Rock The Housework Chat

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www.rockthehousework.co.uk/

Anyone else rocking the housework?

My housekeeping was always somewhat chaotic, and since these were launched, my house is far more functional and a podcast away from actually looking rather orderly, even at short notice.

I tend to pick what I need each day rather than following the tradtitonal TOMM, but do refer back to that to help get some jobs done if they're in danger of being neglected.

I think my most used tracks are the "Calm Laundry Put Away" the "Bitesize Bathroom Blitz" and the "Quick Kitchen Turnaround"

Has the app subscription changed? I had to resubscribe. I got home from my holiday to absolute chaos and promptly resubscribed using the joint account, instead of getting angry. I'm starting to get back on top of things although I've realised on the days I do my desk job (two days a week), I can't fit everything in if I also want to do exercise etc, which is the priority. So I might fiddle around with the app to move the light touch days to those days.

The app subscription has gone up to £3.99, but I don't know if any of the features have changed - I just play the guided cleans but don't use it to keep track of the weeks etc.

We are going away in two weeks and I want to get the place into some sort of order so we don't come back to a tip. Fortunately we are flying out in the evening and I will WFH on that day so should be able to fit in some last minute tidying but obviously don't want to leave it all until the last minute.

Did the dreamy after-dinner clean last night for the first time in a while and got quite a bit done - the hob and microwave look a lot better than they have done for ages!

I still use Patreon.
Either way it's a lot less cost and bother than getting someone else in to do it.

DH has got the DSs getting their own laundry through the system this morning. I like it when he does that as not only do they muck in quicker when he's asking, but it's also positive for them to experience it being "male" jobs too and not just defaulting to female.

DH is the type that tends to be self-sufficient as he goes. He doesn't add a lot to household mess beyond the basics, but it doesn't tend to be obvious in the way he looks after himself either. Whereas I'm a mess/ blitzer.

Finally tried out the recent Beat the Clock Laundry session. I've been pile-dipping in recent weeks and getting to the stage of summer clothes dropping out of circulation and the pile building up. It's not cracked my mountain, but it has got it managed back to a laundry mound instead.

Dishwasher currently on a catch-up session with some awkward items in. I've taken the upper shelf out so I've been able to shift the bulky trays en-masse.

When that's done in an hour, hopefully I'll be able to muster some momentum to do the good olde scurryfunge session. I love that one for a general freshen up!

I'm looking forwards to half term and a general catch-up.
This week could be interesting though... the DCs are in a different LA to me and are off this week with DH WFH... housework maths, more people = more mess as Gemma likes to say...

Alas DH hasn't cracked the MNers' art of being "more efficient" while WFH...

On the whole despite a half term with challenges of various people being ill affecting time and energy, I've come through it without feeling like drowning in chaos.

Are people still posting on this?

I've just been on the week trial

I did the productivity session on Sunday - times three

Then I did a couple of the kitchen cleans during the week and that was it

I'm definitely not planning to do it every day but I think I'll subscribe for a month and see how it goes

I did 45 minute Declutter today. Honestly, I felt like I got nowhere but I suppose that bit I did is a little bit tidier.

I just cannot seem to get anything done in winter without some kind of guide so I'm hoping this will help.

I need to form habits basically! I'm really hoping this helps. I looked at the book initially and I thought it was creating work when none exists - in my case, because I live alone in a small flat. But now that she's rebranded and taken mum out of the title I thought I'd give it another look.

Honestly, I'm at the point where I can't figure out if I'm just lazy or what. I know other people who live in my situation. And get the housework done like clockwork - I mean we all moan about not having enough space but they seem to be much better at keeping on top of stuff.

I feel like a little kid who is just whining "but it's so boring".

I just like it to keep me company and on task while I get stuff done

@Dropthedonkey yes that's why I need it

Just find it also incredibly dull. I'm not having issues with cleaning - it's tidying and organising that's my problem.

Housework is up there on boring like going for a week or brushing your teeth, on necessary, and high frequency but alas not a 2min task

I definitely find it better than I once did, and actually, all this week I've been looking forwards to half term so I can get around the house and do some deeper/ catch-up cleans. No doubt my enthusiasm will rapidly fizzle when faced with reality...
The house has been affected by DCs already on half-term and DH WFH supervising, and I had slipped into "next week..." mode.

Today's been productive. Got the kitchen functionally clean (want to do some deep cleaning through the week) and bought food in for batch cooking/ freezing.

Last term's strategy of cooking two pots of chicken / mince with veg and basic seasoning so they could be customised as they were heated worked well.

I've updated my bullet journal with what I want to get done so I can keep focus. I like bullet journals as I can just use it when I want. I don't "fail" them like I "fail" diaries with their blank pages goading at me when enthusiasm floundered.

I'll use the 3 item list stategy... list 3 items, and add one more when you tick one off. You can see what you've done, and it's not overwhelmingly long in one go.

I don't mind cleaning when I'm not backed up with a million other things to do. I've really let it slide recently, but it was my birthday yesterday, so I roped DP into a full household surface clean and tidy. I'm hoping to get back to the daily clean schedule now from tomorrow as that was working until I got busy and behind. I think I'll do the 15 minute clean in the morning and then the half hour in the evening. Now the nights are creeping in, the dogs are much less demanding with their walks so I can probably fit it in then, as well as work, exercise, and making the dinner! Here's hoping. There just never seem to be enough hours in the day, although i still manage a fair bit of mumsnet so clearly I'm not as productive as I think!

Yeah a batch cook of something beany seems to be working for me on a sunday. That can be bulked out a few different ways.

I got in about six and I just cannot be bothered

I've done a workout and that's pretty much me done. Unless I can motivate myself to do one of the end of day type things.

