If you do your own cleaning…

[Wavymaevy]

How often does it take you and how often do you do it. I work full time - hybrid, have a 10yr old and live in a two bed house and I feel I can never get on top of it. Been furiously cleaning the last few hours and it’s still such a mess - and there’s always big jobs to be done that I never get around to because of all the small jobs!

Any tips or advice?

Lower your standards! If there's only 2 of you in a 2 bed house then realistically, how dirty is it? Get your 10 year old to help too - a great way for them to earn pocket money.

I do a proper clean of the kitchen and bathroom once a week, keep everything tidy as we go. Probably hoover and sweep the hard floors once a month. It isn't perfect but it is fine.

I follow a lady on Instagram called oneresetaday who is great.

I think when working and parenting you settle for doing what you can - but if you can do an extra ten minute job every day or so then just do so. I never find massive cleans do much. They just knacker you and before you know it you are back to the same mess.

Keep surfaces clear if you can and things look a lot better.

When I was younger I lived in a 2 bed 1 bath home on my own, and it took me 3 hours to do the whole thing and I would usually have gone to throw in a project, like reorganising a cupboard. I did it weekly. I'm older now in a 2 bed 2 bath home with my DH and 3 hours weekly does an ok job, no time for a project so that takes extra time, this week it was the inside windows. You have a kid in the mix so it will be harder. Can you do one project a week?

Hoover and mop at the weekend.

clean the kitchen as we go.

We iron on a Sunday and put away laundry together (I say “we” iron - he irons, he’s better at it than me)

basically it gets done at the weekend. And then deteriorates a bit through the week til we blitz it again at the weekend.

it’s never that bad though.

Well it’s not filthy dirty - but it’s also not an insta house either. I just feel overwhelmed at the amount of jobs that need doing. I always put aside time to do them and when that time comes the basic cleaning and tidying takes up all the time.

My daughter does help when she’s here, she’s not today.

insta houses are all lies. As long as the main bits are clean. Kitchen , bathroom. Clean bedding , don’t worry.

I clean the kitchen/bathrooms most days - basic wipe down, bleach in loo, that takes minutes.
Hoover upstairs carpets once a week/dust obvious flat surfaces.
Robot hoover goes on every day downstairs on hard floors, we have a dog!
Every room has a deep clean once a year or try to anyway.
Proper dust of skirting boards/ behind furniture every couple of months.
Little and often is the key, and chucking stuff out - it’s easy to clean when there’s no clutter to tidy up. I’m ruthless about anything left lying around - in the bin it goes!

This

With 2 people a 2 bed house should be clean after hours of cleaning unless it’s been left for weeks in between.

4 bedroom 2 bad - deep clean one type on each day, bathrooms on one day, kitchen the next, living rooms the next, bedrooms the next, the hall, stairs and landing etc. A light once over or the whole downstairs every day where toys are away, sofa is fluffed up, hoovered, kitchen wiped down. Laundry is mostly daily.

I just clean it? Full house maybe 4 hours if it’s including the stair edge skirting board rims etc.

bathroom - spray with a shower spray and squeegee after every shower. Once a week give it a clean. Kitchen is always cleaned down whilst and after cooking dinner.

I’m not a “clutter free person” like I have a full bookshelf (unit) of books, my doors have built in cubby holes which have ornaments in, house plants, coffee table etc in my living room.:.. definitely not a minimalist.

ive just always kept on top of the house, without lowering standards, even when I had young young kids.

”don’t put it down, put it away” is a mantra.

don’t ever look in my work bag though.

I do a bit every day, it’s the only way to keep on top of it. Each room/area is thoroughly cleaned once per week on a set day. If it’s all left to the weekend it becomes a massive job that I would dread doing, whereas doing a little bit a day doesn’t seem too much of a chore to me.

