Check out Flylady - she changed my world! :)
Printable View
Check out Flylady - she changed my world! :)
Yeah, i think it was FlyLady, who gave me the "set teh timer for 10mins" idea. The Flylady thing was too overwhelming for me, but i did glean some good ideas from it.
I think i remember look at that a while back when i posted something similar to this! haha
Tomorrow is when i start my cleaning and hopefully a day is all i need to get on top of things. I managed to get some towels washed and dried.
My best advice is just do something. Anything. For a few minutes. You'll feel better that you started and you'll be able to see how much got done in a few minutes.
If I feel like sitting down I force myself to do something that needs doing first - unstack the dishwasher (my most hated job along with...) put the washing away, get a load off the line (FOLD AS YOU GO!!!!), wipe down the mirrors, take out the rubbish bag...anything.
Seriously it takes like 2 minutes to squirt some cleaner in the toilet - do it while the kettle boils. After your cuppa, go and give it a quick scrub. I usually pour the rest of the kettle over it too. If you do it often it's seriously a five minute job.
Wipe the basin down after you've finished in the morning with a facewasher, and after DD has a bath at night....hardly ever have to clean it if no grime is left in there.
I sweep more often than I vacuum. It's heaps easier to get a broom out than a vacuum and I can do that when the kids are asleep...but I have wood floors.
I do a quick pickup morning, noon and when the kids are in the bath/gone to bed. A bit at a time is easier than all at once.
I.dont it the long way, more work but for me more rewarding.
I.dontOne room at a time, I start in the lounge tidy/put things away the dust then vacc. Then I do the dininh room, clear and clean the table then vacc and mop, then I move onto the kitchen then bedrooms ect
Your dp has a good idea with the list. It feels good to tick off completed tasks and tells your brain that you are getting somewhere rather than the jobs being so huge and the state of your house overwhelming. We have or house on the market o I did a huge clean up which actually kept ds occupied as we were doing something different. One day at a time I set the tasks. Tidy the linen cupboard, kitchen etc and then keep it tidy. Sorting out the robe was also good with ds as he had a pile of clothes to play with. Then once all that was done my mind felt clear to focus on day to day cleaning etc to keep on top of things so that it didn't get out of control without needing a set routine.
I second the idea of taking a day out to blitz the house. Once it's clean and organised it's easy to keep clean.
Personally, I'm a neat freak and have to keep things tidy, other wise I feel out of control (actually I could be a little OCD about it all, or at least DH thinks I am LOL). But what works for me is doing everything as I go. Get out of bed, make the bed. Make breakfast, clean up breakfast. Get a load of washing out of the dryer, fold the washing. Put DS to bed, clean up the toys etc. It means that you do have quite a few 5 minute tasks here and there, but that's all it is, 5 mins at a time. You don't get to the end of the day and have a huge list of housework to do.
Then, I would take your DP's advice and draw up a cleaning roster. But, I would make sure that the tasks are evenly shared between the TWO of you. Maybe even have rotating weeks so one of you isn't always stuck cleaning the bathroom.
HTH
That sounds really great and something i/we can easily do! Thanks heaps. I used to be the same before DD and then got struck down with PND so lost all motivation to do anything i was lucky if i could function properly.:
I'd posted this on another thread but i find it to be a great list to work with. Roster idea sounds good too...
