Tidy/houseproud mums-please tell me your secrets/routines.

[Mirage]

Hi,I have a 16month dd & am 20 wks pregnant with our 2nd baby.I have never been a particularly tidy person,but did begin to make a real effort once dd arrived,due to all the extra clutter/baby stuff that accumulates.

Sadly,it isn't working & when baby appears I'm going to be in worse straits than ever.I've met some really nice mums at toddler groups ect & would love to be able to invite them around for coffee without doing a huge clean up 1st.Our house is quite spacious but always seems cluttered & untidy compared to other peoples.I seem to spend every spare minute cleaning,washing ect,but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

What am I doing wrong.Do any of you organised tidy mums have any tips for keeping the mess at bay? I really am quite clueless.

bleach as in i rinse all the worktops and cupboard fronts down, spray with bleach, scrub with a scourer then rinse off.

But why? I aspire to being tidy and clean but could never ever follow some of these routines. I barely get by!

I/DH do that once a week. But I don't do it with bleach (just ordinary cleaner) because I know I would get it on my clothes and ruin them. I actually bleached the grout on the shower cubicle tiles and sure enough I have one pair of blue cords with brown patches. Did the same thing last year but put it down to being pregnant and clumsy. Now realise I'm just clumsy.

I must be a slut then. I never bleach my cupboard fronts or worktops. Bleach the sink and the draining board occassionally but that's about it. Just use the disposable wipes every day for the work-surfaces and have a good clean with kitchen stuff once a week.

Can't remember the last time I wiped the tops of the skirting boards. daren't look now.

Oh yes I bleach my sink sometimes but mainly because it is a nasty white plastic one (yuk) which is always being stained by something or other.

Bit jealous of the neat eyebrows Potty!

FF: LOL especially at your perving.

I tend to avoid bleach as I am a left-wing hippy and use Ecover for everything. (Except for grout and window sealant, where I find that bleach and a toothbrush is the only answer!)

It's funny I don't really think of my day as a ROUTINE as such, but writing it all down it clearly IS the routine of a madwoman.

P.S. I cleared out the medicine cabinet before I went to bed last night and arranged the medicines in order of use.

My dining room looked like atip when you and your dh came round. But I blame you coz I had printouts of Farnham houses all over the place for you

I confess to doing lists when I have a real purge on cleaning (about once every 2 months)

now i feel bad about doing it

Don't feel bad...feel righteous

LOL @Fairyfly

"Just as they are about to leave i spray them with fabreze as i realise i have forgot to wash them. "

Glad I'm not the only one to do that! DD1 had Church Parade last week with Brownies. Hunted high and low for uniform. Found it screwed up at the bottom of the dirty washing. Quick spray of Febreze, and run over with the iron - good as new

Made a mental note to do this more often - may have a chance to keep up with the washing then

ok I admit I DO HAVE A LIST!
It's the only I get things done and keep a track of what needs doing. If I don't have a list, I lose interest, well tbh I regularly lose interest in the list too

ks - you can get mildew spray - i occasionally have to use it

KS use an old toothbrush and a small cup of half bleach and half water. Give it a good working over with the toothbrush. It's a boring job but does the trick.

I haven't read this whole thread, but a friend told me yesterday what she does with toys. She's got a shelving unit with 3 or 4 storage boxes in it. One box of toys is out for her ds to play with, and she puts it away and gets another one out every couple of days. Sounded like a great idea to me.

I have found that my house is quite tidy recently, I like you Mirage had to do big operation tidy ups when people popped round.
Now I do little and often. So I do one/two load of washing a day. Make sure I throw clutter out if I dont need it. I was a great one for leaving mags, letters or jumpers laying around. And then when DD goes to bed I quickly have a tidy up, polish and mop of floors and it's done. Then the big jobs like washing curtains I can do at the weekend but not really something friends would notice anyway.

Funny cause recently my friends and I admitted to one another that we all do the big tidy up!

MP ? I am IN AWE of your routine (esp the mental image of showering and cleaning the bathroom at the same time ? although, very efficient, I have to admit). Which Ecover product to you use to clean the kitchen surfaces? I've only come across their washing up liquid, washing powder and dishwasher tabs, but I do try to be green wherever possible.

It won't, ks (slattern speaking). It will get it off grout but not off silicone.

Hm, wonder how I know that?

Frieda: There's a Ecover 'cleaning fluid' which you dilute and use on just about anything.

TBH I'm not sure it's particularly effective (I used Flash the other day when Asda had run out of Ecover, and everything was WHITE WHITE WHITE!) but I'm a bit cautious about using chemicals in the home.

mp, I too am very cautious about using chemicals in the home

KS It's easy to just get a knife and scrape off silicon, then just put on new silicone - it comes in small aerosol cans and is v. easy to use.