How is your cleaning spread throughout the day?

[Cocopopsss]

SAHM here trying to follow the TOMM which should be fairly straightforward. However, I am easily distracted by my phone or other more interesting things and am prone to procrastination. Recently I have had the realisation that time is precious and I can do so much more with my time, if I’m organised and focused.

Can anyone share how they split up tasks throughout the day? When do you cook, clean, go shopping, exercise, take LO out? I have 2 children in school so have the school runs to do.

I meal plan most days and try to cook 2 meals in one day so that the next day I have a cooking free day, where I can catch up on cleaning or go out. Otherwise I find it tricky to do everything in one day, but I’m sure most people manage to!

Thanks

When I was home with children, I used to go shopping straight from school. Washing used to go on while they ate breakfast, so I could hand it out early. Cleaning would be mornings, and go out and do something in the afternoons. Or out for the morning, and clean up later. I'd start cooking at 5pm to eat about 6.

When I was working full time and had four children at school, housework would be Saturday mornings. Husband has always been good about vacuuming, washing up etc and he took on more as I worked more. And then the kids were old enough to load or unload dishwasher, hang out washing, mop a floor etc. By the time they were teenagers, it was chaos, but that was because I let things get out of control and nobody else noticed!

Thanks for that.
I can see that sometimes it’s just about using time wisely, and just getting on with it!

Laundry gets put on first thing in the morning, as soon as I get up.

If we need any groceries or if I need to go into town, I go straight after the school run.

When I get home I'll have a cup of coffee, Put the dryer on, and get any jobs done. Then have lunch and try to out my feet up for an hour or two before I do pick up.

When I get home from pick up I start to cook dinner.

I do everything on foot (don't have a car) and usually clock around 15,000 steps a day so don't do any extra exercise.

Mostly during the school day but I'm realising that's not the best method. I think at least two half hour bursts after 5pm are needed.

I used to tidy up after the kids went to bed but I'd be tidying from 8pm until i went to bed with no time to relax. A quick blast after dinner and then just before i go bed would be better but i need to start following my own advice

Any shopping/ errands straight after school run

Laundry on and hung out first thing.
Get back, have a coffee and then do house work, also prep dinner and packed lunches for the next day.
Aim to have cleaning done by lunch time.
Lunch watch neighbours then whatever I feel like doing.
I cant stand cleaning in dribs/ drabs so I crack on!
After dinner, quick tumble of days washing then dishwasher , baths, bed.
Sat down by 7.30

I like to clean a room fully then shut the door. I work my way through the entire house once all doors are shut I relax.
Obviously I don’t need to do certain chores daily but this ensures my house stays reasonable.
And if I can’t be bothered then at least the doors are shut and I can’t see the mess.

@Templeblossom

Any shopping/ errands straight after school run

Laundry on and hung out first thing.
Get back, have a coffee and then do house work, also prep dinner and packed lunches for the next day.
Aim to have cleaning done by lunch time.
Lunch watch neighbours then whatever I feel like doing.
I cant stand cleaning in dribs/ drabs so I crack on!
After dinner, quick tumble of days washing then dishwasher , baths, bed.
Sat down by 7.30

I really like the idea of prepping packed lunches for the next day - I always do it in a mad rush 10 minutes before we leave for school!

Thanks for the tips.
I feel like if I start on dinner before pick up, I can do it with fewer interruptions.

I think it’s a really good idea to have a quick whizz around a couple of times before bed. Leaving it to just beforeI go to bed is tiring and means I don’t get to relax before bed @IncessantNameChanger

@Templeblossom I think it’s becoase I don’t enjoy cleaning that I drag it on, can’t push myself to just do it in one go! I do make lunches the night before as mornings are much smoother that way.

@Itsnottheendoftheworldisit I like how you close the door as you complete a room, it’s like a physical ticking off the list.

First thing beds made, laundry put on, dishwasher and drainer emptied.

As much as possible done straight after the school run.

Then another blitz after dinner; dishwasher on, any washing up done, lunches made, kitchen wiped round, quick tidy up

I work at home.
I empty the dishwasher, and put it and the washing machine on, first thing. DH makes the lunches and does the school run (and makes me coffee!).
During my coffee break, I do a half hour of TOMM.
In my lunchbreak, I put the washing in the tumble dryer and finish off anything I missed at coffee break.
At 4 or so, I'll start dinner. We eat at 5ish, and I'll clean the kitchen after that and put the dishwasher on.
While the kids are getting ready for bed, I fold the clean laundry and everybody puts away their own.

That's the theory, anyway...

I get back from school run, get a load of washing on, do the dishes, clean the kitchen.Then I hoover round. Give everywhere a quick wipe down and normally end up focusing on an area that needs it most. So twice a week I'll do a proper bathroom clean, but it gets sprayed and wiped over and toilet cleaned daily. Other day I'll spend more time upstairs, tidying and hoovering bedrooms.

I am not particularly organised but work part-time and have a toddler at home and a DC in school on non-working days.

