Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

Need some cleaning motivation...

21 replies

MummySparkle · 03/01/2017 11:23

My house is in disarray and I am rubbish at cleaning / tidying. Can I have some motivation / a cheer squad to help me get it sorted today?

(Previous threads will show how rubbish I am at housekeeping, including yesterday's bubbly washing machine disaster...)

Today's jobs:

Downstairs:
Tidy & clean kitchen
Tidy lounge
Clean loo
Hoover
Mop floors

Upstairs:
Tidy bathroom
Deep clean bathroom
Put away all clean clothes
Sort out all the laundry into wash loads
Wash / dry as much as is possible
Tidy our bedroom
Clean and dust bedroom
Hoover all bedrooms
Mop bathroom

And then tackle the playroom in the basement...

Where do I start? So far I've put a laundry load on and half-emptied the dishwasher...

OP posts:
DearMrDilkington · 03/01/2017 11:28

That's a lot to do for one day! Can you do half today and half tomorrow? It'll make it seem less daunting and you'll get a much better end finish if you take your time.

Original poster
MummySparkle · 03/01/2017 11:32

Possibly.

The bathroom and bedroom are the most important most disgusting rooms so they have priority.

Need to get the kitchen usable though. Step 1. Unload & load dishwasher. Tidy kitchen.

OP posts:
celeste84 · 03/01/2017 11:39

I'd work from downstairs upwards.

No idea obviously the severity of the state but a lot of those jobs seem to be smallist half jobs; like putting clean clothes away, sorting clothes into piles, etc, I would perhaps begin with those first actually and get those bits ticked off straight off.

DearMrDilkington · 03/01/2017 11:43

I'm so jealous you have a playroom basementEnvy. Are you in the UK or USA?

Do all the floors once you've finished everywhere else too, its lovely finishing the whole house with clean floors and knowing your finished.Grin

DearMrDilkington · 03/01/2017 11:45

Agree with celeste, the little jobs like putting clothes away are best done first, but that's because I hate putting clothes away so, if I don't do them first they'll never get done.Blush

Original poster
MummySparkle · 03/01/2017 11:54

I really hate putting clothes away. Usually get half through, give up and then they all end up on the floor and muddled in with the dirty again... have about 6 large Aldi bags worth of clothes to put away. Need to put them all away today so I can sort the dirty laundry into them.

Kitchen is tidier than it was rounding up all of the mugs and then going to set it off.

OP posts:
Original poster
MummySparkle · 03/01/2017 11:59

Oh and I'm UK, we live in the middle of nowhere in a mid-19thC semi. Originally built by the land owner for his staff, and we rent it from the same family. (They own all of the orchards, coppices, houses around here)

Basement is a converted cellar, it had a new waterproof membrane fitted just before we moved in and was completely re done - its lovely. Has a high up window too. We are very lucky! We have 3 bedrooms upstairs, kitchen diner, lounge loo and boot room downstairs and then the playroom in the cellar. And a brick shed with rats garage with mice and a big garden for half the rent of the same thing in the town. Love it here, except it's big and there's lots to clean...

OP posts:
Stoneagemum · 03/01/2017 12:01

I'm in, last day off before back to work and I've let the flat go to rack and ruin.
I have enlisted DS as my cleaning buddy and so far we have
Taken down and put away xmas decs
Swept living room floor
Put a load of laundry into wash
Wasted a load of dishes and wiped kitchen sides.

Still to do
more laundry
Recycling & rubbish - the bins have only just been emptied this morning first collection since the Thursday before Christmas
More laundry
Tidy bedrooms
Mop floors
More laundry
Clean bathroom and toilet
Go through fridge and remove dubious leftovers
Go to town to stock fridge of pack lunches
Oh and did I mention more laundry?

Right cuppa finished, of to do a load of laundry and make some brunch

celeste84 · 03/01/2017 12:02

So kitchen is ticked off now then?

I would set yourself a target of getting the clothes put away, sorting dirty linen out, and putting first wash load on before lunch. Put bleach down the loo before lunch aswell so its ready to clean after lunch.

Original poster
MummySparkle · 03/01/2017 12:04

Hi StoneAge!

Ive got tomorrow off before I go back to work too, but have an essay due in on Friday so I need to get that done tomorrow.

I wouldnt say kitchen is ticked off, but it's workable for now. Off to make bed and put laundry away...

