Explain to me like I’m 5.. cleaning

[TalkingtoRosesIsMad]

Im coming out of a really bad depressive state. I have help let me just say that. However my Mum died when I was 11 and my dad died when I was 12. I went into a children’s home and didn’t learn any life skills.

I got good grades, I got a good degree at Lancaster and im now doing solicitor training. My point is I’m not stupid I just don’t know how to clean and keep things tidy. I’m 22 and live alone and honestly it feels like I get some energy and blast the house then get overwhelmed with everything/ I’m now knackered so I let it creep up on me again.

I do make sure the washing up is done, but any of you who have beautiful clean, sparkly houses all the time, please help create a daily, weekly, monthly schedule and checklist so I can get into a good routine and keep it properly.

I don’t mind paying for a system and sticking it on the fridge but it’s things like ;

how do you mop properly so the water runs clear?
how often do you mop?
how often do I hoover the rug downstairs and the stairs
how often do you clean the washing machine?
clean the skirting boards?
clean the loo
deep clean the bathroom
change the bedding
clean the fridge out
clean and stop the areas that get a lot of clutter ?

should I go through the important paperwork and file it? Even it takes hours?

I think I need to get into a routine of ‘it’s Wednesday I need to do xyz’

I tried the fly lady thing and I didn’t get it, I have heard of the organised mum method but Im not sure it would work?

i need someone to explain how to do these basic tasks and. Then how to keep on top of it so im
not ashamed to have people over.

I came from a household where cleaning was not really done except for Chistmas when people would come over and there would be a mad rush to do 12 months of cleaning in one day. It was a steep learning curve in my 20s when I started to live alone.

I am still learning, but I have found the Tody app very useful as I tend to do the same 3 jobs that I "like" to do rather than the jobs that need doing. It allows you to list the jobs by room and then set a frequency for doing them.

The other thing that was a real revelation in my 20s was that you need to clean the cleaning tools. So wash cloths, clean brushes. Clean /replace the bag or filter on the vacuum and give the vacuum itself a wipe over. I don't know how I thought they would stay clean.

Two things that really helped me:

Every single thing needs a “home” in your home. As soon as a new item crosses the threshold, it goes in its spot.

10 minute blitzes - this helped me when working full time and without a cleaner and I didn’t want to spend all Saturday morning cleaning. The idea is set a 10 minute timer and try to clean/tidy that room before the timer goes off. You can’t leave the room so if you find things that belong elsewhere just stack them by the door, or bring a basket along to dump them in. At a particularly busy life period I would do these 10 minute blitzes each week day morning in a different room.

So cleaning is easier if you keep on top.of it.

So daily:

I wash up , clean the kitchen surfaces and hob and give the kitchen floor a quick wipe.

Sroay the shower and bathroom sink woth shower cleeanet apreay and mop ybe bathroom floor.

Make the bed and put clothes away/hang them up.

Hoover if needed.

Once a week (usually a Saturday morning) I do a bigger clean, tackling each room at a time giving it a deeper clean. This includes cleanig the toilet and bath, going through the fridge to remove anying elderly or out of date, changing the bed clothes and towels polishing furniture,

Every few months I tackle bigger jobs like cleaning the oven, cleaning windows and window frames, washing skirting boards and walls, doing a thorough dust and cobweb removal, cupboard and fridge clear outs.

Once a year or so I will wash curtains, upholstery, carpets, walls etc..

Well done for asking op. Ive been exactly the same. I've bought a couple of house work books which have been really helpful. The best tips I have are - have enough storage for your things. Game changer. Pax wardrobe system, proper bathroom cabinet, decent hallway cupboard with place for keys wallet etc.

If you can remove carpets and have hard wood floors and get ruggable (washable) rugs and a robot hoover / mop you are winning.

