Really down about housework. Don't know how people have the time to get it all done.

[hellogoodbye]

Hello. I have recently become so down about my housework. I have always been rubbsih at it and have always been messy.

I know that my life woud be easier if me and DH just cleared up after ourselves as we wen along (he is currently not even living here, as I have become unhappy and asked him to leave - I think at least 70% of this stemmed from housework problems). We are both so messy, leave a trail of jobs behind us! I have tried so hard to change, but just end up sp miserable. Even if I sit and think "I need some time to relax" I just sit and think about all the jobs I should be doing.

It doesnt help that my DD is very demanding (6months old) and she like to have lots of attention, However, I was like this before she came along so cant blame her for it.

It has now got to the point that I dont want to be at home and will try to be out as much of the day as possible and make excuses not to go home.

I cant ever have people round as its a mess, and i am wanting to start childminding, and I am getting enquires,but cant have people looking round when my house is messy..

Am I alone on this? How can I do something about it. I think I am on the road to depression so need to act asap. I have had bits of melp from my mum, but she is away and there isnt anybody else who can help, and I would be embarassed anyway.

you could try FLY lady- i know some hate it. i find it works for me. you have little missions to do to try and keep on top of housework. things get broken down into zones- so this weeks zone is the bedroom. the idea being flylady sets a mission- todays is to dust in the zone (bedroom) and spend 15 mins in there decluttering. set a timer and then stop so you have done something.
i have been doing this for a few months and have found it really has helped. my flat is looking tonnes better. i have a little daily routine i follow.
also there is always a thread on here about fly, it changes daily and the girls on their are very friendly and supportive it helps egg each other on

lol just read your name and discovered you were in there ealrier!! hello again

i agree with Flying - i did this when DS was little and i was finding it hard to get on top of things

also, if you can afford it, get a squad of cleaners in to give a huge deep clean and deep clutter and then you may find it more manageable?

if not, then i would tackle one room at a time - much better than trying to get on top of the whole house at once

can you afford to hand over 16 pounds a week? if so, it is worth it for a couple of hourswe cleaning.
otherwise, stay out as much as possible

No, can't afford a cleaner! really wish I could!

stay out of the house as much as possible then

ooh you sound just like i used to be!! i only have one messy room left which is getting sorted today!!!

you already that the key is to do it as you go along. that really is the only thing that works and things dont take so long then!

wash up after you have finished a meal and put the pots away straight away, after that wipe down surfaces. clothes in wash basket after you take them off and put a load of washing in at least every other day (then try not to forget that its in there)

quick tidy of lounge every morning and night!

as far getting rid of the mess that you have accumalted. concentrate on one room at a time and do it in areas! i.e. first you will clear off your mantle. then you will organise papers. then you will sort out toy pile ect. aim to do at least an hour every day untill it is done.

my mp3 player motivates me into moving. i dont understand flylady at all but if you do it might work?

oh and every time you upstairs take something that belongs up there with you and bring something back down that belongs downstairs!

sorry i keep thinking of new tips while im going along!! start with easiest room and try and get it all done. you will feel much more motivated once you have one room that is gleaming!!

I'm not really sure why people can describe their houses as such a mess. I am trying to word this in a non-judgemental way so I'm not 'getting' at anyone, just really don't get it.

I have 4 children and a dog and my house is never in such a state that I couldn't invite people in.

Each day I get washed and dressed as soon as I am up. Then feed, wash and dress children.

Make beds
collect laundry and put washing machine on
wipe all kitchen surfaces/highchair
hoover downstairs
bleach in loo
spray and wipe bath and sink

All this is usually done by 9am and then we have the day to do other stuff and come home to a tidy home.

Which part do people get overwhelmed with? Mine is presentable and clean and tidy with a maximum effort of 30 minutes 2- 3times a day.

Put your baby in a sling and chat with her or let her sleep while you do a bit of light housework. Once she is a little older she can help you. Toddlers love housework!

Once you start childminding you can just use your mindees to do all your housework

Think it's easy to stay tidy when you have no clutter - it's getting rid of the clutter in the first place that is the hard thing!

Like micci25 said, if you just tackle a bit each day, and keep on top of it then it should get better. If you're like me though, you want it all done now, and get annoyed so just leave it! We'll get there in the end

im bad at housework-i just dont know where to start and it all gets on top of me!but im happier with tidy house!agree with sling-lifesaver to do anything with a baby!i got this from a thread a while a go and use it like as my rules,so i know what i must do(im just not organised and need a list!!).

