Please tell me how to get my house clean and keep it that way!

[Magenta82]

DP is moving out this weekend and DD4 and I are moving back in. He has had mental health issues and it was better for everyone that he leave.

But the house is a state. A lot of this is because he has been here for 2 weeks by himself and done sod all but to be totally honest I had let things slide a bit before that, mostly because I resented running around doing every single domestic and childcare task while he did nothing and moaned about the mess.

I've cleaned the bathroom thoroughly and tidied and hovered the dining room so DD can be left at the table with playdoh/crafts. But it all feels so daunting! There is clutter, mess and dirt everywhere.

I WFH so can get the washing and drying done during the day. DD is hard to settle in the evening so I probably have maybe an hour in the evenings to get bits done.

Any help with planning etc would be amazing!

On YouTube, there are loads of these inspiration type videos of people doing quick cleans and more around their home. They give tips as they go. A lot of people find it helpful.

Just keep on top of the kitchen and bathroom to start with, and take your time with the rest of it. Be ruthless in slinging things out though, and have a carrier bag or black sack somewhere like the hallway where you can put charity shop stuff.

First job...big bin bag and walk from room to room gathering up actual rubbish.

Then go room to room and gather up any crockery and take it into the kitchen.

Then big laundry basket and go room to room and gather up any dirty clothes/towels etc.

Thanks for the tips, the washing machine and dishwasher have been running all day and I've made a start on deep cleaning the kitchen.

A drawer in the fridge was broken but I've ordered another one, I was honestly shocked at how much it cost but the fridge is new and I am upset every time I see it.

Im also really pissed off and paranoid because he unplugged all the ultra sonic rodent repellants, he reckons they give him a headache, but the house is old and there are potential holes for animals to get in. We found old evidence of mice when we moved in. There is a funny smell in the living room so I am going to have to pull out all the furniture and clean and look for holes. It is probably just the fact that he has been sitting in the living room, eating there etc with the windows closed and the curtains drawn but I wont feel happy until I've checked.

I use one of two methods.

Either

One room at a time

OR

One item at a time

One room at a time I move all obstacles into the next room then clean that room of grime.
Then move obstacles (accoutrements, trinkets, appliances etc.) back into the now clean room.

One item at a time I go around the house and say

I'll get all clothes into laundry basket
I'll get all rubbish into bin bags
I'll get all surfaces cleared (into a big box you sort later once room is clean)

Pick one and repeat until house is clear.

I'm actually someone who cannot function in mess so I use these two techniques constantly and they are tried and tested and my house is spotless and I LOVE it!

(never let a man in they'll fuck it up)

This is actually the best way. Really excellent advice and will make things less overwhelming. Mainly because there will be things that you don't have to think about putting away or organising. Just get rid of the rubbish first.

I'd say pick a job/area and don't pick a new one until it's completely finished (doesn't have to be done all at the same time).

So if you've decided on a drawer, the oven, behind the sofa then you have to keep returning to that job until you're totally satisfied before you pick a new task.

That's on top of keeping hygiene going as usual kitchen, bathroom, laundry.

What kind of materials do you have in your living room that he's created the stink? Leather or fabric sofas, carpets?

I recently spent some time taking apart my hoover with a barely damp cloth and changed all the filters and cleaned it as much as possible.

I'd had builders in and was pissed off at the amount of shit that was all over and inside my miele.

Use all the tools on your hoover and get everywhere that crumbs could have accumulated in, around and under your sofa.

Also, could you pay for a cleaner once to come in and do a fur coat and no knickers clean, just for your own sanity.

It's easier to get to the bottom of clutter and investigate random smells etc if it at least looks sane and respectable.

I would focus on tidying and decluttering as deeply as possible. That way when you do deep clean somewhere it stays much cleaner and easier to reclean.

Decluttering drawers and surfaces also gets you to deep clean those areas almost incidentally before anything goes back, and feels like a big achievement. Cleaning by stealth! As this is a new start for you I think decluttering one area at a time will be good mentally too. It makes you feel in control when life feels anything but.

During the first lockdown I started decluttering and I kept at it and at it for two years until I'd been through every square inch.

I did it one small area at a time and never began a new job until it was completed. Obviously alongside normal housework.

Ive deep cleaned the kitchen and bathroom and declutteted and thoroughly cleaned about 3/4 of the living room, I just need to pull out and clean behind the sofas and clean the leather. I used Cif infinite lavender on all the surfaces in the living room and it smells a lot better.

Feeling a lot more positive

Once you've got rid of his dirt and it's only yours and your DCs new dirt and you can relax 🤣