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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

Cleaning routine for big family house

19 replies

Aftershock15 · 22/09/2016 14:34

Can anyone give me suggestions for a cleaning routine and time taken for big family house please. We have recently moved and I'm struggling to ever keep the house clean. Dc are all at school but I resent spending all day cleaning, and if I do something like spend a day gardening, or go swimming or meet a friend I then feel bad that stuff hasn't been done.

All the online routines seem to suggest an hour a day will keep it super clean, but that barely touches our house. We have also moved into a town from the country and I find it really dusty and dirt builds up on doors if not wiped weekly.

So house is over 4 floors, 6 bedrooms, large open plan ground floor, playroom, office, 2 other reception rooms and 5 bathrooms. Realistically how long should I need to spend a day to keep it clean? Can't decide if I'm slow and inefficient or just need to spend more time. I don't have super high standards and do try and get the children to help but they don't have much time with homework and music and clubs and I feel really I ought to be able to stay on top of it.

OP posts:

ferriswheel · 22/09/2016 14:40

Your house sounds amazing!

First thing...declutter. Big time declutter, and find a place for EVERYTHING.

Second, floor wipes in the kitchen for round about where you prepare food.

Surfaces in kitchen clean before bed, empty bin at night and try and keep on top of that.

Start a routine of 'its six o clock, everyone put ten things away' invest a lot of time managing this so everyone knows its serious business.

Three times a week have lazy teas and do a different tidy up job instead, until you feel more in control.

I don't know, does that help?

foreverandalways · 22/09/2016 14:58

A regular cleaner twice weekly to help you.....sounds too much for one person to stay in control of...

Hockeydude · 22/09/2016 14:59

I struggle with mine and it's probably half the size of yours. I'd look into getting a cleaner.

LemonBreeland · 22/09/2016 15:02

I think perhaps concentrate on one floor per day. If you are going up and down between floors you are probably wasting a lot of your time. You will be super fit though.

Optimist3 · 22/09/2016 15:03

Firstly the less you all have, the less mess there is to deal with. Seriously!! So chuck tons out.

How old are the kids? Get them into good routines early. Dirty washing in the laundry basket, making their bed, opening the curtains, scrubbing their own skid marks when they leave them.

building2016 · 22/09/2016 19:24

That is a seriously big house. Not surprised you are struggling. Do you use all the rooms? Are there rooms you could avoid cleaning for a few weeks at a time or only clean before guests?

My friend has a house that size and has cleaners for at least five hours a week as well as being a SAHM.

My house is not as big as that and I had cleaners for five hours a week so they could also do things like change sheets and so on (I was very poorly so couldn't do very much and I really noticed that five hours was just keeping things ticking over actually).

Buttwing · 22/09/2016 19:33

Yours sounds similar to mine but I have 5 beds. I have 4dc plus 2 visiting stepchildren, a dog and two cats. No easy way to say it, if you want a clean house you've got to spend time doing it or pay someone to. I've always had a cleaner but have recently got rid of her. I spend on average two hours a day cleaning and doing laundry. I spend about 3/4 hours a week on ironing. It's a lot but it helps life run smoothly.

seasidesally · 22/09/2016 21:39

i dont often agree with general rule on cleaners on Mn but blardy hell op if you can afford it seriously get one

otherwise it will seem such a huge task you will resent it

TinklyLittleLaugh · 22/09/2016 21:46

I have three floors, five bedrooms, four bathrooms, four kids.... It quite often all gets away from me. it's kind of like the Forth bridge: by the time you have the last bit clean the first bit needs doing again. Still there are worse problems to have. I'd rather garden anyway

Mycraneisfixed · 22/09/2016 21:56

What's taking the most time: cleaning or tidying? If it's tidying then as a pp suggested you must get storage. IKEA is cheap and cheerful and amazing. (Forget about being snobby!) if there's a place for everything to go then everyone can put their own stuff away.
Cleaning: get a cleaner.

seasidesally · 22/09/2016 22:02

it would deppress me knowing every morning i would have to dedicate a good part of the day just to keep on top of it

Mum2KSS · 23/09/2016 15:45

we also have a large house - 3 floors, 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms 3 kids and i work full time...and no cleaner. The secret is to have a place for absolutely everything (we've got tons of storage), have the right tools for the job (cordless hoover, steam cleaner, large floor sweeper mop, colour coded microfiber clothes and a mini cleaning kit in each bathroom) and teach the kids to get into good habits. I'm not obsessive about cleaning (havent got that kind of time anyway) but house is always visitor ready.

