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 ...

Skirting boards are cleaned twice a year. Life is too short.

I would not worry about " cleaning skirting boards, doors, tiles, lamp shades", Most people do that once in a blue moon or when they notice a lot of visible dirt.

Our list for the cleaner who used to come every morning and now comes 3 times a week (this is by far the best route - earn a lot and get someone else to do it by the way - top tip on this thread) is a good routine.
Every day dishwasher and washer on without fail. Clothes put away every day. Nothing collects waiting to be done.

Sheets changed - I cannot remember if she washes them every week or every 2 weeks.
Changes towels throughout house (4 bathrooms etc) every week
3 times a week she vacuums the house.
I constantly stack the dishwasher and clean the kitchen surfaces.

We have very little out - so it is easy to keep it clean. In the summer when she's abroad for a few weeks I often do jobs she never has time for - like hoovering under beds. Once a year a windowcleaner who does the inside and outside of the windows - he came this week.

Daily: tidy things away, make beds, dirty washing in bin, put a wash in if enough stuff. Washing up and putting away and wipe surfaces.

Weekly: wipe out fridge before the online shop is delivered, dust and Hoover, clean bathroom and toilet, clean sink and draining board, mop floors,

Monthly: more thorough Hoover, under sofa cushions etc.

I try to declutter as I go, so,et imps I'll challenge myself to sort a particular draw or cupboard and tidy it and throw things out but this is just every now and then.

I have a deep clean twice a year, that's when I do things like tiles, skirting boards behind furniture etc. I do any visible skirting boards with the brush attachment on the vacuum so that'll be once a week generally.

As the lack of cleaning is making you feel worse how about just getting a one-off cleaner? I had someone come and do a 4 hour clean (basically a mega-blitz) of my house when I had been having a really bad time and just couldn't muster the energy to get it done myself. It was amazing and made things really easy to gradually keep on top of once I knew I was starting from a blank slate following the cleaner coming. Mine was a deal on groupon for about £30 and it was well worth it!

I am going to share simple tip sthat I was taught when I worked in an hotel (I was in charge of the room attendants)
To clean skirting boards
Wipe them with a clean damp mop.
It takes seconds and mine now get done all the time instead of never
To instantly make a bathroom look clean
Shine your taps and other chrome with a wipe with a damp cloth and a buff with a dry one
Bleach in the loo
Instantly looks and smells cleaner
High level dusting
Once a week when you Hoover, with the attachment bit Hoover corners of ceiling for cobwebs run along the top of the curtains and picture frames

What I used to do that worked well (before I became a lazy slattern) was having a cleaning day.
This would be doing the whole house in a day ...tidy, damp dusting and hoovering/mopping floors - just the main areas - not really hoovering under anything (except sofa - a magnet for mess in out house) .

Bathroom loo clean, sink/shower/edge of bath wipe (I rinse the bath out after every use).
Kitchen - A good clean of sink & draining board & work tops and a quick swipe of cupboard/appliance fronts.
I found if you do this house blitz religiously every week it never gets that bad and each room can be really quick - 10-15 mins per bedroom (30 with a bedding change) so then you can spend more time to do a thorough clean on one room/thing on rotation. So one week it would one bedroom - declutter, under beds, skirtings, wipe paintwork, lamp shades
or clean all the windows and do the house blitz, or the oven. And as you get more on top of it everything becomes easier - ie if the oven is getting done every couple of months it is never that bad...doesn't take as long.
I also did the majority of the washing on the same day - as I would be in anyway...
Means you sit down that evening - and as long as you don't look under/behind anything - you have a tidy house and feel a sense of achievement .
Rest of the week, everyday wash up/dishwasher, wipe kitchen work tops, quick tidy round, hoover downstairs with cordless hoover...(upstairs have a electronic sweeper as well for 'incidents'), loo clean if nec.
Unfortunately I stopped and it all became a bit out of control - but I'm getting back on top of it - started upstairs - so now upstairs is relatively tidy and easy - downstairs I'm working on slowly ...I need a mega kitchen clean - tops and insides of cupboards, oven etc -but I'm doing one thing at a time - trying to do a couple of extra things a week but making sure that I keep on top of where I've already sorted too...so doing the house blitz every Monday.
I only use damp microfibre cloth, rinsed in washing up liquid water in the sink (bathroom or kitchen) for everything - dusting, paintwork, skirtings
(except loo cleaner (now use white vinegar), a drop of bleach in kitchen/bathroom (and bicarb for kitchen grease) so not carting round lots of stuff - makes it quicker too. And I have a top with pockets that I stick 'bits' for going elsewhere in and a pot in DCs room for bits of games etc I find - and when I do the good clean in that room I put them away.

My house has gone to pot this year as we have all been busy - it is a tip!
So the last few day shave had a blitz - basically clear all horizontal surfaces of stuff and clean and instantly looks tidier. Will work thru room by room, but a few minutes at a time for quick wins. As others have said - life is too short...

