Mums who work full time long hours. When do you clean?

[Gymmum82]

I’m about to start a full time role I’ll be leaving the house around 5.30-6am returning home around 5.30pm.
I’ll then need to transport the kids to clubs 4 nights a week. Make dinner, make lunches for the next day, eat dinner, do kids homework/reading etc.
So when do I clean?
What tasks should I be doing every day? Do I just leave the mess to build up and do a big clean at weekends? Then where does that leave family time?
Help. What do you do?

I am out the house 7:45 - 6 every week day, I have a cleaner who comes every Thursday morning for 2 hours and it's roughly £37 a week.

It's a sacrifice but It's well worth it. I could probably get away with every other week if I needed to.

Why does he get to say what he will and will not do, that leaves you to do it or to leave it undone. If you are both going to be working full time then you each spend the same amount of time on cleaning, driving to activities, lunches, family admin. Ideally sharing each thing but certainly with both of you agreeing the split.

Didn’t fall into that particular trap. DH worked away from home (as in away for 5 nights a week) when DD arrived. I did no more than was necessary for keeping the pair of us alive. At weekends we both did that plus whatever was needed to keep the house sanitary.

Now I’m away 2 weeks a month and the grown man at home does it all. It’s an absolute miracle by most women’s standards.

We both work full time. Partner does a lot of DIY (not just an excuse for not doing housework) which saves us a fortune so I pick up a lot of the housework.

I love a clean and tidy house but a lot of the time it's a tip.

We are getting better - training family up to put everything away straight away - shoes, cups, toys, washing, the lot. Do a laundry wash every day. Go over the bathroom most days (sink, toilet, bath, not the tiles etc.). Wipe the kitchen sides and sink down when possible. Hoovering and mopping gets neglected but we are knackered so just trying my best to get it done when I can.

It's bloody hard but I don't want to spend money on a cleaner, we could afford it but it would be a significant amount of money for us so I'd rather just cope the best we can.

Exactly!
or you’ll just grow to resent his attitude more and more.

I have 2 primary aged children and I work full time, the honest answer is I don’t clean, I’m too tired. If someone is coming over then I clean manically, but otherwise it mostly gets left until it’s so bad I have to clean it, usually at the weekends.

I clean when the floor crushes when I walk on it.😀

That sounds very busy and hard being out of the house for 12 hours - then taking the kids out several evenings as well. In terms of housework, I've never done a lot in the week apart from a few loads of washing. And daily stuff cleaning up after cooking etc. then at the weekend, hoover and clean bathroom etc. You don't need to do things like hoovering during the week as noone is around much!

You'll just need to get into an evening routine, eg making sure you put lunch boxes in the dishwasher early evening so you can make the next day lunches later. Washing kids' uniform on Tues/Wed if they don't have enough to get through the week. That's just an example, but you'll find your own routine.

In this situation I have had a cleaner. Your free time is more important if you can afford it

• Robot hoover upstairs and downstairs.

You can programme them to go round certain days/times. Then everyone just ensures the floor is empty.

• Clean as you go.
• slow Cooker. Don’t need to pre-fry meat. Total waste of time.
• I would rather do a little bit each day of washing rather than let it build up
• Clean the bathrooms while the kids are in the shower/bath. I’ve always done this !
• Put clean clothes away while kids in bath- Can still talk to them so it’s safe in my house

And really importantly- Have a massive de-clutter as soon as you can. The less stuff you have, the easier it is to keep on top

Or sticks 🤢🤣

Yeah I know its not helpful but WOW that is a hectic week...is this feasible ? Could you wfh one day a week that would really help. Don't think cleaning is going to be your only challenge here. Agree with the people who say you just constantly clean a little bit....I feel like something would have to give here though..paying for cleaner or wfh or more helpful dh..I would be exhausted.

Find the money in the budget for a cleaner, cut back on anything else, its a priority

Get one who will do washing or ironing, put it away, do a bit of tidying

I do washing, some shopping, most of the cooking. DH does cleaning, some shopping, some cooking. It’s exactly the same as before kids.

Get a cleaner. Honestly, 2 hours a fortnight makes a huge difference in our lives and costs me £66 a month.

We sweep busy bits of the floor in-between cleans and wipe down kitchen sides / toilets etc but we barely do any cleaning really.

We spend half an hour as a family the night before she comes tidying everywhere and changing beds.

You should really consider it to keep you sane!

You have a DH problem which you well know. Both of you need to contribute to a cleaner or both of you need to clean.

It is NOT your job to do all the work or even to figure out how all the work will get done. Put your husband on the spot and talk it through together.

You are not automatically in charge of this because you are a woman.

I used to be cleaning at midnight. God I had more energy then. I had my children young at 23, 25. So I think that helps.

I think cleaners are wonderful for working women if it's within your budget.

Hello. I completely relate, it can be really hard to fit everything in. One thing I’ve been trying over this year is decluttering which is a complete pain and something I’ve procrastinated over. It might be obvious but less stuff makes it so much easier to tidy and clean! I’m still not quite there yet but what I’ve done so far has helped. I tried a cleaner for a few weeks and it was wonderful! But a bit tight financially so I’m thinking maybe every other week. Anyway just some ideas!

Online shopping is a game changer.
Washing needs to be kept ontop of, every morning one goes in, as you get home another goes in and maybe another before bed, that’s the minimum I do as a single mum of 3.
slow cookers are also great, prep potatoes/chop veg etc of an evening and put in a pan of cold water overnight, drain and put in slow cooker with meat, stock, gravy etc before you leave, ask hubby to switch on low as he leaves at 7am, maybe buy a timer plug to use so it turns off after 4-5 hours. Loads of recipes online for slow cooker meals.
clean bathrooms as you use them, quick wipe round and floors every couple of days with a spray mop, proper mop at least once at the weekend.
having an upstairs and downstairs Hoover and mop and making cleaning products accessible quickly helps, ask hubby to strip bed every Friday morning then clean sheets on once your home of a Friday. Depending on kids age ask them to keep ontop of a specific chore or 2 each. Make sure they get in the habits of putting dirty washing in the basket, taking dishes and rubbish down with them to sort out, make sure they have easy access to bins so they don’t end up with messy rooms. I get my kids to quickly hoover a couple of times a week, they don’t do a great job but it helps inbetween when I get a chance to do a proper job

Cleaner

I think parents now can be too hung up on extra curriculars.
I mean, I read to my kids every night ( and both were reading by 4) but was never that arsed about homework and music practice they did it if they wanted. I don’t think I had that kind of middle class set up where we followed a rigid routine and worried about it.
But the main thing, honestly, was that I didn’t have an extra adult taking up space but not pulling his weight.
Women run themselves ragged trying to create perfection but it’s rarely worth it.
Get a cleaner if you can afford but mainly don’t become a drudge because some man thinks it’s beneath him to clean.
It really is the job of both of you to work out how the household will run. No passengers.

Also, coverless duvets - look on ‘online home store’ theyre buttons on there, or Argos for around £25, each of the kids have 2 each, then when changing beds alls I need to do is change the sheet and wash the whole duvet (I go the laundrette and put them all in a large machine in one go as the doubles don’t fit in my machine, they only take about 20 mins in the big dryers too!) I just hate changing bedcovers x

I leave at 7am to drop my children at breakfast club and nursery. I then get the train at 8am to get into work for 9:15. I leave work at 5:45 and get him between 7:15 and 7:30.

Not a very exciting job or highly paid. It’s the long commute and the two drop offs which make it a long day.

We do family weekend clean on a Sunday afternoon. We have a list and everyone does a room including the kids.