by 6.30am most mornings and get home around 5.30-6pm.

As you said minimalist helps. Every night the dishwasher goes on, kids take their belongings from the downstairs up to their room and the house is tidy every night before we go bed. Cleaning happens on Friday night or if I’m out, the weekend.

Minimalism. I was in the same boat not having enough time to do any of it. I tackled it drawer by drawer 15 mins a day and within a month or so I'd gotten rid of so much crap. Everything has a place now and I'm not spending my time shifting crap from one place to another, instead surfaces are clear to wipe down and it takes 30 mins or less to do the entire house. We have a rule that we all (kids included) "shut down" the house at bedtime so all toys and bits are put away in their designated place, dishes in the dishwasher and surfaces cleaned down. Literally saved my sanity!

I love TOMM but I don't follow it with original 30 mins cleans.

I use her guided cleans. Usually the 15 minute ones. So it means yes things like my skirting boards aren't done. But I can keep my house generally visitor ready by doing 15 mins in a room.

If it slips I just pick which ever guided clean is the most appropriate one for what I want and do that.

I also do the put my house to sleep one every night.

I find them a bit meditative I love the sound of her voice and il put on my own play list and get it done.

I love them. Best money I spend a month.

My dh & kids use it as well.

We both work full time dh shift work, have adults down to a baby still at home.

She has loads of different ones, not just cleaning there is productivity ones, keep you company etc.

Oh she also has house resets/decluttering sessions.

Why they work for me is I get completely overwhelmed. Look around don't know were to start. Put on a session do what she says and 15 mins later I can stop and can't believe how much I have achieved.

It can't get that messy if you're gone all day?

Accept your house will be acceptably clean only. That’s it. Lowering standards has to happen and things like skirting boards can go to the wall.

Do one area per day and commit to a 15 minute blast only, as a minimum.

Mon - laundry put away
Tues - Kitchen
Weds - bathroom
Thurs - lounge/hall
Fri - bedrooms
Weekend - laundry wash and ironing plus anything else urgently messy or stinky!

You’d think that. But it can. I think part of the problem is all of us are naturally quite messy people. So things like no one puts their dishes in the dishwasher. No one puts their laundry in the basket then by the time I’ve realised there’s stuff everywhere again

I struggle with this because I feel like I need a few days to get rid of the "stuff" first because I can clean.

the daily shutdown works for us, kitchen and table must be clear before we go to bed. Dishwasher on after dinner, we have teens so they are good at helping with dinner clear- up while I make lunches / do other bits and pieces in there.
In the morning, I empty the dishwasher while the tea brews, and put in a wash. DH is at home so he cycles and folds washing through the day.
I clean the bathroom once a day when I am in there running a bath etc.

One night a week when DH takes the kids to an activity I do a power 2 hours which includes hoovering etc.

it’s doing it every day and never letting it get bad that helps us. It does slide at times when we are very busy etc, but rarely gets so bad that it would take more than an hour to pick it up.

When it is like that I do a ‘clean with me’ podcast. They really work for my brain.

Took me years to get here and find out what works for me.

I do one thing each day usually. Like tonight I'll do the bathroom. Tomorrow will dust and hoover the carpets. Wednesday the kitchen and mop the laminate floors. Thursday change the beds and wash the sheets. Etc, etc. Teen DS is responsible for his own bedroom and helping with the dishes.

I feel your pain.
We have a cleaner who comes for 3 hours a fortnight which is not really enough. What she does is reset everything all at once, which I can never achieve as I find one job in one room, return it to another and get side tracked in there.
(Eg yesterday we were trying to tidy/declutter in the kitchen but I ended up cleaning and refilling the bird feeders for the garden )
I understand about the tidying and the overwhelm... less stuff does make a difference but I also understand that making the decisions about getting rid of stuff is knackering too,

We’ve got a cleaner (bare with me here), she does 2 hours a week but I still do some housekeeping myself everyday, just little things for e.g running the hoover round quickly, keeping on top of mould and limescale in the bathroom, tidying the kids toys away etc. I’d agree minimalist is the best way and like other people have said, have a reset at the end of the each day. Dishwasher on / wash up, toys away, clothes in the laundry basket. A 2 min job doesn’t then turn into a 20 min job. Hope that isn’t too patronising. I also do it for me, as I too work FT and living in a messy house stresses me out.