Upstairs: Every morning make beds, put dirty washing in laundry basket on landing, take all cups and mugs from upstairs to kitchen. Identify key items in bedrooms that are In wrong room and put in right room (only big, noticeable stuff, not diddly bits and bobs). Open curtains and windows.

Go in bathroom, hang up towels, rinse bath and basin, flush and bleach loo. Wipe round loo with loo paper. Open window.

Close all upstairs doors (so can't see the leftover mess) and consider upstairs to be FINISHED.

Downstairs: put on dishwasher, put on washing machine. Wipe down kitchen surfaces and hob. Put shoes and coats in hall neatly. Flush and wipe downstairs loo and basin and check towel is clean/replace.

Go into sitting room: plump cushions, open curtains and window, fold throws, lob toys in toy box.

This takes me 15 minutes upstairs and 15 minutes downstairs, at the very most. It makes the house respectable enough for anyone to pop in without it looking like a tip. (Clean loo for them to use, tidy front room or kitchen to sit in).

Some days this all I do (apart from empty dishwasher and peg out washing).

On other days, if have another 15 minutes spare then whizz Hoover around downstairs and flick feather duster over TV and flat surfaces. (Usually only once a week).

I only think in 15 minute blocks...it is enough time to do most jobs reasonably well. Eg spray death-cleaner in oven and leave for 10 mins. Spend 5 minutes wiping it out. Or bring and fold clean laundry and put away... For 15 minutes.

And 'reasonably clean' is good enough. I am not fussed about skirting boards but I might swish round the bits that are visible when I'm doing a 15 minutes mop. Or walk round house for 15 minutes with a damp cloth giving the banisters a wipe and the light switches.

Badvoc123 I do the same, but sometimes Hoover daily. It's my bug bear.

likklemum, mine's a bit like yours (except bed linen prob only once a month - cept dps pillow case which stinks!)

i know what you mean about state of house making you feel bad, drummers, so i say concentrate first on the room you spend most time in (living room?), then when you feel like doing a bit more you'll always have that room to relax in for a break.

also i hope your kids chip in a bit - and if not it's time they did, even if only dishwasher, taking rubbish out, own rooms etc.

bloody hell, I do hardly any of all this.

Daily - washing up. Try to keep the kitchen vaguely clean and tidy as I go. Tidy up toys, sort of, as I go.

That's it. Sometimes the bed is made, but anyway, it's only straightening the duvet and chucking a blanket on for the cat to sleep on.

Weekly - laundry (I do 3/4 loads a week, can't be doing with loads of laundry, most stuff isn't dirty anyway), bathroom (technically). Shopping.

rest of the time when I remember/get round to it/can be bothered - hoovering, washing kitchen floor, washing bed linen.

Can't remember the last time I dusted, I dust when I notice the dust. Skirting boards? - when we decorate, so maybe a couple of times in the 10 years we've lived here.
Inside windows - once a year, maybe?
I have never cleaned my oven and I've owned it for over 10 years.
Fridge - couple of times a year?

If I know someone is coming round then I do hoover and tidy and what-have-you. If they pop round, well, it's pot luck!

I have no routine, it just gets done as and when. When DD starts school next week, I will actually have one proper day off on my own, so hope to get more done - but I would hate to have my precious one day off to be totally taken up with housework.

Dh is much cleaner and tidier than me!

Here's the link www.homeroutines.com/

And she has a blog. www.homeroutines.com/category/blog/

She is a FlyLady fan, so the app has zones that you can set up as part of your daily/weekly system.

Which are the best microfiber cloths? I have just one I use for the washbasin in the bathroom, but will get more. Can't remember where I got it though.

I really can't afford even a one off clean at the moment, but will have a look on Groupon anyway

Sorry, can't name people as I'm on my phone, but thanks for the great tips. Especially about wiping the skirting boards.

I have these microfibre cloths - they are a much better price and bigger than the ones I've seen in the supermarket and make cleaning stuff a doddle - I almost enjoy doing the bathroom with them (and I'm a fully qualified up member of the slattern club).

It's been said above but the FLYLady really helped me and made me feel that's it was within my power to do it, I just didn't have to do it all today. I've never managed to implement all her suggestions but a few key things have really worked for me - 2 minute hotspots, 15 mins de cluttering (chucking stuff) and doing washing every day. And I quite like her, found it easy enough to see through the evangelism.

I find that once I have done laundry, cooking, washing up, wiping kitchen surfaces, and animal care, thats as much as I have the time and motivation for, every day.
But that does mean a build up of stuff like tidying, hoovering and dusting.
Add on some weeks where I'm busy all weekend, the place can look like a bombsite.
Then I get to the stage where I can't put stuff away because there's something in the way which I haven't got time to move, so the item gets dumped in front of that.
It very soon turns into a situation that takes hours to tidy up.