A Practical Home Cleaning Program
• Daily
❏ Bedroom: Make beds and put things in order
❏ Kitchen: Wash dishes and sink. Keep counters and tables free of clutter. Sweep or mop the floor if needed
❏ Bathroom: Wash sink and toilet. Put things in order
❏ Living room and other rooms: Put things in order. Give the furniture a light cleaning. Sweep, mop, or vacuum the floor if needed
❏ All the house: Properly dispose of the garbage
• Weekly
❏ Bedroom: Change bed linen. Sweep, mop, or vacuum the floor if needed. Dust furniture
❏ Kitchen: Wash the stove, countertop appliances, and sink fixtures. Mop floor
❏ Bathroom: Wash the shower walls and all the fixtures. Clean toilet, cabinet, and other surfaces with disinfectant. Change towels. Sweep or mop the floor
• Monthly
❏ Bathroom: Thoroughly wash all the walls
❏ All the house: Clean the frames of the doors. Vacuum or thoroughly clean upholstery
❏ Garden, courtyard, garage: Sweep and clean if needed. Avoid accumulation of refuse or unnecessary items
• Every Six Months
❏ Bedroom: Clean bedspreads according to manufacturer’s instructions
❏ Kitchen: Empty and thoroughly clean the refrigerator
❏ Bathroom: Empty and clean shelves and drawers. Dispose of unnecessary or out-of-date items
❏ All the house: Clean lamps, fans, and light fixtures. Clean the doors. Wash screens, windows, and windows frames
• Yearly
❏ Bedroom: Empty and thoroughly clean closets. Dispose of unnecessary items. Wash blankets. Vacuum or thoroughly dust the mattresses. Clean pillows according to manufacturer’s instructions
❏ Kitchen: Empty and thoroughly clean shelves, cupboards, and drawers. Dispose of unnecessary items. Move appliances so you can clean the surface or floor underneath
❏ All the house: Wash all the walls. Clean upholstery and curtains according to manufacturer’s instructions
❏ Garage or storage units: Sweep thoroughly. Organize or dispose of unnecessary belongings
The hardest thing for me was coming to the realisation that cleaning the entire house the way I wanted (I'm a bit OCD so take forever to clean) all in the one day just doesn't happen anymore, so I have set chores for each day - Monday is sheets and towels washing, dust/vacuum girls' rooms. Tuesday is girls' bathroom etc etc.
"Life" obviously gets in the way and some days whatever I should be doing doesn't get done, but generally it works pretty well.
Little O Thanks for that list! It sounds like something i need to get me back into my routine. Next time i'm at my mums ill print it out. May even print her one too as she says she falls behind in housework as she works fulltime.
I can soooo relate to this. While I was having treatment the whole house slid out of control and it took a really long time afterwards to get back on top of it. Not so much the surface cleaning (cos DH is good with that) but all the underlying organisational stuff that had been let slip. So overwhelming. :hug: But just take it step by step and you'll get there. I found it helpful to ask DH to do very specific things which were small things but helped me tackle the bigger task (eg he took the flyscreens off and cleaned them while I did the inside of the windows). So make sure you include those things on the list too. Things like cleaning the inside of the fridge or sorting a cupboard is "invisible" work (DH will come home and not notice) but if it's there on the list and ticked off as something you've achieved you can feel better about your household successes.:
Great list LittleO. It's the 6 and 12 monthly things where I fall down - they're all such big jobs!
I Know Miss E! My MIL is the most organised houswife i know and she has a system of First week in Winter and First Week of Summer to do them. She's at home full time though so i guess that makes it slightly easier...that and her boys are all grown up lol.....
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 :lol: 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
LMS - some great ideas here! For me the key is to do things as I go and then break down the big jobs to be done over a period of time. I guess our place often looks at the least surface clean but the organisational and cupboards etc is currently a work in progress. So I do clean the kitchen up after each meal, make beds as we get up and wash clothes each night. Helps not to get overwhelmed but piles of stuff - which bothers me. I also try to deal with mail/paperwork etc once. So I open and process/file and then chuck anything extra. Otherwise I end up with things everywhere and no idea what is going on. So we have a filing cabinet, calender/diaries and bills to be paid folder to do this. I also try to get value when I cook so will often roast 2 chooks at once with once for later or do a bulk cook of curry/spag bol to freeze and defrost of the days it is harder to cook. Keep at it and remember to focus on what you have done not the stuff still to be done!!!
Holy beeeeep. You wash your sinks and toilets every day, little o ?
Why did I read this thread, it just made me feel crap.
--'--,--'--<@
Jude 07/10/08 | Lilac 16/06/11
As a starting point, maybe sit down with your DP and figure out what the priorities are for both of you, and who will do what.
For example, some absolute priorities for my DH and me are clean work clothes, clean nappies, a clean bench, and healthy meals for DS. And we know which ones are normally done by who ...
Then, once the essentials are covered, figure out what comes next ... what things will make your house manageable, nice to live in, a place where you're not embarassed to have people over ... maybe it's vacuuming once a week, the toilets, having the laundry all away, dishes done every night before bed, whatever. And again - sort out who will do what.
Then you might have the monthly/quarterly things ... maybe filing, or weeding, or whatever ... the things that aren't realistically going to get done every week or two, but which you can set aside a few hours every 4-12 weeks, so they don't get ridiculous ... and then put it in your diaries, so it gets done :)
You both work, you both have time at home - housework should also be shared ...
So work out together what things you BOTH want done to keep the house a happy and cosy place for your family.