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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

I have set myself just over 24hrs (from now) to get the downstairs of my house storted - but not sure..............

26 replies

FAQinglovely · 15/02/2009 15:34

where to start.

I h ave general housework that needs doing.

I have a "dining room" - that is full of an assortment of opened boxes, and unopened boxes

The living room isn't too bad - mostly just day to day clutter in there

Kitchen - again unopened, and opened boxes, stuff on the work tops that doesn't belong in there. Worktops totally covered in stuff (not too much "general" mess - just the boxes and stuff) Floor needs tidying and cleaning - I can hardly move in their at the moment.

Hallway - lots of unopened boxes stacked there.

The most important thing is to get the dining room sorted - I need to get the table out of the garage and up by tomorrow evening as I'm hosting a meeting here.

I don't know how/where to start. Lots of the boxes for downstairs have a things in the belong in a mixture of rooms - so I can't just move a box from dining room to living room and leave it there to sort, as it could have stuff for the dining room and kitchen in it too.

HELP!!!!

OP posts:

DingALongCow · 15/02/2009 16:16

Kitchen and dining room first. Concentrate on emptying one box at a time. We just moved internationally into a smaller house and I concentrated on emptying a box then flattening it and getting it out of the way.

Once the stuff was out I sorted it all into piles for each room, empty boxes came in handy to store it all in. Then I tackled the next mixed box of stuff. Once a room box was full I moved it into the relevant room and put it away immediately. I also had a charity shop box and a dump box because somehow, despite our best efforts a whole load of rubbish had made the trip with us!

I didnt worry too much about how things were put away as long as they were out of sight. Kitchen stuff was put into the cupboards however it fitted just to get it out of the way. Same with clothes, books etc, as long as they were out of the way and out of sight. Once all the boxes were emptied and we had more space I took one room at a time and reorganised it, but it was much easier because everything I was handling was supposed to be there.

Once the kitchen and dining room are done I would do the living room and finally tackle the hallway, but I dont think its a priority.

Good luck!

PlumBumMum · 15/02/2009 16:21

I did my kitchen today and it felt good my reward was to come and sit on mn for awhile
So start with kitchen
When we moved 3 years ago, feels like yesterday, I ended up putting all boxes in to dinning room and working from there,

It didn't feel like I had boxes everywhere then

goodluck

Be ruthless also

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 15/02/2009 16:26

hallway is sort of a priority as the boxes take up most of the space for the (large) pushchair which will return tomorrow - and until the boxes are moved I can't get the mats down on the laminate floor so it's not so slippery.

God I can't believe it's 2 weeks since I moved in and it still looks like this it's all a mucking fuddle - if I take the stuff upstairs that will belong up there then there'll be no space to get the beds up (DS2's bunk bed and my bed are still in bits ), oh - and DS2's chest of drawers is still in the garage.

What you say about just putting it "away" and sorting later makes sense, only problem is I don't know when I'll find time - I've just started an OU course which is eating into lots of my time (although I've set from toda until tomorrow evening when the DS's get home from DH's house to get the house sorted rather than study)

OP posts:

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 15/02/2009 16:28

I'm not sure I'll fit any more of the boxes from the kitchen into the dining room - it already contains most of the boxes that were in the living room which I moved out of the way so at least we had floor space and furniture in place

Think I'll start with the kitchen - then I may be able to open the cupboards to put the rest of my shopping away - did a big shop this afternoon, put the freezer and fridge stuff away and the rest is still sat in bags in the hallway and on the last few remaing bits of "free" space on the kitchen floor

OP posts:

PlumBumMum · 15/02/2009 16:31

yeap start in kit then hall

bellavita · 15/02/2009 16:32

I just knew this would be you FAQ!!

You have been playing with that new Brabantia bin faaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrr too long!!

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 15/02/2009 16:36

no I've been --playing- with visiting my DH (oh and attending OU tutorials

Right - going to go and make a coffee (doesn't help that I have a slight hangover from last night ), have a fag and then see if I can at least clear one of the worktops before I go out to church in a hours time..........

