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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Totally overwhelmed with this messy dirty house

42 replies

goodmum123 · 01/08/2013 19:04

Feeling really sorry for myself. House is a tip.Crap piled up everywhere. Two year old, dog and husband adding to it. I never finish a job, I start, get annoyed then just leave it and it all piles up again.
I keep the toilet clean but everything else is dusty and dirty.
Picture the scene, pictures still not hung after three years, bags of stuff, papers that need filing. Dirty mugs all over, stuff just piled in every room, tea bags muliplyjng, crumbs on table that are never wiped up.
Sorry it sounds grim and lazy but I work almost full time and just feel so down.
I've tried all the one room at a time, thriwing out junk, flylady,but cannot bear any of that now. I've just calmly said to my husband that we'll just live like this then and ill stop getting so bloody down about it. I could cry or kick off big time, I just hate being 'home' . I feel like throwing it into big boxes and setting fire to it (not indoors).
When I know friends are coming i end up getting up at five to clean as best I can, run atound like a headless chicken, throw crap into boxes and pile it up into other unseen rooms (again adding to more crap everywhere)
Be gentle, things are shit, anyone else like this?

OP posts:
goodmum123 · 05/08/2013 23:29

Great tootsweet, start with the kitchen (as someone wisely said on here).
Keep us all informed of progress x

OP posts:
BoffinMum · 06/08/2013 18:58

Just wanted to add that my Austerity Housekeeping eBook is free on Amazon from tomorrow lunchtime for 24 hours, and also a lot of the information is also free at [http://www.austerityhousekeeping.wordpress.com Austerity Housekeeping]]. There are some posts on there about sorting rooms, creating routines, and tick lists, which you might find helpful in your Big Reorganisation. And best of luck!

BoffinMum · 06/08/2013 18:59

Let me type that linky properly.

Austerity Housekeeping

BoffinMum · 06/08/2013 19:14

I've had a bit more of a think.

I would sort out the kitchen, loo and living room and try keeping them OK so friends can come over.

Then I would see how it went.

goodmum123 · 06/08/2013 20:50

Thanks boffinmum, I look forward to looking reading your book x

OP posts:
BoffinMum · 07/08/2013 11:28

Had a senior moment, it's free on 8th August from about lunchtime, not today. Was trying to feed children and think at the same time. Not entirely successfully.

MinimalistMommi · 08/08/2013 10:28

good it sounds like you're doing a great job so far, but make sure you get out of the house anything that is broken or damaged straight away so you don't create a garage of doom for yourself with boxes piling up in there.

elQuintoConyo · 08/08/2013 10:56

Be ruthless. We moved house (a-bloody-gain) last year and it took ages to sort through stuff, what to pack what to chuck.
Things build up slowly, but I refuse to live amongst what essentially is junk! My friends think my house is an oasis of effortless calm but I'm a hoader and it kills me to throw stuff away - but I LOVE my house when it's tidy.
Once you've tidied a room and can stand back and 'breathe', it's a wonderful feeling that you'll eant to replicate everywhere else.

If DH is being a bitvuseless (as I can be, I know), keep one box for his stuff. If he doesn't help with tidying or organising, just chuck his stuff in his box. My DSis did this with her DP (now DH), she allocated him a basket - Ithought she was treating him like a dog... until I had a DH of my own!

I don't go to bed unless the washing up is done, no matter how bloody tired I am, how much my back.hurts.
Laundry is hung out in order, ie DS stuff together, DH stuff, my stuff, so when it comes off the line it is all batched up in groups, then it is upstairs and dumped into relevant drawers easily.
If I iron, it is just one thing Iwant to wear that day. DH irons his own badly and I don't bother with DS's. So no piles of ironing.
When the kettle is boiling, I'll tidy counter top, or wipe up crumbs, or put dry dishes away, or whizz round the sink with cilit bang, or go through some receipts, or check cupboards and frudge and add things to a shopping list. I get a lot done this way as we drink a lot of tea!
We have a cupboard near the front door that is a bit of adumping ground for: keys, receipts, minney-off coupons, spare change, sockets protectors, loyalty cars, safety pins... I have a pretty wicker basket that holds it all in one place and go through it weekly.
I keep my make up on a shoebox lid in my top drawer in my bedroom: open drawer, get out lid, apply make up, put lid back in drawer. Ta-da! Can't see bottles and brushes and crap lying around everywhere.

Every little helps. As soon as you start you'll feel better for it Thanks

elQuintoConyo · 08/08/2013 11:00

Good grief, typo queen today.
Minney-off coupon is perhaps my favourite!

peggyundercrackers · 08/08/2013 11:31

why would you let teabags mount up - do you not just thrown them in the bin once they are used? with mugs we put them in the sink and rinse them out but they do get washed properly when doing the dishes after tea.

YoungBritishPissArtist · 08/08/2013 13:34

Peggyundercrackers teabags - it's very easy to let them pile up! When everything else is a mess, it's easier for them to go unnoticed, things just slide. The OP is making an admirable start on getting her house in order.

Boffinmum I downloaded your book, looking forward to reading it Smile

tootssweet · 09/08/2013 00:00

Download the book Boffin - will start reading later. Didn't get much housework done today but that is only because we were sorting the garden, which is looking lots better already & the dc's spent the rest of the day playing in it. Hopefully they can go out again tomorrow & I will get some cleaning done!

Fluffycloudland77 · 09/08/2013 09:07

Those little counter top bins are good for tea bags and egg shells etc, I got mine from simplehuman, it was £8 in tk maxx but it stops dh leaving tea bags on top of the tea caddy.

goodmum123 · 09/08/2013 19:48

Thank you,
I'm loving the book, chapter four already xx

OP posts:
BoffinMum · 09/08/2013 21:31
Grin

FWIW I don't clean/tidy every day. You'd be a bit shocked if you saw my hallway this evening. Wink

Mummyoftheyear · 10/08/2013 16:25

You're not alone. I feel the same. Do you have young children as well as work ?

Jesstryinghard · 10/08/2013 18:32

Crap I missed the book being free - anyone wanna give me the highlights ?!!

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