I think half my problem is needing an initial organisation. I feel like I've done it 100 times but it doesn't seem to work well, or I can't figure out the best way in this flat.

So once I get sorted with a place for everything it might be better. I should probably get into a morning habit as well.

It's just so tedious, and it's all the time. I don't know how she manages to sound so enthusiastic about it.

sorry, not trying to bring anyone down - just really hoping this method gets me somewhere!

I like the way Gemma acknowledges that it's never done, and mess will happen because it's a home with people living in it. It stops my perfectionist streak having a tantrum or stand off about it, and my scatty side can crack on with making it a little bit better.

My dishwasher is being a PITA; it's doing it's wet seal fault again, so has had a clean and a wipe, but it takes time for something to register that it's dried. At least I had got the big pots generated by a batch cooking session through because they're a bugger to manouver around the sink.

A productive week so far... deep cleans of my bedroom and the conservatory, both of which were much needed.

Had a bit of a break today although did some rather satisfying bleeding radiators. I've been out with the DCs who are at the boring teenager stage but had actually reached the point of wanting to do something.

The bathrooms could do with a good scrubbing, but after that, I should be at the point of a good multi-room clean dealing with the rest...

Oh, and I need to go through the DCs' clothes and weed out what they've outgrown.

Bathrooms scrubbed and sprayed down. They needed it!

Oven also cleaned. At least that won't need doing for a while. I hadn't realised how grotty it was when the bulb was broken. Fixing that a few weeks ago was a somewhat disappointing outcome when the dirt was finally illuminated!

Time to tackle (clean) laundry mountain...

That was a reasonably productive week although the dishwasher has died. It put on an error code just after a load of batch cooking so I've been fighting a backlog of washing up all week, and it has completely conked today. Annoying to go into next term with that dragging over as life feels better when the kitchen is on good form.

I have shifted some deeper cleans and odd jobs which will stay "done" for a while. It's more the regular living stuff that's been stubborn.

Did the dreamy house wind-down last night after a few days of post holiday chaos with laundry and suitcases and swimming stuff and souvenirs all over the place, and it did make a nice difference this morning. Still a lot of stuff to be put away but I think we're about 80% there. Think this week I'll focus on the morning and evening wake up and wind down, and maybe the Level 1s as well while I finish the unpacking, then heads down for Christmas.

Finally cracked the washing-up stalemate with the 30min washing-up session, and got in the zone to clean the rest of the kitchen despite the stupidly late time last night. But I feel better for the kitchen being tamed.

It feels like I've done little else but wash-up in the past week (at the cost of everything else) but it's just been hard to dig into the backlog. Plus DS has been off ill and so him and DH have been in the house all the time generating extra.

I started the autumn reset part 1 a couple of days ago but didn't get more than the kitchen section done before the DC came back from school and it was all homework and chaos before dashing off for swimming lessons. I'm never so keen on the more free-form sessions - I need to be told what to do! - but I did get a decent amount of surface clutter disposed of and it feels visually calmer

I've not given this weeks resets a go yet. We have finally got a new dishwasher, so the kitchen can at last get back on routine, thank goodness!

DS had flu and spent most of the week on the sofa so the lounge suffered for that. A 20 min calm clean followed with a vacuum has restored order there. The house is pretty functional now although the permanent battle of the hallway continues.

Had my first go at the recent Kitchen/ Diner clean which was much needed. I went into hyperfocus and kept going but it is now the best that it's looked in weeks with de-cluttered sides, waxed table with table cloth back on, cleared fridge and properly mopped floor. It's just felt like treading water on basic function for weeks so nice to get it properly clean again.

I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself as I have done level 1s every day since last Wednesday (except for Friday as I was struck down with a cold and had a lot of work on), and level 2s on Wednesday, Thursday and Monday. Didn't quite manage level 2 yesterday but am going to do a bedroom and hallway lite session today to cover them off. Really hoping I can keep up the momentum until Christmas at least. The bathroom in particular looks a lot better than usual and it's taking less time to clean it each time since I'm not starting from a position of awful grime!

A few days on, the kitchen is still holding up and looking decent on light maintainence.

It definitely makes a difference when you have it clear enough for little and often. I've struggled with combining time and energy since Mon, so could do with a multi-room session at the weekend to catch up the other rooms.

What do you when you're starting out and every room is a mess and realistically Ill need a few weeks to go through it all. Do you just take a few days on each room until the whole house is done. Or do you do the level ¹,2,3 jobs alongside it.

Isn't there a bootcamp programme? Which I haven't done, but think I need to!

It's december! I'm gonna try and stick to the daily clean schedules. I did my sitting room this morning but did a fairly deep clean as I want to put the christmas decorations up this eve.

I should be able to stick to the december plan as this is when things start to ramp down at work.

Think I might take a look at the christmas planning schedule too whilst I'm feeling optimistic!

@Freemysoup There is a bootcamp programme for every day which covers living room, bedroom, hall/stairs, kitchen and bathroom, but they are slightly longer than the usual cleans - 45 to 60 mins. If you don't have the time/energy for this maybe start with the level 1s for a couple of weeks to build the habit and then add the levels 2s once you're into the swing of things. There are also declutter sessions of various lengths if you want to tackle random areas in the meantime.

Starting Week 2 of doing a minimum of level 1s every day and I think it is starting to become a habit. I was pretty good about the bedmaking bits, but needed a kick up the arse to do the bathroom clean and regular laundry sessions. My laundry pile isn't non-existent but is definitely less out of control than usual, and the bathroom looks generally a lot better. Level 1s have been done today and I'm about to start the Week 2 living room clean.

Thank you. But I don't understand, how I can do one room in one day. It's takes me a few days per room at least!