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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

Sick of clutter/cleaning

32 replies

LadybirdHere · 13/01/2023 21:33

So my house isn't unclean but there is just clutter everywhere. I keep hoping a cleaner will sort it but no. Today I tried one and she said all her existing clients have nothing on the kitchen surfaces or draining boards so easy to clean. I just cant seem to keep on top of things. I'm working, a single parent and I just want to make a dent in this!

WHERE DO I START

OP posts:
SquashesPumpkinsAutumnBliss · 13/01/2023 21:49

Sorry no real answer, except I am in the same situation.

I am doing the 31 day declutter programme - good encouraging thread on it!
not only have I thrown away/charity shop gifted etc 1 thing in day 1, 2 things on day 2, etc it has made me look at the house and my time in a different way. I have chosen easier, small areas to start with - so went through my make-up bags, sorted bathroom cupboards, sorted out a sock drawer. Then I sorted out one child’s outgrown clothes. Each area is less cluttered and I have cleaned as I have gone along.

I have yet to sort ( apart from bathrooms) any surfaces etc that are cluttered. But over 70 items removed from my house. I have day 11&13 to catch up on as been away with work.

my goal is to be able to employed a cleaner, weekly, to clean the bathroom and cloakroom plus the kitchen diner.

Grumpybutfunny · 13/01/2023 21:50

Declutter we have a rule that if it doesn't fit in a cupboard then we can't have it

Mydogatemypurse · 13/01/2023 21:52

I just got a skip and being ruthless. Granted im moving soon but honestly its just shit and makes you feel depressed, causes more work. I feel sick at the amount of clutter i have

HouseyHouse21 · 13/01/2023 21:57

Do you have a very honest friend or relative that could support? I find it helpful to talk someone through what I'm keeping and why - I need the external accountability though.

WeyAyeMan · 13/01/2023 21:59

Look into team tomm. There's an app, fb group, and patreon podcasts. It has podcasts specifically for this, a 'boot camp' then once you're on top of everything has regular daily checklists so you can keep on top of it all just by doing 30 mins a day.

A single mam too, and have a dog who is just a hairy dirt magnet, I feel your pain!

Mincepiepies · 13/01/2023 22:02

Sorry I don’t know either. We have a cleaner and I do as much as I can but it’s like the cleaner hasn’t been by the next day.

We do have more of a housekeeper type cleaner though who is happy to do tidying as well as cleaning, and sometimes she will reorganise the layout in the kitchen and put stuff in more sensible places!

Our old cleaner was one of those types who didn’t do dishes and didn’t tidy up so we had to get rid of her.

pompei8309 · 13/01/2023 22:04

LadybirdHere · 13/01/2023 21:33

So my house isn't unclean but there is just clutter everywhere. I keep hoping a cleaner will sort it but no. Today I tried one and she said all her existing clients have nothing on the kitchen surfaces or draining boards so easy to clean. I just cant seem to keep on top of things. I'm working, a single parent and I just want to make a dent in this!

WHERE DO I START

Do one room at the time , anything that has not been used for a year goes , doesn’t matter if it’s a dress or a frying pan.Have two lots of bin bags “ charity” and “ rubbish”, I love a good declutter

coodawoodashooda · 13/01/2023 22:11

Grumpybutfunny · 13/01/2023 21:50

Declutter we have a rule that if it doesn't fit in a cupboard then we can't have it

Amazing

Original poster
LadybirdHere · 13/01/2023 22:18

I actually had a skip and filled it up.

So actually thinking aloud, it doesnt sound a lot left so here is my mess. I have been doing room by room so this is what is now left:

My work desk : a laptop plus lots of rubbish
Children's art table / become a dumping ground for everything and looks awful downstairs
My bedroom : another dumping ground where all the odds and ends have been left there
Personal cupboards : full to the brim of pencils, bed linen, kids bits of art ARGH
A ton of books to take to charity but too heavy to carry

OP posts:
Original poster
LadybirdHere · 13/01/2023 22:18

Plus 3 64L boxes of children's odds and ends downstairs in my living room!

OP posts:
LouLou198 · 13/01/2023 22:23

Cleaners generally just clean, not declutter. You may want to thin about hiring a professional organiser to help you make a start?

determinedtomakethiswork · 13/01/2023 22:29

Have you watched any programs like home edit?

determinedtomakethiswork · 13/01/2023 22:30

One thing they did, I think it was on that program, was to have a ton of boxes for things and a label machine and once everything was labelled, then the kids had to put things away in the right places

IveForgottenAgainFFS · 13/01/2023 22:33

You can find a cleaner who will tidy but you'd need to have systems so he/she knows where to put things and be prepared for it to take longer therefore cost more.

