I just realised I have NO idea how to look after a house. Guidance and encouragement, anyone?

[fuzzpig]

This is really embarrassing!

I am 25 and have never lived alone. I got a staggeringly bad example from my parents - house falling apart, dust and clutter everywhere, mouldy food, broken windows not fixed (my bedroom), mice/rats/slugs/beetles etc, it was not nice to grow up with - and escaped the hell hole moved out with DH. Similar with learning to look after my body/appearance, but that's a whole other thread which my self esteem isn't ready for yet!

We get the basics done (DH is actually much better at getting on wih it than me - I have AS and am rubbish at routines and organisation) and at least we aren't in as much of a state as my parents (and our landlords have not complained when they've visited), but I really have very little clue how to keep a house properly clean and lovely!

We've had an awful couple of years due to our health, DH is nearly better but as mine is now getting worse (CFS/ME) I am really starting to see how much harder life is because our house is messy! We have managed a lot of decluttering recently (I have a thread on the Christmas board about it :o) and that has helped, I feel ready for being more house proud now and having a simple, achievable routine. I have tried flylady/Ongoing GH threads in the past but I found it too difficult to keep up with, I think I'd do better if somebody could tell me what needs doing and how often, what stuff to use etc, and we can just get on with it and gradually make it habit.

Our house is tiny, no garden, very small bathroom and galley kitchen, carpet everywhere except kitchen. Plenty of storage but not using it efficiently at the moment.

Can anyone give me a few tips please?

You can also get special window cloths. My windows are cleaned every six months?
I use jeye cloths for most things, and keep a big stash and then wash them every four days with dish cloths in hot wash?
Gutters, stepladder and check for leaves at end of autumn. Another adult at base of ladder!
Drains, pour down soda crystals are per instructions - check!
Oven...not cleaned much has a special patina. Clean top a lot!
Taps, scrub behind them regularily and waste bit with toothbrush
Mould...um live with it, but keep vigorously scrubbing away limescale and it won't be so bad...(lives on soap scum dirty water from showering)

Basically housework is not about little things, but big sweeps, and general cleanliness hygiene organisation, rather than fretting about small imperfections.

Use newspaper to clean inside of windows , with window cleaning spray. Stops the fluff.Happerns once in a blue moon here mind - twice a year maybe? Similar for outside when window cleaner knocks or is on the street and we can be bothered.

Great thread!

Oh and e love the heated airer, drys a wash overnight!

Feeling very inspired reading all these tips! :o I have to say, now that we've done a massive decluttering session, I feel much more ready for this, and my head actually feels less cluttered too if that makes sense!

Actually got all misty eyed at that heated airer. Wow! Would be £85 well spent, if we had it to spend. One day... :) we do actually have a washer dryer but the dryer is shit, so we only use it for towels (I hate how crunchy they feel if they air dry!) and DS' bandage suits. We have one airer which goes outside if possible, and at the moment (laundry backlog!) clothes are also getting hung on banisters/bed frame, far from ideal. But when we've caught up I'll only do one wash at a time. It doesn't help we all have too many clothes - I've been weeding some out now. I also want one of those airers that fits over the bath.

We've also decided to paint the bedrooms in the new year - when we moved in, everywhere except kitchen and bathroom had nasty grey trade paint walls, which is impossible to keep clean. Landlords finally paid someone to do a decent gloss in all other areas this year but have said we can choose bedroom colours if we do it/pay for it ourselves. I had always thought Why bother, but actually I think it will help me want to keep it nice. :)

Swan thing is right. I'm more tidy than clean!

oh yes, the sock trick! Any odd socks get used to do dusting on top of wardrobes etc, shelves, cornices, books.
Then they are chucked! Ruthless moi!

Good tips, re the windows, Mr Muscle glass and window and kitchen paper works well.
I am also useless as I was never taught how to look after myself but I'm learning.
Always start cleaning something from the top down so drips don't spoil the clean bit.
The sucky attachments on the vacuum cleaner are good :)

Some great tips here.

Others I have picked up from here is set your timer on you phone for 10min, u will be amazed how much you can get done - I play a beat the clock game, sad I know!

Also don't leave a room empty handed, so if there is a cup in your bedroom, when you come down, bring it and put in the sink. This seems to reduce the clutter.

Our beds are changed each week
House vac'd every week - some rooms every day depending on the kids
When I get up I open the bedroom window to air, after I am dressed it is closed, even 5 min makes a difference
Don't go to bed with a full sink, either wash it up or put in dishwasher, nothing worse than coming down in the morning to a full sink, although I can handle the odd cup.
When you get up in the morning make your bed straight away
Bathroom/toilet every week

Fuzzpig, back to ventilation question, I think you need to always keep one window open at all times in a house, even just a slither. We have one open even in depths of winter on top floor, and an open chimney too. We have a leak but no mould or condensation at all, and so many clothes drying you would not believe..(no drier here). As a rule I open the bedroom windows first thing every morning, before making the beds (if I make them) if I don't make them, I close windows after half an hour anyway.

