What is your cleaning routine?

Tell me all about your cleaning routines. Do you do set tasks on set days or whatever whenever?

I feel like I spend all day cleaning but can never actually achieve a completely clean house. It doesn't help that DH and I are both messy people but I have an enormous amount of house pride and can't stand anyone seeing mess so I feel like I just chase my tail as we make a mess in the evenings then I spend the day cleaning it all up again. I have a large house and I'm really struggling to keep on top of it now that DS is on the move. I also have horrible polished porcelain tiles which means I have to vacumn and mop daily which takes up a lot of time. I'm a SAHM so I feel like I should have time to do it all but the reality is very different. I feel that getting into a better routine will be the way to go so inspire me :)

Non existent. I used to be like you. I used to be quite anal about the cleanliness of my home. Then I had kids. I used to get so stressed about it, and couldn't cope with it at all. I had PND and just couldn't cope, I felt like I was a SAHM and *should* be able to do it all. Then when we moved, I made good friends with other mums and saw that their houses looked just like mine most of the time. It's made me feel normal. It's made me realise that I shoudl stop worrying about the mess because it will all still be there later. But the opportunities to play with and enjoy my babies and the opportunities to learn and grow and teach with them would be gone in an instant.

I don't really have one except making sure the cleaning ladies come! LOL

Actually I do have a bit of a routine but it's more daily than weekly. Stuff like i give the kitchen a really thorough clean after breakfast, change the hand towels, put a load of washing on, etc. I don't like doing a massive load of cleaning all at once, i would rather do small bits regularly. One routine that is really useful is to grab a basket once a day and walk through the house. In each room you pick up anything that doesn't belong in that room and put away anything that does. Only takes a few minutes, and the whole house is a jagillion times tidier. Also, I hate the vacuum cleaner noise, so we have a carpet sweeper which is good for quick, in-between cleaning.

I've never aspired to have perfect floors, vacuuming & mopping every day seems extreme. (Less is more, darlink). Could you get hold of a good flat microfibre mop that you can just swizz through the high use spots really quickly? A few well-placed floor rugs might help stop the grit from tracking in too.

And train your family members. People should be picking their own messes up.

I had one major job a day. So mon vac, tues mop, etc
Then a couple of daily jobs like a load of washing and dishes.
I didnt find it that hard when its broken down like that. And any extra days I used as odd jobs days like clean windows/ frigde.
That is unless someone is sick. Or had a crap night etc. Then it all goes out the window lol

Now the entire wed-sun end of the week is jam packed with running errands etc so I run around like a crazy person on mon and tues trying to keep it to a livable standard. :/

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And train your family members. People should be picking their own messes up.

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Unfortunately the two members who make the most mess are my 9 month old DS and the puppy :) DH could definitely improve I'll admit I do go easy on him as he works long hours and wants to spend time with DS when he gets home.

Floors are non negotiable. They are seriously horrible. It's not dirt it's the fact that they show every footprint, smudge etc and basically only look clean whilst they are wet and as soon as you walk on them they are yuk. I'm sick at the moment so I haven't mopped today and they look like they haven't been done in a month rather than yesterday! My fantasies involve ripping them up but they were so expensive DH won't entertain that idea :)

Thanks for all the other tips!

Sweeping where the kids eat is once or more a day, but just that area. Washing and dishes are basically daily too, and wiping down the bench, and spot tidies as needed (we do something similar to MD, but we call it "10 things I hate about you" and you go into each room, and grab 10 things that don't live there, and you put them where they should go - so in the lounge, there might be a cup, a bowl, some shoes and socks, some bills which should be paid and the filed, a bit of junkmail for recycling, etc) but you put them AWAY, not just onto the kitchen bench, or the study desk, or somewhere else where they still need to be actioned).

Otherwise, we have a category per day - Monday is laundry (getting everything folded and away), Tuesday is kitchen, Wednesday is garden (mow or weed or prune or whatever is needed that week), Thursday is shopping, Friday is bathrooms, Saturday is floors (vacuum and mop) and Sunday is nothing.

The aim is that if the everyday things are dailies are kept on top of, then the daily category thing shouldn't take more than 30-60 minutes.

We used to have a monthly list of heavy cleaning things which took more time (the attic, the windows and flyscreens, curtains, vents, the cars, etc) but since the kids have been active, we've either done it when it just HAS to be done, or we've got a contractor in to do it.

But I must say, my cleaning standards dropped dramatically between my DS1 being 4 months and 12 months. My standards came to a much more realistic level, which I guess it good, but it was hard for me, because I like things to Be. Just. So.

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Floors are non negotiable. They are seriously horrible. It's not dirt it's the fact that they show every footprint, smudge etc and basically only look clean whilst they are wet and as soon as you walk on them they are yuk. I'm sick at the moment so I haven't mopped today and they look like they haven't been done in a month rather than yesterday! My fantasies involve ripping them up but they were so expensive DH won't entertain that idea :)

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is it because they're shiny? What if you could skip a step by using a different technique, like steam mopping instead of sweep + mop? Would a different floor cleaning substance give you a longer lasting effect (eg metho, vinegar in water)?

Yep they are shiny polished porcelain in an off white colour. I have tried so many different things it's not funny. I have a collection of steam mops but they leave too much water on the floor so I get water marks. After everything I tried I find metho and water to be the best but I have to use very little water so I have a spray mop. I have recently seen the Enjo fussy floor fibre mop so I'm going to give them a call on Monday and get someone out to test them.

I was about to suggest enjo. We have laminate and everything leaves a film on our floors, cause enjo.is just water it doesn't. Good thing with that is you can try before you buy

Ps cleaning rountine? Bahahaha. Nothing. I just do stuff as it needs. Nesting does help tho

My cleaning routine would be considered odd I guess.
First on the list each day is the stables getting mucked. It's a must do or the horses stay out then the paddocks go to weed and there's more spraying work.
Next is washing (most days I do a load or two), emptying the dishwasher and generally giving the kitchen a good wipe.
Picking up dog poo in the backyard before I hang out the load of washing is really a must as is watering the veges most days.
Vacuuming is done most days with the mini dyson (just the worst of it and around DS chair) then I get the big one out once a week (usually on a Friday) and go over the whole place pulling out lounges etc. Hubby sometimes does this on Saturday while I work
I have laminate floors which I hate I occasionally give them a spray mop but try and avoid it.
Once a week, usually just before I vacuum, I do a good dust and attack any cobwebs.
I should do windows more often
Bathroom gets done about twice a week usually while I give DS a bath or when I have a shower.
I hate a dirty loo so I usually vac the loo when I have the mini vac out and clean it 2 -3 times a week or more depending on grottiness.
As for picking things up I tend to do "pick up put down" everytime I go from room to room. Today I had a spit at OH as I found myself putting every item he'd used including his coffee cups etc when I did this and I think he's just plain disrespectful expecting me to put stuff away for him!

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Yep they are shiny polished porcelain in an off white colour. I have tried so many different things it's not funny. I have a collection of steam mops but they leave too much water on the floor so I get water marks. After everything I tried I find metho and water to be the best but I have to use very little water so I have a spray mop. I have recently seen the Enjo fussy floor fibre mop so I'm going to give them a call on Monday and get someone out to test them.

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What about vinegar? I use about a cup in half a bucket of hot water. Gets everything off and no steaks