@grcafterburner my old auntie used to say to me, when you get to heaven, there’ll be all the people that spent their time cleaning and tidying, and all those that enjoyed their lives and loved ones. Which would you rather be?
Best Housework Tips & Self-Care Secrets!
- Thread starter grcafterburner
- Start date
Some ideas:
Get a cleaner / laundry help a couple times per month and whilst they clean have a coffee.
Find a friend you can do a weekly kid swap with for a couple hours each way. So you can both have some time alone to do what you want.
Go to bed as early as you can and get up an hour (or more) before the kids wake up. And have your time to yourself then (this is a game changer) you will feel like a new person.
Appreciate with a 6 month old baby it can be challenging to get any spare time or proper sleep, so if not working for you now, revisit these ideas every few months the to see if they are viable
Wishing you a restful time
Get a cleaner / laundry help a couple times per month and whilst they clean have a coffee.
Find a friend you can do a weekly kid swap with for a couple hours each way. So you can both have some time alone to do what you want.
Go to bed as early as you can and get up an hour (or more) before the kids wake up. And have your time to yourself then (this is a game changer) you will feel like a new person.
Appreciate with a 6 month old baby it can be challenging to get any spare time or proper sleep, so if not working for you now, revisit these ideas every few months the to see if they are viable
Wishing you a restful time
In honest with Children it's better to wait til before dinner time, do one big tidy up and get the kid's involved. After dinner put a no toys out rule, it's quiet time in the evening i.e film together, reading or something like family board games you can quickly pack away.
I tend to find my home is spotless when they are at school Monday-Friday
I tend to find my home is spotless when they are at school Monday-Friday
I use the Tody app,that way I don't forget jobs that are less frequent and don't spend too much time overdoing other things and I get a sense of achievement when I click on the job as done and beat the lil guy 'dusty' at the top of the app hehe. I'm not normally an app person but it helps me sooooo much especially when it's SAD season and I'm in brain fog mode!
livin4thelord
New member
A clean home has always been a priority for me.
Once it’s in a good state, maintenance is really not that hard (I also have 3 kids).
Kids can help plenty! Get them into the habit of tidying their toys, putting their laundry in the wash basket and making their beds, every day! We used to put all toys away between each transition, ie before we go out, before a meal before bed.
Wash up after every meal. Do a load of washing every day (and put it away as soon as it’s dry - kids can help with this too).
Hoover round soon as the kids are in bed.
Once a week do bathrooms, hoover upstairs, dust. Do these on different days so you’re looking at 30 mins daily jobs and 30 mins of weekly jobs.
Can you ship the kids off for the day and have a friend or partner help you blitz it, so you’re at the point of maintenance?
When I’ve worked full time I’ve had a cleaner, but always did the daily jobs so it never gets into a real state.
Once it’s in a good state, maintenance is really not that hard (I also have 3 kids).
Kids can help plenty! Get them into the habit of tidying their toys, putting their laundry in the wash basket and making their beds, every day! We used to put all toys away between each transition, ie before we go out, before a meal before bed.
Wash up after every meal. Do a load of washing every day (and put it away as soon as it’s dry - kids can help with this too).
Hoover round soon as the kids are in bed.
Once a week do bathrooms, hoover upstairs, dust. Do these on different days so you’re looking at 30 mins daily jobs and 30 mins of weekly jobs.
Can you ship the kids off for the day and have a friend or partner help you blitz it, so you’re at the point of maintenance?
When I’ve worked full time I’ve had a cleaner, but always did the daily jobs so it never gets into a real state.
christfollowermct
New member
My kids are 10, 5 and 1 and all help with the cleaning..
My older two know that their personal space (their bedrooms) are their responsibility. It's not my job to go in cleaning up after them!
The rest of the house I have set days for dusting/laundry/decluttering etc.
When my 1 year old is done with her toys we play the tidy up game, so we'll race to get toys in boxes etc and it's just become a habit with her now to put things away when they're done with because we make it fun. I did the same with my older two when they were little..
I home educate my older two so unless they're at one of their social clubs, they're at home with me and don't mind mucking in with household stuff.
My 5 year old likes helping me fold the washing so she uses a cardboard fold out of a bedding set to help her fold. I swear that thing is her pride and joy
my 10 year old likes helping me cook so she finds new recipes for us to try and then helps me make it..
I'm pretty laid back when it comes to "me time". A bubble bath with a cold beer and a good book is enough to keep me happy and recharged
My older two know that their personal space (their bedrooms) are their responsibility. It's not my job to go in cleaning up after them!
The rest of the house I have set days for dusting/laundry/decluttering etc.
When my 1 year old is done with her toys we play the tidy up game, so we'll race to get toys in boxes etc and it's just become a habit with her now to put things away when they're done with because we make it fun. I did the same with my older two when they were little..
I home educate my older two so unless they're at one of their social clubs, they're at home with me and don't mind mucking in with household stuff.
My 5 year old likes helping me fold the washing so she uses a cardboard fold out of a bedding set to help her fold. I swear that thing is her pride and joy
my 10 year old likes helping me cook so she finds new recipes for us to try and then helps me make it..I'm pretty laid back when it comes to "me time". A bubble bath with a cold beer and a good book is enough to keep me happy and recharged
praisethelawd
New member
plantedbywaters
New member
Gin
When mine were small . I had 4
We used to set a timer and tidy as much as we could in 10minutes .
Kids thought it was fun game to tidy the most
I loved the fact 10minutes for 5ppl is equally to hour tiding for 1 person
Amazing how much it time it saved me n kids thought it was great .
We used to set a timer and tidy as much as we could in 10minutes .
Kids thought it was fun game to tidy the most
I loved the fact 10minutes for 5ppl is equally to hour tiding for 1 person
Amazing how much it time it saved me n kids thought it was great .
copticlife112
New member
@copticlife112 17yr not to young to join in lol
Give them slightly longer time maybe n tell them if they live rent free in family home then they can join in with family housework
Worked with my all mine lol
When they stopped helping they moved out hahaha
Give them slightly longer time maybe n tell them if they live rent free in family home then they can join in with family housework
Worked with my all mine lol
When they stopped helping they moved out hahaha
It is hard
I try to do one room at a time when I can and when child is in bed I can do what I can but try not to exceed 1/2 to 1 hour as I want to be able
To sit down and chill out or have a bubble bath and watch crap on telly
I manage to have a deep clean on the weekend when my friend had my little one for most of the day
I have about 3 hours spare so me and my partner went out and had some time together
I try to do one room at a time when I can and when child is in bed I can do what I can but try not to exceed 1/2 to 1 hour as I want to be able
To sit down and chill out or have a bubble bath and watch crap on telly
I manage to have a deep clean on the weekend when my friend had my little one for most of the day
I have about 3 hours spare so me and my partner went out and had some time together
lv_freeman
New member
We have a cleaner and I honestly couldn't cope without! I know it's a luxury not everyone can afford but she does way more in 2 hours than I could do in a whole day so it actually gives me more time to work too. That's how I justify it anyway
grcafterburner
New member
@lv_freeman what do you get your cleaner to do?xx
lv_freeman
New member
@grcafterburner she comes once a week for 2 hours. She does downstairs one week (kitchen, hallway, living room) and upstairs the next week (bathroom, en-suite, landing, 3 bedrooms) and every week she hoovers the stairs and all of downstairs, cleans the kitchen floor and cleans the downstairs loo
lv_freeman
New member
I should add that our kitchen is a kitchen diner and is pretty big
lv_freeman
New member
Cleaning of rooms includes jobs I'd never get round too like dusting shutters/blinds and cleaning skirting boards