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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

If you don't have a cleaner...

64 replies

curiousxxx · 18/03/2022 19:12

...how long per day do you spend cleaning, on average?

I'm asking because it feels as though I can never fully keep on top of things even when I feel I clean all the time!

I should say we have three small children though!

OP posts:
ThatPosterIsSoRight · 19/03/2022 19:45

3 hrs at a weekend, though I can do a quicker less thorough clean if I need to. DH does the bathrooms on top of that, maybe an hour. Usually a quick vacuum mid week.

Laundry is on top of that and I do every day.

kitcat15 · 19/03/2022 19:47

About an hour a day...mostly keeping on top of thing...then one extra thing a day eg fridge clean...mop thru house.

Dontforgetyourbrolly · 19/03/2022 19:50

Clean the bathrooms on Friday, vacuum and wash floors Saturday and change beds Sunday. Blimey, I sound like a tragic Craig David

Everything else 10 min jobs through the week

rosewater20 · 19/03/2022 20:15

We spend about 30 minutes per day cleaning. The trick is the less stuff you have the easier it is to tidy and clean. We have a toddler and a baby on the way and I keep toys to a minimum, we rotate toys once per month and keep the rest in storage boxes away. Only have a couple toys out in the main living space and the rest away in bedrooms, etc. I also have my toddler pick up his toys once play time is over (he is almost two), sometimes that means me helping him and other times he will do himself. We also have him help clean up his mess from eating too.

I spent about a week cleaning out all cupboards and closets and getting rid of anything that we didn't use all the time. I then got a label maker and labeled where everything goes, including where each pot or container in the kitchen goes. Now there is zero excuse for other house hold members to not put things exactly where they belong.

After I did the big clear out, I hired a cleaner to come all day to deep clean and do all the laundry. It was expensive but it was worth it because it got all the jobs done in one day which allows us to easily stay on top if things now.

The trick is not letting anything build up and because of this our daily schedule is:

Laundry: one wash per day, hang to dry or use tumble dryer and put away later in the day.

Floors: Sweep dining area and kitchen after each meal (toddler "helps") and turn on robot vacuum.

Dishes: My husband and I switch off dishes duty each day. Dish washer gets unloaded in the morning and then dishes through the day go right in and it gets run at night. We batch cook twice per week and this significantly cuts down on dishes and cleaning the kitchen through the week.

Counters: Wipe down kitchen counters, hob etc. after each meal/cooking. Wipe down bathroom counters at the end of each day.

Toys: Toddler picks up his toys before nap and before bed

Bathroom: Everyone is responsible for keeping toilets clean, I will not clean up after someone else (excluding toddler) and leaving a toilet gross is completely unreasonable. The shower and bath are cleaned every Monday. Also on Monday, all bedding changed and floors hovered (instead of using robot) and mopped.

As for cleaning glass and dusting, I tend to just do this whenever I am cleaning counters so dust never builds up.

The reality, is that if you want to live in a tidy clean house it does take effort from everyone on daily basis to keep it that way.

Getyourarseofffthequattro · 19/03/2022 20:17

@Wintersbone

It entirely depends on the size of the house and the number and type of people living in it. We have a 5 bed large detached both working full time with 4 kids. We have a cleaner 15 hours a week and I still do 30 min a day.
15 hours a week! How filthy does your house get?!
rosewater20 · 19/03/2022 20:39

That feels like a lot @Wintersbone I have a large detached house with three full bathrooms and 5 bedrooms and only do 30 minutes per day and we have a very tidy and clean house. What is your cleaner doing?

Wintersbone · 19/03/2022 21:50

@rosewater20 I think it depends on the overall size more than number of bedrooms. Ours is over 375sq metres with 5 bathrooms. I also don't even attempt to tidy for the cleaners. It's part of the contract so they do spent a good bit of time tidying before they start cleaning.

rosewater20 · 19/03/2022 22:08

@Wintersbone our house is actually quite a bit larger than yours in terms of sq meters. I think the tidying in your case is the clear answer as to why it takes so long. Excess belongings makes me feel overwhelmed and even though our house is large, we keep things fairly minimal and therefore it takes less than five minutes to tidy up each room. But, I also have friends who have a lot of belongings and nick nacks and they make it all look amazing and very homey. It's just not my style and I don't have the extra time for the care it takes to clean and tidy when there is more stuff around.

Wintersbone · 19/03/2022 22:44

@rosewater20 how big is it? Do not be fooled. We do not have loads of decor pieces lying around waiting to be dusted. What I do have is 4 kids worth of toy disaster. And a husband who is worse than the kids in term of creates mess. The giant hairy dog isn't helping either.

Franticbutterfly · 20/03/2022 06:14

I do quite a lot and all the time I'm not doing it, I feel that I should be. It's a bit shit really.

rosewater20 · 20/03/2022 07:35

@rosewater20 I don't have a dog but grew up with them and yes, they do add a lot of work and cleaning! I will say that my husband is very neat and tidy and hates mess so he contributes to cleaning and tidying a lot. We also don't have four kids so I may eat my words once our second arrives this Summer! We are lucky and have a very large playroom/theater room and we keep most of the toys there, a few in the bedroom and one or two in the main living space but even in the play room we keep toys very minimal because mess overwhelms me mentally. I try to walk a fair line where our toddler gets to explore new toys without it getting overwhelming for me.

I did struggle with staying on top of cleaning when I was a new mum and in my first trimester of this current pregnancy and that is when we had to get very organised and bring in extra help.

NannaKaren · 21/03/2022 20:47

Gosh - I hate cleaning but like it when it’s done - I always bleach loo and clean kitchen.

GoodWillRising · 22/03/2022 12:58

We have 3 older kids and a dog getting the kids to do more and more

Mornings: 15 minutes empty dishwasher, bed made
Evening: 30 minutes clean away dinner
Daily: 30 minutes tidying
1-2x week: Hoover 30 minutes
1xweek: General clean 60 minutes
1xweek: Laundry 120 minutes
Dusting and decluttering 15 minutes a week as I go along

Then extra stuff as it happens, with no set schedule like occasionally wiping down smudgy doors or skirting boards, clean a cupboard or washing bed linens

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 22/03/2022 20:05

30-45 minutes a day, give or take.

We don't have DC though and our house is always tidy so it's just a case of vacuuming (daily as we have multiple pets), cleaning floors, sorting the litter trays, washing dishes and doing laundry.

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