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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

How do people keep their houses so immaculate when they have children?

75 replies

Sparkler1 · 12/08/2006 14:25

Just popped in to see a friend of mine who has two dds. Her house is totally imaculate, not a speck of dust and everything in it's place. Even the garden looks like she hires a gardener. Green grass with edges that look like they've been cut using a ruler, beautiful flower pots.
How does she do it?
As for our house it has that "lived in" look to it and the garden looks like a children's playground.

OP posts:
bobsmum · 12/08/2006 14:26

Your house sounds like mine Sparkler. I'm convinced that everyone else just has a cleaner.

crazydazy · 12/08/2006 14:27

So very annoying isn't it?

Mine is never immaculate, tidy yes but cannot describe it as immaculate. I tidy upstairs and then come down only for the kids to go upstairs with their mates and mess it up.

Littlefish · 12/08/2006 14:34

I have a cleaner, and even though my house looks lovely for about 10 minutes on the day she's been, we always manage to trash it again unbelievably quickly!

I need about 4 hours notice of any friends coming round!

Original poster
Sparkler1 · 12/08/2006 14:35

Her house had the minimalist look to it. I think we have too much clutter.

OP posts:
mytwopenceworth · 12/08/2006 14:37

In my experience .......

Toys on the floor, bits of mess = kids running about, yelling and happy.

Immaculate show home = nervous looking kids that sit there with their arms folded and quake when they drop a crumb

I don't think its a coincidence that the only people I know who have the really REALLY clean and tidy homes have kids that hate to get dirty or messy and are obsessive about not spilling anything. I know a child who cried when she spilt a drink on the floor! That's not normal.

twinsetandpearls · 12/08/2006 14:46

Sparkler1 did she know you were coming, was she expecting someone. My house is immaculate if expecting people otherwise we are quite happy to lounge in our filth.

( She says sat typing in her study that still has yesterdays wine bottle and glass, a plate of half eaten prawns and a load of chocolate wrappers sat wrapped in a towel as shecan't be bothered to get dressed!)

Pinotmum · 12/08/2006 14:47

I spent all Tuesday morning in ds's room reboxing his cars and trains and putting everything in some order in his cupboards and under his bed. Hoovered and changed the bed and we showed daddy with pride when he came home. Ds then wet the bed that night and a hurricane passed through sometime Wednesday. I'm not bothering till he's back at nursery Dd did her own room and it;s still pretty good

Original poster
Sparkler1 · 12/08/2006 14:48

She did know I was going round - but this wasn't just a quick tidy up this was totally immaculate in every way shape and form.

OP posts:
UrsulatheSeawitch · 12/08/2006 14:51

I have a friend like that, sparkler - when her kids were small their toys never came downstairs as far as I could see, and they never read newspapers and must have kept all their Stuff in their own bedroom, the downstairs was always immaculate. (She is one of those human dynamo types though )

brimfull · 12/08/2006 14:51

I agree with twinset,mine is pretty clean and tidy if expecting someone,but they pretty much see us as we come if they pop by unexpected.
Some people who pop by ,I couldn't give a hoot what state the house is in ,others I'm cringing and making all sorts of feeble excuses for the mess.
Wish I could keep it tidy,or rather the children would keep it tidy
I actually don't mind cleaning ,it's the tidying up before that pisses me off.

twinsetandpearls · 12/08/2006 14:53

You woudl be amazed how much you can cram under the stairs and how quickly you can do it!

twinsetandpearls · 12/08/2006 14:53

Maybe you came on housework day, ours is friday afternnon so we acre quite impressive friday pm sat am!

Original poster
Sparkler1 · 12/08/2006 14:56

I am laughing to myself sitting here. I have visions in my head of me going around there again. Friend going upstairs to get something and me opening door to nearest cupboard to see if it's full of crap. And then everything falling out on top of me for her to come down and find me sat on floor covered in all her belongings.

OP posts:
CountessDracula · 12/08/2006 15:10

We have a cleaner and a toy cupboard downstairs to hide all the stuff in in the evenings

In the day if we are at home, forget it though!

singledadofthree · 12/08/2006 15:12

have no idea to the tidy thing - just go for lived in and wait for em all to leave home

shazronnie · 12/08/2006 15:23

perhaps she is a FLYlady convert?

UCM · 12/08/2006 16:35

The reason her house is so nice is because she doesn't come on Mumsnet

Bucketsofdinosaurs · 12/08/2006 19:11

I think it's a combination of the children and parents. My 3yr old DD is fastidious, hates getting sticky and cries at spills - makes me look like a horrible tyrant when we're out and about. When people see my house though they realise it's just my DD that's anal about cleaning, not me.
Plus her little brother doesn't give a toss about anything so even if I was tidy he'd make it pointless.
What was my point again? Oh yeah, maybe those genetically tidy mums also have genetically tidy kids (mine gets it from her aunt) so they have a natural advantage over normal folk.

MaloryFascinatorTowers · 12/08/2006 19:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

edam · 12/08/2006 19:15

Never mind children, how on earth does anyone keep their house tidy when they live with a man? Ds isn't half as much trouble as dh - at least with ds I can throw all the toys in a box.

tillykins · 12/08/2006 19:16

Mine is pretty much clean and tidy, pretty much most of the time - I'm a great fan of 15 minute spurts of cleaning
And Minitilly is a pretty tidy toddler, he will sort of tidy up some toys before he gets more out
But its not so clean and tidy that people feel uncomfortable - Iknow awoman with a white carpet...eek! I could never ever do that! I didn't even know you could buy white carpet

proudofmyboobs · 12/08/2006 19:21

I'm the same. The children are not allowed in the livingroom. They don't need to be in the livingroom until they are old enough to know, no shoes on the suite of furniture etc... but they are allowed in if it's a wet Sunday and we are watching a DVD or something, just the rule NO TOYS...EVER in the livingroom! That way I always have somewhere tidy that I can fall back on if someone comes to visit unexpectedly. I also find wiping benches as soon as I have finished making breakfast/lunch/dinner a great help. I have a toy cupboard in the kitchen too, so I can randomly shove DS's tractors in there is someone knocks the back door And apart from that, I just generally tidy as I go along, I have 2 children, 41/2 yr old and a 19month old. Their toys stay out and they play with them, but the 4yr old knows to tidy up and she is so anal she will even lift her brothers toys if she knows someone is coming to visit Not a bad habit to have though

cleaninglady · 12/08/2006 19:49

oo love this subject - go to some peoples houses who are basically clean but not that tidy and it feels so much more comfortable and relaxing !! I am the opposite which doesnt help my sanity as hate hate hate mess and im the one people think "how does she do it?" they dont realise i am cleaning and tidying virtually all day long i just cant help myself though and i know i shouldnt - having birthday party in 2 weeks for ds 2nd birthday and am already dreading it so any ways to tell me to "get over myself" would be useful!

janeite · 12/08/2006 21:20

Ours is tidy and clean as dh keeps it that way! I like it tidy but tended to be a bit of a hoarder until I met him - now I've learned the art of getting rid of stuff!

It's a lived in kind of tidiness though and I hope invites people to lounge on the sofas, put their feet up etc.

Have to say I really don't like the idea of child-free rooms in a family home - the only thing dh is really militant about is no shoes to be worn in the house.

Blu · 12/08/2006 21:38

The stuff:storage ratio is important. We have loads of stuff (and, in fact are not short of space) but we just don't have suitable storage - shelves, cupboards, boxes etc.
Attitude and discipline is one thing (I don't have much of that either) but you need cupboards etc etc.

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