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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

How and where do you start on getting your house clean/tidy ?

29 replies

BlackCatinChaos · 05/12/2013 12:03

Feeling a little overwhelmed with the state of my house and with Christmas creeping ever closer the pressure to "get it all done" is starting to feel too much.

Please tell me how you would make a start and keep the momentum going till Christmas.

OP posts:
cq · 05/12/2013 12:07

Can you afford to pay for help? I was feeling overwhelmed after building work had trashed my house and left dust everywhere, so we forked out for a cleaning company to come and blitz the house. Shopped around for best hourly rate and got a pretty good deal.

Now the house is clean I can concentrate on keeping it tidy and keep on top of the laundry, clutter, dust, hoovering etc. I try and do an hour every day and leave the kitchen tidy at night so I can at least start the day without feeling overwhelmed.

I am a much less screaming mother for it - can honestly say it saved my sanity.

Just wish I could pay someone to do my Christmas shopping now……

Original poster
BlackCatinChaos · 05/12/2013 12:10

Hi cq no I can't afford to get someone to come in and do it. That would be lovely! Smile

OP posts:
Weelady77 · 05/12/2013 12:36

Start doing 1 room at a time small steps are better than no steps you have another 20 days to get it done Smile

Start by decluttering the room then tidy it all then clean it

CiderwithBuda · 05/12/2013 12:40

Pick a room. Go in with a rubbish bag and bag up any rubbish. Remove anything that doesn't belong in that room. Tidy. Dust. Vacuum. Repeat with other rooms! Just doing that makes me feel more in control.

I'm concentrating on downstairs this week as want to put tree etc up at weekend. Will do upstairs next week.

Juliet123456 · 05/12/2013 13:01

If you have little children it can be best not to worry about it too much. If I compare now (older children) with 3 under 5 it is totally different. Your time will come when they are older to have the house tidier. When ours were younger what helped was trying to make sure all toys went in a toy box each night.

Never go upstairs without taking something up which belongs up there.

Washer and dishwasher on every day.

It's keeping on top of it which is the key.

ThePearShapedToad · 05/12/2013 13:07

I can't do the one room at a time thing, or I just get irritated when it takes forever to do one and then I've still got all the others to do.

I've literally just flopped on sofa after deep cleaning entire flat (2 baths and 2 beds) and can honestly say the only way to blitz through it in under 3 hours is to have invited someone over for dinner and to stay the night (therefore meaning I can't do my usual trick of throwing everything into the guest room and shutting the door)

Have a massive bin liner and throw out all rubbish / tat / leaflets that may be helpful one day but that you've never used in a year-

Do a job you like first, whether it's polishing, or hoovering or wiping. Then progress to putting things away. If needs be shut it all in a cupboard so you can clean in the space

Reward yourself with mahoosive amounts of tea and biscuits

mrssmith79 · 05/12/2013 13:11

My tip. Always start in the bathroom! It's the smallest room, easiest to clean and with the most satisfying results. It'll spur you on and inspire you to tackle the rest when you step back and admire the results of your hard work. In theory...

FandangoLaLaLaLaLaLaLaaaa · 05/12/2013 13:12

I start at the back of the house in the kitchen and work my way outwards and upwards finishing in the bathroom.

I take my laundry baskets down, make piles and then use the baskets to collect shoes/coats etc that need to go upstairs. I collect all the crap from downstairs, stick it in the hall and Hoover/dust/mop downstairs. Take everything up and put it away then Hoover/dust/mop then just the bathroom to do and finished.

I try to do the take stuff up/put away as I go along but I'm rubbish at it!

4567 · 08/12/2013 19:17

Start in the hall - check out flylady.net for a room-by-room deep clean

Vivacia · 08/12/2013 20:37

Choose one part of the house (the sofa, the bathroom, the front door etc) and tidy and clean it. The next time (say day 2) keep it clean and tidy and do place 2. And so on.

joanofarchitrave · 08/12/2013 20:47

Don't think 'get it all done', start small and do the things that make you enjoy your house. For me that's a clean bathroom with sparkly scrubbed loo, a clean kitchen hob, a clean fridge door handle and freshly changed beds. And open windows even in this weather, for a while anyway.

HermioneWeasley · 08/12/2013 20:48

You need unfuck your habitat. They have a website and an app called UFYH

NeveroddoreveN · 08/12/2013 22:26

Start by making the bed - always makes the bedroom instantly look better :) Next chuck bleach in loos and bath/shower/sinks and leave. Head downstairs with all bins and chuck into main bin. Hoover or mop if you can et voila. House will smell clean and bleach will have done it's job with barely any effort, no smelly bins around and the floor is clean. I never dust though unless my 2yo is 'helping' then she gets baby wipes for the skirting boards

yegodsandlittlefishes · 08/12/2013 22:29

Kitchen, bathroom(s), dusting/cleaning (including windows, grubby door frames, light switches etc.) then vacuuming and finally mopping hard surfaces.

