Who has the secret?

[Enchanted]

I neeeeed it

My house is a sty, my cupboards are about to explode from the amount of crud that has been piled in them when unexpected visitors turn up, under the couches are almost too scary to even think about and all in all my house is in an utter state of chaos

I just cannot seem to stay on top of it. Or is that a bit like Oprah saying "Of course no diets work for you when you don't stick to them!"

So how to you manage your time and do YOU have the secret to a clean and tidy home?

[~Trish~]

I don't profess to having a perfect home, but I do manage to stay mostly on top of things by being disciplined (and being helped sometimes by my wonderful DH), but I think my secret is having a daily list! I start each day by writing what needs to be done that day. I include everything including making the beds, unstacking the diswasher, etc. The list keeps me focused and it's also motivating once I start crossing things off! It makes me feel good at the end of the day when everything is crossed off .

As for inside cupboards, etc. Mine eventually get out of control despite my best of intentions , so I just set myself a task one day every few months to clean them up/re-organise them. If I pace myself and only set one area a day, it's very doable. If I try and do too many things in one day it's overwhelming and I lose my motivation. So just set yourself a goal like "This week I'm going to re-organise the pantry", put it on your list on a day that you have the time up your sleeve and just do it.

I also clean as I go which makes the work load much easier. If I'm walking out of a room, I take some things with me that belong in other rooms. It makes a big difference .

I never used to be this organised, but I just don't cope with clutter, it makes me so stressed out and then I can't do any job properly (not to mention clutter makes me cranky too!). Now that I've disciplined myself to keep on top of things I cope much better and feel much happier

Good luck!!

[MrsFabuloso]

When you figure it out let me know. Just when I get ontop of one thing, another thing threatens to take over my house. Right now it's the washing. My laundry is overflowing. Once I get ontop of that, I will likely be over taken by clothes to fold and put away. Then it might be the dishes, or the kids toys....blah blah. I can't keep ontop of it all at once, ever.

[Beach Mama]

I think part of it is accepting that it never gets done. It's not like you can write a list(although I find them awesome too Trish!) and then tick it all off and it's done - it is one never ending list!

I have accepted that if I do small bits each day and keep on top of it, that makes it much easier to deal with. Also knowing that every day will bring more of the same has helped for me. Hope that makes sense - I guess acceptance that this is what I do every day (other than work days ) has helped me focus on the mundane and never ending cleaning and tidying and putting toys away and changing sheets and sweeping floors and and and............!!!!!

[~Lashes~]

i have ds2 in day care one day a week, and i am supose to use that day to run arround cleaning, it never happens.
instead i use that day to relax and spend time with the girls during there naps i do something for me (sewing or baking) i find that after that day just for me im in a better head space to tackle the house work and think the jobs threw in order to get them done properly instead of putting it all out of sight out of mind.

disabling most distracting time consuming tecnology is a huge help!

that is my main stratergie, when i can get in the mind set to do anything!

[~Hestia~]

My secret is an extremely untidy master bedroom I'm usually pretty good but lately I've just been throwing all the clutter in our bedroom or walk in robe! So my house is very tidy to the naked eye LOL. I really need to stop doing that...

[Mak]

I hate mess but have had to get used to it!!! However I try to put stuff away at the end of the day - generally tidy up when the kids are in the bath. As for the cupboards etc - some stuff I do ad hoc when it all gets too much to bear and I have promised myself when DD1 is at school and DD2 kinder next year I will get things really sorted out as we will be getting rid of the baby stuff still about etc.
I try and keep it in context too tho - I would rather my kids have fun and are happy rather than have memories of me cleaning all the time!! Good luck!

[Miss E]

I'm a clean as I go girl... Get out of bed and make the bed... Make some food, put the dishes in the dishwasher and wash what needs to be washed, wipe the bench... Put DS down for a nap/for the night, clean up the toys etc. The only thing I leave is the washing, that all gets done on the weekend.

Yes it does get tedious, but it means I keep things clean and tidy and never get overwhelmed by it. Mind you I am a self-professed neat freak, I cannot relax if something needs to be done, so this works for me.

[DaintreeDream]

I'm a clean as I go girl... Get out of bed and make the bed... Make some food, put the dishes in the dishwasher and wash what needs to be washed, wipe the bench... Put DS down for a nap/for the night, clean up the toys etc. The only thing I leave is the washing, that all gets done on the weekend.

Yes it does get tedious, but it means I keep things clean and tidy and never get overwhelmed by it. Mind you I am a self-professed neat freak, I cannot relax if something needs to be done, so this works for me.

