Desperate

[Theresaratinmykitchen]

I really don't know if this is the right place to post this
I'm a working single mum and have never managed to keep up with house stuff
I constantly feel stressed and down and like a crap mum cos of it
Now my landlord is on my back as my mess might be the source of rats in the neighbourhood
Please no judgement I want to sort it

What's the worst bit?

Great username! Have you tried flylady? Sounds like you need to start with the kitchen if rats are an issue - is there food left out? dirty dishes? rubbish piling up?

Why don't you start with doing some decluttering? You will have less stuff in the house which will mean less to maintain. Get a black bin bag and start chucking stuff sway that can definitely be thrown away. Start room by room. Once you start to get the house a bit more clear then you can start a cleaning routine

Try not to get overwhelmed, do bit by bit

I doubt very much if you are to blame for rats!
If you had a garden or yard with cat / dog / chicken food and/or compost, possibly.
But since rats are apparently everywhere I wouldn't take this one on your shoulders.

Most single parents cannot keep up with housework - especially if you're one of the many (like me) who hate it and find it a total waste of time.

Try to do one thing a day, rather than spend hours thinking about everything that needs doing.

So one day, wash the kitchen floor
Another day, hoover
and so on.

Why does your landlord think you are responsible for the rats? Do you have rubbish piled up in your garden? Do you have any old furniture outside? If the answer to either of those questions is yes then it is possible that you are the source of the infestation because you have unwittingly provided the perfect nesting and breeding ground.
If you have rubbish or furniture outside you need to arrange its removal ASAP and ring the council pest control dept to come and do some work.

Have a look at this

I find step by step guides really helpful to focus.

There are also links to other rooms.

Don't feel embarrassed/ashamed

One thing I've found really helpful is setting a timer for 15mins an concentrating on one thing for that time. So if for example you need to clean the kitchen worktops at et the timer and bung as much stuff into draws / bin sink as needed and then when the timer goes off stop and have a break then come back to it in a little while.

Breaking it down really helps me when I'm feeling overwhelmed.

Also try here

Print off the cleaning checklist, blank out what isn't relevant to your home, laminate if possible. Stick it up in the kitchen and use a wipe able marker to tick off once you complete a task.

It helps me to remember what needs to be done

If your DC can read, they can help too.

I second the timer. It seems so much more manageable when you only have to do 15 mins rather than the whole job in one go. You will be amazed how much you can do in each chunk.

Also, bring things into the lounge to sort while you watch tv. I have piles of clean clothes that need sorting in one of the bedrooms, so I brought it into the lounge and made a pile. I grabbed hangers and hung it all up while I watched hollyoaks. Then it was easy to put away. You can do this with anything, sort it so it's easy to put away.

What is your worst issue do you think? I'm sure we can help you.

I'd start off by throwing away things that might attract rats, like any containers with food on, or loose food left about and washing up any crockery or cutlery with food on them. Any nappies not thrown away or dog mess if you have a dog. You can then tackle other mess. I'm not saying you have all these things, but if you did have any of them i would tackle those first. Best of luck. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate.