If your house is immaculate, how do you do it? <wails> I want one!!!

[sorky]

granted I have 4 kids, but still, I want a house that I can open the door to and say 'yeah, come on in' and be confident it's tidy enough for that.

I have been ill recently so there are cobwebs and a general scruffiness, but where to start? What level of cleanliness are we talking about?

I think I'm officially a slattern

[bossboggle]

With small children you have no chance!! Enjoy them and teach them slowly how to tidy and things will fall into place. 5 of us in our house and three dogs! I'm lucky - a stay at home mum but very very busy!! Mine all older now but one of the things I DEMAND is laundry is sorted no exceptions!! I have four (rectangular) shaped laundry baskets, one for dirty towels,another for whites, coloreds and darks. There is NO exception to this rule, it took me a while to 'train' my lot but it works and it saves you loads of time because you can just pick out a load and put it straight into the machine, not too much time spent sorting laundry. And yes you can teach little ones put pictures above the baskets and make a game out of it - they soon catch on!!

[lovetoclean]

I totally agree with Pennybubbly we love to keep our house also clean, immaculate, spotless and super organized. We have a huge 6 bedroom house with 2 bathrooms and 2 living rooms and that includes, dusting, sweeping, moping and organizing and it takes the both of us no more than 45 minutes to do it every day and we have a 24 year old disabled son that lives with us due to his disability and his room has to remain clean, immaculate, spotless and organized and if it ain't he will let my husband or myself know and we have to keep it clean for him. No it is not boring or dull to keep your house or apartment clean, spotless and immaculate and organized whether you have kids or not. Our home should be the reflection of us.

[BoffinMum]

Glad you like it.

[moondog]

Yes, I liek that post Boffin.
That is exactly what I do, bar the tray. but I think I shall buy one now.
I like that idea.
My dh is abroad and has a housekeeper (I know, lucky swine. When I go and see him I feel like I have died and gone to heaven. He even brings me a cup of tea after I leave the table and collapse on the sofa. It's bloody fantastic.)

Anyway, I digress. Said housekeeper always uses a tray.
So obvious. Why did I not think of it before?

[jellyvodkas]

My answer is : Have no one in it.
Its the only way !!!

[PfftTheMagicDragon]

oooh Boffin, that's pretty similar to how I run my mornings.

It sounds silly, but it's just much easier to keep a tidy house tidy. When the house starts to get messy I can feel the slump setting in.

[AngelDog]

I agree with moondog too. My house is generally a tip, but when I do make the effort to keep things tidy, I have more energy and things stay tidy.

[BoffinMum]

You might like this post on morning organisation with a fmily in tow

[Asinine]

I have a morning and evening routine like flylady. If anyone's not tried it yet, it really works if you stick with it.

[PfftTheMagicDragon]

Every three or four months I go through all of the children's toys and clothes and get rid of anything old/damaged/unwanted and pass it on, or get rid of it.

[PfftTheMagicDragon]

I agree with Moondog.

The biggest thing that you can do is get good storage and clear away the clutter.

You absolutely must make sure that before you go to bed at night, and before you leave the house in the day, that the house is tidy. Do the washing up, put clothes away, fluff sofa cushions, vacuum. It is nicer to come back/get up to a clean house and makes you start the day more motivated to keep it clean.

The only thing that I do allow in my house that Moondog mentioned is snacking in the sitting room but tbh I wish that I didn't as I end up having to clean the sofas more than I would like.

While H is putting the children to bed in the evening, I run a vacuum round, tidy up, get things ready for the morning so I have a clean house to relax in for the evening.

In the mornings we get up at 6 and before taking H to work and going to school I will do the washing up, get a load of washing on, mop the kitchen floor, straighten the house, make beds etc. Don't sit there thinking "my house is a mess"....just get up and do it.

The only way to do it is to keep on top of it and do it a little at a time.

[Asinine]

Moondog is your real name marla aka flylady?

[BoffinMum]

Go on, you know you want them ...

[sorky]

Don't be foisting your crap on to us Boffinmum!!

We're all drowning in unwanted shite already

[moondog]

Yes.
And then you will have the time to relax because you have A SYSTEM!!!
Discipline.

[BoffinMum]

Listen to da Moondog.

This is also the Boff approach. And also nobody over 8 is allowed to get away without doing their own housework.

[moondog]

I love these threads.My mission is to make peopel understand that housework is not dull.What's dull about having a nice clean home? What IS dull is having no system so you waste loads of percious time rushing about and stressing about where things are.

