To not clear the spare bedroom when we have guests due

[noblegiraffe]

Last night I told DH that I had put DC1 (3) in the childminders on Friday morning and that I was hoping to get some cleaning done downstairs before our guests arrive on Saturday afternoon. Dusting, kitchen floor sort of thing. He pointed out that the spare bedroom is full of boxes and piles of outgrown clothes that need something doing with them and that I should do that otherwise guests will have nowhere to sleep. He got a bit narked when I said that I couldn't, and that the cleaning needed doing too (it really does). I suggested that he deal with the boxes himself on Saturday morning and he huffed and rolled his eyes about how late this was leaving it.

DC1 will be gone for about 4 hours, leaving me with DD who is six months old. To be fair she is pretty content to entertain herself, but she will probably bf 3 times in that time and have a couple of half hour naps. I will also need to have a shower, lunch, and DD will have one attempt at BLW in that time.

AIBU to think that the cleaning is a better idea than attempting to clear the junk from the spare room?

so leaving the logistics of it all aside for a minute - your partner huffs andd puffs and rolls his eyes when he is expected to do any housework?

Yeh. Just get them nicely sozzled on Saturday evening and they won't notice your piles of crap stuff that needs sorting when they roll to bed.

I actually think sorting them some space is a higher priority, and better use of the time while DS1 is at the childminder. Cleaning can be done when the children are asleep by both of you today and tomorrow

Whose guests are they? If they were my friends I'd be making the guest room nice for them

If Dh's I'd leave them to it

I don't know which would take more time but your DH definitely needs to join in.
Sounds to me like you don't want your guests to stay over?
Also you have tonight and tomorrow night to get sorted between you, not just Friday morning.
As a putter-offer myself I say "just get on with it!"

I'd prioritise clearing the guest room over dusting and the kitchen floor tbh. Because DH is right, your guests are there to see you and will forgive the kitchen floor not being spotless, but they do need somewhere to sleep.

Also, dusting, mopping, general cleaning are the sort of thing a 3 year old would love to "help" with (so potentially could be done in the afternoon) - whereas you don't really want her underfoot when you are shifting boxes (though if they are her outgrown clothes, you might like to give her a box and suggest she dresses her soft toys in them).

But do what you can, and you and DH will have to both pitch in and do anything essential that's undone when he gets home.

I think I would move a little bit to give them some space. As long as the bathroom and kitchen are clean, I wouldn't worry about too much else.

People don't notice as much as you think. The only proviso I would make is not to lift any boxes which are too heavy- he will have to move those and it doesn't matter if it is only done 10 mins before they arrive-why does that matter?

make a nice space for the guests even if it is by moving the boxes etc into your room. Clean later in the bathroom & kitchen

Definitely sort the spare room first. You can clean when the kids are in bed.

Yes - clear space first, clean afterwards. As a guest I'd be unlikely to notice if the kitchen floor is a bit grubby or the TV is dusty, but I would feel quite unwanted and as though my stay is an imposition if I had to shuffle round boxes to get to my bed or didn't have space to open my overnight bag/case.

But the boxes can be shuffled on Saturday morning! It's not like I'm expecting the guests to clamber over stuff.

I'm thinking that the cleaning can be done in little bits while keeping an eye on the baby, who will be playing downstairs,, whereas lugging stuff around (and I can't get into the loft while DH can) is a bit less easy. I can tidy the kitchen while she eats, etc.

Doing stuff in the evening is not especially practical at the moment, bedtime is a bit extended.

The guest room would be a priority for me too. It sounds as if it is stuff you no longer need and you should really dispose of it. You can clean anytime...

Say to him that if he'd prefer you to do the boxes, that's fine. He can do the cleaning.

And then tell him everything that needs doing.

If you are the one doing it then do it which ever way suits you.

Won't you need to clean the guest room once the stuff has been shifted? If so, it would make sense to move the stuff first.

Who's guests are they? Yours or his

Do the cleaning and get dh to move boxes tonight, then you only have the spare room a clean on the morning.

I'm with the clear and clean the guest bedroom first. Work together tonight on the clearing. You clean what you can tomorrow while one is in childcare. He helps after dinner.

''then you shouldn't have left it so long'' was the correct answer to give him!

Tbh I'm a bit surprised that people aren't saying that anything you get done while looking after a baby is a bonus

The guests are both of ours really, can't ditch it all on him there. And the cleaning really needs to happen otherwise I won't be comfortable. It's quite grim (I did do the bathroom yesterday though).

Nothing can be done about the spare room in the evening, too noisy and would disturb DC1.

Shrugs, I baby wore back then, No problems getting on with most cleaning.

Kids didn't appreciate the Vacuum tho

sweetie. It wasn't easy at all for the first 6 months, and them they learn how to emulate Houdini lol

dont have any guests who aren't prepared to help clear a path to the bed :)

I regularly stay with a friend for whom tidying is waay down on her list of priorities and reaching the spare room bed is always an obstacle course of boxes, her Dcs bits of project, a cat or two .....

Who cares. I am there to see her, not critique the housekeeping!!

Personally I would clean my room then dump the contents of the spare room into my own and DH's room , and then get on with the rest of the house. Guests are unlikely to enter it and it will force you both to confront the clutter head on first thing on Saturday am.

But actually because I have a DH like this myself it is more productive to write a list of exactly what needs cleaning, thus spelling it out in black and white what needs to be done and in what order --so he doesn't decide to clear out the understairs cupboard while you try to clean around him.