Please help me sort my house out!

[elprup]

My house is an absolute mess. The kitchen sink is full of dirty pans, the cupboards have loads of sauces/tins etc that are years out of date, the surfaces are dirty, the oven is filthy and the fridge is in serious need of organisation.

The dining room and lounge are covered in dust and the floors are filthy. There are piles of crap everywhere (I even have Christmas wrapping paper from last year stuffed in a corner!) The bathroom fixtures are covered in limescale marks and the sink is dirty. The bedrooms have become the unofficial storage areas for all the junk that I don't know what to do with.

I have family coming round on Saturday and the house is a tip - I'm so embarrassed. I'm working during the week so no idea how I'm going to get it in a decent state before they arrive.

Of course, I've just finished work and am sitting on Mumsnet when I could be making a start. I'm just so tired.

A cleaner's not an option due to budget constraints unfortunately.

What can I do?!

The best thing you can do is just get started! Wash the dishes first.

I find setting a timer and doing short bursts best. I usually do 20 minutes and see how much I can do.
Have a bag ready for rubbish, be ruthless. Clear all surfaces and then clean.
Start in one corner or the room and work round clockwise until you have done it all.

I know you're right. I just don't know how people muster the energy!

Do you have children/a partner?

Why have things got so bad? What's stopping you?

Break it down dishes first then have a clear out get the cupboards and fridge cleared out tomorrow focus on clearing out the stuff that is on the floor Wednesday clear all the surfaces then on Thursday start the Dusting and cleaning and the floors last on Friday you can do it op X

I'd put them off.
If it's any consolation, my house is like that and I'm tempted to hire a skip.

Unless there's some underlying issue you've not said in the op like disability or something then what you need to do is stop being a lazy git. Put your phone down, get off your butt and get started. Dishes first. I'm knackered after a day at work too but I got a sink of washing up sorted before I even sat down after walking in. It's not fun but it's life

You're going to have to suck it up.

Go to the kitchen and wash up. Dry and put away. Clean sink and draining board. Put all rubbish in the bin, take bin bag outside and put a fresh one in. Clean all sides. Sweep floor. Wash floor.

Forget about inside cupboards for now.

Go and clean bathroom. Start with bath/shower. Then toilet then sink then floors and mirrors.

Do this tonight.

You may not have the energy now but you certainly won't have it tomorrow either.

You will feel so much better if you just get on with it. When you have finished you can reward yourself with Mumsnet/ wine/ sleep/ something for you.

Have you anyone to help?

Is there anyone who can help op?

For a really quick job, get some boxes and black bin bags.
Monday
Put all the clothes/ material stuff in a bin bag.

Then gather up other harder clutter and put in boxes.

Stack them all neatly in the loft or in the corner of a spare room.
Tuesday
Spray the bathroom with cleaning products and leave to soak in.

When the clutter is gone, start on the kitchen, wash the dishes and clean the surfaces.

Then go back to the bathroom and clean.

Wednesday
Then dust and clean living room.

Hoover all 3 communal spaces.
Thursday
If they are staying, tackle their bedroom
Changing bed etc.

Friday
Hoover and clean rest of bedrooms.

Saturday.
Buy some fresh flowers and a scented candle.

I can’t put them off unfortunately as it’s been planned for weeks.

I don’t have kids... yet (my first is due in spring next year!) My partner does help around the house when he can but he works longer hours than I do, so I do the lion’s share.

I think tiredness and lethargy are the main reasons I’ve let it slide. The more you leave it the more it seems like such a daunting task!

Thanks for the advice (and the pep talk!) I know I need to “just do it” - there’s no other option.

If you have a baby due then getting into a routine and being used to doing housework when knackered should start now.

You and your husband need to do this.

Put some music on and just start. You will probably find once you get going you won't want to stop.

It may seem like there’s so much to do op, but you won’t believe how quickly you can get each task done when you actually start. Put your favourite music on really loud (I find this helps motivate me) and just get started. I’d focus on one room at a time. Be strict on throwing clutter away. If you’ve not used it in the last year, throw it away

First thing I'd do is get a bin bag and go from room to room putting any rubbish in it.

Then go round the house and collect any crockery and put it in the kitchen.

Then do the washing up.

When I find it hard to get motivated, I sometimes try to see how much I can do during the commercial break of a TV show or put on a song I like and see if I can complete a task before it ends.

I like to write a list and tick jobs off when they are done. If I was you, my list would look like:

Wash,dry and put away dishes,
Throw away rubbish,
Wipe down work surfaces and tiles
Clean sink, drainer and taps,
Clean job
Sweep and mop

Room done (give or take)!

