In asking for your help with cleaning rota

[Exhausted4ever]

So I've just moved homes and in packing up the old house I realised how grubby the house was and that I clearly don't do enough housework. I am a lazy person, through and through. If there's an easy way to do something, or I can get out of doing it I'll take it. And clearly this is impacted on my home. Now it was no where near Kim and aggie coming with their rubber gloves and stomach churning scientific testing, but it was pretty gross. I keep on top of the basics, hoovering, cleaning the bath, loo and sink, kitchen sides and hob. And it feels like I'm never not doing laundry or dishes. How do you add in the other tasks without cleaning day in and out. And what are the other essential or regular jobs you do to keep the place nice? I definitely need to get a duster for sure, that I've discovered. But please help a lazy person out with some simple and effective cleaning schedules or tips

To be fair anytime you move, any reasonable person will get the horrors when you see what's lurking behind your fridge/sofa! I don't think it makes you a slattern!

There are quite a few blogs/sites recommended on here that will help you with sorting out a routine/rota: there's 'The Organised Mum Method' which is very popular the the moment, based on 20-30 mins daily cleaning doing basic tasks plus 'focus' areas (I think you do one room of your house per week over a 6-8 week cycle). Or I prefer 'Unfuck Your Habitat' which is (as you can tell!) written in ahem, 'brisk' language (which being chronically lazy, I very much need!) and is particularly good for people who've suffered with depression or otherwise feeling overwhelmed by housework as it goes into how to incrementally sort out big problems without spiraling into shame/exhaustion cycle. They have a concept of '20-10s' (20 mins of cleaning followed by 10 minutes of rest) that isn't dissimilar to TOMM, a little and often type thing.

Or there's also 'Flylady' which couldn't be more different in style to Unfuck, being quite twee and aunty-like, but can be quite effective too, it's all about basics, routines and self-care also. Maybe have a browse and see which one takes your fancy?

Get a cleaner if you can!

I HATE cleaning. Having a cleaner means it makes me keep things relatively tidy and she does all the stuff it really doesn't occur to me to do like skirting boards and inside cupboards etc.

@maxelly

To be fair anytime you move, any reasonable person will get the horrors when you see what's lurking behind your fridge/sofa! I don't think it makes you a slattern!

There are quite a few blogs/sites recommended on here that will help you with sorting out a routine/rota: there's 'The Organised Mum Method' which is very popular the the moment, based on 20-30 mins daily cleaning doing basic tasks plus 'focus' areas (I think you do one room of your house per week over a 6-8 week cycle). Or I prefer 'Unfuck Your Habitat' which is (as you can tell!) written in ahem, 'brisk' language (which being chronically lazy, I very much need!) and is particularly good for people who've suffered with depression or otherwise feeling overwhelmed by housework as it goes into how to incrementally sort out big problems without spiraling into shame/exhaustion cycle. They have a concept of '20-10s' (20 mins of cleaning followed by 10 minutes of rest) that isn't dissimilar to TOMM, a little and often type thing.

Or there's also 'Flylady' which couldn't be more different in style to Unfuck, being quite twee and aunty-like, but can be quite effective too, it's all about basics, routines and self-care also. Maybe have a browse and see which one takes your fancy?

Thank you for this! I will take a look at the suggestions for sure.

@idontlikealdi

Get a cleaner if you can!

I HATE cleaning. Having a cleaner means it makes me keep things relatively tidy and she does all the stuff it really doesn't occur to me to do like skirting boards and inside cupboards etc.

If I could afford to I definitely would! I had one before and it was so helpful but unfortunately finances don't stretch to that right now

I’m struggling at the moment and tend to do one room or 20 minutes then watch an episode or read a chapter or whatever I want to do. Then another room or 20 minutes etc

Don't feel too bad. When we moved out of our old house we had had fortnightly cleaners and were quite good at cleaning/tidying up after ourselves daily. I was proud of our clean, tidy house. Once all the furniture was out it was a different story, oh my god, it looked filthy. All the dirt hiding under/behind furniture, the bits of carpet that had been under furniture nice and clean, contrasting dramatically with the rather more faded/mucky looking exposed bits, marks where pictures had been hanging on the wall. Furniture hides so much!

Oh I wish I could say it was all hidden behind furniture, though tbf to me some of it was hidden behind stuff