Iris445 · 09/12/2013 06:39

I think 15 mins in each room in hour burst are the best way. Do the biggest wins first.
Dishwasher
Washing
Then choose a room and do as much as you can, clear rubbish, bag up all items from other rooms into your wash basket, make bed, sofa, do as much as you can in 15 mins ( it's amazing how much better a room looks.)

Then next room, take a break after an hour. Go round the rooms again until they are tidy and Hoover and polish each room ( don't pull it all out just what you can see)

Keep sweeping rooms until you have basic cean house. You can do detailed cleaning after. The goal is to get on top of the bulk of the work and it's easier to maintain and clean properly.

Decluttering is a must if you want to manage.

Bakerof3pudsxx · 09/12/2013 06:47

I am just struggling because it seems pointless

I spend an hour tidying

Within 20 mins it's a tip again

Vivacia · 09/12/2013 08:24

What does the tip consist of Baker?

Original poster
BlackCatinChaos · 09/12/2013 09:55

Thankyou all for replying. Smile

I think the general idea seems to be little and often. I might of been a bit hard on myself last week cause I was quite unwell with a cold. Feeling better this morning and I think I'm gonna try to get something done. Just having a coffee and snack breakfast while I gather my thoughts.

To anyone out there reading this with children under 5, it is hard to keep up with it all so don't beat yourselves up.
I think that is why my house is in the state it is now.
My youngest is 5 so I now get some time alone to clean the house. --it is usually trashed again before bedtime--
It's easier to tidy if you have more time alone.

Those of you who work aswell , I admire how you manage to keep it all together.

I don't want to make excuses for my self but I have had depression on and off for the last 5 years, trying my best now to get out of it.

OP posts:
betterwhenthesunshines · 09/12/2013 11:25

It does take time so don't try and do it all at once. I just read a good decluttering book as I'm thinking of ways to help people out with general house/living/design issues. The most common advice seems to be to start small with something you can manage easily. But I would also suggest you think about what is bothering you the MOST at the moment as you will feel super good if you tackle that!

If it's your bedroom, then start by changing the sheets, spend 30 mins tackling clothes, or chucking out half empty / never used bottles & make-up. If it's sitting room, then put away anything that shouldn't be there, hoover, buy flowers.

My house gets me down when it feels like an unmanageable tip ( usually after a weekend) I'm about to go and blitz.

Tidying is key but is much easier if:
a) you don't have more stuff than you have space for - you may have to be honest about this and really think if you need everything you are keeping.
b) everything has a place to live. Once everyone in the house knows this, it really does become much easier to put things away, and to find them again... which also encourages you to put it away in the first place.

What is the stuff that builds up most - toys, clothes, paperwork??

Bakerof3pudsxx · 09/12/2013 20:26

My tip consists of toys books paperwork washing to be put away pots etc usual things

Good to read people saying not to worry when your dc are under 5 it makes me feel a bit better as mine are 5, 4 and 8 months

Vivacia · 09/12/2013 20:32

Is there "a place for everything"? If so, then you have to set the expectation that everything gets put in its place. If it doesn't, and you have to pick it up, it gets put in The Box. You end up with an untidy box, but tidy living space.

BlondieTinsellyMinx · 09/12/2013 20:38

Stay focussed and this lot done in this order should take 90 mins or less if you have the house all to yourself:

  • Put a load on & grab a binbag and the Hoover
  • Back upstairs to chuck bleach at bathroom/toilet then leave
  • open at least 2 windows
  • change beds
  • Hoover and empty bins upstairs then downstairs
  • into the kitchen, empty that bin and put binbag out
  • clear any washing up and wipe surfaces
  • Hoover downstairs
  • polish if you can be bothered, then upstairs to wipe down bathroom.
  • hang laundry out
  • make well deserved cuppa! Grin
Bakerof3pudsxx · 09/12/2013 20:40

Everything has a place

But most places have too many things

MiconiumHappens · 09/12/2013 20:43

Always start in the kitchen - for me it's the hub if everything.

Washing on.
Bathrooms
Clear downstairs floors
Dust
Hoover
Clear upstairs floors
Dust
Hoover

Then tackle one room at a time and throw away anything that's not useful (gets used!) or beautiful.

Good luck

Vivacia · 09/12/2013 20:53

Blimey Blondie 90 minutes is a bit hardcore for somebody who doesn't know where to start!

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