Wow some must have so much time on their hands! I’m exhausted just reading all the things that are done daily/ weekly!!
I do things when they need doing, loo looks a bit iffy I’ll clean it (bearing in mind we’re at work all day so it’s probably only used a couple of times a day!) I notice the skirting boards look dusty I’ll clean them. I have a reminder on my phone to clean the washing machine and dishwasher every 3 weeks, does it get done every 3 weeks? not always, but if I notice the plates start to get an eggy smell then I definitely do the dishwasher asap.
We have robot vacuums upstairs and downstairs which go around daily and we hoover the stairs when they start to look iffy. Dishes go in the dishwasher as soon as we’ve eaten and it gets put on when it’s full, I try to wash up the other bits after every meal however I’ll sometimes leave it till the day after, I generally clean the kitchen sink daily and change the cloths and towels in the kitchen daily. I usually spray down the counters with antibac before preparing food and after to get rid of any crumbs. Food bin is emptied daily and bicarb and peppermint oil put in to stop it smelling. Main bin is emptied when it needs it.
If we have guests over then the downstairs loo gets an extra clean and a fresh towel put out

@TalkingtoRosesIsMad thanks for starting this thread, following with interest. I have no excuse at all, I'm just old, unfit and bone idle and my house is a state! If the landlord is coming for any reason all the clutter gets bunged in a cupboard and the stained bits get wiped, but that's really not good enough!

This is a good tip. Just to add to it, I have different coloured cloths for different rooms/tasks. White for bathroom, blue for kitchen, whatever other colour I see on offer for everywhere else. Mentally, it helps me to know that I haven’t used a bathroom cloth to clean the kitchen.

I save up all the cloths and chuck them in with the towels once a week. I don’t use fabric softener for this towel wash.

I put the washing up sponge through the dishwasher once a week.

I don’t use bleach. I use diluted white vinegar, fairy liquid and Zoflora for most cleaning jobs.

I seem to have a cleaner house than most of the friends I visit so hopefully this will help.

how do you mop properly so the water runs clear?
I use a spin mop and warm water. Spot clean anything visibly dirty like dried spills/pet food/mud. Then get the mop as dry as possible and mop in sweeping motions. I also do the skirting boards. If I have time I will then do another go with just warm water. The water will never be completely clear, but if the floor is already quite dirty it might need a few goes with fresh water to get back to a “clean slate”

how often do you mop?
I aim to mop once a week but in reality I do 2-3 times a month. But I have cats not kids

how often do I hoover the rug downstairs and the stairs
The stairs I do every 2 or 3 weeks and I do both the flat bit and the riser with a small hoover head. The rug once a week unless it needs more. I have an old robot hoover and they are a great investment if you can afford it (but they don’t do stairs unfortunately!)

how often do you clean the washing machine?
Every 6 months, if that 🙈 with the liquid you run through. I wipe out the drawer if it needs it every few months but I leave the door ajar so it never mould or gets smelly

clean the skirting boards?
Every couple of weeks, I think this makes a big difference to the house. If I can be bothered I will hoover them with the brush attachment. But usually I give them all a swipe with a slightly damp microfibre, turning it to a new bit of cloth when it looks dusty. The windowsills I do once a week unless they are visibly dirty

clean the loo
Once a week unless very dirty or just before friends arrive if I’m having people over. I don’t get skids because I wipe them immediately with loo paper (then wash hands)

deep clean the bathroom
usually once a week but sometimes a bit longer if I’ve wiped the sink and windowsill. I use daily shower spray to keep the shower looking clean and it works really well to prevent limescale and scum as long as it’s not there to begin with (scrub with viakal or bathroom cleaner and rinse down)

change the bedding
every 10ish days. I use a top sheet under the duvet as I get hot but like something over me when I push the duvet off. That means I don’t have to do the duvet cover as much as the fitted sheet and top sheet

clean the fridge out
If there are spills I will wipe them out with Dettol spray when I see them, aside from that maybe once a month when the fridge is quite empty. The front of the fridge I wipe over once a week

clean and stop the areas that get a lot of clutter ?
I dust clutter that’s been there for a while during the big weekly clean. I think that stops it becoming “part of the furniture”. I sort the clutter about once a week or whenever it feels like it’s building up or otherwise I’ll end up with little piles everywhere. If I can’t move it then I will at least pile, straighten or arrange it so there is some sort of order

I I wasn’t taught to clean or tidy as a kid so it was all a learning curve but now having a clean and tidy house brings me a bit of peace. I grew up in a house where everything was sticky with tar and very dusty on everything except the main surfaces.

I do a “big clean” once a week (usually Sunday) which takes the pressure off me during the week as I know I’ll get to it during the allotted time. But it’s all a bit easier if I do things that I see during the week (spills, toothpaste in sink, mud on wall, kitchen surfaces etc.) so I can focus on the routine tasks.

