Impossible for a tidy home.

[usertall]

Aibu to think it's impossible to keep a tidy organised home. Feel like all I do is washing, tidying and cleaning yet it's never done. Fucking give up.

Guess no one

Heh. Yes me. I’ve spent all day doing ‘stuff’. Bitty stuff. Moving stuff. Tidying. Still doesn’t look any different. Could have sat on my arse all day with the same results.

This is my life I've accepted I can't win on a weekend and only try now Monday to Friday ..

My house is a tip. I've lowered my standards now and only the rooms visitors see are tidy. 

I have boxes for things for instance under the sink for cleaning products and boxes for bedding and lists to do... I find this helps

How old are your children? Mine are 8 & 10 and tidy up after themselves, meaning there isn't a tornado to tidy. When they were babies I felt the same though. Even still, it's non stop keeping the place looking presentable.

Small children? Yep, pretty much impossible most of the time. I do it once they're in bed but I do wonder why I bother sometimes as it lasts around thirty seconds in the morning!

It is possible.

But you will need some time to organise, declutter and find a place for everything.

Then you'll need a routine to keep on top of things.

There are lots of apps around to help, plus plenty of threads on here.

If you have specific concerns, then ask away, and I'm sure others will also be along soon to help.

It's definately hard if you have a small house and insufficient storage.
(And being told to get rid of stuff doesn't help because you will need those winter coats / boots / sleeping bags / duvets etc again).

I have 3 dc age 5 and under. Our house is constantly like a bomb has gone off. I tidy every single day but five mins later you'd never know.

OP, I completely agree. My house is reasonably clean but there’s no storage. I am also amazed the cat is not bald given the amount of hair I’ve swept up. I’ve just finished some soul destroying cleaning and wishing I could permanently live in a hotel. I know I could declutter and become more organised but realistically I am a ‘f*ck it, that’ll do’ type person and I should just accept it .

Our house is clean but generally untidy. We just don't have the time to do it.

We've been on annual leave this week so it's not too bad.

However I would counter an argument I've seen on here about houses not getting a chance to get untidy when you're out at work/nursery all day.... bullshit. My.child is able to make as much mess in an hour as he does in a day.

I spend any time I have at home cleaning cooking and doing laundry it's never ending I had 4 loads yesterday I have no idea where it comes from I've asked my eldest to fold one lot of the maiden and she's folded the wet stuff and left it on the table! I lost it

Ah yes the washing. 4 loads today. There's only 3 of us

I’ve just moved my ironing pile upstairs to the spare room as I was sick of looking at it. Now my dining room looks lovely and tidy and I can shut the door upstairs and never look at it again.

There’s only me and my DD so I don’t understand how our house is so untidy.

Agree with you usertail, stop worrying. Who cares? There are more important issues in life.

You need a rota, so for example as soon as a load is in the washer it goes on and all sorted out Sunday morning. Dusting etc Saturday morning, hoovering Wednesday evening and Saturday morning, bathroom cleaned on a Sunday.

Having this rota with specific jobs given to ALL (especially once DS were old enough) has really helped

With small children or lots of people who don't help I can imagine that it's the norm. Or I guess a very big house.

Otherwise, getting your house to the point where it is clean/tidy and everything has a place (or at least some rooms in the house are) plus a routine will help you keep on top of everything.

We have a quick tidy round after dinner every day - 5 minutes. Then at the weekend we spend an hour cleaning, with everyone pitching in. The washing either gets down a load a night, or we splurge on a weekend day if we're at home.

If the house never gets very untidy/dirty it's easy enough to stay on top of it, it's the uphill trying to get there that's the hard part.

I think a lot depends on storage. 5 years ago we were in a 2 bed flat with 1 small child and it was constantly messy, there was nowhere to put things, no room for extra storage and it looked awful. We then moved to a bigger place and it’s much easier even with 3 (almost 4) kids.

I was on top of it, now cleaner is on holiday and my back has gone (heavily pregnant) , I just can't keep up, DH is doing his best but is working six days a week for overtime to help cover my maternity leave, plus getting DIY and decorating done on his one day off. I miss my clean, tidy house ☹️

We're mostly pretty ok. I think the key is we've built tonnes of cupboards. We literally have cupboards everywhere. Avoid looking in them and my house is great however we're never 100% clean as we have two under two and I can't always entertain them long enough to clean the bathroom or whatever. I can manage a quick wipe of the wood downstairs and the glass so most people wouldn't realise how chaotic our housework truly is

How Formerly? Was it bedding? Otherwise I’m not seeing it unless you are wash8ng things that don’t need it!

Same. Never ending and yet never tidy enough!

It depends on a number of things doesn’t it.

Is it all on you?

If there is a partner, are they doing their fair share?

Are children doing age appropriate chores?

If you’re picking up after children, ask yourself why. Would having family rules like one toy out at a time, dishes in the sink after dinner etc work with your kids?

I have found that I spent more time on MN and Facebook once I had my iPhone update and it started telling me my hours each week. Ultimately, I was being lazy and actually need to get organised and treat cleaning and tidying as a daily “to do” and then treat myself with a break on MN once done

Things I do that helps:

• touch everything once
• put stuff on stairs to be taken up / top of stairs to bring down (tell others in house of rule)
• 15 minute clean up
• meal plan and prepping (on sunday’s - saves washing up and making mess mid week)

DH doesn't seem to notice the mess so only manages to add to it (and his hobby creates a lot of clutter, as does mine, don't mind that so much), DS pulls stuff out as fast as I put other stuff away. I've given up and reckon as long as I can get the hoover around every other day or so it's fine.

A rota would be awkward as DHs hours are all over the place and he also has a chronic health condition that means he often just doesn't have the energy to do a lot around the house. If he is home at a reasonable time I prefer him to spend time with DS, that's the priority for both of us really.