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If you have a tidy house how long do you spend cleaning / tidying to keep on top of it?

76 replies

Jessie1988 · 22/06/2025 19:21

If you live in a tidy house, the kind where if someone dropped by it’a tidy and clean, how long do you spend to maintain it and can you advise any hints and tips? I feel much better when the house is tidy but it’s impossible to keep on top off and I end up having big clear outs and cleans periodically 🫠

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 23/06/2025 07:52

osirista · 22/06/2025 19:47

This. Nothing lying about- no piles of crap, no trailing paperwork, bags of stuff, washing up, things randomly dumped. It only works if your partner is as tidy as you. Kids you can train. Once you get into it, it’s easy because it becomes routine

I agree.

I am a naturally tidy person. I hate mess, so I just don't leave stuff lying around.

It helps that there is just two of us now as DD is living away.

Mauro711 · 23/06/2025 08:12

I don't know how much time it takes me because I just tidy as I go along. I put stuff back when I'm done with them, I wipe up crumbs and spills as they happen, I don't leave dishes undone, I hose down the shower when I'm done, I throw things away as and when it's needed, I bathe my dog every week, make my bed every day. I also don't buy a lot of things so I don't really need to do clear-outs and there is no clutter. Before I go to bed at night I go and fluff up the sofa cushions, put the blankets back and put away the clean dishes. I do a weekly clean that takes about an hour.

My home isn't sterile or a show home, but it's clean, tidy and smells fresh.

Tapoopoo · 23/06/2025 08:15

I have a tidy house. Its a case of having less stuff and trying to "put things away, not down" and resetting each night by putting everything else back in their place. It takes maybe 20mins to reset an average day.

Now cleaning is where my problems are. I really struggle with cleaning and if Im honest, my house is dirty. Not like scummy floor dirty but toothpaste on the mirror, dust everywhere dirty. I've been trying TOMM but it just isnt working for me. I've given up asking anyone else to help.

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greencartbluecart · 23/06/2025 08:18

We spend about an hour once a week doing a focused clean

dishes done every day and the obvious mess cleared up as we go

we have a good ratio of storage to stuff so everything has an easy home and there isn’t a lot of stuff to manage anyway

and I think we are not fussed if someone turns ip they take us as they find us - we never aim to be instagram perfect just hygienic ( and that wouldn’t really show on a photo )

and the study would be out of bounds to visitors anyway

so a mixture of easy to manage and not aiming too high I guess

itellstalez · 23/06/2025 08:26

Probably about three hours a day. But I have five children to clear up after. DP is good in that he does an awful lot, but he’s also a messy so and so. I find myself cleaning up his crumbs and picking up his clothes a lot.

Tapoopoo · 23/06/2025 08:29

itellstalez · 23/06/2025 08:26

Probably about three hours a day. But I have five children to clear up after. DP is good in that he does an awful lot, but he’s also a messy so and so. I find myself cleaning up his crumbs and picking up his clothes a lot.

3 hours? Really?
Do you work? If so, literally how do you find time, especially running after 5 children.

Tapoopoo · 23/06/2025 08:40

Not read the full thread yet but I never understand people who say their house is messy but clean. If you have shampoo bottles all around the bath or your dining table is covered in clutter, or there is a big pile of clothes on your bedroom dresser, or there are clean dishes all over your kitchen etc then you cant clean effectively. Yoi just cant because there is stuff in the way. Therefore your house is not clean.

RosesAndHellebores · 23/06/2025 08:43

MyKingdomForACat · 22/06/2025 19:36

Tidy as you go. Clean down kitchen worktops after every use. Have a place for everything and make sure it’s put away. Keep on top of the washing. Straighten beds and cushions and rugs. Straighten towels. No clutter. No shoes, bags or coats in the hallway.

This. It's part of the routine.
Plus I have a weekly cleaner.

However, in a minute I'm going to get off the sofa. I will plump the cushion, put it straight and put my mug directly into the dishwasher. The bed is already made.

