to never wash up, vacuum or iron ever again?

[MalibuStacy]

OK, so this will shortly be my day:

Commuting & school run: 4 hours
Work: 6 hours
Park & helping with homework: 1 hour
Cooking, preparing lunches & general tidying up: 1 hour
Running my small business: up to 3 hours.

That doesn't actually leave any time at all for anything else, does it? DH can't really help as he works more hours than I do. But I can't do it all. Money is a bit tight for us right now, but I am hoping things will improve.

I can't afford to get a cleaner in every day, so… I am thinking of employing a range of different household gadgets to take the pressure off. This is my list:

Roomba
Dishwasher
Tumble dryer (so I don't have to iron)
Slow cooker.

Is there anything else? I would love to hear from other stressed working mums about ways that they have reduced the workload also.

kristina i'm assuming she plugs the iron in then goes and does something else while it heats up. irons and then does something else while it cools down.

surely this is normal procedure no? wether i'm waiting on the kettle/toaster/iron or whatever i will do other things while i wait.

It doesn't take me long to hoover either, like anything if you keep ontop of it then it wont take long. if however you go for weeks on end without hoovering/sweeping then i can see the hoovering taking twenty minutes other wise a quick whip around each room shouldnt take more than 10 minutes providing the cord is long enough so you dont have to plug/ unplug it for every room.

Did I miss the explanation?

Why don't you have hot water downstairs?

No Im not a man? They eat at club as they are there from 8-6. I cant say Im the greatest ironer when I met dh he used to iron all my clothes for me, but nowadays I dont bother. I literally turn on run over turn off on childrens clothes and looks fine to me.

For me I only wear bodycon or leggings so once your in it so tight that everything looks ironed!

Why do I have to cool the iron?

I have a John Lewis dishwasher- only £200 (MUCH less than 'thousands' as some suggest) and am buying a new dryer for £200.

I agree with PP who have suggested 'quick' dinners (not Jamie Oliver 'quick if you have an assistant' dinners: omelettes, pasta with chopped up veg cooked in with it tossed with some grated cheese) and one-pot slow cooking (again, a slow cooker costs £40 or so not hundreds).

I have never ironed. Hand on heart I buy clothing with an eye to this and DH irons his own shirts. Lazy but who cares: I don't look crumpled!
I sat down with DH and pointed out we both work full time, he now does the hoovering and dusting.

OH sticks his shirt in the tumble dryer when he gets up in the morning. After he's faffed in the bathroom and is ready to get dressed he takes the shirt out, lovely and toasty and puts it straight on. Totally creasefree.

It is truly ridiculous, not to mention a shocking waste of electricity, but it does mean that he hasn't ironed in over 5 years. I havent either but my washing goes straight onto the maiden or onto hanger, no-one has ever mentioned that I look like a crumpled mess - not to my face! Anything that needs ironing either doesn't get bought or hasn't been worn in yonks.

I think it is becoming clear that the people who need to spend next to no time on house work, are next to never in their houses - and neither is anyone else. Obviously if your house is not much lived in, nobody is cooking or eating 21 meals a week in the house, doing crafts, tramping in sand (even with a shoes off rule), generally using the house and making mess and dirt most of the day...

I have a lot of kids in the house for a lot of most days - I'd be way beyond stunned if anyone could do the housework in a half hour lunch break.

Still laughing about the 5 mins to Hoover a whole house from page one :-)

Depends on your house layout Melissa lots of people keep their irons in a cupboard and thus can't put them away until they are completely cooled down to room temperature. But I agree with a PP that cooling down time doesn't count as time spent doing the ironing, because you'll be doing other things, not just standing there for ten minutes drumming your fingers.

I don't do any ironing (hang clothes ok hangers which might need it).

I don't do any washing up - if it can't go in the dishwasher we don't have it. Stack as you go and empty while things are cooking it while waiting for my toast in the morning.

I don't do any cleaning - cleaner comes once a week for 2 hours. However this is a 1 bed flat with 2 adults who are mainly at work. A whole house would be a lot more expensive.

I do cook sometimes when I'm around although probably 70% of the time we eat out, at work or with friends.

Works for me.

housework takes ages and it is never ending. 5 mins?

yes where do your dc eat in the week Melissa?

I agree about depending what is done in house

Anyone who can Hoover their home in five minutes either lives in a beds it, or is doing a very lazy job.

A wet and dry hand held vac

This is my secret wish at the moment! A hand held vac would be amazing for stairs, little clean ups etc'.

Melissa.

Do you think the fact that your children are put of the home fifty hours a week and don't eat there has anything to do with the lack of housework that needs doing in your house?

I was late for the school run today because I tried the MN mythical vacuuming the house in 5 minutes theory. I had 10 minutes til I needed to leave; I have all wood floors, apart from a large rug in the living room, stair carpet and a mat inside the front door. I also have a hairy dog. I managed to do the living room and kitchen (open plan and all done off one plug socket) and then had to properly run to school, as it took me longer than 10 minutes to do that. I arrived at school two minutes late, and a sweaty, red-faced mess, and for this I blame Mumsnet! GRRR

I only have 3 rooms for the 5 of us us then a galley kitchen area, and bathroom. Trust me we used to have all weekend parties with about 20 people here fri to sun. Still could clean the lot in an hour

You don't have a laundrette that does ironing anywhere on your commute? I love mine, ironing is my least favourite activity and for about £20/2-3 wks I no longer do it - I only bother taking smart stuff there, the tumble dryer stuff is mostly wearable otherwise

Gosh melissa your post would prove a useful arguing tool against the idea that a wohm parent does everything a sahm does and works.
I could never hoover my home in 5 minutes. More like 5 hours by the time I have tidied the clutter of 3dc including toddler. Plus the complication of said toddler who thinks it's a game to switch said vacuum cleaner off and on. Etc etc

It is easier as no cooking, but really as I say even on weekends its rarely messy as all in flat and dont own much.

Clutter is yout downfall. We have 3 dds in one room soon but they dont have much clutter. I hate clutter.

Really? You have magic dcs that don't leave a trail of clutter every where they go? My dd tips her wardrobe out nearly every morning, and all her barbie bits etc etc :)

Gen I have wondered about laundrettes too...

Agree. Kids have so many toys. Dc and dh are all really messy. It's a constant struggle keeping on top of .
Dc have a bedroom each plus a playroom and a huge kitchen, lounge diner and study.