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!

dg yeh its pointless and the amount of toys kicking about is mental,

clothes r a big issue in my house i have basket of it everywhere needs ironed

going to start again tomorrow

dg yeh its pointless and the amount of toys kicking about is mental,

clothes r a big issue in my house i have basket of it everywhere needs ironed

going to start again tomorrow

Moony is a woman after my own heart.

ll I can say is you need to turn your biggest clean house hindrance (4 kids and a DH) into a positive. Create your own little cleaning army ! They are all old enough to be responsible for their own bedrooms. Do you have a playroom ? If so, they can all do that too.

nothing new, more of tyhe same

Hello Moondog. Now you see, the tidying up before bed and the getting up half an hour earlier are the 2 things I know I fail on. I like my bed too much (in the morning) and at night, I like my sit down time.

I do agree though re throwing stuff out. I am going to be ruthless when we get our house back (mostly living in 2 rooms downstairs and 2 rooms upstairs at the moment - all the other rooms are either being built or filled with crap possessions.

Oh get rid of clutter.It grinds you down. I have hardly anything.Sisters call my house the laboratory.

We are beginning to get nearer to being clean - definitely getting rid of stuff is the way to go. And to keep going in a circle - I did the kitchen in the summer, big time blitz. Did the same a few weeks ago - DH thought I was mad, but I cleared another whole cupboard's worth of stuff.

I'm v guilty of hoarding on a whim of "I'll eBay/car-bbot this one day". But now I'm beginning to think, is it really worth the hassle? Might as well just give away on Freecycle/to charity shop - a whole box of stuff may be worth about £50 BUT only if everything sold without haggling, and you have the hassle of doing it. I could do with £50, but I think now that perhaps it is worth possibly "losing" that to give me some clear space at home.

The one thing from Flylady that is true is the shine-your-sink thing. Try to end each day with a clean kitchen sink & worktop, so you come down in the morning not having to face a pile of cr*p.

My resolution for the year is to "not put it down put it away" and to teach the kids the same - easy to clean if you haven't got to tidy first.

Bathroom tip - bought some opaque plastic baskets with wire handles from Wilkinsons (looked like Holding Company but about £2) and rounded up the shampoos/shower gels/conditioner into those - then you haven't got to move a load of bottles to wipe the bath/worktop (sure that's not the right word for bathroom surface but don't know what is!)

Yes there is a playroom - currently full of boxes and furniture. Dh wants all toys to be confined to this room or children's bedrooms when the house is finished and I think this will help. My children are not great tidiers (too long have they been waited on) but at least if I can keep the more public rooms tidy and clean, that will be a start.

I think with the buildrs in etc etc adn the house being extensed by half you cannot expect to stay on top of things, but when it is all done, you can sety yourself a new routine - you'll do it, I know you will

Tidying before bed and getting jobs done in the quiet is v important.
I have
-sewn up my cashmere jumper
-sewn button onto duvet
-written 3 e mails
-done ironing
-made kids' packed lunches
-tidying up living room
-set out breakfast stuff
-organised bag for work

It has taken me 45 mins.If kids about, would have taken me hours.

whreas the rest of us have wasted spent that time on mn [bl;ush]

Good tips Housemum. Agree completely.

I once read that you should carry all your cleaning materials around with you when cleaning the house so you can tackle any job you find to do there and then. My cleaning stuff is kept in several small baskets and I never have the right thing with me so I am going to get a larger recepticle so I can carry around everything with me.

LOL @ "whereas the rest of us have spent the time on Mumsnet".

Too true.

It did occur to me that not Mumsnettting might be the best tip I could give myself.

Time MNIng is never wasted.It's conversation, not like playing Mutant Underground Warlord Apocalypse with saddo teenagers from Taiwan until all hours on tinternet.

Or Mahjjong? (saddo alert)

'time on mn is never wasted' yeah, right!!!

I come on mn especiutally TO waste time lol

Filing cabinet for all yr paperwork!

I mean mahjongg dont I? Never bothered looking at the spelling of that word.

Anyway Moondog, where in the world do you live now? I once read a post from you that made me think you were in Pakistan or similar?

Is it not mahjong? Anyway, could be anything as taken from Cantonese. The sound of the litle counters rattling is the sound of my childhood.Grew up surrounded by Asian MJ fanatics in Pacific.

DG, am back at work f/t in Wales and completing MSc but dh now based in Bangladesh so am spending a lot of time there (work very good about extended periods of unpaid leave.)

Lovely place and charming people (he is in charge of EU prject aimed at lifting 18 000 'ultra poor' women out of destitution.

After his many years in former USSR it is lovely ot be in steamy tropics with lots of other expats.Oh and his live in housekeeper and driver.I had a heavenly summer with him and back at Easter.

How about you? Apart from extension are you working/studying or thinking of it as you were a while back? Is your dh still abroad a lot?

your life sounds a,mazing moondog!

Hmm, not really.Most is tedium of running home alone and trying to sort it all out-homework,shopping,ironing,yawn yawn yawn.

Have just sussed that the total eclipse in July will affect Bangladesh so that will be fun though!

oh sorry

That sounds lovely. And so heartwarming to know he is doing something so worthwhile.

The build is a major part of my life at the moment and has been since July. Dh would like me to be contributing to the coffers, but I am moreorless set against teaching now. Am on the supply register but have had very little work. Once the builders go (if they ever go ) there will be an awful lot of decorating to do (basically every room needs it) so there is no sense of nothing to do here. Even so, we have been here before haven't we? I still dream of the National Trust job you invented for me!

PS It is mahjongg according to the program I have on my pc.

Nas, don't be (if comment directed at me).I have a fine old time.
DG I think everyone needs to do something out of the home, whatever that is.

Oh total eclipse - wonderful. In 1999, when England had its total eclipse, dh was doing his MBA and had the day off. I tried to persuade him to drive down to Cornwall just for the sheer hell of it but he couldnt be bothered so we watched a 98% eclipse on Dunstable Downs (not the same at all). I wouldnt miss out on the chance of experiencing a total eclipse again.