I don't know how to keep my house clean

[Deleted]

I might be a PW for a bit. I'm struggling with some basic aspects of being an adult and it is embarrassing.

Ok, so I can do many things well. Cleaning is not, and never has been, one of them. I literally don't think to clean. Then, my house gets dirty and I get frustrated. At this lout, my house is starting to look like we are getting ready to become hoarders: the suitcases are still out from our holiday travels, our bathrooms are gross, and I have crap stacked on our buffet so high it might fall over.

I can keep Thad's stuff picked up-his suitcase is unpacked and stuff is clean and organized. But, my house is just. Depressing.

So, talk to me like I am five. How do you clean? Pick up? What is your house cleaning strategy?

[TrudyCampbell]

What helps me, and keep in mind I am not a clean person, is to take the time to REALLY HARDCORE CLEAN for like an entire weekend. And then it's easy for me to maintain it. Every evening when V goes to bed and before my H gets home I take 20 to 30 min to just pick up things. Granted, I live in a tiny apartment so it's not much space to clean. But basically I'm good at maintaining and not at actually cleaning.

[lauranicole91]

*waits patiently for all the magical answers and strategies*

Seriously I'm right there with you for the most part. My difficulty is keeping it clean. I'll randomly get motivated and clear floor to ceiling but within a day or two it's like I never did anything. Ugh.

[Deleted]

Jan 15, 2013 19:58:41 GMT -5 TrudyCampbell said:

What helps me, and keep in mind I am not a clean person, is to take the time to REALLY HARDCORE CLEAN for like an entire weekend. And then it's easy for me to maintain it. Every evening when V goes to bed and before my H gets home I take 20 to 30 min to just pick up things. Granted, I live in a tiny apartment so it's not much space to clean. But basically I'm good at maintaining and not at actually cleaning.

I'll get all crazy and start cleaning/organizing/ totally rearranging but then I get distracted or I have work and it doesn't get finished. And now I feel like I don't have time to take a whole weekend to do the deep cleaning.

I just feel stuck!

[mikehoncho]

Remind me again if you are a SAH or working mom?

What I do is just small stuff throughout the day. It becomes routine after a while. I will add that I have some OCD tendencies towards cleaning but that doesn't mean my house has never been a mess. A lot of the things I do to stay on top of things is just to do things right away. I know that sounds stupid, but it has helped my husband a lot. Example: when the dishwasher is clean empty it immediately, when you eat something put your dishes in the dishwasher immediately, after L eats clean him off set him down and clean his chair/area right then. It has also become part of "our" bed time routine to clean up all his toys before bath. Obviously it's just me doing it now but hopefully it will stick when he gets older. Also, learning to clean while I cook was life changing to me haha

Thennn I just take time on the weekend to do the bigger stuff like organizing or laundry or scrubbing the tub.

[bebeetmoi]

I'm a freak who loves to clean. This may not be succinct, so bear with me.
Start with the de-cluttering. Unpack the suitcases. Clean off the countertops and table surfaces. Put shit back in the cabinets in the bathroom and kitchen. Pick up all the stuff up off the floor and return it to it's home.
Once your surfaces are open and free- now you clean. Wipe down the countertops and tables with the correct surface cleaner (wood, glass, granite etc). Bleach the hell out of your bathroom. Don't forget the mirrors. Or corners. Don't clean around things, move them and put them back once you've cleaned.
Vaccum your carpets. Sweep then mop your wood and tile floors. Again, don't forget the corners or floor bordering the walls- this is where the most dust and crap make their way to.
Once everything is clean, it's all about upkeep. Or tidying. Just daily maintence to avoid a gross, overwhelming mess. Do the dishes from the sink to the dishwasher. Put the dirty laundry in the hamper. Make the bed. Wipe the toothpaste off the faucet. Little things like that that take a minute to do will make it all seem much easier.
Is it a problem that I truly enjoyed writing this play by play of cleaning basics??? I think so

[jessandandy09]

ah, before I start spewing forth *gold* remember that when your baby is little, a tidy house is the last thing on the list of importance.

Here is what I have decided. (cuz I have been a lazy housekeeper all of my life) I have to attack it like it is my job. I make myself a list of things I can clear and organize with in an hour. I take that one hour and do as much as possible. then I reward myself. I also check off things on my list so I can see all of the work I have done. then I take 15 minute stabs at smaller jobs. (like putting all of the shoes on the shoe rack) and decide to feel victorious even if only small amounts get done at a time. Good luck :-)

[spaghetticat]

I posted something similar in the FFFC. I have a hard time keeping up with everything. I have been trying to clean on Saturdays and then tidy up every night after she goes to bed. It's still not where I want it to be though.

