Housekeeping tips when you run a business from home

[KatyMac]

OK my case is extreme; I run a small nursery from home but I'm sure there are people in similar situations even if just a work from home office.

The work bit has to be perfect (clean/tidy no crap/everything working etc) so the home bit gets neglected

How to balance it better? Any tips?

DH and I both work from home.
I spend an hour first thing each morning tidying, hoovering, laundry then I check my emails and orders, you can guarantee if I dont tidy up first someone will call round.
If the weather is nice the priority is gardening and outside stuff, if the weather is crap I try and get ahead of housework.

Why do you do the hour tidying and not your DH??

My Dh runs the house, washing, cleaning etc - I just sorting, tidying, etc

I am a childminder and used to feel very guilty if I did any housework while childminding, but not anymore! 90% of the mess is caused by childminding therefore I think its perfectly acceptable to tidy up during minding hours to! It's part of the job.

Routine is good, not just for me but for the children too. Looking after the kids and (for example) clearing up after dinner used to be impossible but because I do the same thing everyday, they expect it now and don't play up.

Everyone pitches in. All children can help put the toys away or bring their dishes to the sink after dinner etc...

Each evening I push the hoover around and put any clean washing away. Each morning I wipe the surfaces in the bathroom, put a load of washing in and a few other things.

My house is still a mess though!

Like the above poster I too am a childminder. The difference is though my husband childmind's too.

We tend to tidy up as we go along. I do try to do a load a day at least but on Mondays I do alot more as it's fairly quiet. Only before and after school on that mostly. As there is 3 sometimes 4 of us in the family I have started to sort out the washing in different collapsable crates so they do their putting away.

I try to keep downstairs tidy at least. Yes we have tidy up time and try to make sure that we do something that doesn't require mess i.e. reading books, singing or watching tv while waiting for parents to collect their children.

I am trying to concentrate on upstairs more though. My husband does the cooking and driving. He looks after the older more active children. In the evenings though he doesn't really help with things that need doing. He will help under silent protest though. I don't really want to veg out to the tv or pc all evening.

amothersplaceisinthewrong -

because I just do?

because he does most of the cooking and I do most of the cleaning.
because I prefer doing it, I'm quicker.
because I like doing laundry.
because I like mowing the lawn and pottering about in the garden.

because he will do it if he sees it needs doing (he wont do it for the sake of doing it).
because he totally looks after me when I'm ill.
because if I go out for the day, when I come back he will have washed up, made my tea and walked the dogs.

Because, as far as I'm concerned, his business is more important than mine and he needs to spend more time on his business.

Is that good enough reason or do I have to justify myself more?