I too struggle with clutter, although I'm good at tidying which just means it's less visible therefore less reason to tackle it.

I hate waste and am aware that just donating things to charity doesn't mean they will get reused so I feel the need to free cycle and Facebook it which means it takes much longer and stops me doing it 😬🙄

If your issue is more psychological, like not wanting to get rid because you might need it one day or because it was expensive or a gift I thoroughly recommend the A Slob Comes Clean podcast. She's good at dealing with these in a no nonsense way and her method is very simple and doesn't make things worse.

Good luck.

Daydre4mer · 13/01/2023 22:33

With the books, do you live somewhere you could put them outside your house in boxes with a massive FREE sign?

start with 1 small cupboard at a time. The desk with the rubbish on… if it’s literally rubbish then bin it! Kids artwork in our house, unless it’s incredible and it took them days, I’m sorry to say we don’t keep forever. I have instilled in them that it’s fun making the ‘thing’ 🤣 doesn’t mean it has to be kept forever! Out on display for a week or so then gone.

Colourinsidethelines · 13/01/2023 22:41

Books can go in the paper recycling bin where I live, any really damaged ones go in there for us. Kids art, I save just the very best and stick them in a scrapbook or I’ve seen some people take a photo of it then get a photobook printed with them all in.

Starcircle · 13/01/2023 22:50

You start with the Minimal Mom on YouTube…life changing!

whatsdiswhatsdat · 13/01/2023 22:54

There's a woman on YouTube who has good advice.

https://youtube.com/@DanaKWhite

Walkacrossthesand · 13/01/2023 22:57

If you have a lot of books, Google books2africa - you box them up (there's a maximum weight per box), pay £8/box (they're a charity) and they collect them and distribute them. If you're near Canterbury you can take them in FOC.

Getthefiregoing · 13/01/2023 23:00

Walkacrossthesand · 13/01/2023 22:57

If you have a lot of books, Google books2africa - you box them up (there's a maximum weight per box), pay £8/box (they're a charity) and they collect them and distribute them. If you're near Canterbury you can take them in FOC.

This sounds great! Thanks for sharing

Mammaplanner · 14/01/2023 18:33

Professional declutterers is a big market now, perhaps you can get one in to clear your decks .

DitzyBluebells · 15/01/2023 01:11

LadybirdHere · 13/01/2023 22:18

I actually had a skip and filled it up.

So actually thinking aloud, it doesnt sound a lot left so here is my mess. I have been doing room by room so this is what is now left:

My work desk : a laptop plus lots of rubbish
Children's art table / become a dumping ground for everything and looks awful downstairs
My bedroom : another dumping ground where all the odds and ends have been left there
Personal cupboards : full to the brim of pencils, bed linen, kids bits of art ARGH
A ton of books to take to charity but too heavy to carry

I do FlyLady and it's made a massive difference to keeping up with housework for me. Come join us on the Fledglings threads if you want.

What I'd do with your stuff:

😳 Work desk - bag up the rubbish and bin it straight away
😳 Children art table - invest in a folding one, fold it away after use so you can't dump anything there. So find somewhere to donate the old table to, put away anything that has a home that's been left on it, find a home for anything that doesn't have one, get rid of any rubbish
😳 Bedroom - again, put things away in their homes or find them homes. If there's no space, something has to go so there is space. Eg how many sets of bedding do you need? Might have to get rid of surplus if it won't all fit in the cupboard
😳 Personal cupboard - get rid of those bits of children's art, you're not looking at them anyway they're crammed in a cupboard! Declutter the rest of the cupboard, if it doesn't fit in there you can't keep it
😳 Unwanted books - Put them into your paper recycling for collection😳 Children's boxes - go through them and decide if you really need to keep it all. For a start it has to fit in the boxes

Set an alarm and do 15min decluttering/tidying every day, in addition to whatever you usually manage to do

Geppili · 15/01/2023 01:43

Reduce your total inventory. Your house is a container too and it is too full.

Photograph every piece of paper ( art work, school stuff, statements etc) and file in dedicated digital photo albums.

Get rid of toxic clutter first. This means anything you look at and feel bad about in some way.

Watch you-tubers who declutter like the Minimal Mum.

Geppili · 15/01/2023 01:45

Also in each room have a small/medium wtf container. Anything that doesn't belong in that room goes in the wtf container. Then you periodically sort them out.

DeeCeeCherry · 15/01/2023 01:47

You start by getting rid of stuff. If you have 2/3 of the same kitchen utensils, too many pots & pans, then start there. Move on to clothes and accessories. Then paperwork. Then whatever else afterwards.

If you have too much stuff you will never get rid of clutter and dust.