OP posts:
celeste84 · 03/01/2017 12:11

I've been putting aside my post xmas housework until dh went back to work today. He just gets under my feet else. This morning I have deep cleaned the kitchen including sorting out the larder and fridge and mopping the floor in there, and I have cleaned the downstairs loo. I will attack the upstairs bathroom after lunch. Still need to mop the downstairs loo but will do that along with the mopping of the upstairs bathroom.

Stoneagemum · 03/01/2017 12:37

I went through the fridge whilst seeing what we can have for brunch. Good news nothing too disgusting found but I didn't open the tubs of vege left from xmas day - straight into the bin, tubs and all!

Original poster
MummySparkle · 03/01/2017 12:40

Ugh! I've put away 4 bags of washing and there still seem to be 6 left. How is that possible?! Just hung up the sheets that were in the machine and contemplating what to wash next. Think it might have to be DH's really muddy cycling stuff as that will deposit mud all around the house if I move it anywhere. Might have to beat it outside to get the worst off first though.

OP posts:
celeste84 · 03/01/2017 12:50

I would clip him round the ear if he did that here. Anything muddy goes straight into the wash as far as i'm concerned Angry

And your washing machine was have been on constant since new year for 10 bags of clothes Grin

@ Stoneage - I found one or two disturbing leftover finds in the larder too Blush

Original poster
MummySparkle · 03/01/2017 13:10

pretty sure they're all from 2016

Somewhere under that mud is a pair of shorts Shock I've just pressure hosed them outside

Lunch time. Looks like the DCs have trashed the playroom, but that's a job for tomorrow. Need to locate the step ladder because the loo bleach has disappeared at the back of the cupboard.

Next up is the bathroom.

Need some cleaning motivation...
OP posts:
celeste84 · 03/01/2017 13:32

I'd be so annoyed being left to clean that Angry

Did you retrieve the loo bleach? Grin

hobnobsaremyfavourite · 03/01/2017 14:09

Ok
Two loads of washing done
Meals x2 cooked/cooking
Tree down, decs noved to our room to be packed away
Remaining stuff under tree sorted and put in bedrooms
DS1 bed stripped and washed
Several broken storage boxes emptied, sorted and binned
Gloves/hats box sorted
Going back to work tomorrow for a restGrin
House still looks like a bomb site AngrySad

Stoneagemum · 03/01/2017 14:36

Another load of laundry done, toilet beached and a quick swipe to the bathroom whilst taking a shower.

I've also got the rubbish and recycling out to the main bins and had a bit of a result. I was tutting away at my neighbours putting mixed waste in the cardboard bin and sorting it out as it was cleanish and I will only suffer as well from but no not being collected, when the HA rubbish blitz man appeared and thanked me for doing it. As he was collecting the dumped big stuff left to n the bin area I asked if he could take some old bits that I had indoors that I haven't yet taken to the tip and he did! Result as they are not meant to without a pre-arranged charged collection.

It does annoy me thou if I was to dump it under cover of darkness by the bins they would collect it anyway

Original poster
MummySparkle · 03/01/2017 21:14

Nice one stoneage! But yes annoying none the less. I was thinking that last time someone fly-tipped near us - it always gets cleared away, so why not?! (Obviously I never would, but it's the principle!)

Bathroom is sparkly, yay! I need to fish out the load of washing that's in the machine at the mo and put another lot on. And continue putting clean clothes away. Think there's 5 bags to go now.

Decided the floors are for tomorrow. My mum is coming in the morning and the DCs are going to hers after lunch for a sleepover. Hopefully I can Hoover / mop while she's here and then get my essays done when there's peace!

The DCs are still awake. I heard giggling so I went up to find DS had removed his gate from the door, let DD out and they'd found the dressing up box. It's hard to tell DS (nearly 4) off when he's standing there with a sparkly fairy dress on over his pjs Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
MummySparkle · 03/01/2017 21:19

And good work hobnobs! I need to take our trees down. Might rope DM in to retrieve the Xmas decks that have been scattered in the playroom. She always tidies the playroom when she's down there with the kids definitely not why I invited her Blush

And the bottle of bog bleach that I saw at the back of the cupboard was empty. I did find a storage box with cleaning stuff a 'good luck in your new home' card from our old landlady. We've been here 2 years... box has now been sorted and cleaning products put in their rightful places.

OP posts:
Original poster
MummySparkle · 04/01/2017 13:54

Trying to get on it again today. Kids have just gone with grandma so I have no excuse. Got more washing clean / dry / away this morning and the play room is tidy Grin

My current plan:

Tidy everything out of kitchen
Clean all kitchen sides
Hoover downstairs
Mop kitchen floor

Then tackle the bedroom Confused

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page