Do cleaning routines work for you?

[AwkwardPaws27]

Suspect I have ASC, and DH is awaiting an ADHD assessment.

We have too much stuff and too many pets. House is always a mess. DH won't get rid of stuff and I'm not rehoming the two cats or the dog so need to figure out how to work around it!

Do any cleaning routines / rotas / tips work for you?

The only thing that I seem to be able to stick to us to do something (empty / load dishwasher, or wipe kitchen sides) while the kettle is boiling.

I struggle to start as I can't seem to just do one thing - I need to hoover for example but it seems pointless doing one room / area, but it's too messy to do all the house and I'm 29 weeks pregnant so would probably need a nap if I tried that!

No.

I wish I did. I would love to be super organised.

I want to make myself a schedule and stick to it.

I used to occasionally devise elaborate schedules and never be able to stick to them, so then basically did nothing because what’s the point if I can’t stick to it. I recommend Dana K White (A Slob Comes Clean). She has written books, does a podcast and YouTube. Her way of thinking about housework has made a huge difference to me. Her first book How To Manage Your House Without Losing Your Mind was the first thing that’s ever made an impact on the state of my home. It’s not perfect now but it is better and I feel less shit about it.

I follow the TOMM days (the organised mum method) which advocates just 30mins in one room per day. But I have to put it in my diary so I remember (and can enjoy ticking it off). I don't always do it but I do more often than I don't, which is probably 75% more often than without TOMM.

I also put everything else in my diary, or beds don't get changed, towels don't get washed, etc. I know it needs doing but I get overwhelmed without it being written down.

I used to occasionally devise elaborate schedules and never be able to stick to them, so then basically did nothing because what’s the point if I can’t stick to it

This sounds a lot like me! I'll definitely check out those resources, thank you.

@ponygirlcurtis

I follow the TOMM days (the organised mum method) which advocates just 30mins in one room per day. But I have to put it in my diary so I remember (and can enjoy ticking it off). I don't always do it but I do more often than I don't, which is probably 75% more often than without TOMM.

I also put everything else in my diary, or beds don't get changed, towels don't get washed, etc. I know it needs doing but I get overwhelmed without it being written down.

I like ticking things off too, & I also forget to change bedsheets if it isn't on the weekend jobs list. I think I need to look at TOMM again and see if I can make an adapted version that will work better for me.

No. I've tried all manner of apps and lists but in the end I let it all build up to a state of paralysing chaos, sit and procrastinate on my one day off and don't know where to start, then inevitably start on the washing up and just keep going. Luckily my place is small so it looks chaotic quickly, but is also quite easy to rectify.

I LOVE it when it's done, but it doesn't last long. Even when I finish I think, oh, I deserve a coffee. Then leave the coffee out, the cupboard and drawer open, the spoon on the side... and so it starts again

Awkward Paws27 I have changed the days on TOMM - eg I mainly cook at the weekend so I do kitchen on a Monday so it's clean for the rest of the week. It's the only day I probably do a full 30mins. I have a robot hoover so after I spend 5 mins dusting on the other days I send it round and that's me done. I know there are other jobs I could do to be cleaning for the full 30mins but that's when it starts to get too much if I try and factor those in too.

I’ve started doing my kitchen in thirds. It’s been an interesting experiment because I have to constantly remind myself to go back to the area I’m cleaning and not get distracted by something else.

I don't leave a room empty handed.
I try and wash up when it's only a couple of bits
I bought an old fashioned carpet sweeper which is easier than getting the hoover out

I love making up routines but I’m useless at following them. I loved the idea of TOMM but it didn’t work for me

I highly recommend a slob comes clean particularly if you have adhd (she’s never been diagnosed but she definitely has traits).

Nope, I just can't do it. It's like I'm blind to the mess until it becomes unbearable.
I try lists and rota type things but forget to follow them.

My routine tends to be wait until an hour before a visitor then madly speed clean. I can't stick to a routine so things do slip but I also find once I can get started I'll do most of the house. I would love to just do a light clean once a day but it tends to be all or nothing.

I think maybe it’s not so much routines as work for some minds, but systems. If how you organise and store stuff is designed to make it easy to use without making mess, and provide visual cues to prompt stuff to be done “automatically”, then it’s easier to manage.