Just do the rooms your guests will see, for now. Then try The Organised Mum Method #TOMM to blitz your house and help you keep on top of it.

Good luck

Hob, not job

that's plenty of time!

Lazy option: took a day off --or take a sickie ahum - to tackle the problem.
Non lazy option, chose BUT BE REALISTIC if you prefer working late tonight and other evenings, or get up at 5am and tackle before work.

When can you - or partner - go to your local tip? Check opening hours now!

Start with kitchen, then bathroom, then if possible, use 1 bedroom as storage.

I would tidy first, keeping Thursday for deep cleaning bathrooms/ toilets, Friday for dusting and cleaning all floors. And make beds for guests.

Even if you are working, it's plenty of time - put some music on, and just get on with it. Your visitors are a great push for you to make your house lovely.

See if you can get hold of an online kindle copy of TOMM (the organised mum method) then follow the one week bootcamp. Prioritise kitchen and bathroom, and when your guests have gone try to carry on with TOMM, it'll set you up for maintaining the house in a manageable way. I totally understand the overwhelming lethargy that goes with being pregnant so don't beat yourself up. But acknowledge that keeping the house clean and liveable will take both of you a little time each day and then it'll never get so bad again. Good luck!

Get two timers (you can use oven timer as needed) Set your timer for 60 minutes every day this week and your house will be transformed:

Today:

1. Put a load of washing on
2. Fill the sink with hot soapy water, put any clean dishes away to make space and wash the dirty dishes
3. Set a 10 minute timer and put anything out of place in the kitchen away, change cloths and dish towels and put new ones out
4. Set 10 minute timer and go to the lounge and put anything out of place away
5. Sweep main floor and change the bins
6. Set 10 minute timer for each bathroom and put everything out of place away, clean sink and faucet, empty rubbish bin, sweep floor. This is a light clean, it will be properly cleaned later in the week.
7. Hang washing out
8. Make beds
9. Put clean dishes away

Day 2

1. Iron yesterday's washing and put it away
2. Put on another load of washing
3. Deal with any dishes, keep the kitchen as tidy as you made it yesterday
4. Vacuum or sweep all the floors in your house
5. Hang laundry out to dry
6. Make beds

Day 3

1. Iron yesterday's laundry
2. Put on new load
3. Clear out bathroom fully in a deep clean - tackle lime scale, bleach toilets, scrub sink, wipe down mirrors, mop floors
4. Keep kitchen clean
5. Strip bedding in one room for wash tomorrow and put new bedding on

Day 4

1. Iron yesterday's laundry load
2. Put on new load of washing (bedding)
3. Set 5 minute timer for each pile and tackle the piles not dealt with the previous days. Only allow yourself to keep 1/2 piles in master bedroom, everything else is put away
4. Clean out fridge/freezer and wipe down, discard any waste
5. Mop all floors
6. Keep kitchen tidy and stay on top of dishes
7. Strip another bed for tomorrow's wash, put new bedding on that bed

Day 5

1. Iron yesterday's washing and put away
2. Put new load of washing away
3. Dust all furnishings, window ledges etc.
4. Sweep or vacuum all floors
5. Give all sinks a clean, empty all rubbish bins and put out all new towels
6. Set timer for 5/10 minutes for entrance way - wipe down doors, lights, dust anything, tidy shoes and coats etc.

Day 6 (Before family arrive)

1. Change bedding to fresh bedding on any beds that haven't been tackled
2. Make sure entrance hall has remained tidy
3. Make sure there's no dishes, nothing out of place, put some finishing touches around the place like flowers on table, light a few candles.

Truly, 1 hour a day changes your home and life!

Good Luck!

And I'm saying this with kindness now, but you really need to get this sorted out before your baby arrives. Housework understandably slides once you have a baby so you need to be in as favourable situation as possible.

Second the OMM after your visitors for any proper decluttering.
Babies bring an insane amount of mess, better having a pristine house when they arrive, so much easier to maintain and keep on top of everything.

Declutter, declutter, Marie Kondo, the lot - but maybe not this week, go for appearance first

also.. buy a dishwasher. Life changing!

I know you said you have budget issues but I am like you and a cleaner every 2 weeks is a massive help. Even more so with a newborn!

If you are local to me I would come and help! I love a good sort out.

Be ruthless. Start with rubbish first into bin bags.

Dirty clothes into washer/basket.

Clean clothes, put then away unironed for now.

Charity shop piles ,into bags and then into boot of car for drop off and out of the way.

Then you can clean.