AIBU to ask how do you keep a tidy house?!?!

[SeriouslyMessyCow]

I don't know what the heck is wrong with me but I live in such an utter mess.

I don't have kids so can't blame them but my DH is not bothered about mess either so we both just accumulate so much stuff.

We also both leave the house around 7am and don't often get back until 8/9/10pm. We then wash up what we need, make dinner and go to bed. Then weekends we're either shattered or busy socially and now I've got clutter upon clutter and it's getting me down.

How do you do it?! I can imagine many of you have less hours in the day than us, and more people that make mess, so AIBU to ask your secret?

Please!

My tips include:
Taking unwanted clothes to a "cash for clothes" place and get them weighed in. Some will even collect and also take bedding, accessories and curtains.
When opening post put the unwanted flyers straight in the recycling. Use a set of office trays. One for post requiring your attention, one for post that needs to be kept out short term and one for items that need filing (when time is less pressing ).
Loft space. Only store items that are used at least once a year. I only have suitcases and Christmas stuff up there.
Have a "one touch " policy. If you pick something up then when you put it down it should be in its home and not randomly placed on a surface only to be moved again later.

My two tips are don't put it down, put it away and never go up or down the stairs with empty hands.

Those are long days! But, once you get it tidy, at least nobody is home to mess it up. So, you'll have to allocate a weekend to get on top of it. Far easier then to manage.

Phase one complete! 4 bags of clothes in the car for the charity shop in the morning and my wardrobe is looking a lot slimmer! As is my floordrobe. Even the DH threw away a ton of clothes he always thinks he'll fit back into eventually.

Tomorrow is shoes, the dozens of belts and ties and accessories, and I'll start tackling the ever growing heap of cosmetics.

Hopefully I'm doing this in the right order? I've started with what's easiest to get rid of (and what we have the most of). It's only when it gets down to paperwork and just general "stuff" that I think I'm going to struggle after such a productive evening today.

Every week take 5 items to the charity shop on your way to work - doesn't matter what but do it without fail - it will clear your house and cleans your soul.

Sounds like you've made a good start! When decluttering I like to go by cattegory (e.g. clothes, paperwork).

Paperwork is at least something you can sort through in front of the TV if you're feeling low energy after a long day. Shredding takes ages unless you can sneak it into a confidential waste bin at work

I also went through a phase when I operated a one in, two out policy for clothes. If I wanted to buy something, I needed to get rid of two things to make space.

Progress is progress.

There is no right order.

Do whatever makes the biggest difference as that will keep you motivated.

Give yourself a target

One draw a day - maybe 2 if you want tomorrow off!

Divide and conquer! Decide on a corner in the living room and go for it! One corner at a time -

Be proactive and keep motivated!

Think about what you want - tidy living room by X date

When you declutter decide how you share the load - example DH does bathroom on Sundays - you do living room - both either cook or wash up - both put a wash on in the morning ready to hang out later - or night before to hang out in the morning

Do you have a dishwasher?

If you do put it on every evening after dinner. Empty first thing in the morning. Before you do anything else. Put the dishwasher on even if it isn't full. Go to bed without the dishes hanging over you. If you don't have a dishwasher..... get one!

Never keep 'just in case' or 'I could' items. As in 'I could put this on ebay' you could, but you haven't yet. Get rid.

Look at your mugs. How many are chipped? Throw out each one. Right now.

I WISH I had a dishwasher. Unfortunately it's a rented property and there's no space for one. Doing the dishes is one of my most hated jobs so they always pile up. I'm definitely going to get rid of the sheer number of cups and glasses though as we are the kind of people to use everything before we wash up; with around 20 glasses and mugs that can become a mammoth task!

I know it sounds silly but I write a list. My list can have 30 thing a day to do such and silly stuff mind as well I.e:-

1. empty dishwasher
2. fill dishwasher
3. empty tumble dryer 4)fill tumble dryer
4. wash pots
5. strip bed
6. make kids beds
7. empty bin
8. soft recycling
9. text Rachel back
10. sort books for charity shop
11. put laundry away
12. get meat out of freezer for tea
13. Hoover living room
14. clean hob
15. wipe work tops over
16. order kindle light
17. clean sides of ovan
18. throw out gone potatoes
19. feed animals

And so on you get the idea. But I write a list each evening and add to it as I remember. Then the things to do are not as large as it seems as I keep top of it each day. So doing washing is only one load. Putting clothes away one load- 2 bottoms, pj's, 2 t shirts underwear etc so only really a small job.
As I go through I tick off and the feeling of achieving something I like.
Probably doesn't work for everyone, but I find I remember everything I need to do and anything not done I just add to tomorrow's list.
Although I have said earlier I do have a cleaner once a week so I'm only really 'keeping tidy' and doing the 'up keep' throughout the week.

