THANK YOU!!

[picklypopcorn]

I posted a few weeks ago about how my house had got on top of me and how I was living day to day in a complete shite hole partly thanks to my very messy dogs and partly thanks to my anxiety and depression which had just got totally on top of me gradually. The house was so bad it stunk, was grimy and just generally really really grim.

Anyway! I asked you guys for help and you gave me the best advice ever: just start in one tiny section of one room and get it totally perfect, then move on to the next section of that room etc etc etc, throwing away anything I didn't need as I went. I was also advised to just work through it in 15 min bursts, So I did.

Well once I started I couldn't stop.

2 days later I sat down with a cup of tea in an absolutely spotless living room, in my absolutely spotless house that had been scrubbed, bleached, dusted, wiped, vaccummed and just generally blitzed! I threw away 36 black bin bags full of rubbish. 36. It felt AMAZING.

4 weeks (ish) later I have set myself up with a weekly routine that's pinned on the fridge that takes me about 20 mins each evening and an hour on Saturday mornings. It keeps the house beautifully clean and tidy and keeps me on track. I don't go to bed u til the list is done.

I actually had my mum over for a cup of tea and for the first time ever she didn't say a word about 'the awful mess' you could see on her face she was taken aback but didn't want to make a big deal of it, although as she was leaving she gave me a big hug and said 'I'm so glad you're doing so much better'

The very very best bit of all is the change in me. My anxiety is the lowest it's been for months and months and I find it so much easier to just COPE with every day life. I find my 20 minute cleaning each day is actually really therapeutic and after a full day at work it gives me a way to switch off.

So again, thankyou so so so much to everyone who commented on my last thread and was so non-judgemental and lovely, you have quite literally changed my life!

That's great pickly. Please could you let us know the 20 minute list that you do every evening. That sounds like a really good idea. Also, what's your hourly Saturday cleaning routine?

Yes, I'd like to know details of what's on the list.
This is indeed a lovely thread.
And it's true that a tidy house is a tidy mind.

Wow!

I needed to read this today. I just have so much stuff and I don't know where to start. I find myself stuck in a vicious circle where the mess fuels the anxiety and the anxiety fuels the mess.

By the time school starts again, I want a tidy home.

Off to read your thread now

Haha the routine is really really simple: In our house we have:

Ground floor: Kitchen, living room, bathroom and hallway.

Cellar: Music Room and man den

Top floor: Our bedroom, craft room and ensuite bathroom.

DP is responsible for all our clothes (he works less hours than me) and for keeping the cellar habitable, so he does all the clothes washing and I do the beds, towels and extras like bath mats and dog beds.

Routine is this:
Monday:
Tidy kitchen and living room and wipe kitchen sides (10 mins)
Clean downstairs bathroom (wipe down shower and tiles, clean loo and empty bin) - 10 mins max.

Tuesday:
Tidy kitchen and living room (10 mins)
Clean upstairs bathroom (wipe down bath, clean sink and loo, tidy up makeup and throw away any empty bottles) - 10 mins

Wednesday:
Tidy Kitchen and Living Room (10 mins)
Tidy bedroom (wipe down window sill, any clothes in the washing basket) - (less than 5 mins)
Hoover and Mop downstairs (10 mins)

Thursday:
Tidy kitchen and living room (10 mins)
Hoover Upstairs (10 mins)

Friday:
Tidy Kitchen and Living room (10 mins)
Strip cushions in living room and bung in the wash with the dog beds and bath mats from the bathrooms (5 mins then another 10 mins to put them all back where they came from once dry)

Saturday:
Vac and steam mop all of the downstairs (20 mins)
Strip the bed and wash bedding and towels (10 mins)
Wipe down windows all over the house (20 mins)
Tidy kitchen and living room

Sunday
Tidy kitchen and living room
Any random odd jobs that are less regular like cleaning the oven!

We spend the majority of our time downstairs in the kitchen and living room hence why that gets tidied daily. Tidying also includes loading and unloading the dishwasher :)

Thank you,pickly, it all sounds very quick but efficient.
It's usually the case that the thought of housework is worse than doing it, and it often doesn't really take as long as you might think.

AllMyBestFriendsAreMetalheads god I know the feeling. Best thing I ever did was just start in one tiny corner of the kitchen. For me it was on top of the microwave. Once that is perfect, move on to the next section and work your way around the room. Don't put pressure on yourself, just think "once this section is clean I've made progress and my house is cleaner than it was yesterday"... it's oddly addictive. I couldnt stop and then once it's clean it's SO EASY to keep it that way if you put yourself a little routine in place :)

Honestly if I can do it anyone can :)

chough exactly that, but I find if I know which jobs need doing on what day it's much much easier to be motivated to do it, because you only need to focus on that one task and not on the whole house :) For example, if the bedroom is a bit messy on Monday it doesnt matter, because it's getting a clean on Wednesday anyway :)

Oh that is just lovely and has put a big smile on my face.

I've spent far too much time today reading the "overheard on the bus" thread on MN and laughing away to myself.
I resolve now to close this laptop and follow pickly's fine example.

