If you have a clean home but don't spend your life cleaning - what's your daily routine?

[valleybutt]

And no cleaner.

What's your daily / weekly "tick list" so to speak to keep the house nice and tidy without spending your life cleaning and doing laundry? I love a clean home and whilst I've come a long way to how it was a few years ago when I was getting to grips with having babies and so on its still not great.

I tried the team TOMM method but I didn't really get on with it and I'm hoping I can get some tips here.

What do you do from am to pm to keep the house nice, clean and running smoothly?

(And before anyone mentions partners - mine does what he can but works very very long hours and I'm only on PT currently furloughed so hoping to get organised).

I wish I had the answers too. I had a big tidy on Friday which was hard with my teen doing live lessons. I have to clean in his break time in the living room now.

When its tidy again I try to the 20 thing sweep - where you get rid of 20 things out of place every time you have a drink or go into the kitchen upstairs. I wish I was better at that. So moved say five things throughout the day would make a big difference overall as things never routinely go back in their place

@wellthatsunusual

Clean everything as I go along. Wipe the worktops every time there is even the tiniest spill, that sort of things. Do all the dishes immediately after using them, or put them in the dishwasher.

Dirty clothes are put in the wash basket as soon as we take them off. Laundry is folded and put back in drawers and wardrobes as soon as it is dried, unless it's something that needs ironed, in which case it goes in the ironing basket (which is in a cupboard, so not cluttering up the house).

Don't ever set anything on chairs or sofas. Nothing at all except people ever gets put on a chair.

That's pretty much how we do it. Our house is always tidy, you can always sit down without moving something, the kitchen is clean but we really spend very little time cleaning and tidying.

This^

It’s easy enough if you’re naturally a tidy person and can keep on top of it day to day. I literally swoop through the house all the time picking things up, putting them back, putting laundry away, emptying the dishwasher etc. I just do these sorts of things every day so they never build up. I ensure kitchen surfaces are clean, as soon as they have something on them if I’m cooking or whatever I just wipe it up there and then.

DH is SO untidy so it does mean that I do spend time putting things away/ tidying up but I’m used to it now and I’d rather that than have a messy house. Probably spend about 30/ 40 minutes Mon- Fri doing ‘house stuff’ and then do a 2 hour clean at some point over the weekend

@SquirrelFan I use pink stuff cream cleaner on the glass and tiles/floor so no spraying. With a sponge thing, then rinse it down, rinse my feet and out the shower
If limescale is bad I do that separately when I'm not in the shower

Sorry because you said you didn't get on with it but TOMM has been a revolution for me along with
a robot vacuum,
a dishwasher,
really good storage.

45 mins a day plus a bit of wiping in the kitchen and putting laundry away.

I've tried with cleaners but it didn't work for me because there's always in between cleaning up do and I'd have an internal debate about whether to do it myself or leave it for the cleaner. I didn't want someone in everyday as it's a bit intrusive.

I'm in the same boat. I feel like my home is never all tidy at the same time. I seem to spend so much time tidying up but it feels like as soon as one room is tidy, the others are back to a mess again.

My best tip is to get your child(ren) involved wherever possible.
Recently I've bought my 3 year old some toddler washing up gloves and try to get him involved each day. Obviously, he doesn't get the house tidy, but while he is engaged in doing something, it means he isn't making more mess elsewhere! He really likes spraying the kitchen work tops and wiping with a sponge while I do the washing up, or spraying/wiping the bathroom sink while I do the bath & toilet. We also do a ten-minute-tidy each day where we set a timer and race to get all the toys/clothes/books/pens etc put away before dinner.

I’m minimalist, not even got a table in the lounge and I tidy as I go. Like, this morning, I went for a wee and grabbed the sponge to wipe the sink before even pulling up my pants. (Husband doesn’t see his beard hairs 🤔)

Saying that, I was hands and knees scrubbing the grooved laminate with a scrubbing brush à la Wife of Andy Capp today. Bloody hard work. I need to find a way of dealing with that.