Daily

-upstairs-

Make beds
empty waste bins
pick things up if left on floor
air rooms

wipe sinks/bath/shower
wipe loo around with wet wipe cleaning thingys

Take washing down

-downstairs-

empty/load dishwasher
put washing on/hang washing out
do nappies
wipe surfaces
sweep and wash kitchen floor
take rubbish out

air sitting room
tidy around/hoover if necessary
empty bin

sweep hall floor

weekly

change linen on beds
dust/hoover bedrooms/landing/stairs
clean bathroom mirrors
limelite sinks & bath
clean shower door

hoover downstairs
wash all floors
dust
wipedown doors (sticky fingers)

monthly

clean cooker
inside windows
clean fridge

goingslowlymad - but thats not encluding loads of stuff: changing beds, washing up, cooking, ironing, decluttering, cleaning bigger stuff like cooker etc, dusting, general cleaning windows etc.

There are LOADS of stuff that need doing. You might be lucky enough to be able to just do it as you go along and not even notice it, but I cant. Thats what I am saying.

i cant either!oh i forgot to say ds2 goes to cm for 4 hours once a week and thats my cleaning day!thats only way i get motivated to clean-feeling i must as i paid someone to have ds.

Message withdrawn

gsm - although I've not had the house that messy for a while (though its not great at the moment) it comes down to motivation/energy and having your house that way to start with.

My morning routine at moment - is up at 6:50. Washed and dressed. Make breakfast for dd, me and dh. Then we sit down and eat together - personally as we can do that I think its important as then dd is off to school for day. Much rather spend time with her than flying about the house. Breakfast finished at 7:30 - dd goes upstairs to get dressed while I tidy/do dishes/put laundry on.

Then dd needs help with hair, then I supervise violin practise as she is supposed to do it to cd accompaniment so I do cd. next its guinea pigs. dd helps clean and feed them then plays til its out of the door at 8:15am.

When I get home its put the laundry out. When do you put yours out/ do dishes etc?
Then theres the veggies/baskets to be watered, cat litter to be sorted.

By that point I've still not started any housework!

ah.
outside windows done once a month by window cleaner
inside windows only when I notice fingerprints
I change the sheet on my bed every other day or so
we have a dishwasher which gets loaded up as we go and put on after breakfast and after dinner. My husband always empties it first thing in the morning.
I don't clean bigger stuff on a regular basis. My oven never gets cleaned for example. Every quarter I get a professional oven cleaner man in to do it. Fridge gets done when noticably needs it. Childrens beds are changed as needed, no routine.
I ron only when I can fit nothing else in teh basket, or when my husband runs out of shirts which is about once every three weeks.

I hate housework as much as the next person which is why I keep on top of it. Plus I can't cope in a mess. I become irritable and edgy. Mess breeds more mess in this house. If it starts, it seems to multiply at an alrming rate.

Sorry I don't want to sound mean but you kinda need to get off MN and get on with it.

Just do one room at at a time, and once you have done that spend about 45 a day keeping on top of it.

I know it's boring but has to be done, unfortunately.

OYBK always put a wash on first thing in morning and last thing at night. Never hang washing to dry, it all goes straight into tumble drier. I fold one drier full first thing in the morning and another at some other point in the day.

I don't have a garden that needs nurtering thank goodness. Just the dog poo to pick up which I do immediately as soon as I see it.

that would def give you a bit of a speed advantage!

I guess it comes down to the different ways we all run our lives - some get through with great efficiency and some run around like mad hatters trying to a do a gazillion things (me until i crash from knackerdness lol!) and yet others just struggle to do the basics (me when I've crashed!)

Speaking of which - 15 min tidy up now before I go off to help at school.

My house was chaos for ages then I did FLY lady. The 15 minute hot spot is fab. I did honestly used to stand in a room and wonder where on earth to start.

I knew that stuff needed from the kitchen to the bedroom but there was stuff that was in the bedroom that needed moving to the lounge and so on and so on.

My fantastic DH and I let our 5 yr old sleep in our bed on a saturday night because we basically emptied loads of boxes from the loft into his room and became brutal with the contents. It took 2 days, couple of trips to Oxfam, couple of runs to the tip, re-boxed everything we were keeping with a big book detailing the contents.

That meant there was space in the loft for the stuff we had cluttering the rooms, living on tops of wardrobes and stuffed into drawers.

I am a sahm so did have time but had 2 children at home and found it very hard.

I let the house slip this weekend and I hate myself for being a bit lazy as the knock on effect is huge.

Start with one room, kitchen is the best. Get a routine together of things you will do every day. Once you have nuked the bathroom you do only need to spend 3 minutes a day wiping it over.

Go to the Flylady website and start small. It is very cheesy american but it does work.

I have typed this with a 2 year old leaning across my lap!!!!

i dont understand fly lady

Is it going to take me forever to sit and read the whole fly lady thing?

As for whoever said I need to get off MN, I am usually only on here when I am Breastfeeding my DD, which means I can't do anything else anyway!

Talking on here about it all has got me motivated though, I have got quite a bit done today. I really wish I didnt have to go out at 2 as then I end up doing it all late at night and gettting sooo tired.