It’s also much easier if you don’t already have build-up so for a house that hasn’t been cleaned for a while I would do a good wet clean of individual rooms when I had a spare evening over a week/month to get me to a clean slate. With either diluted fairy liquid, the clear dettol spray and viakal or a bathroom cleaner you can get most surfaces clean.

Also as a PP mentioned, throw cleaning cloths, towels, mop heads into the washing machine to make sure they’re not just spreading dust and dirt around. I keep dirty ones in the dry mop bucket until I have a few to be washed

Haven't read the full thread, I struggle to keep everything tidy too but I will say this much, its 100 times easier to keep things clean than it is to make things clean.

I'm awful for putting things off because well, it doesn't 'need' doing, until it does and then it's an actual chore rather than a quick clean.

Congratulations on the success you've made of your difficult start in life.

On the cleaning, don't be fooled by InstaXacebooktube. You don't need to live up to anyone else's standards.

My rule is "if it looks dirty clean it there and then". If I genuinely don't have time there and then, then as soon after as possible, but there is no way i could walk away from a soiled toilet bowl. And always check the underside of the loo seat. Spot clean floors when you drop something on them (kitchen spray on kitchen roll). Shoes left at the door. Find a man who likes to hoover or get a robot (hoover or man, either will do 🤣). Dusting is easier and more effective with a damp cloth, again dust when you see dust on things. Try not to buy things that gather dust, like fiddly ornaments. If you've got a glass door in the shower rinse it off when you've washed off yourself.

Good luck!

On skirting boards unless you have dogs or live somewhere really muddy, a quick wipe every few months is fine IMO. I have a long piece of foam with a handle with a removeable micro fibre cover. It is amazing for a quick brush round all the difficult to reach areas to remove dust.

For toilets unless there are a lot of people in your house, a once a week thorough scrub is fine, get one of those rim blocks to keep it fresh between cleans.

As other have said simple things like opening windows every day and airing bedding and towels each day can really help to keep your home fresh.

The shocking thing about cleaning and tidying is how much time it takes. Cleaning I allow half an hour per room and an hour for a big kitchen. I don't do every room thoroughly every week. Bedroom windows for example get done rarely but the kitchen window gets splashed all the time. So either set time aside once a week as though you are a paid cleaner or accept it will need to be planned and scheduled.

If you cook at home that takes lots of time too. I made the choice to minimise processed food but it all takes time. It makes more mess too.

I have no helpful advice to offer on the cleaning, I'm in my 50's and frankly haven't yet worked out how to keep the house under control. I have now given up caring too much, and have a cleaner to sort the worst of it. I just wanted to say I hope you are really proud of yourself for what you have achieved after such a difficult start,. It is quite incredible that you have got to where you are.

This is worth saying! We find our robot vacuum cleaner needs emptying after each session or it stops being efficient. Our upright Sebo holds loads of dust but the hepa filters need changing before the bag needs changing.

I also recommend the organised [mum] method. The guided cleans are fab and it's a supportive community. There's no 'selling' so you won't get told to use the latest Shark vacuum, or a certain sort of washing basket. My cleaning regime pretty much follows this nethod. At the start I felt I wasnt doing 'enough' but persevered and quite quickly it was enough. I don't need/ want sparkly I just need clean/ hygienic/ tidy (ish). My lowest bar when I started was always what would I think if I saw a picture of my kitchen in The Sun.

If you have actual paperwork then maybe try the Sunday basket method. Basically paper work goes into a tub goes and then periodically go through and file . You are supposed to do it weekly, but I just did mine yesterday and from the dates it seems six months have passed since I last did it... I have a shelf in a cupboard with the basket ( the basket has dividers in it ( just home made from file dividing cards) and then relevant folders - so pension, medical, insurance, manuals and vehicle which are filled from the basket. I've used this method for donkeys years and adapted it as I go along. I think I might see if I can't get myself trained to scan and store in the cloud and get rid of most of this, keeping just bare minimum - passports, birth certificates etc . It would free up a shelf on my bookcase !

I'm a bit horrified about the amount of bleach being used by some pisters ( bleaching the loo twice a day, just no need), but we are on a septic tank. If being a bit more eco is your thing then Nancy Birtwhistle is worth a follow.