I'm a reformed messy pup to tidier. I do it in small increments, steal 5 mins here and there inspired by Flylady. Eg. It takes 2 minutes to polish our lounge with polish and cloth and feather duster for skirting boards, ceilings, shelves etc. DH does all the hoovering.

Decluttering and adequate storage for whats left.
I like clear surfaces. Our kitchen is not ideal for what we need yet but I'll put in the cupboards as much as I can. Our dining table only has salt and pepper on it in a cute wooden box like a restaurant.
The kids are responsible for keeping their rooms tidy and I'll happily resort to blackmail for this. Everyone has to put their coats, shoes and bags away. The messiest one we have now is the dog who leaves her toys everywhere.
Waiting for the kettle to boil and tea to brew, I can empty the dishwasher or clean down the kitchen top.

Sounds like both of you need a day or two off work (without children, you don't mention if there are any) anddo a major clean/declutter

Then put in systems to maintain stuff

I've just returned to work after years of being a sahm. I'm on a steep learning curve right now!

Sometimes I’ll do a big clean on a weekend but it’s literally just a surface clean. So it looks ok and I can usually manage for a while to keep it looking ok. But look any deeper and it’s not so clean. Under furniture, inside cupboard’s etc. I’ve no idea when you get time for all that stuff. My fridge is so disgusting but I never have time to empty and clean it

How old are your children?

Well there is your issue. You need to all start being disciplined and tidying after yourselves. If you do things as you go, then it becomes much simpler. If you’ve kids you need to lead by example.

we always put our dirty clothes in the basket. Put stuff away as soon as dry, dishes in the dishwasher when finished, nothing in sink, dishwasher emptied when it’s run its cycle, our stuff put away when we finish using it.kitchen wiped round of an evening, takes 1 min.

it just becomes habit. And if you do this, then it remains tidy and main cleaning is just a once a week thing.

You’ve answered your own question here….. even little ones can be taught to do this from a young age so get your kids on board too.
I had 3 and worked full time when they were small….spend every Friday evening blitzing the house….often til12 or midnight…..then another general tidy and bathroom clean on a Sunday night….you just have to accept that’s the way it is for a few years

7 and 10. The older one is very good. The younger one is terrible. I literally have to ask her 30 times to do anything and even then she doesn’t do it and I end up doing it myself or shouting at her which I don’t want to do. Her room is a pigsty. She won’t clean it. Even the older one cleans it for her sometimes. Even if I lose my shit and shout at her it still doesn’t get done

Don't go empty-handed upstairs and vice versa. This helps with laundry

Yeah but you don’t do it, by your own admission. You don’t put your plates it the dishwasher, your laundry in the basket. If you just leave your shit laying round, it’s not ok to expect a child to be better.

Get a basket and every day take one thing out of a room that you don’t use/need/like. By the end of the week it will be full and you can donate/recycle as appropriate. With less stuff you can keep things tidier.

So losing your shit doesn’t work….use consequences…….if you give your kids pocket money then it should be for chores completed….room not clean then no money…..let older one clean younger ones room if she wants to earn a bit more money ( ie her siblings pocket money)
and you have to lead by example….if your kid is watching you leave shit everywhere , then 🤷

We have a cleaner that comes for four hours on a Friday and I have Monday off so I reset after the weekend on a Monday. That's also my main laundry day as the kids are at school so no stop starting.
Our house is filled with clutter and I find it overwhelming so invested in a professional organiser to sort our playroom and she's back in today decluttering and organising DS1's room and our bedroom. Next month will be the kitchen. It was a cost but the difference it's made to our house is worth every penny. She's helped us to devise a system and we are all a lot more house proud as we've seen how lovely it can be when tidy.
Now we just have to not clutter it up again!

You'll never get on top of things if you're all making a mess. Firstly you know you have to declutter so get that done (one room a week if it's a massive task). You need to set the best example yourself and then be super strict with the children. If the 7 yr old won't keep her room tidy then give her a deadline to do it and tell her if it's not done, there's no screen time (or whatever she likes doing) and make sure you mean it. Insist everyone puts their breakfast dishes in the dishwasher before they leave the house. If they don't, get them up half an hour earlier in the morning until they do. Don't tolerate dirty clothes not being put in the laundry basket. Insist they do it or you'll withdraw (something they like). You're not the house slave so stop letting them treat you like one but you have to be the cleanest, tidiest and most organised. Good luck!