Tidy clean people - what do you do and how often?

[Annabel1]

Trying really hard to be better housewife. Hve three year old and four month old.
Would love to know from people whose houses are under control what jobs they do daily weekly etc. Looking for realistic routine - I don't think I'll ever clean from 6 - midnight but want things clean and under control. Also interested in how much "stuff" you have - I suspect that our probs are partly due to too many toys with too many small bits that I allow my daughter to put in bags and traipse wound the house with! Sorry if that seems nosey but my mum's rubbish and my sister has no children and so says "It's tidy cos I don't mess it up and it's clean cos it doesn't get dirty!" so I feel I have no example to follow!

I know what you mean! Ours isn't perfect but is more or less under control now...after much trial and error. We do have a cleaner once a week to do ironing and dust and hoover but it still looks like we've been burgled half an hour after she's gone if I don't keep it up, so this is what I do:

1. Have 'tidy up time' with toddler before meals/bedtime and try to get her to put one thing away before starting something else ( not always possible I know!)

1. Keep toys mainly in their rooms and/or one designated room in the house ( kitchen in our case) with decent storage. We got a cheap white metal PS Cabinet from IKEA to keep games, puzzles, drawing paper, pens, plasticene etc - shove it all in at night and shut the door...!

1. Put things in dishwasher straight after meals ( or wash up). I hate stuff hanging around so always keep surfaces in kitchen and sink clear. I don't have a draining board on purpose but that is probably a bit extreme! I get under the table with a dust pan and brush straight away too otherwise I find stray cheerios welded to the floor the next day...

1. Do one 'major' job a day taking 30 mins max ie bathroom and loo one day, hoover the next, dust another day.

1. Force myself to do a 20 minute potter round after the kids are in bed ( much more difficult with small baby I know) picking up stray toys and sorting out the washing etc. I put the kids' stuff outside their bedroom doors to avoid waking them up and then take it in in the morning to put away properly.

1. Have a weed out of toys and clothes every couple of months - I'm ruthless now about getting rid of broken bits and unidentifiable odds and sods, packing up outgrown clothes for charity shop or putting away for sibling or whatever.

1. Keep the washing under control by doing a wash every couple of days and forcing myself to get it dried and out away before doing another one - otherwise I end up in permanent washing hell...!

1. I am a bit of a fascist about the bathroom - it gets done properly once a week and then I make DH wipe the shower screen and rinse the bath after his shower every morning, and I give the basin and floor a quick once-over mid-week.

1. I have a packet of cheap baby wipes permanently on the go for wiping up spills, attacking stray dustballs under the sofa and wiping grubby fingermarks off the paintwork. Sounds a bit neurotic but is really useful.

10. Storage - we put a lot in this house, loads more than in the last, and it makes all the difference, particularly in the hall, bathroom and kids' rooms. The inside of my cupboards isn't great but who can tell with the door shut?!

Oh you sound so normal and just a couple of steps in front of me which is just what I'd hoped for! Some of those things I do already, some are things I really know I should and I feel you've given me permission to have a few cupboards I'd rather people didn't look in (and who should be going round looking in my cupboards anyway!! I currently do an hour or more potter in the evening but I think that's cos I don't get dd to help enough and don't do enough in the day. And thanks for mentioning the c word! I have had a cleaner for a while, just a couple of hours a week and kind of felt I should have a spotless house because of it. But you're right, it's lovely when she's been, means things don't get too mad or dirty but won't mean the rest of the week is done. And the washing thing! I must do a load a day - I relate to washing hell! my dh is fab but if I don't do it in the week, we end up with eight loads at the weekend and I lose the will to sort, fold and put away! I am going to print this out and pin it up!

Your eldest is still young so you can probably get away with 'toy rotating' removing a few toys and putting them in a cupboard for a few months. There are two advantages to this, there is less stuff and the toy has novelty value again when it comes out again.

It always helps to know other people are in the same boat! I found it much harder when I had a toddler and a baby - I think it gets a bit easier when they get slightly older and you can get 5 minutes to tidy up and get them to help a bit. Worst for me was the clingy phase when I couldn't put dd down without her screaming.

Agree toy rotating is good (as long as you can remember what you put away when and where - not my strong point!)

I have a list of set daily big jobs

Monday - change beds and ironing
Tuesday - bathrooms and change towels(4) etc

In additon I hoover daily and do general tidying/laundry etc. I find little and often keeps on top of it.

However I do have a 4yr old and 7 yr old so they are out the house a lot more which makes it easier.

I second - STORAGE.

Also another good tip is put things on the stairs to go up and never go up without taking something.