Things have come to a head. I need a cleaning schedule - any tips?

[Jemster]

I have had the crappest week with everyone having sick bug one after the other, ds's bday party with 22 wild boys running wild, trying to keep up at work during our busiest time of year and dh being away with work whilst ds throwing up all night.

As a result my house feels like vile pit. It needs a thorough clean and tidy. I find it almost impossible during the day as dd 18 months is clingy, demanding and won't leave my side.

This morning I broke down crying to dh telling him I can't cope with it all. He said we'll sort the house out this weekend but to me it's more than that. The reason it has got so bad is because I don't keep on top of it. I need to agree with hom some kind of cleaning schedule and will have to do it at weekends.

So, please can anyone tell me what you do and when? What are your priorities that you must do if nothing else? I need to get this sorted as it is making me feel miserable and that's affecting the while family.
Oh and much as i'd love one, I can't afford a cleaner!

I do a big clean and tidy up at the weekend, mop floors, clean bathroom, wipe down kitchen cupboards, Hoover, get washing on and hung up to dry etc

On a daily basis pack/unpack dishwasher, wipe down kitchen surfaces, fold/put away clothes

But if I don't do the big proper clean on weekends it gets horrid in between, DH is good at the tidying but not so good at the cleaning (at least not to my standards!) so I tend to do that but he does a lot in the week

Oh and surely it's not about you just keeping on top of it, it's a job you both share!

I made a resolution a couple of years ago never to leave until later something I saw that needed doing or moving.
Most of the tedium of cleaning and tidying is made up of a million tiny jobs that only take a minute, the problem occurs when they build up and cause a big mess that looks insurmountable (though it's entirely understandable why that's where you are now).

Agree with doing little bits at a time - e.g. Before I washed up after breakfast today I gave the kitchen sink and draining board a clean and wiped the windowsill - took 2 mins.

How big is your house? How many bedrooms?

I think we need to make a distinction between housework and cleaning.

I honestly believe that it is possible to keep the average house clean and decent by doing 2.5 - 3 hours cleaning per week.

But this does not include dishes, tidying, laundry, shopping, cooking. These jobs constitute by far the bulk of household chores that need to be done and so, in truth, having a cleaner once a week is a help but it will not transform your life.

I say this because we have a cleaner who cleans our large 3 bed house with lots of carpet and stairs in less than 3 hours and sometimes has time left over to do a bit of ironing.

She spends about an hour upstairs (clean 1 bathroom, hoover and dust 3 bedrooms and landings), 45 minutes downstairs (hoover and dust 2 reception rooms, and two flights of stairs) and 30-45 minutes in the large kitchen (clean hob, microwave, wipe down surfaces, mop floor).

If you want your house to be cleaner than that, then more housework is needed, obviously.

In between cleaner visits we sweep the kitchen floor and clean the toilet - probably spend a total of about 20 minutes doing those throughout the week.

I am probably not the best person to offer advice as my house is generally a mess, but I try to never go to bed without doing the washing up, wiping down kitchen surfaces and clearing the clutter in the kitchen. It means that when I come downstairs in the morning it looks reasonably tidy.

Whilst DS is in the bath I clean/tidy the bathroom.

This is what helps me; divide the day into three parts .
Am put pots away, dry laundry, clean bathroom v fast .
Tea time :fold laundry,do tea, wash up and pots away , sweep kitchen floor . Before bed shine sink and put a wash in. Then on thurs clean and do bedding this takes two to three hours.

I think washing has to be done every day, however much or little there is, switching on the machine is my first job every morning. I tumble dry it, fold, don't iron, and then it goes away. Dishwasher or dishes done daily at least. I wipe kitchen sink, hob, work tops, table while preparing tea, wipe wash hand basin after cleaning teeth at night. All rubbish goes straight to bin or recycling, other than children's toys, school stuff, etc, if its left lying around it is binned. Junk mail straight to recycling. Laminate flooring is swept often and mopped often, it's a quick job if you keep on top of it. Our bedroom is kept tidy cos washing goes away, I dust, wipe down when going to bed at night, it's just an extra five mins before going to bed, same for en suite bathroom.

I have found the 'don't double handle it' mantra really helpful. ie If it comes through the post then file it or bin it or pay it or whatever, straight away.

Also, floor wipes for the bathroom are great. And a bottle of bleach works a treat. Go in there. Lock the door and spend ten minutes wiping the place down.

The other thing is, 'everyone put five things away.'

Instead of making a cleaning schedule you could try the 'right, I'll put the toys away, you put the books away, and then we'll both hoover and dust.' That way you are not in a situation when they say 'I'll do it tomorrow.' Because you are both just getting on with it.

And, if all else fails and I just can't be bothered I make myself do ten things. Depending on how motivated or lazy I feel, ten things could be, do the dishes, dry them, put them away, empty the bin, plus another six things. But if I am exhausted then I would wash ten dishes. Usually by the time I have started I am a bit motivated and the task kind of takes over itself.

Hope that helps?