My problem is I can’t even get that right though! Slowly slowly.

I agree on listening to A Slob Comes Clean if you find you like her style.
I have a list on a basic app called Tody that I have personalised and tweak about.

For years I just did bouts of organising and cleaning. I would fail to see stuff until say a visitor is coming.
Now I can't do those energetic bursts so I'm trying to build habits/ routines. I do drop off the wagon but it's getting more ingrained to do stuff little and often.

Hi OP: I'd reccommend you make your own schedule, loosely based around TOMM (ie zone cleaning) but that fits your life, with a few days off for catch up OR if you have no free time on specific days

For example:
Monday - kitchen & utility (& bins)
Tuesday - bathrooms
Wednesday - off
Thursday - bedrooms & vaccum stairs
Friday - living room
Saturday - washing/change sheets and towels
Sunday - off

If you do this, then you have your weekends free plus if you have a super busy week you can just catch up at the weekend

I find having a plan helps as it means things get done in their time and you don't have to kill yourself doing it all at once if there is no time

Stick the plan up somewhere you can see it - above the kettle? And try to have a set time of day to clean too as that will help you remember. I try to do 30 mins during my 'afternoon slump'

I don't really have a 'routine' as such, no schedules and so on, but I absolutely do stay on top of things as soon as they arise. I've been able to moderate it down the years from the point in my life when I was compulsive about it, but I still do associate mess, clutter, neglect and so on with being seriously ill, so I never let things get to the point where they even start, never mind end up in that state. It's important to my mental health to be in complete control, and the easiest way to do that is not to let things slip, not even an inch.

This “ADHD friendly home” video shows a bit of what I mean by having systems in place that work for how your brain works

I'm in the process of decluttering my house using Dana K White's methods. It's really helpful.

1. Rubbish
2. Stuff that has a home.
3. Duh clutter (broken toys/out grown clothes etc)
4. Decluttering questions - Question #1: If I needed this item, where would I look for it? Take it there now. Question #2: If I needed this item, would it occur to me that I already had one?
5. Make it Fit. Apply the Container Concept to the space where

you're working. Step 5.1: Consolidate Step 5.2 Purge down to the limits of the container.

www.aslobcomesclean.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/DASL-5-Steps-to-Working-Through-Mess.pdf

The Team TOMM daily cleaning lists are very good so I use them when I'm looking for a cleaning project, but her boot camp decluttering doesn't help with brains like ours. And decluttering is the key to everything. I know this but actioning this is hard.

@XDownwiththissortofthingX

I don't really have a 'routine' as such, no schedules and so on, but I absolutely do stay on top of things as soon as they arise. I've been able to moderate it down the years from the point in my life when I was compulsive about it, but I still do associate mess, clutter, neglect and so on with being seriously ill, so I never let things get to the point where they even start, never mind end up in that state. It's important to my mental health to be in complete control, and the easiest way to do that is not to let things slip, not even an inch.

I couldn't have put it better myself 😃

I can only function in a clean and orderly environment. Everything in its place and put away after use.

I get a sense of peace walking into my house as it's tidy, quiet and calm. I feel by keeping my home like this helps me to unwind and relax as soon as I walk into the house, leaving behind the chaos of outside.

I recommend clutterbug too for organising. Her quiz is a bit baffling but basically it breaks down into whether you feel a need to see all your stuff (visual organiser) or you need to put it out of sight; and how much effort you will use in putting something away (from toss in a big basket with no lid ….. to file things away in meticulous micro categories)

My house got miraculously tidier when I ditched lids off boxes. I’m seriously considering removing wardrobe and cupboard doors for ds so that he can both see his possessions, and have no barriers to putting them away.

Another thing to consider is whether you’re a zone cleaner (one room at a time) a blitz cleaner (whole house in a weekend) or you prefer to do one type of task at a time (you mentioned hoovering the whole house so I’m guessing this is you)

In that case your routine might be dry cleaning (dusting/hoovering) one day, wet cleaning the next, laundry another … rather than trying to do multiple tasks. Just spread it out so you don’t tire yourself.

Any system can be brilliant or useless depending on how well it matches your brain functions so don’t feel bad if a particular approach doesn’t work for you.

Another Dana White fan here. It's slow progress but it is progress. I like her system.