[Deleted]

Jan 15, 2013 20:06:08 GMT -5 mikehoncho said:

Remind me again if you are a SAH or working mom?

What I do is just small stuff throughout the day. It becomes routine after a while. I will add that I have some OCD tendencies towards cleaning but that doesn't mean my house has never been a mess. A lot of the things I do to stay on top of things is just to do things right away. I know that sounds stupid, but it has helped my husband a lot. Example: when the dishwasher is clean empty it immediately, when you eat something put your dishes in the dishwasher immediately, after L eats clean him off set him down and clean his chair/area right then. It has also become part of "our" bed time routine to clean up all his toys before bath. Obviously it's just me doing it now but hopefully it will stick when he gets older. Also, learning to clean while I cook was life changing to me haha

Thennn I just take time on the weekend to do the bigger stuff like organizing or laundry or scrubbing the tub.

I'm a sick hybrid which is part if the problem. I need to be working 8 hours a day (at least!) but most of that work is at home except 15 hours a week when he has a nanny. Our house is full of my work stuff too!

But, I so need to clean as the mess happens. Why is that so hard?

[silverjm]

My strategy is to do at least one or two things every day. Every night after Logan goes down I wash bottles, load the dishwasher, wipe down kitchen counters and pump. After that I pick one more thing, dust the living room, sort the mail, throw in a load of laundry, sweep the kitchen, etc. Then I always make the effort to vacuum on the weekend while L is awake. I usually put L in bed around 7:15 and then I spend the next 45 minutes on my chores (including pumping) so I'm done by 8:00. Also, DH cleans bathrooms and does over half the laundry.

[Deleted]

Jan 15, 2013 20:07:19 GMT -5 bebeetmoi said:

I'm a freak who loves to clean. This may not be succinct, so bear with me.
Start with the de-cluttering. Unpack the suitcases. Clean off the countertops and table surfaces. Put shit back in the cabinets in the bathroom and kitchen. Pick up all the stuff up off the floor and return it to it's home.
Once your surfaces are open and free- now you clean. Wipe down the countertops and tables with the correct surface cleaner (wood, glass, granite etc). Bleach the hell out of your bathroom. Don't forget the mirrors. Or corners. Don't clean around things, move them and put them back once you've cleaned.
Vaccum your carpets. Sweep then mop your wood and tile floors. Again, don't forget the corners or floor bordering the walls- this is where the most dust and crap make their way to.
Once everything is clean, it's all about upkeep. Or tidying. Just daily maintence to avoid a gross, overwhelming mess. Do the dishes from the sink to the dishwasher. Put the dirty laundry in the hamper. Make the bed. Wipe the toothpaste off the faucet. Little things like that that take a minute to do will make it all seem much easier.
Is it a problem that I truly enjoyed writing this play by play of cleaning basics??? I think so

I am making this my mantra. Thank you so much!!!!

[mikehoncho]

Jan 15, 2013 20:10:10 GMT -5 @thadsrad said:

Jan 15, 2013 20:06:08 GMT -5 mikehoncho said:

Remind me again if you are a SAH or working mom?

What I do is just small stuff throughout the day. It becomes routine after a while. I will add that I have some OCD tendencies towards cleaning but that doesn't mean my house has never been a mess. A lot of the things I do to stay on top of things is just to do things right away. I know that sounds stupid, but it has helped my husband a lot. Example: when the dishwasher is clean empty it immediately, when you eat something put your dishes in the dishwasher immediately, after L eats clean him off set him down and clean his chair/area right then. It has also become part of "our" bed time routine to clean up all his toys before bath. Obviously it's just me doing it now but hopefully it will stick when he gets older. Also, learning to clean while I cook was life changing to me haha

Thennn I just take time on the weekend to do the bigger stuff like organizing or laundry or scrubbing the tub.

I'm a sick hybrid which is part if the problem. I need to be working 8 hours a day (at least!) but most of that work is at home except 15 hours a week when he has a nanny. Our house is full of my work stuff too!

But, I so need to clean as the mess happens. Why is that so hard?

It really is though! Especially when you have a kid at home who needs things alllllll the time. Could you get some new shelving or something to help organize your work stuff?

[lauranicole91]

I think it's just motivation that I'm lacking. I just put Peyton down for bed and I am reading a post about cleaning but not taking this valuable time to clean. Even though my house is messy. Fail.

[Deleted]

I have found out actual cleaning is easier for me to do during the day. So I do that during naps or if she is playing by herself.