Have a good clear out before you start cleaning. Get rid of clutter, organise drawers and wardrobes and cupboards and then you can clean properly. Once the clutter is gone cleaning becomes quicker and easier
I clean everyday: bathrooms, kitchen and downstairs. Bedrooms get done 3-4 times a week. I use the brush tool on the vacuum cleaner to do skirting boards etc twice a week and I move furniture at least once a week. Sounds like a lot but it really isn’t - the more you clean the quicker it gets. I’d rather do something each day than allow it to build up. After dinner, for me, is the best time to clean plus the weekends.

I can’t really answer your question because it varies so much depending on what energy/ focus I have that day. But just know what you’re not alone!

Husand took the two young children out for most of today and I’ve been resting, cleaning, resting, cleaning. Like the idea of blitzing it in 2 or 3 hours and then enjoying the rest of the day but I think I am just slow at cleaning. I do a bit of something, then move onto something else, then go back to continue the other thing, then stop for lunch, bit of ironing in front of the tv… you get the idea.

Whilst I am not fast, I am thorough, so I suppose that has its uses too. Keeping on top of things daily would be ideal but my house is either spotless or pretty grim. It’s so hard to keep it all to a good standard.

I do (try to) use Sweepy app which maybe would help you too. You build the schedule eg clean windows every week/ month/ quarter, and all the other jobs, then tick them off as you do them. The app generates a to do list for you based on what is due/ overdue according to your schedule and how clean it is according to how recently you’ve done it.

We're in a 3 bed, 2 bath, 1 loo townhouse and I clean the kitchen and bathrooms thoroughly, plus all the accessible woodwork (skirting, doors, windowsills, cupboards, TV stand, coffee table), plus the uPVC window frames, every week.

It takes about 3 hours in total. DH does the vacuuming and that's about an hour for the full house plus 15 mins a few times a week due to the dog.

Robot hoovers, de cluttering and then do a bit each day for the main areas. Life's too short to spend hours. We don't iron and we do washing one day a week. We lower our standards over the school holidays but all children help and do their bit. They are all in charge of their own rooms and there isn't a cleaning skill they don't know how to do themselves. Bit more supervision for the 4 year old but they surprisingly do a great job of cleaning their room.

I suspect your house has too many items stuffed in it so you spend hours trying to tidy and create places to put those items away and then you are too knackered to actually clean.

A two bed house with two people shouldn't get that dirty so do you need to declutter? Be honest with yourself, does everything have a place or are items dumped on the floor, shoved in cupboards and thrown over the banister? Are you continually moving stuff around instead of putting away?

Spend 20 minutes a night putting things away and then spend a couple of hours at the weekend doing the actual clean.

Another vote for a robot vacuum, if you can afford one. Ten mins before bed whiz round tidying up, wiping kitchen sides etc. Then set the robot going on your way up to bed. Makes a big difference.

I am the same. When I clean, I CLEAN! And it takes ages!

I’m quite a ruthless declutter-er to be fair. But having a 10yr old means there are always things not in their place. And if we’re being honest…..I’m the same…

Fine if no obstacles in the way, but I bet most houses are not like that!

Yeah, wouldn’t work in my house at all

I really struggle with it. We sometimes blast through the whole flat and it looks lovely. I guess bite size is better just do one or two things and evening but it's so easy to not realise the mess you're living in!

Just to say I’m in the same boat and with you in spirit ! I have one child and a 2 bed, both DH and I work full time and we find it so hard that keep on top of things. Hats off to those who have more to contend with. I’ve found trying to keep up with the day to day makes such a difference but sometimes I’m/we’re just knackered and as soon as we fall on one thing like not washing up one night, itall goes downhill and there’s a mountain on the weekend.
What I have been trying to do- and not managing entirely successfully- is decluttering. I find it soul destroyingly boring but am finding it makes such a difference as things have a place so it’s actually pretty quick to sort a room out day to day. And I have to keep reminding myself that sorting stuff out never takes as long as I think it will. I’d put off sorting the airing cupboard for ages as it just felt like such an epic task, but when I did it, it took around 15 mins. However, things like skirting boards are things I never quite get round to beyond hoovering dust…. Good luck!

My dog would eat a robot hoover.