Teach me how to housekeep!

[LustingAfterMarkDarcy]

Hello ladies :)

I have gone from a 2 up 2 down house with minimal garden, to a large 3 bed with a huge garden ( partner loves garden so dont have to do much on that score). I have also gained three extra people in the household :) teach me your words of wisdom,tried and tested tips of being a good housekeeper. I was working full time until a while ago when i left due to personal family reasons so am now at home full time for the moment. I can generally keep the house in the basics and its always tidy/clean ect but what are your tried and tested methods ( and madness ) with a busy household. Thanks in advance housekeeping heroes!

Everyday, when all or most of the householders are in the building, you announce a house work session, everyone and I mean everyone, from toddler up, helps,

five people can sort an entire house in less than hour, or one person can spend an entire day doing it,

no one stops until all jobs are done,

by involving everyone each time, it has the helpful effect that they are aware of making mess and what that entails,

start as you mean to go on.

that seems a bit cruel quotheun - since lusting isn't working and presumably others in the household are.

Give them their due they all do help, kids have certain jobs which they are expected to do and know that they wont be playing out ect until their done. Partner works 35 hours a week but does most of cooking when at home and the garden. The general tidying and keeping the house clean i do. Im just gauging some tips on how best to do certain things, miracle cleaning products :P and how often things get done! x

So how do people who work, that don't have a someone at home, get the chores done?

if you work and live on your own, you come home and do what needs to be done,

why would that change when you start to live with others?

I personally would hate my children to grow up, find doing the daily jobs a shock to system, so we have a house hold policy that everyone mucks in and all jobs are done very quickly so that everyone is free to go and do something more worthwhile.

makes sense, i wasnt suggesting the children dont do anything or my partner. Sorry if it came across that way. Just meant that i do the majority of general tidying and cleaning. They will help when asked to do ( the children) and have jobs of their own such as rooms tidy, clothes put away properly, toys put away, book bags and lunchbags emptied, laundry put away

agree children should do jobs round the house and be responsible for their rooms. personally i don't agree with splitting the housework if one of you works outside the home and the other doesn't. obviously if everyone works outside the home you split it.

each to their own and what works best for their family though

my tip is do things when you have most energy; put systems in place to save time; get rid of junk; accept some rooms will be measier; blitz one day per week (though some people prefer 15 min slots each day)

Cut lusting some slack guys! The post was asking about miracle potions and tips not debating her moral responsibilities and relationship with OH.

lusting, try the flylady groupson this thread. They are much more friendly and helpful!

OP, hello.

This is a really good thread. Loads of good practical tips.

Haha thank you very much, I'm in no way saying I run round after the entire family while they do nothing :) they all pitch in just wanted a few tips :)

I do that Lusting but for five minutes. Everyone has to join in and you are not allowed to go upstairs (as they are never seen again). You can put things on the stairs to be taken up after the five minutes.

I try to get a load of washing on as soon as I get up so it has a chance of getting dry during the day.

I get my milk delivered and I have a bread maker so that keeps the shopping trips down.

That makes sense, im mostly drowning in washing as we have a dryer but its tiny and dont have the money to have it on constantly so its used as a must. I have a washing line( for when its not hammering down) and a maid. The five minute tidy up sounds good definatly know what you mean about the stairs they seem to be a portal to another land!. Is bread making easy? id love to do that! x

With a house of five I put the washing machine on first thing in the morning and a wash out on the airers before they go to school. Then another wash gets put on before I go out the door for the school run and I run any errands whilst out. Come home and the wash gets put out on the Aorers and any dry stuff gets folded and put away straight away. I do a minimum of one wash a day and aim for two to keep on top of it. I also put the dishwasher on before I go out the door so it is ready to be emptied when I get home.

Everyone plumps their pillows when they get out of bed and folds back duvets to air the beds. I will open the windows when home to give the house a blow through. I give the bathrooms a swish and a swipe everyday. Kitchen I clean as I go along. Dusting gets done once a week, usually a room a day. Upstairs hoovered once a week, downstairs gets hoovered every day/couple of days. Kitchen floor swept every day/couple of days and washed as needed. Bathroom floors washed once a week.

I do a really deep clean once a quarter or so ie: windows, walls, skirtings etc.

Making bread in a bread maker is ridiculously easy. And it stops me going to the supermarket for bread.

Oh! And definatly get a bread maker, Panasonics BM's are the best. I put a loaf on before I go to bed and take it out in the morning when I put the wash on. It is then cool enough to cut when I do the pack lunches.

My other time saver is my slow cooker. I bung something in it during the day when I have time and then when it comes to dinner time in the evening I just serve it up. There is none of the nightmare of trying to sort home work, deal with squabbles etc. you get when you are trying to concentrate on cooking a meal.

Another thing with the washing, I have three baskets on the landing colours, lights and delicates and everyone puts there clothes in there to wash and I just hook out a armful and straight in the machine with no sorting. I have also shown all my kids how the washing machine works and they can put a wash in.

I like to put dirty laundry in the machine just before I go to bed and get all the settings right. Dp gets up first so I ask him to press On, then by the time I'm up and have had breakfast cycle is finished and ready for me to hang out.
When tidying do one room at a time. If stuff needs shifted between rooms make little piles don't leave the first room as will get distracted.

Try my blog. It's all there!
Austerity Housekeeping

Boffin I love your blog!

Use lots of your tips yesterday and am sitting in a very sparkly house with all toys and clothes where it should be...wonder how long it will last. unfortuantly due to the weather i have mass piles of wet washing with nowhere for it to go and due to natwest losing my money cant put the drier on until they find it again! :(

This is a very timely thread indeed. I am drowning in housework and never seem to get anywhere, or if I do it gets undone very very quickly.. which is very disheartening.... I have recently returned to work part time and have founded that unless I dedicate myself entirely to the house it is constantly a mess. Surely I am going wrong somewhere.. there must be life beyond housework
yours in despair!

There is definatly life beyond housework which is why i rarely iron unless i absolutely have to like uniforms. ironing takes up so much time. Now and again i have a mass ironing session because i love the smell of ironing water haha. I also try to have a 15 minute when everyone comes in from school that everyone runs about the house generally tidying and taking things back to their rooms ect, this is a recent thing that since starting this thread!. I know what you mean about it seeming to go on for ever as im out of the house often and when i come back i despair at whats replaced my clean house!. Maybe try a rota where you only change beds on c day, hoover on x day ect. i have a laundry basket whch i pile anything that needs to go back upstairs and i take it up regualrly and distribute back where it should be or id be forever running upstairs! Dont despair, lifes to short!

thank you.. I do like the everyone in it together approach. I do want my dc to know that jobs need to be done.. I think you are right a rota might be the way forward....here's to life beyond housework..

Am currently mumsnetting with a nice glass of juice... there is more to life. haha. It will go much quicker as dc get older my four year old boy loves to help as does my ss. sd not so much.... lol