What's your basic cleaning routine that leaves your house in an acceptable state?

[thedrummerswife]

Following a very busy time at work, I'm now off sick with stress and depression. Nothing much had been done in the house and now I need to get back into a routine. However, I have no motivation and am tired and struggling to get going.

The house isn't untidy (apart from ds 23 room and I'm not riding that!), although the garage and cupboards are full of clutter, but all I've done recently is occasionally dust the living room, wipe over washbasin and loo, wipe over kitchen work surfaces and hoover.

What's your usual routine and how often do you do things like cleaning skirting boards, doors, tiles, lamp shades?

I washed the kitchen floor today for the first time in months! Now I don't know what to do next, it feels overwhelming

I'm not thinking of decluttering at the moment, I just want to feel like my house is acceptable.

Then I'll tackle the garden ...

Not riding??? damn auto correct! Not tidying, it should read

I'm just entering the phase of life where I might actually be able to have a reasonably tidy house as all dc now at school...

Prior to that I ensured all 'ins and outs' were clean and bedding changed weekly. Anything else a bonus

Oh and always keep bedroom doors closed to hide mess, gives the illusion of a tidier home!

My house has a full clean every Friday but to keep it acceptable day to day I - make all beds, clean and bleach loos, wipe sinks, clean down kitchen work tops and put general 'stuff' away. House usually looks tidy then and I know floors, dusting etc will get done on a Friday.

I never do the additional things on your list, with the exception of the bedside lamp shade.. Does that make me a slattern?!
Oh cupboard doors in the kitchen get wiped down occasionally.

Pick up phone call cleaner. Job done

Yes, can you afford a cleaner?

Daily;
Make beds
General tidy round each room...putting things back where they belong, plumping cushions etc
Wipe down kitchen surfaces and do dishes, load dishwasher, empty dishwasher
Bleach down toilets.
Washing (I wash daily)
Putting clothes away

Every other day;
Hoover
Empty waste bins

Weekly;
Bathroom inc floor
Kitchen inc floor
Ironing

Fortnightly;
Change all bed linens

Monthly;
Windows inside
Dust Skirting boards and light fittings
De scale kettle
Service wash in washing machine and dishwasher

Think that's it! :)

It's a pity you don't have a small child, they are the best to set on cleaning skirting boards.

I don't have a routine, that would make it even more boring. My kids make the door handles sticky and if I notice one is then I might clean them all. Or if I've got the hoover tube out anyway I might hoover behind some more furniture.

But generally I think life is too short for much cleaning, particularly if you've not been well.

Definitely can't afford a cleaner at the moment.

My gp told me not to spend my time cleaning, but to relax and look after myself. The problem is that knowing I haven't cleaned properly for ages is making me unhappy and anxious So I think for peace of mind I need to at least do something.

No small children here anymore, youngest is a teenager and unlikely to dust anything!

Small steps then.
Set a kitchen timer for 20 mins for each room.
Amazing what you can get done in that amount if time.
And then you get to feel like you have done stuff, but you won't tire yourself out?

Start with the garden. Seriously, the fresh air and exercise will make you feel better and sleep more and whatever you do will stay ' done' ( tidy/ pruned/ cleared/whatever) longer

If your having a lot of TV time do advert cleaning , three minute blasts during the breaks and you might find yourself motivated to carry on even when your programme starts again, works for me when I'm not fully functioning.

Putting things away and throwing things out always makes me feel better. When everything is away it is much easier to have a whizz round with a duster and the Hoover. Make sure the kitchen and bathroom are clean first - I tend to tidy those as I go along ie if I'm in the bathroom I give it a quick clean before I come out and the same with the kitchen - if I'm listening the Archers Omnibus my kitchen is sparkling by the end! However I would have to second MrsSnail - get out it the garden that never fails to cheer me up and as she points out that's one area that no one will come in and mess up.

Charlie0123's 'daily' list is my weekly list, currently. Cause that's how life is. Except the kitchen is tidied as needed during the day and cleaned at night. Very small kitchen doesnt allow for accumulating ANY mess. There is usually a load of laundry each day too. I have recently moved, and my previous routine doesnt fit well.

drummerswife: if you are supposed to be resting and recovering, then do it. Nothing needs cleaning so badly that you need to risk hurting yourself.

But if you MUST, then the timer system is good. But i think you should only allow yourself 15 minutes in an hour, and 45 minutes resting. And maybe limit how many cycles of that you do each day. Maybe one each morning and one each afternoon this week. 2 each next week. In between, there are books to read, mumsnet chats to get involved in, napping, facebooking, and bad daytime telly. Hech, you could spend AGES reading housekeeping blogs (these exist) and creating elaborate schedules on Housekeeping Apps (these exist, one called HomeRoutines helped me get my act together once when i was struggling with too many changes and too much undone).

My cleaning routine? Oh, look at all that dust/muck on the carpet/washing that needs doing etc. I SUPPOSE I'll HAVE to do it now!

On your deathbed will you be pleased with all the hours and hours you have spent cleaning? Life is too short to stuff a mushroom, as the saying goes.

Cleaning routine?
Washing daily,
Dishwasher daily,
Bed linen weekly
Everything else done in the hour before a visitor arrives

Thanks for all the tips

What do you all use for the skirting boards? A duster, feather duster, hoover, wet wipe?

I couldn't find the Home Routines app

(Ooh, we made dotd!)

Try "FLY lady", and if you hate that, try "Unf**k my habitat". Both good for motivation, coping strategies and doing things in small chunks. I never get further than actually reading them though.

The skirting boards....? You are having a larf. Each to his own, and if it's stressing you, then that's valid, but if 100 people on here tell you it's so unimportant, maybe you can relax a little, give yourself a break.

Acceptable to whom, thats the thing.
Do the garden first while you have the nice weather.
Put some bulbs in and look forward to seeing them in Spring.

Get some in, put some music on, and invite friends and family over for a house cleaning/overhaul/ make over 'event'.

And at this time of year so can do cutting back and weeding in the garden and it'll stay goid till Spring.

I don't have a routine and many times the chaos is giving me anxiety. I really liked unfuck my habitat because it let's me let off steam while I clean/tidy.

Routine makes me sad.

We have a cleaner comes for 2 hours per week and does the kitchen and bathrooms. I pay her £18. It's worth every penny.

I clean the loos daily with Toilet Duck and a loo brush , vacuum once or twice a week, sweep floors in kitchen and downstairs daily, change beds fortnightly, and then just clean and tidy as I go along. I only touch the skirting boards if I notice they look grubby.

Every now and again I get the Cif out on the walls and doors, but only if they look grubby.

I use a feather duster
I don't like the smell of most cleaning products so either damp dust or use the feather duster.
I also use method cleaning stuff as my dh and ds1 have asthma.