Well done on making a start though- that's the hardest part!

I follow William Morris's principles of 'Only have something in your home if it is either beautiful or functional' (paraphrasing).

I'm ruthless about clutter and have a place for everything and everything in its place. I Marie Kondo'd before anyone had heard of her

Where would I live if 'Only have something in your home if it is either beautiful or functional'.

I have both a full time and a part time (weekend) job. My house was a mess too, until I started to sticking to a few simple rules:

• Wash up every night
• Put dirty clothes in the laundry bin immediately upon taking them off
• Throw out all rubbish sitting around every night (junk mail, food cartons)

Most importantly, I have hired a cleaner for one day per week. She does all my laundry and changes my bedsheets and towels, as well as all the usual stuff.

Word of warning: men can be a bit odd about having a cleaner. If your husband is one of those, prepare to push back. Good luck!

We also both leave the house around 7am and don't often get back until 8/9/10pm.

Who is making your house messy? There's no one there.

I've managed to secure the next two days off work, hurrah! We also have no plans for the weekend (first time in forever).

I've made a giant list of categories and rooms to tick off as we go along; I'm like PP in that I like to tick things off.

I'm going to do bathroom myself this evening (it's mostly my stuff anyway) and then kitchen myself as DH will loathe throwing away mugs etc. Then the pair of us will finish the rest of the house.

I know we don't technically 'have time' to make a mess, but trust me we can. It's usually coffee cups from the morning in the living room, post up the stairs, DH's clothes strewn across furniture (he has an issue putting clothes away), and dishes in the kitchen. There's also the matter of the 'junk room' which is everything we don't know where to put. Every time we've had a sort out before it's all gone in there. The room could be really useful for a dressing room slash office if it was sorted (thereby reducing clothes and paperwork everywhere) so that's a Saturday job.

I just hope to god once all this is done we can keep it tidy. Normally I do a 'big clean up' and we're back to square one by the next weekend. Although admittedly the big clean up doesn't involve getting rid of stuff like this time round. Goodness knows what we'll be like when we reproduce.

well done and good luck!

You will be fine when you have children, because by then you will leave in a tidy home, be used to go to bed in a tidy home and you will have time to get organised for the new arrival when you are pregnant.

I was the same and I'm about 50% of the way to show home standards. I used a mixture of Kondo and a book called 30 days to a clean and organised house because due to illness/uni finishing I'd got behind on my cleaning massively and it felt hopeless. But I'm moving in a month and I've just hired a smaller van due to the sheer amount of crap I've got rid of.

Best hint is do you have a scanner? If so sit with your paperwork and scan it all in to save on the cloud. That way a, you have it all in one place and most things you can bin and b, if you can't be arsed to scan and save it then it can prob just be binned anyway

Some brilliant tips from pp on getting your home tidy, I work long hours as well so understand how mentally exhausting housework can be after being out the house for 12+ hours.

In order to keep on top of it all, I invite my friends round for dinner every 6-8 weeks so I "shame" myself into keeping my home tidy, as well as catching up with my friends. Good luck

@Nurse,

You are SO right. I don't necessarily have a messy house, but I am not great at doing something every single day.

A friend's husband was unfortunately hospitalised nearby, and I offered for her to stay here rather than pay B+B/hotel. She was delighted.

Well I can tell you I blitzed that house to within an inch of its life!

Now that she's gone back home, I can see standards slipping again.

Time to invite someone else. It really does motivate you into action.

Well done! Fab progress.

It should be so much easier to keep on top of once you have less stuff.

Oh I totally agree with the invite a friend round tactic. I've been putting the MiL off since we moved in as she has a show home (she works 5 hours a week and cleans her home the rest of the time)!

My goal is to invite her round our next free weekend so that I HAVE to have it done by then.

Just tackling the bathroom now. Do charity shops accept toiletries (unused) or is there a better place for them?

Don't food banks take unused toiletries? Or is there a shelter/refuge near you?

Well done for getting stuck into getting this done!! My hint to keep it up is to do a thing when you see it needs doing, don't put it off till later. 15/20 minutes before bed to tidy round, plump cushions, get rid of rubbish, wash up cups or glasses and wipe down the kitchen then everything is tidy when you get up in the morning.

You need a tidy husband :o

Seriously my DH broke his foot and since then our house has been awful I never realised before how much he must do I'm like you and your DH I think.