I think this is the only way to do it and keep on top of it. Dishes however I do only once a day, we have dinner at 5.30pm the girls read books while I do the dishes then (bath every other night) PJ's and bed at 6.30pm.
Washing is another thing, I do mine every second day at the moment, put a load on at night (it only takes a minute ) and then hang out in the morning. If I have time to fold during the day I do otherwise it is done when the girls are in bed.
I like to pack the toys up twice a day, once at midday-ish and again before dinner.

I think that you need to start with a clean house for it to work though, so pick a room and get started fill a plastic bag a day with rubbish and a bag to donate, you will get there and once the house is clutter free you will be more motivated.

[~Kim~]

I don't have a secret, but I found what works for me and that makes it easier to upkeep.

I'm exactly the same as Miss E. As I go. If I'm in a room there's always something I can manage to do. My motto is 'do it now'. As much as I procrastinate whatever it is usually only takes 10minutes max. I do have a routine, but it's pretty quick.

Some people need to go hard for a few hours regularly, some need a list, some need a roster, some need a routine.

[Mum2twoBoys]

I tend to clean as i go too, beit a little different now i have a little one around. i have to make bed and do cleaning in our bedroom when ds is awake as he sleeps in a bassinette in our room. i tend to do laundry every second day otherwise it gets to be too large to handle. and stack the dishwasher as i go, and it tends to be turned on every 2-3days. i hang washing and unload dishwasher whilst ds has his daytime naps. but at the moment, most of the time it feels as though im either taking care of him or cleaning. not much time for me. but im hoping it gets easier as he gets older. what with 2-3hourly bf.

and i have just written up a spring cleaning list, in which i have every room down on it, and work on one room once a week. whereby i clean it thoroughly, ie clean out cupboards, dust skirting boards, clean light switches etc.

though this may be more difficult when i have more than one little one to look after.

[BellyBelly]

When I am absolutely overwhelmed, I lash out and get a cleaner. They usually charge $20-$25 an hour, some bring their own stuff, some use your own. But even just 2 hours of work is a massive difference. Then I can breathe and get into maintenance mode, not disaster mode and I can focus on more important things. I have always found my cleaners on Gumtree and they have all been very good

[StrawberryFields]

Definitely don't have *the* secret, but we've just invested in a robot vacuum cleaner, and while we've only had it a week, I'm pretty confident it may be the secret to staying on top of the floors at least!

For everything else, if I need a serious butt kicking, I ask my mother to come and visit and it lights such a fire under my butt that the place ends up hospital grade clean! Motivation through terror. Works a charm!

[kelebek]

I don't have an answer cause my place is almost always trashed but I use to get sooo overwhelmed I was literally doing nothing. Then someone very wise said that they would take the 1 minute while the toast is cooking to put some dishes away or the 3 mins before the kettle boils to stack the dishes. If they were going from 1 room to another then to take something with them.

It is definitely a work in progress but now I get a bit done which means I have a bit more time to get a bit done later. I am trialing home routines with my ipod touch to see if that helps me. It's a bit like flylady.

I will be watching this thread for other tips

[Amaunet]

My place has been better since I got rid of heaps of "crap" (huge purge) and invested in some good storage so everything has a place. I cleaned out every cupboard (and chucked heaps) so they weren't cluttered so it's easy to keep them neat. In short, being able to put everything "away" in a designated place keeps things under control! It also means it's easier to vacuum etc because I don't have to pick everything up!

Washing used to be a big problem cos I hate doing it, but since having awesome laundry sorters (5 baskets) I can easily keep on top of it!

[SunnyRain]

That's my problem, a total lack of storage. I see something lying around, like right now my ergo carrier, and I want to put it away, but where?

My house is always messy, sometimes I clean one room and just hang out there so I don't feel overwhelmed.

Sent from my Desire HD

[catherinemoses]

I found a book called 'the clutter cure' very helpful. It talks about why we have stuff and can't let it go. Was a great help to me and got me able to trow out loads of stuff I was keeping for unnecessary reasons.
Another book was Speed Cleaning. It says you can have a spotless house is 15 min per day. Basically what some of the others have said about doing it as you go and having a place for everything. I'm not completely on top of my housework, not by a long shot, but I am a lot better than I used to be.
Maybe you could try making sure you have all the dishes washed (or whatever works best for you) each night and focus on that for a couple of weeks to a month. Once that is a habit make it the folding or the kids toys or whatever.
Good luck!