I don't mind decluttering after she goes to bed so I do a little of that every night so I don't get too overwhelmed. I also make sure DH helps pick up his stuff. My DH usually does he dishes while I put LO to sleep which is pretty awesome.

[vthokie]

Ugh. I'm going to have to figure this out too. I honestly just don't have any time. I don't even take any "me" time. There certainly isn't time for cleaning.

[browneyedhunni85]

I work full time so sometimes our house gets a little untidy during the week. On Saturday I take a few hours to clean my house really well. I dust, mop, sweep, vaccum, the whole 9 yards. I've also been on vacation all week so I've did some major organizing and decluttering. It really does make you feel better when you have a clean house. During the week I take about 20 minutes after C is asleep to put dishes away and spot clean. I know this sounds silly but if my house is a mess on my time off like on the weekends I feel like I cannot enjoy my weekend to the fullest. Maybe this is the result of having a slighty OCD parent.

[Regina Philange]

Pick one small task per day. I am kind of a neat freak though. when i get home from work i do one small thing w lou in the ergo. For example:

Monday-just change the bathroom trash cans

Tuesdays- throw a load of laundry in.

Wednesday- wipe the kitchen counters

If you pick one small task a day it seems easier, well for me anyways.

[lydiasings28]

I am in the same boat. We spend a lot of our weekend mass cleaning everything. I can pick up E's stuff no problem, but the kitchen is always a disaster and the laundry is never put away. I am trying the tactic of having only a few dishes available so we'd HAVE to clean them, but it won't be such a huge pile. Also, Unfuck Your Habitat on Tumblr has some awesome tips and motivating tricks.

[erniebufflo]

I pretty much only clean when people come over, so at least every week, a friend has to come for dinner, and hubby and I do a panicked clean up. I do a little de cluttering whenever both babies are asleep, and I try to do one "thing" per day: either sweep, or do laundry, or clean off the dining room table, or something. We clean up the kitchen together every night after the girls go to bed. Things I almost never do: dust, mop, scrub our tub, clean baseboards and other such things. But our little house stays liveable.

[thedahliharpa]

Jan 15, 2013 20:07:19 GMT -5 bebeetmoi said:

I'm a freak who loves to clean. This may not be succinct, so bear with me.
Start with the de-cluttering. Unpack the suitcases. Clean off the countertops and table surfaces. Put shit back in the cabinets in the bathroom and kitchen. Pick up all the stuff up off the floor and return it to it's home.
Once your surfaces are open and free- now you clean. Wipe down the countertops and tables with the correct surface cleaner (wood, glass, granite etc). Bleach the hell out of your bathroom. Don't forget the mirrors. Or corners. Don't clean around things, move them and put them back once you've cleaned.
Vaccum your carpets. Sweep then mop your wood and tile floors. Again, don't forget the corners or floor bordering the walls- this is where the most dust and crap make their way to.
Once everything is clean, it's all about upkeep. Or tidying. Just daily maintence to avoid a gross, overwhelming mess. Do the dishes from the sink to the dishwasher. Put the dirty laundry in the hamper. Make the bed. Wipe the toothpaste off the faucet. Little things like that that take a minute to do will make it all seem much easier.
Is it a problem that I truly enjoyed writing this play by play of cleaning basics??? I think so

Thad. In the same way! It is overwhelming.

While I should follow directions like these they start to make me feel panicky. Bleach? Ahh! Corners? Ahhh!

[TrudyCampbell]

Jan 15, 2013 20:07:19 GMT -5 bebeetmoi said:

I'm a freak who loves to clean. This may not be succinct, so bear with me.
Start with the de-cluttering. Unpack the suitcases. Clean off the countertops and table surfaces. Put shit back in the cabinets in the bathroom and kitchen. Pick up all the stuff up off the floor and return it to it's home.
Once your surfaces are open and free- now you clean. Wipe down the countertops and tables with the correct surface cleaner (wood, glass, granite etc). Bleach the hell out of your bathroom. Don't forget the mirrors. Or corners. Don't clean around things, move them and put them back once you've cleaned.
Vaccum your carpets. Sweep then mop your wood and tile floors. Again, don't forget the corners or floor bordering the walls- this is where the most dust and crap make their way to.
Once everything is clean, it's all about upkeep. Or tidying. Just daily maintence to avoid a gross, overwhelming mess. Do the dishes from the sink to the dishwasher. Put the dirty laundry in the hamper. Make the bed. Wipe the toothpaste off the faucet. Little things like that that take a minute to do will make it all seem much easier.
Is it a problem that I truly enjoyed writing this play by play of cleaning basics??? I think so

I now feel self conscious that you were in my apartment on a particularly messy day! It was pre-storage unit trip mess. I swear!

