To ask you to help me get my head around housework

[Anonynony]

This sounds kind of lighthearted but it's genuinely really starting to bother me and make me feel useless. I just cannot seem to keep a clean and tidy home. It's only me and my nearly 3 year old and people are forever telling me what a great mum I am but they wouldn't say that if they'd seen the state of the place.
I'm happy and proud of myself in every other area, we're always out and about on day trips, getting fresh air, loads of exercise, library, she has a really healthy diet etc but I think if I social worker were to come in right now they'd probably be appalled

It was just me and my dad at home and honestly the house was a tip, I never really learned how to clean. It sounds so stupid but I really want it to be part of my daily routine instead of letting it all pile up, getting so depressed with it and doing one day blast then letting it all pile up again. I'm not lazy I just get so overwhelmed because I've no idea what I'm doing. I was the same with cooking but since I had DD I dedicated hours to practicing and watching YouTube tutorials so she'd have a healthy diet.

Please give me some tips to help me educate myself, I know it sounds really stupid and is something other people have a natural know how/want to do. The mad thing is I hate mess so this really bothers me and yet I seem incapable of incorporating into my daily routine.

One of the best tips i heard in the past is, set a timer for 15 minutes, and spend that 15 mins tidying. 15 minutes out of your day is nothing but you'll be surprised how much you can get done. Then go off, have a cuppa, play with the kids or whatever, then do another 15 mins.

I do a lot of cleaning as i am a germaphobe, but even if you don't go mad with it like i do, best thing to do is start at one side of a room and work your way around.

Having one of those cleaning caddies is handy, put all your cloths and sprays etc in it so you aren't traipsing back and forward for stuff.

I also have a medium size storage box i take around with me and put things in it that need to be moved to another room.

My best tips are get rid of the clutter, and have a home for everything you keep. I work three days a week so clean upstairs and change beds on one day off and downstairs on my other day off, this way the weekend is free for fun things. It's not easy with a toddler and baby but it's more bite size than trying to do it in one go.

If you have space for a dishwasher, get one! Keeps the kitchen tidy during the day as dishes aren't piling up. We put ours on every evening and do the babies bottles in it which saves time.

My husband cleans the downstairs loo and hoovers the stairs at the weekend. He also does the ad hoc jobs like putting up stairgates then.

I Hoover downstairs daily (not on the days I work as the place stays clean) and after lunch all toys are put away and a film put on for my three yo while the baby sleeps. I do the quieter chores then or look on MN , clean up after every meal and tidy up each evening before bed. It can feel like Groundhog Day but at least it keeps the house under control.

Have you no coursework to be doing? Or a selfie to be taking?

hope you don't mind me marking a place on your thread- i do a huge blast of the house once a week when it gets too much but just dont seem to have the ability to do little and often, so i'm interested, thanks for posting :)

my knickers are looking a bit manky i must admit.

Vito, now that the hairy handed comment has been deleted yours looks a bit odd!

Lol

Don't spend time on Mumsnet - I only sat down to pay the bills, but am still here an hour later! My place is a bit all or nothing, depending on how much "oomph" I have but it is getting better gradually. It's just little habits to get ingrained (like the Flylady/OrganiseMyHouse/Unfuck My Habitat ideas). I now feel "wrong" if I haven't made the bed in the morning, and all post gets dealt with immediately so we don't have random paper piles any more. Getting there with the kitchen, try to always wash up after breakfast and dinner and clear the countertops. Try to have as little as possible out, and make sure there are plenty of places to put things away that are simple. Don't get suckered into pretty storage boxes or those fancy cardboard suitcases that everywhere seems to have - you will not be bothered to open them! Baskets look good.

Just re-read your post about too much in the way to start - when I feel like that, I blitz the downstairs using those folding storage boxes. Everything that is not in its right place gets shoved in the box, I then dust/hoover/mop. then get a cuppa and go through each box taking as many things at a time as poss to put away.

You need storage space.
Bookcases for books, chests of drawers and wardrobes for clothes.
I do too, so sympathise and my house can be tip-like because I have nowhere to put anything away.

I see someone has already said the don't put it down, put it away.

The other wise thing I got from here is don't leave a room empty handed.

Sound obvious but both of these really help to stop things piling up I am still working on DH getting the hang of this

The cleaning you can then do a bit everyday.

I hate hate hate cleaning. I am not that good at it, and yet i get tense and stressed if there is mess.

So, I set the oven timer for 10 minutes and do ten minute bursts. It is amazing how much you can get done. When i get sick of a ten minute regime, then I tell myself that I will put away or do 30 things in one room. That works really well for me.So putting one book back on the shelf is one thing. Stacking the magazines back in the rack is the second thing etc.

I like the idea 'don't put it down, put it away'.