To ask for tips on how not spend a whole day each weekend (or more!) doing chores?

[huggybear]

It's endless.

The washing and ironing especially. People say to forget ironing but my clothes come out of the washing machine looking like they've been 5 rounds with Mike Tyson.

I live in a small house with no kids or pets, it should be easy surely? But no, each weekend we spend a heap of time on it all. I'm not even including gardening in this as that's more a hobby.

So lovely people - any tips? We do keep on top of things during the week but it doesn't really seem to help as everything still needs a big clean come the weekend.

Cleaner not really an option as I don't really want people in the house while we aren't here.

Lower standards? I don't think they're very high at the mo.

Following because I am in the same boat and looking for ways to make a shift.... weekends are short enough as it is without spending so much time doing housework!

No kids or pets and you clean during the week? Yeah I think you need to lower your standards if you feel like you need to spend the entire weekend cleaning.

I mean how though? What should I ignore?

Are you sure you focus 100% on chores and get in with them? Our cleaner takes 8h to clean our large house, iron and change bedding (we have 1 child). If you're a couple in a small house than I expect it would take 2h each?

Yes I do, we play music and there's no messing around Ironing alone takes more than 2 hours.

Your standards are most likely too high, two people presumably out the house all week (assumption from mention of cleaner in your house while out) and you need to clean a whole day? Is your partner sharing the weight? Otherwise I'd say rethink the cleaner, life is too short to spend half your weekend cleaning!! Get recommendations, I trust ours explicitly. She came recommended.

The organised mum method TOMM. It’s amazing. No chores on weekends here

I have 2 kids and spend every Saturday doing chores and housework. But if it was just me and DH? No way! 2 hours of ironing? Madness. I iron as I go. If something is a bit creased I iron it the night before I want to wear it - sane with kids uniforms etc. 5 mins a day is preferable to doing huge bouts of ironing every weekend.

What cleaning are you doing? When we were a childless couple we kept the house clean day to day, so it was only laundry and the occasional deep clean at weekends.

2 hours.... What are you ironing? Are you really slow?

Clean as you go. Do one job an evening. Eg Monday toilets, Tuesday hoover etc.

Ultimately lowering your standards!

Re: clothes needing ironing - by reducing the wash temperature and spin speed, some things should emerge relatively uncrumpled and can dry on hangers. I was able to freecycle my iron and ironing board after experimenting with the wash cycle

I don't understand how it takes that long. We're two adults and three pets and we maybe spend an hour a day on housework - that includes laundry, dishes, pet-related chores, vacuuming and tidying around.

How are two people making that much mess?!

I speed clean one room per day, max 15 mins including polish and hoover. I have a toddler and a dog, one deep house clean beginning of each month, fridge cleaned every Fri before the food shop.
Mon - bathroom, wash towels.
Tues - bedrooms, wash bedding.
Weds - kitchen.
Thurs - living room and conservatory.
Friday - stairs, hallway and fridge.
Now I'm in the swing of it I don't consider it a chore and I find the house to remain tidy.

You mentioned 'we' so assume that the person you live with is also spending a whole day busting a gonad on domestic labour? If not why not?
Lower your standards. Or have kids and you won't have time or energy to do so much.

I make a point of fucking off out for a coffee.

If that doesn’t work for you then try to do something each day, or evening, so that everything isn’t left until the weekend.

Time your washing so you are home and can hang up clothes as soon as wash cycle is finished.

Use a more gentle cycle (1200 spin can be too rough), shake clothes well before hanging up.

Only wash clothes when necessary (2hrs ironing for 2?! I line dry all our stuff, family of 4, 45 mins ironing a week. Lots of stuff is ok just folded if treated as above)

I don't think I'm that slow but maybe I am? Work and homewear for a week for two people, plus pillow cases (I know), the folding and sorting takes a while too (blame Marie Kondo for that).

It's probably a mental thing too, logically it makes sense to assign a job to a day but I don't think I'd feel ready for the week if the house wasn't set. Does that make sense? Probably not.

Yes I do time my washing, that's why it takes ages because I'm doing loads at once.

Putapeonyinyourpocket oh, wow! That's impressively organised!

OP, to speed up ironing, wear less stuff that requires ironing and get one of those steaming irons- expensive but halve the time needed.

Ironing alone takes more than 2 hours.
Good grief what do you include as requiring ironing? DH and I have literally just finished our ironing, we share it 50-50. It can't have taken us more than an hour. But even if you don't want someone coming in you can get ironing services that pick up and drop off.

I also wonder how it can be taking so long in a small house with just two of you and both pulling you weight.
I mean:
Cleaning bathroom - 30 minutes
Kitchen all surfaces and floor mopped - 1 hour
Tidy, dust and hoover everywhere else - 1 hour
Changing sheets and towels, organising laundry 30 minutes.
Split that between you equally and add on ironing is surely only a mornings work.

This is quite bizarre. We have a clear who comes for 2 hours every other week, but even then we spend about an hour once a week cleaning / tidying.

DP spends more time cos he irons shirts but that’s it.

What are you doing?!

I live alone and generally 2 or 3 hours cleaning on a Saturday and 2 or 3 hours batch cooking on a Sunday. .
I don't have the tidy or energy to clean or cook during the week as I work 10 hr shifts ( out of the house about 13 hrs a day ) so god knows where the mess comes from !

@Thehop can you explain what you mean by the TOMM method

For example a typical chore would be:

• washing, ironing, folding etc (5 loads)
• deep clean kitchen
• bathroom & cloakroom
• change bed
• dusted bedrooms and cleaned floors
• hoovered all rooms
• dusted downstairs
• weeding & grass cutting & deadheading (we do have a high maintenance garden!)
• weekly food shop

I don't mean it literally takes 9-5 but it takes a good chunk out of a weekend day.

Iron as you go?

I do and I just get mine and my DS clothes out the night before and iron them for the next day. Only takes 5-10 mins if that.

I don’t have the time to do loads of ironing during the week and want to spend most of my time at the weekend doing fun things with DS.

I do iron all his school uniform on Sundays when he is in school but only takes 15 mins.

You're standards are high. Lower them.

I don't change bedding weekly. Maximum is 5 work tops and a couple of trousers/skirts each surely? That shouldn't take 2 hours.

Stop ironing bedding. Line dry and fold when you bring it in.

Can you do the food shop one night after work or get it delivered?