Original poster

Aftershock15 · 26/09/2016 08:47

Thanks for the suggestions. I think a floor a day, plus one day doing the extra bits might be the way to go. I also agree that everything needs a home and less stuff makes it easier and have been getting rid of some more things, but most stuff has a home.

I think part of the problem is that hard floors need hoovering and then mopping so take double the time of just hoovering. Need to try and get faster at that bit.

Also those of you who do manage to keep on top of it (especially those who work - don't know when you find the time) what do you do about things like cleaning book shelves / light fittings etc. This house just seems to get really dusty.

I really don't want to get cleaners in as I find they tend to do what I would call a low grade clean - the quick swish round everything rather than actually cleaning the tricky bits that need stuff moving or take time. Even when I had some twice a week with the specific instructions that they were to just spend 3 hours in one room they still swished about.

OP posts:

mintthins · 26/09/2016 08:55

Our old house was a similar size, but only 2 floors. I made myself a weekly timetable and stuck to it as far as possible. I.e. One day for bathrooms, one for beds, one for stairs, and one for upstairs floors. Downstairs floors twice a week or ad hoc, and kitchen/utility floors every other day. That might not be exactly how it was, but it really worked. I also had half an hour or so a day on random stuff like inside windows, or dusting the door frames. We lived by the beach and sand got everywhere.

80sWaistcoat · 26/09/2016 09:01

I'd think about getting a roomba and the mop equivalent...

DoItTooJulia · 26/09/2016 09:07

Why not get the cleaners just to do floors, bathrooms and bigger jobs? Keep on top of the easier/lighter stuff yourself. And shut rooms off if they're done?

A robot vacuum sounds like a great idea too.

Rumtopf · 26/09/2016 09:30

That's a sizeable house to be cleaning on your own.
I think perhaps you may be a bit unrealistic about cleaning light fittings, doors and woodwork etc every week.
Make sure there's not too much clutter, everything has a home and get the children to pull their own weight. Help them to declutter and find homes for everything in their bedrooms and then if they're picking up after themselves the room will only need dusting and vacuuming once a week or fortnight.
Bathrooms, easy to do a quick wipe round every couple of days and then clean properly once a week.

I vac the hard floors every day, the kitchen and boot room are mopped every day too but the rest of downstairs is mopped once a week.

atticusclaw2 · 26/09/2016 19:15

My house is also large with a similar number of rooms. I have a cleaner for four hours a week (she did come twice a week previously but a lot of things were being doubled up e.g. kitchen mess). The four hours does the main hours of the house (kitchens, bathrooms, floors and a general tidy elsewhere plus changing the beds). I then try to keep on top of the rest.

We keep the cleaner when we go on holiday so that she can tackle other things that don't get done as frequently

pennygoodlife · 26/09/2016 22:57

I've got a largish 5 bed, 2 kids hairy dog, cat and DH! I spend 3hrs X 2 times a week and about an hour a day on the other days plus ironing. I close off the 2 spare beds and occasionally Hoover in there.

every day I tidy up and make the beds asap nand have try to have a place for everything. The play room is the exception and get a Blast about once a month.

Every day I clean all surfaces in kitchen, empty bins and swiffer the hard floors and Hoover the rugs. I find dusting makes a huge difference but do it once/ twice a week. I Hoover upstairs on a fri and a mon but the stairs most days.

The bathrooms get a thorough clean once a week and are quick clean most days.

My Achilles heels are my Georgian Windows which never stay clean, my walk in wardrobe often gets messed up, the bloody play room but it is the kids area... Hey ho!

Some friends comment on my tidy house but I know where all the cobwebs and dust lurk. Top tip of it all gets too much go out and come back - it never looks as bad on your return. However all houses need elbow grease!

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