I don't subscribe to making your bed straightaway, I think it is better to let it air for 20 mins, at least till it isn't warm anymore However, the kids don't usually bother to make their beds (kicking and screaming) for at least 20 minutes so I suppose it works out that way.

I also disagree on full sink. Sometimes better to pile everything in sink and start afresh next morning when things have soaked...(but keep lid on so no foul evaporation adding to condensation problem)
Mostly my sink is clear but I think it is not worth killing yourself to wash everything up late at night...
Perfection is to get supper washed up by 8.00pm. That is best policy but later an early night trumps sink!

Invite people round. Shame is an amazing motivator!

Newspaper and cheapo vinegar is the best way to clean windows, it really works, no fluff or smears and its very satisfying. That said I still only do mine about once or twice a year at most.
I have just invested in a Lakeland heated airer and it is brilliant.
I am mid 30s and have never cleaned an oven in my life...
If security isn't an issue I'd try and keep the bathroom window open as much as possible, we really only close ours if it's really freezing.

And I agree often it's tidyness you notice rather than clean-ness, so maybe try and focus on that? I like you came from a messy and not clean home, but am kind of enjoying trying to sort it out a bit, it makes me feel almost like a proper grown up!

Actually I am getting better at making the most of trips up/downstairs - I find them tricky at the moment so am rationing how many times I use them, and trying to get more done each time, like bringing down the next wash. Being ill sucks but it's making me more efficient! Eg I hung wet clothes straight on hangers to dry rather than draping them on the airer, so when they are dry I can put them straight in the wardrobe rather than leaving them piled up. Don't know why it took me so long to think of that

DH hoovers the living room every night (DCs are messy eaters!), we got a very good vax (and a handheld too) earlier this year, the difference it made was incredible.

Off to bed now probably to dream of cleaning but a couple more things I'm wondering about:

Cleaning carpets? Much like the original paint in this house, the carpet is really cheap and dingy, is there something I can use to get old grubby marks out? We do use shake n vac type stuff but that's only for smells really.

Descaling a kettle... how often? I looked inside ours, ugggh

am kind of enjoying trying to sort it out a bit, it makes me feel almost like a proper grown up!

Yes! :o

Marking my place.

I had a good example but just have a hard time with it sometimes. :(

Great thread

I try to hoover through downstairs twice a week, upstairs once a week, clean kitchen and dining room floor once a week, clean bathrooms once a week but wipe over with antibac disposable wipes every other day, dust once a week, clean windows inside every six months, window cleaner cleans outside once a month, clean sink daily with bleach, wipe down kitchen work surfaces with Cilit Bang once a day, clean fridge once a month. I run the washing machine and dishwasher empty with a cup of bleach once every two months. Wipe down doors and skirting boards twice a year. Clean tiles once a fortnight.

I use Method products as much as possible as they smell nice.

As pp said, I think tidying makes a massive difference. Cleaning spills etc as they happen or as you notice them. This means actually being aware of them in the first place, but it sounds like you already are.

I don't do things on a routine, but once they get to the stage they annoy me. But I am easily annoyed! So bathroom and kitchen surfaces most days, toilets everyday, dusting and floors every 1-2 weeks, or more if very dirty, the fridge and oven about 2x a year. Which sounds disgusting, but I do wipe spills immediately, put everything that will go in the dishwasher in the the dishwasher quite frequently and cover things (like the floor of the oven) in foil which can then be replaced. I think its important to train all members of the household to tidy / clean after themselves. DS is 2.8 and knows to put his clothes in the laundry, wipe his wee off the toilet and put the dishwasher on!

1001 trouble shooter spray is great for marks on carpets. Vanish foam is OK, but not as good IMO. Sometimes what appears to be dirty carpets in actually ground in fluff / hair / dust (boak). Giving them a vigorous sweep with a very stiff, clean brush before vacuuming helps. Our stairs were foul and I was seriously considering replacing the carpet, but discovered this accidentally whilst using a scrubbing brush on a stain. It was very hard work doing all the stairs, but they look much better now.

I rarely need to descale our kettle because we use filtered water. You can also get a little metal thing to put in that attracts the lime scale, maybe from Betterware?

I got my kettle wire sponge thing from a £shop but I also do the vinegar descale like zzzzzz. Don't worry it smells terrible while you do it but your cups of tea after taste fine!

We have so much dust! Where does it all come from?!

You mentioned your DS's bandage suits... are these to to with eczema or similar? If you're using loads of emollient, I'd recommend doing a maintenance wash at least monthly. The fatty residues (mmm!) from the emollients REALLY build up, and can result in streaky washing, and a reeking washing machine. Buy some soda crystals, and tip a cupful or so (don't measure it, just tip them into drum), and run machine with no other detergent, on the hottest wash that you have.