OneFineDay13 · 23/06/2025 09:23

You all have so much energy! I wish I did. My house is very lived in. Just only tidy up when I can be bothered. every couple of days not constantly. I know that makes me sound awful I try to keep on top of it.

greencartbluecart · 23/06/2025 09:38

Suppose you vacuum the floor and the pop a pile of books on it

the floor doesn’t suddenly become dirty and indeed the bit unde the books will stay clean from dust

say you have plates on the bench and you lift them up to clean under - the bench stays messy but clean

messy as in untidy isn’t messy as in loads of crumbs everywhere

Blobbitymacblob · 23/06/2025 10:04

Very much depends on the house.
I lived in a small 3 bed, one bathroom, with all flat surfaces (no grooves, no embellishments), Lino and laminated floors, with minimal stuff and I could clean it too to bottom in 30 mins. I did the end of tenancy deep clean in 6 hours.

Where we live now, has more rooms, more belongings, grooves on the doors, skirtings, windows, panelling. There are carpeted sections, rugs and mats. Tiles with grouting. So much grouting! Glass everywhere- glass tables, glass panels on doors, a whole wall of glass bifolds in the kitchen. I also have entirely the wrong kind of furniture for the robot hoover to be automated properly. The sofa is just high enough that it can wedge itself and there are narrow gaps it can’t get into, end tables in the way, kitchen barstool bases that it beaches itself on.

When the dc were small the laundry was manageable but smelly hormonal teens go through so many clothes and towels. And you cannot skip on bedding for a week or you’ll definitely know it.

It easily takes two hours minimum a day, counting everything, to be just about presentable. That’s obviously broken up across a day and I do cook a lot from scratch so I’m constantly cleaning the kitchen. But it’s a house that can soak up a lot more time than that, when you include deep cleaning, diy, and gardening.

whitewineandsun · 23/06/2025 10:08

30 minutes reset before I sleep.

KPPlumbing · 23/06/2025 10:14

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 22/06/2025 21:04

I'm curious, those who do 30mins a day whizz round and say that's it - what about stuff like wiping skirting and architraves, cleaning light fittings, cobwebs on ceilings, dusting books on shelves, pulling out sofas and furniture to clean behind, washing windows etc?

I'm hopeless at keeping on top of things. I've no idea how often is normal to do things like that, I feel like I do it when I suddenly notice 'omg look at the state of that!' so the house constantly feels a bit shabby because I've not noticed dust in corners or marks on windows etc.

I do those jobs exceptionally rarely! We've lived in our house for 7 years and hoovered under the sofa once. The house always looks spotless though.

Tapoopoo · 23/06/2025 10:16

greencartbluecart · 23/06/2025 09:38

Suppose you vacuum the floor and the pop a pile of books on it

the floor doesn’t suddenly become dirty and indeed the bit unde the books will stay clean from dust

say you have plates on the bench and you lift them up to clean under - the bench stays messy but clean

messy as in untidy isn’t messy as in loads of crumbs everywhere

That's assuming the clutter is tidy. If your dining table is a dumping ground and covered in miscellaneous paper and school stuff and random clothes on so on, I cant imagine anyone will pick it all up to get rid of the dust and detritus that accumulates between things, clean the table and then put all the stuff back down on the table.

To be honest, I cant imagine anyone going round picking up piles of clutter, whether tidy or not to clean them. A pile of books might not get dirt under it, but it will get dust and spider webs and dirt on the pages.

Im not judging, as I say, I struggle with cleaning so Im in no position to judge. My argument is just that a messy house, cant be a clean house. Whereas a today house (like mine) can be dirty (like mine).

TerroristToddler · 23/06/2025 11:01

Probs max 30mins each day average across the week, in short bursts of cleaning/tidying as I go.

We have a robot hoover that is programmed to come out each morning, so that sorts itself out and helps a lot and does under sofas/areas I can't get to with the corded manual hoover.

Pick up toys/rubbish as I walk past.

Dishwasher unload/reload in the morning and evening. Washing on and put out etc. whilst waiting for kettle to boil during the day if WFH. Clean washing gets put away whilst kids are in the bath in the evening (old enough to be in there alone, with me popping in and out)

Beds are made as soon as we're up (including kids), and toys/mess on floor is to be put away by kids before they go to sleep so we wake up to less mess.

