10 quick tips to tidy/clean in half an hour.

[Edenviolet]

House is a tip. Just got in after a horrible day with dh and four dcs.

I have about half an hour before ds2 needs to go to bed to do a quick clean. What shall I do? Whole place is dreadful.

Help!

get off mumsnet

wipe kitchen surfaces

get dcs to take all their stuff upstairs

gt dh to hoover

clean bathroom sink and loo while they're cleaning their teeth

Leave it
Have a glass of wine
Do it tomorrow

Yy just do it in the morning.

Fill dishwasher/was dishes

Wipe surfaces/clean sink

Put a wash on

Quick Hoover, wash any dishes, throw bleach down the toilet, put stuff together in one pile eg papers, clothes, put anything to go upstairs in a basket at the bottom of the stairs and make the first person going upstairs take it up.

Feel a lot better now, managed to Hoover the front room, unload clean stuff from dishwasher and re load it, wiped down kitchen, threw all the toys in the toy box, threw away a load of leaflets, local newspapers etc that were in a pile by the door and wiped over the bathroom.

Dh bathed two younger dcs and older two have done their homework.

I have an hour to myself tomorrow morning when dh takes dd2 to ballet and he is taking ds2 with him and ds1 has art club so I'm going to try and spend the hour decluttering (again). I have got rid of 2 bin bags each weekend for the last few weeks and finally it is starting to make a difference.

That's a brilliant achievement - you really must be starting to see the difference.

I love the unfuck your habitat philosophy of short-burst cleaning/decluttering. You can definitely make a noticeable difference to your house in 30 minutes or less. My first preference is always to clear a space where I can sit down, shut the door, and forget the rest of the mess. Say it's the sitting room: clear any plates or glasses to the washing-up pile; stack any newspapers/magazines or stash in the magazine rack; banish toys to kids' rooms; dust the surfaces, straighten the cushions, and Hoover the carpet. That's enough for one blast, so sit down and have a celebratory cup of tea. When you feel like doing some more, at least you have this refuge to come back to. Murder anybody who makes it look untidy.

Its good because now I've made a dent in the decluttering tidying up is easier as I'm actually tidying and not moving stuff about as much as I used to.
I still have a long way to go, dcs have far too many cuddly toys so I need to get rid of some, also need to go through dcs clothes and take to charity shop what doesn't fit and can't be passed down.
I managed today to fill 1 bin bag just while going round tidying if I came across something I don't need it went in the bag or something I have never worn etc.

It is also helping that I'm making a huge effort to be more organised. I've written myself a daily lost of what I need to do and have made sure packed lunches, uniforms etc are all done the night before and I've been setting my alarm half an hour earlier so I can getup and get dressed and eat before dcs wake up.

Well done-it's very satisfying, isn't it?! I spent the day clearing out the understairs cupboard! Next stop is the garage.

I think the most useful piece of advice is never leave a room empty-handed; you get rather a lot done that way!