[TrudyCampbell]

Okay the quote function appears to be fucked up.

[rxbeth]

I try to just keep up with some small tasks (dishes, counters, recycling) and then general decluttering. Honestly, I'm just going to have someone come in every 2 weeks. She's coming next Thursday for the first time. I really need someone to wash my floors.

[persa]

I have the same issue, compounded by a toddler and a messy husband who doesn't do laundry.

I definitely do better during the morning and day. By the time the baby goes to bed, I'm mentally so exhausted that I don't feel like doing anything.

Here's a couple things that help: starting with an empty dishwasher so that I can put dirty dishes in right away and can clean as I go when I'm cooking. Whoever puts the baby down for bed, the other one cleans up the kitchen.

Also, I vaguely remember a website that encouraged setting a 10 or 15 minute timer and clean as much as you can in that time. I agree with a PP who said cleaning off surfaces is a big one. Also, in our house, stuff gets thrown on the floor so getting stuff off the floor is another big one.

[nannerl]

To de-clutter I walk around with a couple of bags or use a couple of laundry baskets. I go room to room and throw everything that belongs in our room into one, A's room into another, living room into a third ect, then deliver them to their home. Then I go room to room cleaning and straigntening as I go. Sometimes that part takes the whole week, since I usually concentrate on one room a day (except the kitchen... that get's hit everyday)

I have to vacuum the living room everyday because of the dog hair, but the rest of the house gets rotated through. I love Real Simple's cleaning charts and tips... they make it pretty easy to get things dome!

www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/daily-cleaning-checklist-00000000000953/index.html

browse.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/index.html

[laurack]

I have no suggestions. Even reading the suggestions makes me stressed. My house is generally quite messy to extremely messy except once a month when our cleaning lady comes. It's good because we are forced to pick up/de clutter, so she can get at the stuff to clean.

I'd like to blame my "working mom" status but ... yeah, no. When I'm home with her it seems even less likely I'd actually get around to cleaning.

[Deleted]

I have no problem with stuff lying around as long as the surfaces under are clean and the stuff is clean. Now, my bedroom is awful because I cannot NOT throw clothes on the floor. I have tried everything....hampers, hangers, going straight to the cleaners/wash. Nothing has fixed me, I guess I am lazy in that regard.

But, I hardcore clean on the weekends ( Saturday usually) and then maintain during the week. Now don't expect to walk into a showcase, but the only thing that helps me is a schedule. Which reminds me...it's floor day...oh joy!


***iPhoning it in***

[Deleted]

Jan 16, 2013 3:22:36 GMT -5 nannerl said:

To de-clutter I walk around with a couple of bags or use a couple of laundry baskets. I go room to room and throw everything that belongs in our room into one, A's room into another, living room into a third ect, then deliver them to their home. Then I go room to room cleaning and straigntening as I go. Sometimes that part takes the whole week, since I usually concentrate on one room a day (except the kitchen... that get's hit everyday)

I have to vacuum the living room everyday because of the dog hair, but the rest of the house gets rotated through. I love Real Simple's cleaning charts and tips... they make it pretty easy to get things dome!

www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/daily-cleaning-checklist-00000000000953/index.html

browse.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/index.html

Nanner, these are awesome! Thanks for the links! I love lists and having something concrete to show my H might help him help me!

[Deleted]

I really want to thank ya'll for your advice and comments. I am feeling energized to do something about my filth. For a few minutes, anyway....

[dojo]

Flylady.net is a system that helps you get your house organized and stay clean by doing cleaning 15 mins a day (+ your basics). 

I think you first need to get your DH on board.  If he's not working with you, your efforts won't make a lick of difference.  Decide together what you're going to do to get organized and stay organized.  OR make it clear to him that every single thing he touches must go back exactly where he found it and every room must be left exactly as he found it. 

If you're overwhelmed by tidying I'd say start small.  Every time you leave a room, put five or ten things away and remove everything you brought in with you.  You'll find things get tidy quickly this way.  

Invest in some organization storage... It doesn't have to be expensive, you can find a lot of cool storage things at the dollar store.  

Check out divaonadime from YouTube.  She has TONS of dollar store / thrift store ideas to get organized. 

Make yourself a schedule and stick to it.  Get DH in on it and tell him to choose which chores he wants to be responsible for.  It's not an option. 

My schedule looks like this:

Monday - grocery shop
Tuesday - nothing  because we have a couple activities that day
Wednesday - bathrooms
Thursday - kitchen
Friday - vacuum / mop

if you have the cash, make your life easier by investing in a good quality vacuum and a steam mop.