I usually either put a wash on with the machine on a timer so it’s done for when I get up and I can peg it out, or in winter do it after the DCs have had a bath in the evening.

Dishwasher is usually on last thing and emptied first thing.

On house days we normally go out in the morning and then I do a quick blitz when toddler naps. I always do a quick tidy around dinner time, either straight before dinner or before bath. This really helps and means tidying is a 5-10 minute job when we come down after bath.

If we’re both at home, I tend to do stuff like a quick hoover round while DH bathes the kids in the early evening.

Beds and towels usually get changed at weekends. Bathroom cleaned either during nap time or one evening.

But the first thing I do when DC2 naps is to sit down with tea and chocolate.😊

I struggle to make time for gardening and life admin in particular.

I get up early and do my TOMM chores and prep dinner in the morning and then go to work. In the evening, everyone has a basket and I chuck anything left lying around into the owners basket. Everyone puts away the stuff in the basket before dinner, a quick clean if the kitchen after dinner and the rest of the evening is free. Shopping is done online and delivered. I do a season meal-planning list with several options for each day of the week and then pick something from the list when shopping. I have one day a week when I'm off work and the kids are at school and I do big tasks on that day.

I'm at home with disabled ds (who needs a lot of care) so I have to be time efficient if I want to stay on top of things. I also often need to sleep late afternoon so do as much as possible in the morning.
Before bed I stick a wash on, that gets hung out the next morning before school run. After school run I wash dishes and put dinner on (usually a casserole or curry), then hoover, dust, do bathrooms etc. The dc are responsible for their own rooms so I only do living areas. It really helps that I don't have very high standards too! Everything is clean but far from show home presentable.

It would make more sense to ask me how cleaning is spread through the month! It is not a priority for me!

I get up and Chuck a load of laundry in while everyone has breakfast, stuff from last nights washing machine in the tumble dryer or on rack.

i exercise after the school run as if I go back in the house I know I won’t do it!

shower and get ready after exercise, then make beds and clean bathrooms. Do the TOMM tasks of the day.

i usually prep supper / next days pack lunches about 3pm (my school run isn’t till 5pm) so that when I get back I can just reheat it. I put the dishwasher on and then empty it so the evening plates can go straight in after supper. I put the days uniform / husbands work clothes straight in the washing machine after they get in the house (everyone in pjs) so they can be washed and dried the next day.

basically I try and have afternoons to myself, and evenings doing sod all as I’m bloody knackered by that point!

I think it’s important to have some time each day when you do not do housework, as these things can drag on all day. If I had all kids at school when I was a sahm I would make sure I went out/did something for me every day. I find I’m so much more efficient when I have strict time limits, too.

I’m currently mainly at home with toddler, with part time work from home.

I ( and dh) try and get most things done first thing before 9am so it’s done and out the way. With the odd bit done here and there and at the weekend.
But things like laundry on, beds made, kitchen cleaned after breakfast all done in the first hour we are up. Meaning the house is at least hygienically clean and clothes washed if we then have other plans the rest of the day.

ds starts nursery 3hrs each morning in autumn. I won’t spend every morning cleaning. I will aim 1 max to get house/ food shop stuff done without him under feet, 1 morning garden stuff, the other 3 to actually get some work done or something for me

I use the timer on the washing machine so I can hang it out while the children are eating breakfast. Second load goes on then if needed as well.

I tidy up at 'transitions' i.e before and after meals, before leaving the house etc.

Biggest clean is the kitchen after kids' bedtime when i do a wipe of surfaces, hoover and spray mop but if i've kept on top of it it shouldn't take more than ten minutes.

I literally just clean as I go. If I'm home I usually have a bit of work to do and my daughter's education. I love days just at home and I know then I have a whole 12 hours to do everything. So it can't get on top of me.

I'll put a load on, do sides of the floor, make a cup of tea, then do some work.

do a little lesson, go do the dishes with some music, ask daughter to go and do some of her room.

I'll then go up, check the room, then do our room, bring laundry and dishes down.

Sit at computer, chill, do bit of work, see TV needs wiping, next time I get up that's what I do, then a few other things.

It's just like.... a lifestyle. Key for me was not feeling overwhelmed and going over things throughout the day does that for me.

We don't clean every day. Dishes/dishwasher, and kitchen worktops are done daily. Laundry most days. Everything else ... as and when.

I’m a teacher so have quite a few holidays but worked very long hours when my kids were young. So I had 2 routines.
term time -
prep supper the night before
kids had school dinners so no need to make packed lunches.
stack dishwasher after breakfast and switch on
clean round kitchen then leave for work
dh put supper on whilst I collect kids from after school clubs.
kids eat as soon as get home, we eat later
dh gets kids ready for bed, I finish making supper
put washing machine on, clean bathroom whilst dh does story
eat our supper dh loads dishwasher whilst I prep next nights supper
Saturday mornings spent deep cleaning bathroom, kitchen, big vacuum, change beds.
Sunday mornings dh does all ironing and puts all laundry away.

during school hols I do all housework and cooking, dh still does all laundry.