How do you do it, I can't keep up with the housework.

[MadameCheese]

Just wondering how you manage, I can't seem to keep our house straight with DS of 9m.

hmm, will watch with interest.

I have 5dcs and i'm sure i could get on top of things... If i could just be bothered,

am gonna watch for time saving tips

Have you had a look at the fly threads on here? It seems to work for some people.

Or do what I do, and drop your standards

I think in my case it comes down to 2 things, motivation and decluttering.

Once you can get the house/flat decluttered and in a half decent state, most jobs don't take that long. For example, I hate washing the bathroom floor but realistically it is a 10-15 minute job even if done properly. Sweep/vac first, then good scrub with floor cloth and hot soapy water.

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at the mo. Christmas and dd's birthday stuff adding to the clutter. All floors need doing but the baby is v demanding.

Whenever I see the fly threads it makes me wince to think people are so organised. smellen my standards were never that good to begin with!

MadameCheese I have never been able to get past point 1 about polishing the sink.

I polish my sink but the rest of the house is a tip I have 6 months to declutter 20 years worth of stuff before we move back to the UK...

("fly threads"? )

MadameCheese, I ask myself the same question: how does one keep up???

I've just read up to day five and am lost, am I not allowed to wear slippers? How does this help with the housework?

one job per day? i have started to make myself put a load of washing away each time i do a new load (so at least once a day then!). ironing gets left to dh to do. being reallyh ruthless at throwing stuff away. storage containers for everything. doing jobs eg sweeping floor as/when you notice it needs doing. but i am not v good at it at all. forcing myself means my house isnt a TOTAL embarrassment!

Mine is a total embarrassment

No, flying is great. It honestly transformed my house. I think you will find that the ones on those threads are probably the least organised people, which is why they need to fly. I was anyway .

(Okay, seriously... what do you mean by 'flying'? Now I'm really curious!)

i agree with sleepycat, washing every morning, hang as soon as wash is done, and fold and put away as soon as dry.

put your wash on 1st thing when you get up, while that is on you can fold and put away the previous days washing. do you work?

i work 3 days a week. i get up at ten to 7 and have myself and ds dressed and downstairs for 10 past. the wash goes on straight away and i start breakfast. ds usually takes a while to eat so while he is eating i run the tap and fold any washing that is dried from the previous day. it all goes in the basket. when ds is finished i wash dishes, counters and table. then i take the washing upstairs when we go to brush our teeth. sometimes i dont have time to put it all away so i set the basket in the hotpress. i put it away in the evening while ds is in the bath.thats typical of my morning and it means when i come home i dont have to get stuck into a load of washing. other things that need doing like hoovering, mopping, windows, dusting, bathrooms i do on a tuesday (day off). ds goes to nursery from half nine to half eleven so i use that time to do as much as i can. even if you only do the rooms that people are going to see, it makes a difference. also second the doing things as they need done. instead of saying "i'll do it another time" it may seem like a real effort at the time but just do it and then its done. also, i keep the tv and computer off during the day. radio on and i get loads done.

ive just realised that you have a 9 month old, naptime would be a good chance for you to have a quick tidy up everyday.

madame cheese a cleaning routine has really helped me.

Each day I do certain basic jobs (laundry, wash pots etc - and yes, put wash on overnight, hang out (outside for pref) in the am).

Then each day one or two others eg hoover upstairs twice a week, change bedlinen this day, clean bathroom those days etc.

You do need to start with a declutter tho if poss (easier said than done I know - get some storage so at least it's hidden!)

One tip I got from a friend, if you see something that needs doing and you know it will only take 5 minutes, just do it right then! Like wiping the worktop, sweeping the floor, or emptying the dishwasher.

but then you are always cleaning

Yes, that's what it feels like, i'm always cleaning
if it's not the wash, it's the dishwasher, wiping the counter, cleaning the bathrooms... it's always something and sometimes i get sick of it, but then i get more sick of what it looks like if i don't do it and that gets me going again

i agree with whoever said to declutter
and whoever said do it right then

I need a professional de-clutterer. DDs are 9 and 10, and quite aside from the fact I can't bear to part with some of their hand knitted 6 month old clothes (any ideas as to who would appreciate them - don't want them to sell for 50p in a charity shop) I still have dd1's rattle

I am a regular flyer and I NEED to fly. I suffered with PND after the birth of my children adn the house was a shithole and that is being polite.

I am not a natural at house woork, I would rather play with the children mumsnet than do the work. Fly breaks it up into manageable chunks and I can work with that.

You NEED to do the babysteps. Do not take everything at face value and pick the bits that work for you. We tend not to wear shoes in the house and I also dont wear make up and am not about to start just because some website tells me

Decluttering is the key and having a place for everything. Fly gives you a morning and evening routine and the rest is done bit at a time.

Dont knock it till you have at least completed the babysteps.

I will start todays thread and then post the link for anyone that wants to come and see.

wed Fly

when my children were tiny, I always used to clean in the evenings, once they had gone to bed. It was lovely being able to come down in the mornings to a tidy lounge and kitchen.

now, I tend to do a ruthless clean once a week (takes about 2hrs), and just keep on top of the house day to day by tidying as I go about......ie, when I go upstairs I takes something that needs to go back, same as coming downstairs. I clean the kitchen while I cook dinner (obviously apart from what I am using), and then just do the dinner bits after........I don;t like to come down to a dirty kitchen!.

washing is done daily......sometimes twice a day if not more if there is bedding. Ironing is done weekly, with a DVD

lounge is tidied as we go up to bed, which now doesn;t mean more than putting the throws and cushions back and taking glasses etc out. It is much better now there are not so many toys about.

oh, toilets etc........I clean them every other day as I go to bed, if not each day.

the only thing I lack on is mopping the floors......one job I loathe!