Best Housework Tips & Self-Care Secrets!

[deekenz]

Daily- while one of us is bathing the kids the other tidies up the toys, wipes down the kitchen and clears away dinner and hoovers downstairs.
Twice a week- do the washing and put it all away while the kids are falling asleep at bedtime.
Once a week- deep clean the bathrooms, change the bed sheets, hoover upstairs and steam all the hard floors.
Works well for us

 

[truthblazer]

My tip, get a cleaner you won’t regret it best 3 hours of my week

 

[smartgirlly]

Pay for help. Seriously. I finally found a lovely cleaner and it has changed everything. Theres only so many hours a day and you have a lot to do in that time. It's costs £16 an hour so we ditched a takeaway a week and have 2 hours help. It makes me more organised too because I do a rough tidy so she can clean.

 

[neilp]

If you really are struggling mentally then please do speak to someone, your GP or other avenues x I have 3 kids too, I know the feeling! X

 

[jesusnamefollowerofchrist]

Get a cleaner - they’re lovely x

 

[archer_on_fire]

@jesusnamefollowerofchrist so true but trying to find one tent shows up each week is hard!

 

[jesusnamefollowerofchrist]

@archer_on_fire yes it is. Mines a diamond

 

[phylliswong]

When I had a baby (1 may I add) I honestly learned to live without constantly dusting and cleaning. I felt peace but honestly now I feel I have to as she's 7. So what I do is have a room a day and allow half hour. What cant be done doesn't get done unless there's an emergency like vomit. Just don't beat yourself up xx

 

[pandahat]

I have 4 kids living with me and 2 cats and hubby.
Each morning after drop off to school I put the music on. Tidy up everything on kitchen work tops, wipe down and add dishes to dish washer. Walk around living room dining room and fluff up cushions , tidy tables and wipe down. Run upstairs taking with me all non downstairs stuff. Go and make all beds quick tidy, putting clothes in one pile in rooms. Before going back downstairs I give all bathroom services and loos quick wipe down and take all dirty clothes piles down with me. Quick sweep downstairs and clean downstairs toilet. By 11.30 I sit down and have a coffee. Then put a wash on. Make phonecalls, check calenders and emails. 12.30 Make lunch 1.30 to 2.30 think out what to make for dinner and what I need to pick up when I grab kids.
2.30 run and grab kids remembering to take snacks to stop them from fighting one another. Give the kids drink snacks before I start dinner, feed, clean moan at kids to do homework, shower, clean teeth.
Busy busy busy. This everyday routine helps as there are days where there are appointments and lots of last minute occurrences that can take out a morning or an afternoon or sometimes a whole day. Some may think it's a lot everyday but many days things get in the way so less is done and where I have several days where nothing additional happens I can do additional things like wipe down windows or empty a cupboard, clean out fridge etc

 

[eleazerm]

@pandahat are you a stay at home mum though?

 

[pandahat]

@eleazerm I was a work aholic with two kids. So hyper that I was working full time, doing my teacher training and Ivf. Mad. I got pregnant first time with triplets at 41 and was diagnosed with cancer. Something had to change. I work on the family, house and art and design now. I have 5 kuds. Helped the eldest find a flat and he moved in after we renovated last September. Another is still at uni and triplets now 13. Three of my kids are autistic but most of what I do is at home. Gave up on the early mornings dropping kuds going into London rushing home in the dark. I stand back now and realise that was not a fulfilled life. Good is good enough. Nothing needs to be perfect.

 

[godpraisingman]

I gave up.

 

[remysigua]

I do things daily, one day hover and mop the next day il do a bathroom so your doing roughly 30 mins of house work a day and I put a wash on a day.

 

[archer_on_fire]

We have 5 horses, 2 pigs, 2 chickens, 1 dog, 2 rabbit and 1 hamster. Also 2 children. By the time I’ve been to work and sorted all the animals out, I seriously don’t want to clean. My husband is amazing and works from home. He loves cooking and he always cleans the kitchen after. He also does the washing. I clean the bathrooms and Hoover when I can. I will ask my daughter to polish and my son to Hoover sometimes and they always put their own clothes away - begrudgingly. They probably don’t do it very well but I can’t be everywhere. They have a wonderful life and I’m sure they’ll remember that over whether there was mess. I love having a tidy home and lighting a bloody candle haha but it’s hard going to keep on top of it. So I bought an inflatable hot tub instead and just stare out onto my muddy field with a glass of wine contemplating my life’s choices
We have your back. Just do what you can

 

[archer_on_fire]

Got an umbrella in it as well. It’s a posh one.

 

[enricopreziosi]

Get some music on!

 

[joshmoseley]

I do it when they are in bed, then I can enjoy the tidy house before they destroy it again in the morning

 

[padrobear]

Clean the loo, sink, shower after I use it. Spray and wipe down.
I love my robot vacuum cleaner- every other day downstairs... I pick everything up downstairs (stools, chairs, mess) and it goes round whilst I'm upstairs putting the kids to bed. Then the floor is clean and I have to put the bits away (it's usually shoes for the cupboard, bits of toys to pop back in a box).
The kids have to take their own clean clothes up and put them away - I usually fold them off the airers. Every other day I give them instructions in their bedrooms on tackling some of the tidying (8&6) - just 1 or 2 jobs e.g. soft toys in the basket, books on the shelf. Or tidy your desk, or this area of floor.
There's always mess, but that's because we live here!! I like to find homes for things, and talk with the kids about which toys they want out and accessible - this changes every few weeks, but there's a box/basket for it if it's out downstairs.

 

[thirteendog]

I started the organised mom method and it really does work if you stick to it. I've got the checklists laminated and would tick of things as I go. Absolutely always every day to the main 6 which is one load of washing, quick bathroom clean, make beds, hoover/sweep main traffic areas and a couple more off the top of my head. Then you choose one room a day to do a proper clean of. It doesn't mean the house is always spotlessly tidy but it's much more manageable ,clean and ends up being about 45 mins/an hour ish a day total for housework. X

 

[wololo]

I lowered my standards considerably.