Bathrooms get cleaned x2 week. I'll also dust properly once a week at least, and do skirtings.

Pinkmoonshine · 23/06/2025 11:20

Our house is big and even if I cleaned all day every day it would still be scruffy. I keep the basics cleanish. If I did the rest properly then I would have no life and I would be very resentful. So I’ve made peace with a house that always needs cleaning.

when I had a smaller house I could do it more easily in just a few hours. Although it felt like the cleaning was non stop.

RampantIvy · 23/06/2025 11:43

itellstalez · 23/06/2025 08:26

Probably about three hours a day. But I have five children to clear up after. DP is good in that he does an awful lot, but he’s also a messy so and so. I find myself cleaning up his crumbs and picking up his clothes a lot.

One of the reasons I never wanted a large family. The drudgery.

greencartbluecart · 23/06/2025 14:22

@Tapoopoo
you clean the pages of books? That’s madness !

clean ro me means hygienic - so you won’t catch anything from them

i have never heard of anyone catching anything from the pages of a book

dust on the top of the pile? Well it doesn’t get m uh chance given I dust most weeks ( note that I have a relatively dust free house now - I know sone homes just seem to shed dust more than others )

Tapoopoo · 23/06/2025 14:37

greencartbluecart · 23/06/2025 14:22

@Tapoopoo
you clean the pages of books? That’s madness !

clean ro me means hygienic - so you won’t catch anything from them

i have never heard of anyone catching anything from the pages of a book

dust on the top of the pile? Well it doesn’t get m uh chance given I dust most weeks ( note that I have a relatively dust free house now - I know sone homes just seem to shed dust more than others )

Haha! No I don't mean the pages. 🤣 That would be mad. I mean the edges of the pages when the book is closed.

I could imagine my husbands late grandmother doing that. She despaired of my house cleaning, not seeming to appreciate that I worked full time and her darling grandson was as perfectly capable of washing the windows (or indeed book pages) as me.

I have a very dusty house.

Hoolahoophop · 23/06/2025 14:52

Mrslongden876 · 22/06/2025 22:11

I do the organised mum method. I have a tidy house.

I've tried this so many times and never stick to it!

There just dosent seem a space to fit that 45 mins into my routine.

PickAChew · 23/06/2025 15:30

I'm a tidy as I go sort of person but with DH's increasing propensity to leave stuff where it lands and not care that it bothers me, it's like sweeping the beach.

Lostuser · 23/06/2025 15:40

Currently living in a bit of chaos (poor MH etc) but this thread has given me hope and inspiration that I can and will soon have a nice home once again one day

Creu · 23/06/2025 15:44

I have a cleaner once a week and probably spend 15-30 mins max every day to maintain her standards.

Verv · 23/06/2025 16:04

Cleaners once a a week for a full clean but i maintain it all the time.

Wipe down worktops / tables after every use, no clutter, put house to bed every night - laundry done and away, dishwasher on, etc. Wipe down sinks after use (kitchen and bathrooms)
I swiffer the downstairs floor every couple of days and all the loo's have bleach blocks etc in them so they get a spritz of cleaning whatever it is when flushed.
Everything has a place and lives there.

no kids tho, which helps immensely im sure.

uncomfortablydumb60 · 23/06/2025 16:46

I live alone but have a dog .
i live in a tiny flat. Think studio with tiny bedroom and wetroom at the end so every metre counts. I have slim multi purpose furniture like coffee table with storage
shelf baskets, actually baskets everywhere
Everything out back where it came from. Scissors, sellotape, cutlery etc.
Clear floors as my balance is bad and I can fall over a speck of dust!
j do something everytime I move to eg boil the kettle, like wipe surfaces, clean sink.
I might fling the cordless Dyson around during an Ad break.
i have an adapted kitchen which has pull down shelves and swivel out shelf under the sink which makes tidying effortless
I bought a coverless duvet which injustice machine wash weekly, it dries either inside or outside in max 2 hours
i think the key is Little and often

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