Don’t have too much stuff in the first place (so get into the habit of chucking stuff out) and put away what you do have. Once the place is tidy it’s easy to clean up as you along - also make sure everyone in the household knows what clean and tidy looks like so they can attempt a rough approximation (dishes in the dishwasher not on the side, dirty laundry in the basket, towels on the towel rail, beds made etc)

@QueenPawPaws, thanks! I will look into this pink stuff...
@LillianGish I love your username!

Most "cleaning" actually consists of tidying and moving stuff so that you can clean.

This is so true.

I actually don't mind cleaning - but hate tidying, our house gets easily cluttered with no one (including me) very good at putting stuff away or throwing stuff away. We desperately need a big sort out but there's just not the time right now.

@SquirrelFan I think it comes in a spray too but I use the bottle one. Shifts most stuff off my shower screen and doesn't smell like it's gassing you I tend to put it on with a sponge as I'm rinsing off so it sits for a minute

Get up. Make beds, open windows, spray beds with essential oil spray. Take down a load of laundry. Put washer on.

Empty dishwasher while making coffee and breakfast.

Get ready. Put everything back in its place. Start work. Give each loo a quick going over mid morning.

Kids make sitting room sofa at lunchtime. Stick tumble dryer on. Put another load on.

Wipe surfaces as I go. Make dinner and while cooking , fold and sort laundry. Give to kids put away.

Eat dinner. Clear down. Kids set and clear table, vacuum downstairs. Use a antibacterial wipe to clean any noticeable marks. Make sure dishwasher is full and switch on. Wipe surfaces. And put on room diffusers.

Enjoy the eve.

Got to bed with the kitchen tidy.

On a Friday morning I spend 2’hours from 7-9am cleaning top to bottom. I steam mop -x4 a week while dh occupied bedtimes/stories with kids.

Kids have little jobs to do through the week-
Clean skirting boards
Wipe down cupboard fronts
Polish wood furniture
Make their beds
Put away their toys and clothing.

I have an app called Spotless on my phone (it’s free - this is not an ad!) and it tells me what needs doing each day and I do it!

6am, wake up the children, put their coats on and Chuck them straight out into the garden. 8am chuck them a croissant out of the window. Lunchtime leave a flash of soup outside. 5pm - lob them a couple of sausages. 6pm - hose them off. 7pm, straight to bed.
I mean, surely it's impossible to have a clean house with kids around unless you are continuously cleaning (whether that be doing it as you go along or ploughing on with it).

Tidy as you go. Storage helps to help clutter.

