Slattern turning over a new leaf? Your essential daily jobs please

[mac12]

Ok, hands up, I am a slattern. But, oh, i do want to turn over a new leaf. We are moving house in two weeks time and the packing and general clean up has revealed the extent of our domestic shortcomings. I am determined the new house will not be allowed to fall into this state of general mess and filth. I just seem to have a blind spot when it comes to domestic chores and feel i need a system, a housekeeping 101, to keep me on track.
I have three children aged five and under and I also work so I don't have huge expanses of time for domestic jobs but there's no excuse for the current state of affairs (to be fair this house is too small, has no storage and is ridden with damp, which has made everything an uphill battle, can't wait to move!!)

So please, please, tell me what are the top essential cleaning jobs that need to be done every day? what jobs once a week? what jobs maybe once a month?

Try the advice and lists/charts on this site I find them invaluable

organizedhome.com/seasonal-spin/back-to-school-tips-get-organized

Put a load of washing on every day, dry it, fold it and put it away.

Watch a programme on commercial tv and in every ad break do one job - unload dishwasher, clean sink, empty bin etc. You can loads done but not really feel it as you've been watching tv all evening

Thank you! yes the washing is a biggie. I put on a load (or two) every day but you ahve correctly identified the folding and putting away as a big issue. There seem to be piles of laundry at staging posts all over the house - by the washing machine, bottom of the stairs, top of the stairs, outside each bedroom...
Alas I rarely ever watch TV other than while wolfing down dinner around 9.30pm. One of my resolutions is to make sure dinner things are all put in dishwasher or washed up before bed as nothing more dispiriting than coming down in the morning to find kitchen already looking like bombsite (i told you i was a slattern).
Talk to me about things like hoovering, cleaning kitchen floor, cleaning the bath, dusting - how often do you do these things? Should these be daily tasks?

Slattern? You are super-woman.

i have one child and I work. I am looking for a cleaner.

I try to stay on top of washing and washing up.
Clean bathroom/hoover house, dust once a week.
Mop floors every couple of days (we have a dog though) .
Clean windows/filing monthly.

DH does: bins, recycling, lawn, watering plants,

Dependent on the weather I brush the bathroom and kitchen floor every day but may only mop once a week.
DD hoovers once a week on a Saturday. The bathroom is cleaned once a week but keeping an eye on it daily. Dusting again once a week.
Chores such as hoovering under the sofas or beds are maybe done every couple of months, moving the furniture out to hoover under again once every few months.

Removing cobwebs as and when.
The washing I start to do on a Thursday night but there is only DD and I, after it is dried I sort out into an ironing pile then the rest is sorted out into mine and DD's we each put away our own. I try and iron on a Sunday afternoon, mainly work stuff and school uniform.
The washing up we try to do after a meal, I wash and DD dries and puts away.
Could you maybe have a specific chore to do each day e.g. hoovering Sat, other floors Monday, Dusting Tuesday etc. It all depends on how you want to do it, myself I am too knackered to do any housework after dinner so tend to keep it until a weekend whereas my friend hates it creeping into her weekend so does it after dinner.

Tidying needs to be done every day, make the bed (something about a made bed encourages you to keep the rest of the room tidy), keep on top of washing up and clean surfaces in the kitchen.

Not much advice (could do with some myself) but I hope your estate agents used your glowing recommendation for your house "this house is too small, has no storage and is ridden with damp, which has made everything an uphill battle, can't wait to move!!" in their blurb.

Flylady was a revolution for me, I did find that I got a bit too anal about it and so now try to strike a balance between having fun with DD and doing chores. I work 7/10 days but study two evenings a week and have a pilates class one evening a week.

Every day I;

• check the laundry basket to see if a wash needs to go on
• ensure that each meal is washed up afterwards, except dinner which needs to at least be soaking as I am on leave and wash first thing while DD is eating breakfast
• anything dry be it plates or clothes is put away then and there
• the bathroom is deep cleaned on Saturday mornings but wiped round each evening
• bleach is put down each loo before bedtime
• hoovering is done every other night in kitchen and hall while DH entertains DD
• toys are put away each night
• if I leave a room I try to make sure I take something with me that needs to go to the room I am going to

Also

• I meal plan on Sunday evenings (shop Monday) and so always know what dinner will be, DH now cooks while I bath DD and put her to bed
• DH does bins, recycling and puncture repairs
• I have a calendar and a diary and I try to keep the two up to date, I also try to pack bags and sort out clothes the night before to reduce morning panic

I need to get a while lot better at cleaning the fridge and oven more regularly, at least once a month! I thought I was fairly on top of housework, but then we moved out of the retail and I realised just how much more I should have been doing. My standard is wether I would be embarrassed if my mil dropped in to see me unexpectedly, usually the answer would be yes!

Morning - Clean loo first thing when I get up with flushable loo wipes. Clean bathroom sink when everyone has finished using it and also wipe bathroom mirror (microfibre cloths), Make beds. Wash up. Hang washing to dry. Put on new wash load.

Early evening - hang/tumble washing - sort a new load to wash evening/overnight.

Dinnertime - make dinner and packed lunches (term time!)

DC bedtime - return stray items to DCs bedrooms (do it with them, but can't trust them to do alone as special needs). Also generally tidy up. Lay out clothes for tomorrow, get bags etc ready for tomorrow.

Deep clean one room per day or catch up at weekend what I have missed.
Wash towels twice per week (Wed and Sun). Bedding on the day of the deep clean (whichever room I'm in). Wipe bath/shower when I have a shower (daily).

I am still quite a slattern - but this routine saves us from domestic disaster.

As you can see from the thread I started today on here, its the ironing pile I have most trouble with. I keep leaving dry laundry lying around! More self discipline required....

I was under a lot of pressure at work recently and had the light bulb moment, to save time changing beds, of changing half a bed (fitted sheet and pillowcases), washing and drying and putting on fresh. Then next day I did the quilt cover. Breaking the job down made it 5 mins and really easy to get all the beds changed. Just a thought...

Thank you so much everyone. It seems one of the common things is you all have set days/times for doing certain tasks. I think I need that kind of structure because otherwise everyday is a frenzy of general activity and firefighting without actually getting anything done! Also, actually completing tasks. I am great one for starting a job, then getting distracted with something else (mummy, i've done a poo, mummy DS2's eating the cat biscuits again, mummy where's my lego man's hat, mummy, mummy, mummy....repeat 700 times) so there are lots of half completed jobs.
So daily jobs - make beds; washing up and putting away; wipe down kitchen surfaces; washing, out on line, folding and putting away (don't allow laundry mountains and foothills to takeover the house); quick wipe around bathroom.

miniclean Wednesday - hoover; mop kitchen floor; dust,
big clean weekend - hoover, change beds, dust, deep clean bathroom
does that sound reasonable? I am wondering how i will stick to it - i may need to clone myself. or give up sleep altogether (t0 be fair, with DS2's sleep patterns i'm already half way there on that one). or, my favourite, earn more money and get a cleaner!!!
i will keep you posted on how i get on when we move.

This may help Mac12
www.everythingmom.com/docman.html
The Household Chore checklist looks quite good, you could maybe adapt it for your own needs

Your list sounds good! I'd consider getting a little cordless hoover for sweeping on days when you don't Hoover. I use mine to go round the kick boards in the kitchen, the high chair and sofas every day meaning I only have to Hoover properly twice a week.

good tip pastabee. i'm determined to do this!