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 ...

I like to take my time doing things and mainly work to music so spend 10 minutes dancing crazily with a mop or pillow instead of actually cleaning/tidying!

Oh yes, that's a good tip!
I always clean with the radio on...makes he time go quicker.

Hi I have an illness that makes me v tired, so I think I understand how your house feels overwhelming, but you can't face doing much about it!
When I feel worse, but really want a better living space to lift my mood, I use a tip adapted from the flylady to get the place cleared up in a manageable way: I just do 3 things in each room, then have a nice break, and repeat if I can/want to. This works well in advert breaks if I'm having a sofa day. When I am really tired / low this can be putting 3 teaspoons in kitchen sink, 3 dirty socks in bedroom laundry basket, 3 bits of paper in recycling from dining room table and so on round the house.
On days when I have more energy, the three kitchen things can be 1. all dirty dishes in sink 2. spray and wipe surfaces 3. put clean tea towels out. Its the way that a small amount of effort and time makes a big difference, and the differences add up to a big change, that makes this work for me.

As I don't have much energy, and I don't much like cleaning but want a clean house, I focus on the cleaning jobs that make most visible difference for minimal effort. For me this is a quick few mins every day with a damp microfibre cloth (4 for a £1 at poundland) or a few wetwipes: kitchen surfaces, dining room table, bathroom sink & loo seat, and maybe the odd windowsill if I spot a dusty one. And I hoover once or twice a week - sometimes doing visible skirtings with brush attachment. Other than laundry and washing up, that's pretty much it! Wiping takes 15 minutes tops for the 3 rooms together, hoovering maybe half an hour.
In your case, you should definitely delegate the daily surface wiping / twice weekly hoovering, or whatever it is that you care about doing most to your dh and ds :-) Surely the garden could be their job too? It would really lift your mood to have some pretty spring bulbs to look forward to. Your family have a responsibility to pull together and help you get better. If a cleaner tidier house would help you get better, then it is their job more than yours to make sure you have it. You shouldn't need to, but are they bribable?

thedrummerswife sorry for late reply...had to work all weekend...

My 'oven death cleaner' is Cif stainless steel spray. Not really made for ovens but works perfectly well. I gave myself a fright with something like oven pride...nearly choked and eyes running for hours afterwards, so I vowed to use something not so deathly!

abitoutofmydepth, sorry to hear you're struggling too. The wipes are a good idea

Christine, thanks, I'll have a look for it. Will it work even if my oven isn't stainless steel?

Yes, Ovenpride is nasty stuff. I spilt some on my work top last time and it has left a mark that won't come off

How are you getting on OP?

Not great I made a start on a massive pile of filing because it's toppling over - dh helped and we nearly finished it.

I keep looking at the garden, but feel too overwhelmed to do anything. I can't afford to buy bulbs, but my mum gave me plenty last year that I put in, so I hope they come up again. The grass needs cutting, but it is so long and wet, it will tear instead of cutting neatly. I did chop back one of the trees a bit though.

Flylady looks a bit too much for me at the moment to be honest, as does UYH. I like the idea Abitoutofmydepth had of doing three things, no matter how short or long they take.

drummer yes it works on my oven and it's not stainless steel.

I think having done a massive pile of filing is really great! If you can, focus on the things you have done, not on what you haven't.
I'm sitting in the most messy bedroom you've ever seen, but I'm choosing not to see it, as I know my kitchen counters are clean, recycling out, and washing up is done :-)
I know what you mean about the grass - when its cut it transforms the garden, and won't need doing again for ages. Just wait until next sunny day and send DS out there.
Writing on your thread has motivated me to do more of my 'just three things'

Well done for sorting out the paper pile!
Piles of paper is one my biggest problems - I dread sorting it out sometimes...one thing that I have that helps is an A4 folder filled with poly pockets. Things that need dealing with but not urgently get put in one of the poly pockets - eg newsletters that I don't have time to read just then, insurance renewals etc..when I have time I can flip through it - and it is easier to find things. Then stuff I need to keep but don't have to do anything more with get put in a filing cabinet (which does need a huge sort out) -I also pay instantly for activity fees, school trip money etc - straight into school/activity bag...they never make the pile! My biggest weakness is I don't keep on top of the file and tend to stick things loosely in the front ...

I was doing so well - then a bookshelf in DDs bedroom collapsed - needs fixing and maybe a bit of reshuffling so that shelf has lighter things -the books were in a tidy pile next to the bookcase...
Then 2 days ago DD2 had a friend over (impromptu visit - so I couldn't supervise as much as I would like - friend is a high maintenance child) ... the books are strewn around the room, they pulled out various toys/games from the cupboards, emptied the boxes, every soft toy she owns and then threw things to one side in a pile as they finished playing with them. I started getting them to tidy it up but there wasn't the floor space for the mass sort out/clear up required ...and things like play makeup had been tipped out and was getting walked into the carpet
I keep looking at it and walking away ...I could literally cry...(or murder!)
I will get onto to it today -but I won't be getting the whole house done in a day that's for sure!