OP posts:

TrillianAstra · 15/02/2009 16:37

Yep, no question who this is going to be.

Starting an OU course at the same time as moving house and buying a new bin to play with - very dangerous!

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 15/02/2009 16:38

it's the bloody bin that's thrown it all out you know - nothing to do with moving house and starting OU course and having the DS's off schools for 5 days in the last 2 weeks before of the weather

OP posts:

bellavita · 15/02/2009 17:28

FAQ - you still have a sense of humour though - you are doing a crackin' job!

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 15/02/2009 19:34

huh sense of humour - what's one of those

btw - haven't done anything yet - had a looooong coffee before church and only just got back.

OP posts:

psychomum5 · 15/02/2009 19:36

open wine

do one room at a time

hide the children first tho, seems mine don;t help me do as I want, so assuming your's might be similar!!

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 15/02/2009 19:38

ok.

I have no wine

I'm hoping to do that

they're well hidden at DH's house at the moment - and will be for just under 24hrs - hence me setting the rest of tonight and most of tomorow aside for purely house sorting time

OP posts:

Ohforfoxsake · 15/02/2009 19:40

Put boxes in garage
buy wine
drink wine and congratulate yourself on achieving minimalist interior.

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 15/02/2009 19:43

lol - that's only one problem with that idea - the shop is too far to walk in the dark - and (more importantly) the garage is still full of boxes (and furniture) that need bringing into the house

I think I'm going to finish this fag, sort myself something to eat and a coffee and then tackle the kitchen - at least if I can get up in the morning and make a coffee and breakfast without having to trip walk round things and find a mug and bowl sized spot on the worktops it may put me in a more inspired frame of mind to tackle the dining room...................

OP posts:

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 15/02/2009 21:44

ok - well I've just done an hour in the kitchen, cleared and cleaned 2 worktops and almost done the 3rd and final one.

About to eat and have a break before I tackle the last worktop and get the stuff off the floor/out of the kitchen that doesn't belong there.

OP posts:

bellavita · 15/02/2009 22:08

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 16/02/2009 09:45

ok - well after I sat down to eat last night I was absolutely knackered - had manic weekend, so didn't do anything else.

I've just got up and am having a coffee and then want to get the kitchen and hallway done before lunchtime - that'll give me the afternoon to get the dining room done..........

OP posts:

bellavita · 16/02/2009 11:04

optimistic is better than pessimistic

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 16/02/2009 11:15

"God I can't believe it's 2 weeks since I moved in and it still looks like this"

s'not so bad. I once went for a week away and didn't unpack my suitcase until a month later. I kept passing it in the upstairs hall thinking 'must sort that'.

But you know your fatal error was setting up your pc first, you should have packed every wire and bit and bob at the bottom of various boxes so you couldn't set it up until you were done.

Good luck with today, put some loud music on and try to pretend you're not really doing it, it will fly.

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 16/02/2009 11:55

woohoo - kitchen and hall sorted - still got a few bits on the (clean underneath) worktops to put away - but it's most tins and stuff from the shopping I did yesterday.

I took "before" photos of the kitchen (was going to take some of the hall but forgot) so will post them and "after" photos later (or tomorrow).

Time for a break now before I plough on with the dining room

OP posts:

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 16/02/2009 15:24

I have no boxes in the dining room - just a bookcase (where it should be) the toy box straddling the divide between the living room and dining room it's open plan but clearly "defined" iykwim) and a dining room table and chairs in the middle of it

OP posts:

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 16/02/2009 15:41

I have before and after photos of the dining room on my profile

OP posts:

Ohforfoxsake · 16/02/2009 20:21

Blardy hell!

Seriously impressed

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 17/02/2009 09:16

thanks

I'l take my "after" photo of the kitchen at some point today amd post that - as that was an equally dramatic transformation.

I now only have on piece of furniture to take out of the garage into the house (DS2's chest of drawers) and then I'm at the "putting everything away and emptying boxes" stage

OP posts:

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