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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

Honestly, do you all have really tidy houses?

38 replies

electra · 25/07/2011 17:24

And is it possible with a 2 year old?

My main aim is to keep everything clean but we have the odd toy out and not everything has a home.........is it just me?

OP posts:

deemented · 25/07/2011 17:26

No, it's not just you. I have a six year old, a three year old and an eighteen month old.

My house is lived in. It's our home, and we live here, it's not a show home.

linspins · 25/07/2011 18:05

No, not tidy at all! Could be described as 'busy' 'like a bomb's hit it' 'scene after a whirlwind' or 'relatively ok', depending on the time of day. Usually okish after I've tidied after the kids have gone to bed. Clean, yes, tidy - no. I dream of having a place for everything, and everything in its place...

lookatthatmess · 25/07/2011 18:28

No, I'm always behind with my washing up and washing although I am making a lot of progress with my washing at the moment, but it will be a while before I get all of it done. I have a dd 2yrs 8mnths and a ds 7 yrs old.

Look at the thread about" housework never catch up with it" and you will see you are not alone!

TheMagnificentBathykolpian · 25/07/2011 18:34

Generally, yes. It's not a show home or anything, but it's clean and there's no clutter anywhere. Nothing piled up on top of things, that sort of thing. No clutter on the kitchen worktops etc.

I find that makes such a difference. If you haven't got piles of stuff on the worktops and units, the place always looks bigger, brighter and cleaner.

Makes up for the fact that my furniture is shit and really could do with going in a skip

Original poster

electra · 25/07/2011 21:35

I'm so glad it's not just me. I also find with 3 children nothing is ever completely done.

OP posts:

onepieceofcremeegg · 25/07/2011 21:37

It's clean, because I keep on top of it. (cleaning is done in 10 minute bursts several times daily).

There is minimal clutter.

It is never more than 30-60 minutes of being in a fairly decent condition.

It is never a showhome. Imo there is a middle ground between show home and tip!

However I find it more stressful to live in a dirty or untidy house than I do to actually clean and tidy it. Also I have a dh and he is tidy and does his share too. :)

AngelDog · 25/07/2011 22:51

Well, we have the odd toy which isn't out.

Bomb site would be a good description, although our bathroom is generally presentable . I prefer the lived-in look though: other people's really clean and tidy houses make me twitch a bit.

I just have one 18 m.o. and I'm naturally messy. DH doesn't make a mess but rarely tidies either.

JustAnotherSod · 26/07/2011 02:29

Everything in our home has a place, whether it is ever there or not is another thing! I try to keep on top of things, and tend to have a mad sort out every 3 to 4 weeks but try don't sweat too much if the place is in uproar.

valiumredhead · 26/07/2011 13:32

Yes, I have a tidy house because I have lots of storage and I de clutter a LOT and always have done. In fact I kept a tidier house when ds was tiny. Sorry

Original poster

electra · 26/07/2011 18:52

I think that having good storage is the key, yes - helps to avoid clutter.

OP posts:

SauvignonBlanche · 26/07/2011 18:55

My house is immaculate - my cleaner came today
It's a bombsite the rest of the week!

CalamityKate · 26/07/2011 19:37

Yes. Mine is clean and tidy.

DP is very tidy, which helps, and the kids are a work in progress but mostly pretty good.

Takver · 26/07/2011 19:41

No, it isn't tidy at all. And I only have one 9 y/o. It isn't disastrous, but it definitely is generally quite messy.

It is tidier when it rains for several days at a time of year when our business is relatively quiet - in good weather outside work generally takes priority, and in winter time there's so much office work to do that that always wins out.

Zwitterion · 26/07/2011 19:42

Nope. I try and fail.

themildmanneredjanitor · 26/07/2011 19:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ragged · 26/07/2011 19:44

I don't try and I succeed beautifully .

Ragwort · 26/07/2011 19:45

Not too bad - but I am very strict about 'toys' and my DS (10) really has very few compared to many of his friends - some of their rooms are absolute bomb sites but they seem to have 'everything' - fortunately my DS is only into sport which means most of the kit lives in the garage .

One of my friends was moaning about the state of her childrens' rooms - she showed me round and I could only think 'why does she allow them to have all this 'stuff'' - you literally could not see the carpet !!!

whomovedmychocolate · 26/07/2011 19:46

Mostly yes. But it's a recent thing. Mine are three and four.

wfrances · 26/07/2011 19:49

yes , but only because i love cleaning and dont mind admitting i have bit of ocd.

Clarabumps · 26/07/2011 19:53

mine is mainly a tip.when i do try and tidy up after them to keep the place presentable then I'm going the whole day constantly picking up and putting back.
Ragwort how many toys do you allow? i've had a massive clearout recently but would love to chuck more.

Clarabumps · 26/07/2011 19:56

i'd love ocd!
my friends dp has a bit of ocd..their house is immaculate!!

LetUsPrey · 26/07/2011 19:58

themildmanneredjanitor - I could have written your post!

I try to tidy every so often during the day if we're at home as DS2 uses the "scatter and ignore" tactic of playing.

I do have a few piles of paperwork around the house.

My mother used to despair of me as the housework gene seems to have skipped me. Both my sisters (one older, one younger) have this gene. My brother was obviously not expected to have it. Actually, she still despairs, I think she just tuts more quietly. DH is the "tidy one".

BerryLellow · 26/07/2011 20:00

I'm getting there - slowly. We moved into a new place recently and I've been trying to find homes for everything. Still some boxes to do though. I also need to sort out the Office of doom

Blindcavesalamander · 26/07/2011 20:14

I think all my local friends must be much better at keeping tidy than me. I do try (up to a point) but we don't have much space and all seem to be messy (two children aged 10 and 5). Sometimes I wonder what's wrong with me as other people don't seem to need such a lot of time to get things vaguely sorted, they must have secret cleaners who come in the night, or friendly elves perhaps??? I don't really understand it and think I must totally lack house keeping talent. However, when I go into many homes around me, however much I love the space or the large garden or the beautiful conservatory etc etc I VERY often think "HOW BORING" and restrictive. The children can't paint or glue at the table, everybody has to take their shoes off, (ususlly the carpets are pale, even cream!!!) and nobody can eat around the house or bounce on the sofa. Also the walls are usually decorated in various shades of white, cream, beige,mushroom, chalk, coffee, champagne and subtle wing of dove, everything neutral like in a 'How to sell your home' tv programme. I feel more at home with colours, murals, poems and lyrics painted on the walls, childrens pictures stuck everywhere, toys around and asense of humour and fun. I feel that people who are worrying about exact tones of whiter shades of pale and whether every scrap of evidence of life is hoovered up, are taking it all too seriously.

Ragwort · 26/07/2011 22:11

Clara - I don't really think my DS has many toys as such - he has a load of soft toys from when he was a baby that he will not throw out (on top of a cupboard); a bookshelf with books & collections (coins/stamps etc), a few sports trophies and that sort of thing; a very old PS2 and a couple of games for it; lots of sports stuff but that is stored in the garage or outside shed .............. a few bits and pieces in a small bedside cabinet; board games are stored in a large wardrobe or downstairs coffee table chest thing - he's not into lego or anything else like that which probably helps a lot .

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