I quite link Lynsey Queen of Clean, but I find her a bit sort of nervy and anxious and always trying to sell me something.

You could always follow Mrs Hinch if you fancy having cupboards full of cleaning products, like cocker spaniels, chickens, Home Bargains, grey paint and Llamas and ignore the almost continual ads. She is lampooned quite a bit but I quite like her.

Dilly from how to sort your life out is quite good but I find her a bit too bossy for me. How she sorted out her medical stuff when she was very seriously ill was great and something I'd take on board if I need to.

I did start my declutter journey with Marie Kondo. But couldn't get on with her/ it - although I do still use some of her clothes folding techniques.

Getting rid of clutter (organised mum is great for this) and for me having the same stuff all in one place helps immensely.
So my spare toilet rolls and kitchen paper are in the same place as my spare cleaning fluids.
Medicines all together in one place.
I got a battery storage box of Amazon with a built in battery tester.
My seasonal decorations are all contained in boxes stored away (loft).
Drawers/ wardrobe are organised by type and season.
All my chargers, adapters light bulbs are together.
I also have a box with sellotape, scissors and packing for my in line selling, so it's all in one place.

For me getting rid of clutter and organising the spaces makes it so much easier to clean/ manage. And also rationalising stuff - eg did I actually need 8 sets of placemats ( which typically I I my used at Christmas) .

@macaroon8 Aw I love Nancy Birtwhistle! She comes across as being really nice, genuine and calm 😊

how do you mop properly so the water runs clear?

Spin mop. Change heads often. Weekly in our house.

how often do you mop?

Places like the kitchen daily. Other areas of hard floor, twice a week. Something like Wednesdays and on the weekend.

how often do I hoover the rug downstairs

Daily

and the stairs

Twice a week

how often do you clean the washing machine?

Fortnightly

clean the skirting boards?

Monthly

clean the loo

After each use. Proper deep clean once a week.

deep clean the bathroom

Once a week

change the bedding

Once a week

clean the fridge out

Once a week

clean and stop the areas that get a lot of clutter

Daily

A question for those with robot cleaners.... please can you tell me if they clean really well? Do they go around kitchen chairs and up to the skirting boards etc, or do they leave some areas dusty? TiA.

It entirely depends on who you live with, how many kids you’ve got and how many pets etc.

The best advice I have is to keep your home clutter free - the less stuff you have the easier to clean.
And to keep on top of it, so you’re mostly just cleaning up after yourself rather than having to scrub weeks worth of dirt. It’s always easier to keep clean things clean.

If its just you and you live alone then I would start by just doing certain things once a week - hoovering, mopping, clean the loo, wipe down the bathroom sink and changing bedding.

Every day I would do the washing up and wipe down the kitchen sides afterwards.

The rest definitely doesn’t need doing monthly eg skirting boards, but it might be easier to just get into the habit of doing it on a monthly basis. Perhaps the last day of the month.
You’ll soon start seeing if it needs doing or not and if it doesn’t, then skip it.

I fill my window cleaner up when it’s empty. 😂 I rarely hoover my car, i just get a bin bag every two weeks and empty it. I wash it once a week because birds. As for weeding, my garden breeds weeds and I just go over with the strimmer every now & then. I never oil my gate or windows am I failing at adulting lol mind you ive only had one window track needing replacing after 20 years and that’s because it got pulled out in the wind thanks to teen ds so do windows even need oiling?

Aldi cleaning products are good. I don't buy expensive stuff unless it's on offer.

I like the sponge squares but cut them up as I think they're a bit big.

I have a friend who is well into these autocleaners but then asks why her house never looks as clean as other people's houses. She also used a cordless vacuum where the power lasts about 20 mins max. 5 mins at full power and then it reduces from there. She paid £300 for it.

Every so often, I bring my Henry over so she can have a proper hoover of the place.

We clean our house properly once a week (which probably isn’t really properly by most people’s standards). By that I mean clean all the rooms and clean the wooden floors. During the week we just wipe down the kitchen worktops and sinks and maybe do a clothes wash. We never use bleach in any part of the house. I hate the stuff! We have a cat and I’m very paranoid about poisoning her so all our cleaning products are pet safe.

I have never, in 35 years of home ownership, oiled windows in any way...