New Year, New House (sort of) and New Determination to Keep It Clean

[DumbledoresGirl]

I don't do New Year Resolutions as such, but this year is special. We are half way through a big conversion/extension project on our house and I have reached the point in my life when I am totally sick of living in a house I feel ashamed to have people visit.

I am thinking that once the builders have gone, I am going to really make a difference to the cleanliness of the house I live in. I was reading today that a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house should take 4 hours a week to clean. My house, when finished, will be double that size, but I can't see myself being able to clean it in 8 hours. I have always been overwhelmed by the mess in my house.

What I want is your tips for getting on top of cleaning a house. Don't mention flylady to me though! I am not that obsessive!

Once you clear the clutter the cleaning will be a doddle. I have a big 5 bed, 4 bath, 45 staired () house, sounds like it's a similar size to your finished project and it takes me 5 hours to do a big clean.

We are not hoarders and both DH & I are slightly anal obsessive perfectionist so the place is rarely untidy & dirty. We live quite minimally given that we have 3 kids, 2 cats & 2 guinea pigs, that helps

I think there is a big difference between cleaing and clearing - I mean, it may well take that amount of time to clean, but that is assuming that everything is away in its rightful place before you start, and with 4 dc in teh house and 2 adults, that is going to be a rarity....

Yes naswm that is what dh said to me. The 4 hours stated does not include tidying the mess away first. But I find I spend hours tidying and then have lost heart/energy and don't actually get down to the cleaning part.

NDP, roughly speaking, what do you get done in those 5 hours?

What are your priority areas? & give these a daily once over. Mine are the loos, kitchen & the washing. If I stay onto top of this I feel fine.

when I first gave up work (ie not on mat leave and not freelancing - actually gave up my permanent job) I read a book called something like the smart woamans guide to staying at home, and in it is told you to divide up the tasks, cleangin bathrooms, changing beds, cleaning kitchen etc etc and then aportion each to a sep day in the week. The idea was to spread it all out so you get one thing done a day but no one day is taken over totally to clearning etc.

it worked....

.....for a week or so

but it might work for you....

....for a little while longer

Clean, hoover & mop all 4 bathrooms
Hoover stairs
Hoover master bedroom, DD's bedroom & spare room/study
Dust master and strip bed
Dust & tidy DD's room
Wash, dry and put away 2 or 3 loads of laundry
Hoover and mop kitchen, clean worksurfaces, empty bin, wipe inside of fridge
Hoover & dust lounge
Change cat litter tray if needed (they are not solely indoor cats so it is used very infrequently, prob 1 wee in 3wk period)

I don't clean the inside of the windows every week and I don't strip all of the beds weekly, the kids are stripped every fortnight and the spare is stripped between guests.

I also don't do the DS' bedroomas as they are 15 & 16.5 and I am not their slave house elf . They do not need any further encouragement to be bone idle !

I literally drop the kids at school, get home at 9.30 on a friday and I don my rubber gloves and get on with it. I don't stop until around 2.30 - 2.45 when it's time to do the pick up.

Friday is my day off work so I get it out of the way.

Oh, and I do the oven once a fortnight, takes an extra 20 mins

NDP i am exhausted reading all that!

I have long done that naswm. When I was struggling with 3 under 4 I developed a rota for tackling different aspects of housework for each day of the week. I have never kept to it rigidly, but I still (8 years on) have it in my mind each weekday. The idea is that it allowed me to cover the basics, a little each day. For me those basics are a basic hoover round, ironing (yes you wont persuade me clothes dont need ironing!) sheet changing, cleaning bathrooms etc.

But that isn't enough tbh. My house is still a tip. Mess is the worst problem. I am determined when the house is complete that everything will have a place and I am going to make sure people put things away more.

But I would love to know what tips people have for keeping their house in a presentable state. I am already thinking I will divide the house up into sections and blitz one section a week - proper cleaning eg washing skirting boards and woodwork etc.

Does this sound too obsessive? How does your house stay clean because the only time I have thought my house was clean was the day I moved into it.

nas, that's one of the reasons I don't stop. If I stopped and sat down I'd lose the motivation !

wow NDP that is more than I achieve in 2 weeks, doing a bit each day. I am a slattern, aren't I?

I have never cleaned my oven.

My tip is BE RUTHLESS when decluttering, encourage the kids and DH to do their bit.

I find the whole housework thing dpressing tbh

I know that dsnt help sorry

I dont think you're a slattern DG.

I just use Oven Pride to do the oven. I put it on the night before and just rinse and wipe it out the next day. Saves a huge amount of elbow grease and stressing

Ironing is something that I am v slatternly (prob not a word) wih. I don't really bother, I iron DH's work shirts, school uniforms and my work stuff. Anything else is fine in my book

I'd rather slit my throat than stand in front of the ironing board for 2 hours.

My MIL (oh the shame of it!) gave me an oven cleaner she strongly recommended once (years ago). I still have the bottle.

I have never seen much need for resolutions in my life before but this aspect of my life really does need a radical overhaul.

The only thing I would say though to you NDP is that we are not a minimalist family. I would like to be more minimalist but I am fighting a losing battle against dh and 4 children.

i find it so hard and at the minute after xmas its a mess

its getting to the stage that i am so ashamed of my home.

i need help

i find i get a room sorted and then withing 2 hrs its as bad as ever

I celan my oven and still get brown meringeus

You see, I actually prefer ironing to cleaning. The standing still for long periods can be exhausting in a way that activity doesn't quite match, but I listen to the radio and I enjoy seeing the pile of crumpled things diminishing and the pile of crisp ironed things growing. Ironing is the one thing I am usually on top of (not at the moment though - 2 weeks of washing is sitting filling one window sill)

Once you've cleared/cleaned it properly once it'll be a doddle to stay on top of it.

Once a week go around the whole house and pick up any clutter etc. Another day a week go and hoover/dust/clean etc.

In the meantime each night clean any cups/plats you have (or like me load the dishwasher) and put any washing you have in. Apart from that its dead easy.

This is something I'm doing this year cos I cleaned (and I mean CLEANED) our house for xmas and now I'm determined to stay on top of it.

Do you have a cuppa before bed? Put a note on kettle or on wall behind kettle reminding you to clean all plates etc and see if any washing needs doing.

LOL naswm

Hunnybun, it is the same here. I spent all yesterday morning cleaning up the sitting room. Within hours the carpet was dirty again and the tables and floor were covered in toys and papers etc. It makes you wonder why you bother, doesnt it?

Hello DG. Haven't spoken with you for ages.
What's new in your life?

Right, here are my pointers but I am brutal as have to live life like clockwork with dh away and working f/t with the MSc too.
House is 4 bedrooms with three loos

-Shoes off at door
-Eating and drinking only at table
-If stuff comes in , stuff has to go out. I trawl through every drawer/cupboard every 2 months liberating old clothes and so on
-Kids responsible for own stuff and putting away. (My 4 year old knows how to tidy and put away)
-Huge all day blitz about every 6 weeks

Other than that, it looks after itself.

Don't go to bed without tidying, gettinlg clothes ready puitting brekkie stuff out.
My resolution is to get up 1/2 hour before everynoe else and eat/shower/change in peace.

I think I am on top of the washing. We have a dishwasher and it goes on every night. Ditto the washing machine. For me it is the clutter, the floors, the windows, the clutter, dusting, woodwork, the kitchen, oh and the clutter that I rarely even get started on, let alone done.