Wake up. I have a little caddy basket on side of bed, put reading book, glasses and wrap phone charger in there.
Shower. I have a dishmatic with half white vinegar, half washing up liquid. I clean the shower with that while I'm in it then squeegee it down. Takes two mins. Can spot clean if busy.
Brush teeth. Everything put away in cupboard under sink. Make my own wipes in a plastic tub with eco3 cleaner and kitchen roll soaked. Wipe down sink, top of toilet, spot clean floor. Bin it. Put loo cleaner down. Switch hand towel and put pj's and hand towel in wash basket ready to take downstairs with clothes from last night.
Get dressed hair make up, very minimal. Bun and bit of tinted moisturiser etc.
Make bed which has a big top cover thar covers whole bed and 3 cushions that are kept in ottoman. Two minutes.
Dog is scared of hoover so partner then takes dog for a walk, I open bedroom window hoover our room very quick go over, grab washing and continue hoovering and opening windows all the way downstairs. Put stuff in the wash along with tea towels and cloths from kitchen don't put on yet.
I then go back upstairs with hoover, close windows on way back down, grab the spray mop and do a very quick mop through downstairs.
Partner gets back, kids come down, I make them egg muffin things, I have overnight oats, partner has omelette in omelette maker so it's just a case of a jug with eggs and the muffin tray. Bowl filled with washing up liquid and water, dog has his brekkie. As everyone finishes they rinse and put bowls in sink. Bowls are then washed. Re water then wash dog stuff.
Clean sink with cream cleaner and then buff with cloth. Cloth in washing machine. Sink filled with cold water and zoflora just to desantisitse after dog and lose the egg smell.
Remake the overnight oats for fridge for tomorrow, dry and put away rest of washing up plates etc. Kitchen table wiped, mats put away. Cloth in washing machine.
Quick dust with feather duster thing.
Quick zoflora and cloth on light switches doors, fridge etc.
Some days if time I have a green eco cloth and you just put a bit of water on it, that does mirrors, telly, windows. However, I don't do it all in one go, a tiny bit a day. Cloths in wash and now the wash goes on.
Try not to cook in the day, so lunch is sandwiches, cheese and crackers, leftovers etc.. Same thing washing up bowl filled. Plates put in there then washed and side and table wiped. That cloth stays for wiping for the day, the tea towel from the morning goes on cupboard now as kitchen hand towel and new tea towel put, those tea towels and cloths for rest of day now go in the wash in the morning.
Dinner I try to batch cook or use things like meatballs with a jar and pasta, or a roast chicken with veg roasted in a tray with potatoes. Like no more than two pots. Same thing, water filled and washed straight after. Put those away through eve when I go to make a cup of tea, dog has dinner but I only wash his bowl once a day in the morning.
Things like the bin, if I change the bag I wipe it out. When I have steps left to do I put a sock duster on hand and wipe along the skirting boards and banister.
Shoes and coats kept in everyone's rooms. Everyone strips their own beds and washes own clothes (teenagers)
Food, online shop. When I know it's coming I wipe out the fridge and spot clean the cupboards.
Hope that helps, house is always clean and tidy but never perfect. I rarely iron, I out stuff in the tumble dryer or hang straight up to dry.

TOMM (the Organised Mum Method)
Thank you @GhoulWithADragonTattoo!

I decided in October last year that I wanted to have to put less effort into constantly cleaning....so we spent October gutting each room and getting it to a clean and organised starting point. Then have kept on top of it by doing the following
-on leaving a room I will check if there is anything in that room that needs taking to where I am going I.e check living room for glasses/cups before going to kitchen

• make sure before we leave each day that dishes are done, beds made and things put away so when we get home it tidy
• before going to be making sure things are away and everything is tidy (never much to do due to first point)
• bathroom and kitchen kitchen are wiped down each day (only takes 5-10 mins each) then a deep clean at the weekend (normally Saturday am before everyone else is awake)
• washing is done every other day (only 3 people I. House so easy to keep on top of)
• hoover/dust every other day again as rooms are kept tidy it is easy to do
• now we are wfh and home schooling I also make sure lunch dishes are washed up straight away so they aren’t left sitting

-beds changed every other Sunday. We have managed to keep ontop of it since mid October and I said at the weekend to OH that I defiantly felt like it was less of a chore now and has just become a natural routine but takes much less time.

@EileenGC Weekly big clean is hoover whole house, dust whole house, clean bathroom, mop non-carpeted floors, in that order

Why that order? I always thought you were meant to dust before hoovering, so that you can hoover up the dust.

On the back of this thread i actually have followed the TOMM method yesterday and today. And although it took me waaaay longer than 45 minutes i did get a lot more done than I'd normally do and it felt good to tick jobs off. I can see it getting shorter each day as my house gets cleaner and i get used to it

[quote PattyPan]**@EileenGC* Weekly big clean is hoover whole house, dust whole house, clean bathroom, mop non-carpeted floors, in that order*

Why that order? I always thought you were meant to dust before hoovering, so that you can hoover up the dust.[/quote]
I guess it might depend on which hoover you use? I have a bog standard cheap one and it throws some dust into the air when I use it. It especially affects lower surfaces. So I hoover, the dust flying around during the hoovering settles down, I then dust and mopping at the end gets rid of any dust that might have fallen off the furniture anyway.

I've tried it the other way round and personally I find it more productive to hoover first. If I leave hoovering for later, I see dust on white furniture for example. To be honest, it's probably the same thing either way so I just go with what comes easiest