To feel so much better when the house is tidy

[alwaystired7]

I’ve somehow managed to fit in a proper clean and tidy of my house, to the point where every room is practically spotless (except the bathroom, which is still manky - it’s the one room I haven’t got round to yet).

Since this has happened, my mind feels so much clearer, calmer and more positive. I love feeling organised and like I know where everything is. I also love being surrounded by calm and orderly spaces, as opposed to clutter, crumbs and dust everywhere like it was before.

Does anyone else feel similar and also, how can I make sure I maintain it this time? I don’t want to let it slide again.

Hampstead, North London. The house has been in our family since it was built and was left to me when my great-aunt died. It still has the servant's bells and butler's pantry.

@Aquamarine1029 I suppose it’s a bit like saying to someone who’s unhappy with their weight ‘why don’t you just eat less chocolate and do some exercise?’

Its absolutely sound advice and works. Just more difficult to put into practice for some people.

I dream of being the type of person capable of either

I absolutely love a clean and tidy house and feel better when it’s done.

Unfortunately I do not love cleaning and tidying so I do not live in a clean and tidy house all the time.

The only things that have worked for me in terms of maintenance in the past are ruthless decluttering (using the Marie Kondo method) so there’s less to get messy and Dana K White’s “a slob comes clean” method. Having done that means my house is so much better than it was before I did it but it’s still not where I’d like it to be.

I love a clean house, I just find it really hard to mentally get started a lot of the time. I can see the clutter and dirt and dust but it just feels beyond me sometimes to do anything about it.
I get called "half job Mum" because I can sometimes start a task, then run out of steam... Often quit the dishes half way through, or start tidying the living room and get distracted and end up reorganising something totally pointless!

We had a cleaner for a while but she was expensive and house only felt clean for a day max, and most the time she didn't do that good a job. Would love a better one though, and to have more frequent cleans!!

Now I desperately want house pics 😩 your home sounds divine

I like a tidy house but find it impossible to keep up it tidy. By the time I’ve cleaned and tidied one room, 3 other rooms have gotten messy. There just aren’t enough hours in the day to keep on top of it for me.

I agree, I can't stand mess/clutter, I find it distracting.

I've achieved the home I want/need for a settled mind by decluttering/plenty of storage and having a cleaner.

I don't clean in between my cleaner visiting apart from keeping the kitchen clean and wiping the sinks in the bathrooms/keeping the loos clean/rinsing the shower after use.

A tidy house is really good for your mental health. X

TOMM is very good. You change it to suit your needs and I don't actually stick to it but I now know how to achieve order whereas before I really didn't. You have jobs that you do every single day (hoover, laundry, bathroom). You also try to do one whole room/area of the house each weekday. And then on Friday you do one horror job - cleaning the oven, mowing the lawn etc. You keep it up and your house gradually organises itself. Also: throw stuff out.

Yep, I love that feeling on holiday when there's room for everything in your hotel room and there is no extra stuff, and everything has been cleaned!

I used to be better at decluttering, and I've definitely bought more (online) since the first lockdown. Bad habits.

The only type of mess I will put up with is from my cat, because he brings me joy, and the white hairs everywhere are worth it!

😩😩😩 I've got a toddler and my standards have had to slip. I'm sad when I think about how lovely our home used to be!

This sounds interesting but when does one find the time?!!

I love a tidy house; I do a sweep through at least once a day to return everything to where it should be and that helps keep on top of it

If it works for you, great. Cleaning just makes me aware of all the fun things I could be doing instead🤷

I do a little bit every day to keep on top of things. Like to have a place for everything and everything in it's place. My other half is a hoarder but at least he is reasonably tidy and most of his hoard is in his man cave. Before retiring the house was a state due to lack of time, now I go slow and keep on top of things. I have learnt to pace myself with cleaning due to medical condition, and enjoy making my house clean tidy and welcoming.

Me too OP

I've had a day off work today. Original plans didn't happen so I spent the day cleaning. I felt so relaxed and happy when it was all done. I walked the dog and was actually smiling to myself at the thought of getting home to my clean house.

And now I've got a weekend where I don't have to worry about housework.

I completely agree with you. I deep cleaned the entire house before having dc and it was amazing.

I try and keep the living room and kitchen clean and tidy with reasonable success. I sometimes intentionally invite people over because I know it will motivate me to clean!

Upstairs unfortunately hasn't been maintained. Overwhelmed with baby clothes. Need to put on Ebay ASAP!

Also one room has turned in to the man cave. It's so cluttered I never go in there, it stresses me out.

30 minutes for the room of the day (Level 2) M: living room, T: bedrooms, W: hall, Th: kitchen, F: a deeper clean of one room on a 8 week cycle. (Level 3)

Time for 30 mins then stop. You can roll jobs over if they're not needed that week and it builds up the little and often approach over time without the overwhelm and exhaustion from blitzing.

There's also 15 mins of daily Level 1 jobs inc a quick whizz with the vacuum, wipe around the toilets and shift a laundry load (doesn't have to be a complete cycle of one load).

I used to wonder how the heck to do it in so little time, but this year she's launched Rock the Housework, basically timed guided cleans. There's some free samples but the subscription is well worth it and there's now a good choice of options so you can choose how long you need per room. I'm finding that because I can put on a timed clean for 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 mins, I'm much more effective at fitting them in and doing them productively.

Until this, the stress and exhaustion of sorting the house out in big blitzes meant I never recovered before it was a mess again and the whole thing was a frustrating exercise in futility.

In an ideal world, yes. I don't have the time though, and I have a 3 year old. Standards lowered!

This in a heartbeat. You shouldn't be feeling stressed with a bit of mess. Lower your standards !

I definitely find it helpful.

Sounds too much like a boot camp…what is a deep clean?

forty five minutes A DAY cleaning, on top of work and dinner and etc?

no way

@Adhdsucks it's particularly hard to keep things tidy and organised if you have ADHD, don't be hard on yourself! But you would of course feel more relaxed in a tidy home.