Well done! I am totally inspired and making my own list up now

I needed to see this, I'm drowning in housework with 4 children and a 4-storey house. I do jobs as and when I can, and when they need doing, but it can feel unmanageable at times and makes me feel really anxious.

When I get out from under this sleeping baby I'm going to make a start.

Good job OP, I hope I can get to where you are now!

user7755, well you won't be doing much housework today once you open that thread.
Yes, I know, I've still not got off the laptop.
I really will, now.

Pickly you are an inspiration, this thread will help so many others and it's true what has been said about the mental health aspect, having a clean, organised living space is a real pick-me-up and makes such a difference to how people feel at home.

Thank you for posting this, I wasn't on the other thread either but I feel so proud of you!

So yesterday I treated myself to a steam mop

I had one before but during my recent blitz clean i managed to sheer the head off it with some over-zealous steaming under the kitchen cupboards . It was only a £18 jobby from Morrisons so it didnt do anything fancy, although while I was in my cleaning frenzy it was magical on the kitchen floor (vinyl). I've actually missed it since it broke because it was so much easier to stay on top of the floors before it broke!

I am ridiculously excited about the new onw and IM NOT SORRY

It has a hand held element that detaches for doing the shower and the kitchen tiles and things and I'm particularly excited about having a good session on the cream grout inbetween the floor tiles in the bathroom, which is currently black with dirt and just wont shift even with bleach.

I also want to have a good crack at the windows with it and the scummy bits around the very edges of the kitchen floor.

It will also be awesome for giving the dog crate, bed and toys a going over without using any chemicals.. hate using chemicals on anything the dogs have/ play with so this seems like the best solution :)

Yesterday I also learned that the extra button on the vac does not, in fact, switch is from suck to blow... it turns the brushes on which might explain why it wasnt picking up much from the living room rug

This cleaning lark is a learning curve!

I've decided I'm going to give myself a little organisation project each month to try and give everything it's own home which should make tidying easier. First job is the upstairs bathroom which is where all my makeup and everything collects. I'm thinking of getting a clear pocket, door hanging shoe rack to hand inside the door of the airing cupboard in the bathroom. That way i could store makeup, hair dryer, straighteners etc in that?

At the moment they all seem to be forever ending up in the sink

You would love Pinterest if you don't already have it. Look up organisation ideas.

Using the steam cleaner on dog toys is a brilliant idea! I've been using fairy liquid and hot water but a steamer is a much better idea. Guess what I'm going to do later.

Also baskets. Fantastic for keeping all your bits divided and organised. I've got the plastic wipe clean type inside the bathroom cabinet and the nice willow, lined type for out on display. Plastic tubs also great for in the kitchen.

So impressed by you btw. You'll be an inspiration to lots of others.

Enid I've been dreaming up steamer possibilities while my steam mop wings its way to me in the post (still not dispatched... grr)

I wouldn't be impressed by me, the house got into that state in the first place entirely because of me and if I'd made an effort to get up and sort myself out sooner we'd have been living much happier lives for a lot longer

I'm in total awe of people who have visitor-ready homes at all times. I want to be one of those people who invites people over for a quick cuppa and doesnt have to offer them tea in the garden when it's -3 degrees because it's too embarrassing to let them in the house I dont want to dread phone calls from my Mum when she offers to "just pop round" and lie to her about what I'm doing to avoid having to let her in the house... I've done that A LOT. The MIL is even worse, I'll actively block her going further than the kitchen sometimes .

Ho hum.. no point dwelling on that though I just need to hope my motivation and GAD free days continue for as long as possible! Nearly week 5 down now, the cleaning rota has become a lovely habit and i feel stressy and "unfinished" if I don't do a task on it. Case and point, last night I was supposed to Vac the downstairs and steam mop (BOO AMAZON... BOO!) but i made the mistake of getting engrossed in a TV show it got to 10:30 and I was about to go to bed, but whipped the vac out and gave it a whirl around downstairs before i went to bed.. i got some very concerned looks from DP!

Oh, my message didn't post earlier. I have made a daily routine of different rooms round the house, and it all feels much more manageable now. I am giving up my cleaner over the summer and it is a bit of a daunting task, but it feels right to take control of my house again for a few months at least. I've been poorly for a long time and am much better, so I'm excited to have the energy to get cracking.

places bet on how long before the novelty wears off

Wow! Well done op. Enjoy your new home.

I most certainly am impressed with you. It has taking you great strength to get where you are now. Keep looking forward, keep reminding yourself that you're brilliant.

I didn't get round to steam cleaning the dogs toys so it's on my weekend jobs list. Shame he won't appreciate it but his soft toys had a wash last week so they may as well all get a clean. Plus steam cleaning gets addictive weirdly.

Just found this thread. That's brill OP

We have been thinking about Marie Kondo's 'Life Changing Magic of Tidying' but there are always excuses. Mr often says that the state of the house contributes to his anxiety, so I am super impressed picklypopcorn that you feel the very tangible difference, now that your house is clean and tidy.

Very impressive!

Picklypopcorn, Would you be happy to share what's in your 20 minute routine list, please?