Putting the clothes away is what I hate. It takes me ages!
I'll generally sit down at night after kids in bed in front of the television and sort them all into piles and them put them away then and there. Otherwise in the morning my little ones will mess up the piles again.
Otherwise I'm similar to a previous poster. I do one thing while the boys are asleep during the day. At night DH and I run around for 10 minutes after the boys are in bed and we tidy up after the day.
Write a list and tackle each thing when you have finished the last thing. Pantry, linen closest, bathrooms everything. It might take you a day, might take you a few days but blitz it all at once. I would then set days that you do things. For eg. on my non working days (work 2 days a week) I do one load of washing each day, sometimes more and it's the first thing I do in the day, then I unpack the dishwasher for the day while I make brekky. Then we make beds, I fold washing and put it away during nap time, clean bathrooms while kids sleep and the shower is one of my issues too because I am blind as a bat and shower without my contacts in so I can't see to do it and keep putting it off Thanks for the reminder. I think if you just get yourself into a routine of what works for you on certain days it would be much easier. Obviously if things come up you can be flexible but it is much easier to maintain that way. Good luck!
I think the one day aside to get on top of things is a great idea. And get rid of stuff you dont need chuck it if its rubbish or donate if it could be of use to someone else. I need to do this 6-12monthly or we accumulate too much especially clothes and cheap toys. Pick one thing to start with maybe the pantry as you clean it out you'll find things that belong elsewhere, when you go to put them away you'll see that spot needs sorting and it continues I cant just do one area, I start then realise I have half the cupboards emptied and spilling out everywhere as I am tidying.
I clean by line of sight. I pick an area and clean it and any room I can see from there so if I clean the kitchen I also do the lounge and dining room and I feel like I have acomplished something and Im not standing in a clean room looking at the mess in the next room
I have now come to a point where I cant do the whole house in one day often so I spread it over two. I pick 'areas' and work through them eg dining, living and kitchen are one area, our bedroom and ensuite is another. Kids bathroom, toilet and the laundy are the next. Then kids rooms, play room and spare room.
Each day I unpack the dishwasher in the morning then load it through out the day as we use things. I make the beds after breakfast while the girls are getting dressed and they are now learning to do things like put their dirty washing in the basket, dirty dishes in the dishwasher. DH does bath time and pj's and milk and I wipe the kitchen and table down, pick up toys and put things away as during the day clutter spreads through out the house. When the girls are in bed the house is tidy and we can both relax. After the girls clean their teeth in the mornign I wipe their sink over with a facewasher as they are very messy!
I normally have 'me' time after lunch while the girls have some quiet play time, in the mornings I get as much done as possible eg clothes washed and on the line, yesterdays load in and folded, clean one 'area' play with kids, kindy drop off etc. I will reward myself with watching a TV show I recorded during the week (today it will be one born every minute). I work 3 days a week so on my days off I often catch up on washing.
Once you get started and do the big clean then things will get easier. I quickly sort my fridge/freezer/pantry when Im putting shopping away so it doesnt get too out of control.
My DH does other things around our house but not a lot of cleaning because a) he has a different standard to me and I just want to do it 'properly' after he ahs finished and b) he enjoys the outside jobs more and has been turning our block of mud into a deck and lawn and garden which is beyond me. He also has to do all things related to caring for the dog, feeding, walking, grooming poo collecting. As long as you feel the over all household workload is fair and you are both happy with what your own responsibilities are I dont think it matters who does what
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Thanks for the reminder. I think if you just get yourself into a routine of what works for you on certain days it would be much easier. Obviously if things come up you can be flexible but it is much easier to maintain that way. Good luck!
I cant just do one area, I start then realise I have half the cupboards emptied and spilling out everywhere as I am tidying.
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