I'm big into systems management. I recommend this book very highly to anyone who needs to get MORE ORGANISED.

I've always worked f/t, studied, done other stuff, and have managed fine with no cleaner even thoguh I have 2 kids and my dh has worked abroad for very long stretches for year.

This is what works for me:

No shoes in the house
Eat only at the table. Nowhere else.
House tidy, beds made, dishes done before you go to work.
Evetything tidy and clean before you go to bed at night.
Train your kids to put stuff away and/or get things done. eg No tv unless homework done or beds made/teeth cleaned.

Everey 6 weeks i spend a whole day cleaning from top to bottom and a big part of that is getting rid of naytihng old/out dated/broken/too small.

House is pretty empty-very few hideous knickknacks and whathaveyou.

Never piles of paperwork. All dealt with straightaway.

[BoffinMum]

Put radio on and make tea. Start with one shelf unit, remove books and pile on floor neatly, dust books and shelf, then start putting books into sections based on topic of book (reference, fiction, humour, etc). Move onto next shelf unit, picking out books to fill the sections you have planned. Start further sections on second shelf unit. Ditch anything you won't read again or don't like. Continue to last shelf unit. Bring books towards the front of the shelves and line up nicely in rough size order with an eye for colour as well. Put shit looking books in a row behind them. Leave space for a few ornaments, incoming new books, and/or magazines or journals or some hardbacks lying on their sides to act as bookends. Step back and decide whether 'reading' the shelves gives an insight into your stylish and intelligent nature. If so, relax. If not, give up. Drink more tea.

[BoffinMum]

Anybody want 6 Nokia phone chargers, as that's exactly what we now have lying around here since the Big Drawer Sort Out, plus some old handsfree sets, plus cables, plus a USB vibrating device free for postage.

[sorky]

Snap Debs, having sorted all the toys. I have just gone through 4 wardrobes and sorted the kids clothes. Everything now fits the right person.

It's been annoying me that sometimes they will get dressed in stuff that blatantly doesn't fit them anymore (obv they don't realise, but it bugs me)

There's a bag for Oxfam, a bag for the attic (hand downs) and a bag to sell.


I'm doing the bathroom today, have a binbag ready to throw out 5 year old perfume bottles

I'm dreading the living room because it looks almost exactly like a tippy version of <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.ukhomeideas.co.uk/images/ikea/billy-bookcase.jpg&imgrefurl=www.ukhomeideas.co.uk/ideas/furniture/ikea-furniture/billy-bookcases-from-ikea&usg=__nQkdA6PlaWC3sbWxsSyi6T4emVU=&h=200&w=300&sz=22&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=1DHwVQB_0C_1NM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=167&ei=Ya_LTcaHJYOa8QO6oOGhBA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dbilly%2Bbookcases%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1256%26bih%3D702%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=132&vpy=87&dur=970&hovh=160&hovw=240&tx=126&ty=80&page=1&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">this

How do you tackle this many shelves and books?

[Debs75]

DP who collects and hoards is seemingly ruthless with other peoples stuff.
Yesterday he tackled DD1's bedroom and cleared away a whole wheelie bin worth of rubbish Amongst it was outgrown clothes, scraps of paper, broken things and a huge box full of goodie wrappers.
DD1 is now not allowed to eat up there but she has the most lovely tidy room ever in her life!
Now for the rest of the house

[BranchingOut]

Well done titfer - please report back and let us know how it goes.

Sorky - you seem to have acheived miracles yourself!

[titferbrains]

sorky it's a big step for me as I hold on to paper - my house generally looks fine but I am always battling with paper, no matter how much I throw out it multiply and I hate getting rid of things I have collected, hence the piles of magazines, the random collections of stationery, books I will never read again, smart paper bags saved just in case etc etc.

Really pleased I've done it even if it is an expensive way to get rid of things!

[BoffinMum]

Sorky, you have inspired me to go and do the ironing!

[sorky]

My tip run & charity shop run is complete

I'm really proud of my efforts!

Last week, friends came round and my house was 'visitor ready' with very little effort.
One friend came in and the first thing she said was "blimey, it's spotless, how did you manage that?! There's no clutter, all your benches are clear!"

She meant it admiringly as her house is the same as mine was

Is it sad that I felt 10 feet tall?


I'm on top of the washing & I'm tackling the ironing piles today.

Well done on the decluttering service. Sounds like a big step taken.