Who has the secret?

[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

[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