I think that extra half hour push daily may be worth mustering up enough effort for.

And I think once the washing up, laundry, pets, and loo are done, tidying up is the next biggest priority.

Its not too bad to whip round with a duster and hoover if you're expecting company, but if the place is in chaos, you're stuffed.

I haven't read the whole thread, but my sister recommends the unfuck your habitat website, think there's an app too. Small steps.
Hope you soon feel better, I agree you should be looking after yourself,but sometimes having a clean environment does you the world of good,
I enjoy cleaning with great music on loud on my earphones!

Christinecasgney, which "death cleaner" do you use in the oven? I HATE cleaning the oven. I hate wiping out the much, the cleaner burns my hands, I end up dripping the gunge all over the floor I've been using Oven Pride, but it is horrid to use.

daily:
unload/ load dishwasher
wipe kitchen surfaces
wash up
tidy up after meals etc
tidy up toys
make bed (chuck duvet over)

Most days:
hoover living room rug (I have young messy kids- it takes 2 mins as is v small)
one load of washing
sweep up kitchen floor
wipe down bathroom surfaces and sink
Wipe down loo and put cleaner down it

About once a week maybe a bit less
mop kitchen floor
change sheets
clean out bath

much less often than I would like
hoover upstairs bedrooms

it sounds like a lot when i write it down, but really our house is only barely acceptable most of the time!

Yes yes yes to flylady. I only heard of her through mumsnet and its been life-changing. She breaks everything up into small steps, using a timer so you never get burned out, and the idea is that eventually your routines just kind of do themselves without you really having to think about it. So you should end up never having to 'crisis clean'.

One tip though, is if you sign up, go for flylady lite. That way you get one email a day instead of about 50 million....

I use a version of fly lady in theory becuause the theory is it liberates you from being beholden to the chores. But I've also identified what makes the house seem cleanest and focus on that.

1. Hoovering. Don't know if it's our carpept or just the fact that we have 3 cats, but this is the quickest improvement vs effort fix.

1. Keep kitchen work surfaces wiped and dishes under control.

1. Once you've cleared a horizontal surface, try to resist it becoming a clutter magnet

1. Making the bed takes literally seconds and makes me feel less slovenly.

1. A piece of MN advice, never leave a room empty handed.

Other than that I'm not particularly fussy. Well. I clean skirting boards about 3 times a week, because my darling cat loves to pee against them ; a tip for cleaning them (when not soaked in cat piss) is to use a tumble dryer sheet. I do try to change the bedding weekly and the bathrooms get the odd wipe. ;)

I feel better when the house is tidy, rather than it having to be hygienically clean. If clutter and untidiness is the current priority, then I'd look at the fly lady "crisis clean" but of course if you have been unwell do it slowly, not as if it were an actual emergency!

Typos. Ugh sorry.

Flylady works for us. All about starting small and doing a bit at a time so as not to be overwhelmed. We have 5 DC aged 0 to 9 so things can get pretty bad pretty quickly if I don't stay on top of it.
Generally - kitchen sink, dishwasher, laundry, make beds, clean toilet & wipe basin, pick up stuff as I go along. All daily. Other stuff like emptying bins, hoovering I try to do weekly, with the bedsheets on a rota so that in theory everyone gets clean sheets fortnightly. House far from show home perfect but usually kind of ok and within an hour of being really good for guests. But only manage to stay on top of it by CONSTANTLY decluttering all the stuff that doesn't really have a home or might just come in handy one day or is broken etc etc. I am ruthless. The house is a big source of low self esteem for me when I don't feel on top of it and I am trying not to let it affect me so much. It's our house, doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks.

We have two cleaners who,

Vacuum all rooms, clean the bathrooms thoroughly, clean kitchen floor and work surfaces polish the silver platters and feed the dogs in the late afternoon. All I have to do is keep the house tidy and do a bit of organising after work.

I have no routine.

There is only me and DH- Dcs left though rooms still full of junk as they only have 1 room in shared houses. Their rooms are dusted and hoovered as and when they have been to stay.

Daily:
All dishes ( dishwasher)
Worktops
Clean hob
Hoover hall and sometimes kitchen ( tiled floor)
Might clean loo and basins depending on need
Throw out old newspapers, junk mail and all rubbish into recycling boxes

Every other day
Wash basins, loo and bath/ shower- quick spray and wipe

Once a week
Hoover upstairs , stairs , landing, dining room, lounge, study
Mop bathroom and kitchen floors
Damp wipe bathrooms skirting boards ( dark stained and show all fluff)
Dust living rooms and bedroom- window sills especially
Change bedding and all towels

Once every few weeks
Clean windows inside- window cleaner comes every 2 months for outsides
Clean oven inside
Hoover behind furniture, dust tops of paintings, dust skirting boards
De-clutter fridge and clean inside

Gardening- often do 15 mins every day just to keep on top of weeds