What is your cleaning schedule? Struggling with my mental health and untidiness

[CrankyCow]

I say schedule, but that sounds a bit rigid. I just mean can people share a general idea of what tasks you do daily, and then say weekly, that helps you keep things tidy? I need something very simple broken down into chunks because I just can't manage to make it tidy.

I am having a bit of a down time thanks to an awful lot of external worries and waiting to start some medication. The house being a mess really doesn't help, it makes me feel awful and I just want to take to my bed to not have to see it or try dealing with it. I'm supposed to be job hunting, I get panicky because I'm so overwhelmed and feel ridiculous at the thought of sitting among all the chaos trying to focus on job applications let alone actual work for an employer.

I just feel really hopeless about it I want it to be tidy.

We did a couple of hours cleaning on Sunday and it just looks a complete mess again now. If we weren't in Covid times I'd be so fucking embarrassed to have anyone over.

Please help. Where do I start?

I realise that sounds contradictory, I mean don't buy bulky chests of drawers/units unless you're absolutely sure you need them. They can still tend to look untidy.

The PP about keeping things off the floor is a good tip –hooks, shelves etc are better to keep the space feeling bigger. Would also recommend a robot vacuum for keeping the floors looking clean daily!

@Sarahandduck18

Why is this your problem and not DH’s?

Does he think that now he’s got a wife he’s got a free pass regards housework.

Let him away with this now and once the DCs come along you’ll feel like a single parent.

He should either do his half or pay for a cleaner.

You should read wife work!

Well I reckon this isn't necessarily a wifework issue.

In our case, we are all untidy in this house. We all do various chores etc and muck in together (4 adults). But. We have 3 households merged into one - long story - and there is too much stuff and nowhere to put it. Three household members aren't fussed by clutter, but one is, and gets frustrated and demoralised by it all.

It just depends who it is in the house who can't stand the mess any more, and in the OP's case it seems to be her.

I do my own relaxed version of TOMM.
Everyday clean bathrooms- if doing everyday this is super quick - I do a wipe round while kids putting shoes and coats on
Everyday- hoover downstairs - again quick because it's done frequently
Everyday - make beds (kids do their own)
Most days- one wash of clothes washed dried and put away (ironing all done on Sunday)
Monday - half hour of cleaning main living room including windows under sofas
Tuesday - clean and hoover up and downstairs hall
Wednesday (my day off work)- clean bedrooms , alternate weeks wash bedding
Thursday - clean kitchen (this takes ages so I have a podcast ready to go)
Friday- anything not done in the week tomm offivially has a focus Friday but I don't bother with this
It means weekends are pretty housework free apart from the everyday jobs above and I spend about half an hour on each of the 'days'(kitchen 45 mins/ halls only about 10 mins)

On the clutter front have a look at what you have multiples of- put all the dinner plates/bowls/cups etc together and work out how many you need. If you have twenty of each but never have more than ten people together for a meal can you get rid of some? If you’ve got two toasters can you get rid of the older/cheaper one? If you’ve got six sets of bedding are there some worn sets that could go?

Getting rid of expensive hobby stuff doesn’t make sense but can it be stored differently (friend has snowboards mounted on the wall as a feature)? Books that aren’t going to be read again? Magazines? Also things that are aspirational (exercise equipment that you’ve never used) or aren’t part of your life now (guitars from a band you were in twenty years ago).

Marie kondo is a bit simplistic in that if you have a hundred jumpers that spark joy but only enough space for twenty you have to be realistic on what will fit. My pressure washer doesn’t spark joy but it gets used often so it stays. We have lots of hand me down furniture that wouldn’t be my first choice in style but its functional and I don’t want to spend money to replace it.

Would transferring a load of stuff to storage for a few months help

Hi I am not sure if this has been suggested, but I found TokTok a great help. Search the hashtag cleantiktok, or Hinch etc, and people post videos of them cleaning and organising. It gives me total inspiration and helps calm me in a strange way.

"We" is me and DP. I think the maybe the main problem is we have two flats worth of stuff squeezed into 1 from when we got married over a year ago, and inadequate storage

You have too much stuff and you have to make yourself let it go. I say this as a "too much stuff" person myself.

Get black bags, and get rid of stuff. 1 "keep" pile and 1 "straight into black bag" pile. Don't worry about how long it takes to do it, just do it but by bit.

if you have loads of clothes there are companies you can call out that will take them off your hands, you might only get pence for them but at least they're not cluttering your house anymore. Old electrical equipment/anything with a plug you can take to Currys PC World and they will recycle it for you.

Over last 2 months I did the biggest de-clutter I've ever done. I've now realised a lot of the "down" and muddled feelings I had about home and life were about living with mess and stress.

It's like a huge weight has been lifted from my mind and from my back. Its a free-ing feeling, you'll enjoy it.

1 thing I didn't do is buy any form of storage unit they just take up more space and also invite more clutter. I had spare wood so got a handyman I know to build a storage unit on the wall for records CDs etc. & Put up 3 shelves on which I've put those little storage baskets for make up etc. You can buy a pack of 10 wall hooks for around £1.50, for other stuff.

When things are removed from your floor space it makes a huge difference. Organise your underbed storage too.

When we moved house we got rid of a lot of stuff on Facebook for-free local groups. "plastic crate of cleaing products" "big box of DIY gear" "bag of camping plates/cups etc". If you can bundle it up someone will make use of it, particualrly people moving into first flats etc.
Certainly don't hold onto things that are easily replaceable especially if they are bulky.

Hobby stuff, do you have any sort of loft or garage or can you give over a wardrobe to it? We have quite a bit of camping/outdoor/motorbike gear but it's not in the living room. To be fair when we lived in a flat we did rent a garage from the council as we just can't manage with only rooms.

www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/
Apologies about the language in the title but try this to get on top of things

Buy a roll of big bin bags and fill at least one a week with stuff that isn't just regular household rubbish.
Once you're a bit clearer, imagine mil has just phoned to say she'll be round in an hour, and see how much you can do to make the place presentable in that time. It used to work for me.

All the routines in the world will not help if it is a clutter problem. You cannot organise clutter.

Try 15 minutes at a time with a bin bag for chucking and a bin bag for keeping. Don’t bother with a donate pile at the moment unless there is a clothes bank near you with capacity; stuff to donate will only sit about for months until charity shops open.

Try sorting 30 things in each 15 minute session. It doesn’t have to be big things; a letter or a CD is one thing. Keep or throw. Then have a little break to admire your progress. Then go again.

Be ruthless. Your mental health is more important than a cracked mug you quite like but probably won’t ever use!

If you are desperate to clean something, try clearing off a small surface like a bedside table or one shelf, clean it and don’t put anything back on it! Keep looking at that clear and clean space every time you feel discouraged.

These are all things that helped me. I used to have a hoarding problem. My house is no show home now, but I do enjoy a good sort out and the house only takes 15/20 minutes to look presentable.

Couldn't agree more with hintofvintagepink. Cleaning routines with loads too much stuff is well nigh impossible. I agree with thinking about a storage facility if you intend to move to a bigger place. Ive been looking a a few minimalist videos on youtube. Not keen on Mariekondo but there's other ones. Minimal mom is quite good. And a guy called Josh Becker. I wouldn't go as far as them but nobody needs as much stuff as a lot of us have.