Please help me to be a good home owner

[VickityBoo]

I mean....I'm really terrible at doing housework, really terrible.

I enjoy big cleans from time to time when areas get really grubby and need a good hour getting it sparkly. I like that kind of clean because it's satisfying. I'm awful at keeping on top of it day to day.

I tried fly lady once and the theory was good but I ended up getting so irritated by the emails and the religion that got thrown in with her crazy motivational speeches that I gave that up.

I celebrate if I get washing up done twice a day. I just lack motivation. New things motivate me like a new mop, posh cloths or a new cleaning gadget but they don't stay new for long!!

Plus on top of that I just tend to 'not see' things. I have a blind spot for cleaning/tidying that needs doing. I make sure the living room floor is clear of toys a few times a day so manage that!

Any tips please begging? I will have a baby as well as our little girl soon before the year is out and need to get sorted!

never leave a room without taking something with you - if i go upstairs i always take something that needs to go upstairs with me even if its just to dump it on the bed. when its bedtime i put it away before i get into bed if i havent already.

i always keep cleaning wipes in the bathroom and when the sink or toilet etc needs cleaning i do it whilst i am in there.

when we come into the house shoes, coats etc go straight away in the cupboard

i'm the same OP. i know all the rules and things i should do but i get zero joy or satsfaction out of doing them so i dont. i am also terrible for saying "i'll do that later after i've done XY and Z" never get round to it though until it gets really bad.

one thing i do find helps is to load an episode of how clean is your house on youtube and i have usually been spurred into action before the end of the first half.

i should really do this every morning and then my house would be sparkly wouldn't it? also, posting a kick me up the bum thread on here usually works because people rally round and encourage you, some also join in, liek saying "i'll set my timer for 15 minutes and we'll meet back here to see how much we have gotten done" it's a really good incentive. it works for me anyway.

going to clean the kitchen now because of your thread! (see, it works!! i had no intention of doing it ten minutes ago!)

Try rewarding yourself. If you really fancy a cuppa or a sit down with a magazine etc, make yourself do 3 decent-sized jobs first, like washing up, putting a load of washing in, cleaning the kitchen surfaces or emptying the bin. Then have the reward. Doinging this reward system 2 or 3 times through the day is plenty enough to keep the house tidy.

Thanks folks! love the how clean is your house idea!! Genius.

On my phone so I can't remind myself of all relies. We have a porch for shoes and coats and they always come off before we get inside so that's never an issue, in fact the hallway is the tidiest part of our house!

I think the fact I have bad eczema makes a slight difference to the way I do things, can't do anything without gloves so can't just pick up a wipe here and there. Do keep gloves up and downstairs though and should just pop them on more I guess!

Glad I helped someone (sorry can't remember the poster name) get motivated yesterday I hope you managed to get something done!

cleaning wipes in the bathroom are a must...I always wipe around the seat,rim and around the sink whenever I go to the bathroom to keep that horrible layer of dust/hair away.
Things that need to go upstairs I put them at the bottom of the stairs and then when I go up and just take them all with me.
I hoover every morning when I come downstairs to start the day off with clear clean floors
I leave the washing up in a bowl of hot soapy water when I go to bed so in the morning its been soaking all night and is really easy to clean off and put away

Must have's:
a decent hoover with hose
a decent mop and bucket
disposable cleaning wipes- for bathrooms,sticky door handles, sticky lightswitches, etc etc

It may sound obvious-decent mop and bucket but the times my dh has come home with one of those naff mopheads that leave more fluff and muck on the floor than when you started GRRRRR

Just marking place.

lostlilly yes I spent 10 years messing about with silly flat headed 'mops' with squirty bottles etc but do now have a nice vileda mop. I didn't used to consider a mop clean enough though, opting for hands and knees, a good brush and soapy water! I can't do hands and knees anymore, at the tender age of 30 my knees no longer let me!

that was me vickity and yes i got loads done. more than i thought i would have gotten done. i also used smarties reward idea which really helped keep me going. it might sound silly but i was working for roughly 15 minutes then sitting down with a cold drink, checking MN (it's my treat) and then after a few minutes (literally about 2 or 3) i felt keen to get up and get some more done. it really worked.

i also have a vileda mop and bucket, and it's great but i have 6 mop heads for it too so i soak my clean mop in the soapy water, wring it out in the plunger but leave a bit of water on it, clean the whole floor without re dipping, then i take the head off, put it in my mop head soaking bucket (took a long time to come up with that name eh? ) and put a fresh head on and do teh same thing again except i dont leave a bit of water on the mop head before mopping. it might not be doing anything sensible but it makes me feel better that i'm not rinsing my mop in dirty water and spreading it about the floor.

btw my mop head soaking bucket is to soak them overnight before i wash them in the machine at 60 degrees. i dont leave them there to fester