Help I can't keep my house clean?

Question

I work full time but have no kids, I'm married and my husband helps out but still the house is always a mess. Can anyone recommend some kind of time table or planner that I could use to keep on top of things. My problem is leaving things all week while at work and telling myself I'll clean at the weekend then feeling annoyed that my weekend is taken up with cleaning. And I'm sitting on yahoo answers avoiding the cleaning! I would like to point out that I keep on top of dish washing and basics like that - I'm not a total pig.

Answer 1

You have to give yourself an hour each day to straighten up the house from the bedroom and bathroom to the main living areas.  I use a swifer duster while I'm on the phone so at least I get 2 things done at one.  On the weekends, start with the laundry and do a more thorough cleaning.

I find that by getting rid of things, there is less clutter, so you might want to consider going through your closets, drawers and cabinets and throwing whatever you haven't used for two years out or donating them to charity.

Answer 2

I find these things handy for myself and my routine.

In the morning when you rise - make your bed immediately and do any little things that need doing such as picking up clothes and putting them into the dirty linen hamper, empty water glass etc - hopefully you get the picture.

Brush the loo as soon as you use it. Put away anything after yourself as you use it in the bathroom and take your dirty clothes to the laundry as you go into rest of the house - do jobs as you go and think to yourself - now what else can I do at the same time e.g. collect coat hangers for hanging up washed laundry as I collect the dirty clothes

Put a load of washing in the machine as you get breakfast and try to get it hung out b4 you go to work or put the laundry on the night before and hang out when you get up

Always make sure that you do the dishes before walking out the door and put away things and tidy up - have baskets available if necessary to make it easier

On the weekend set yourself targets for getting jobs done that you hate and do them before making a reward such as a nice coffee or ring a friend while you sip - 2 jobs in one Above all try to get hubby to put away after himself, thats half the battle over

Hope these tips help some  

Answer 3

Stop beating yourself up about not cleaning your house. There are worse things in life. I am retired with all day to do housework but I figure I'll be a long time dead so I go out with friends and my volunteering.

I do a little bit of a clean every few days and that way its never dirty.

Every now and then I take a mad turn and give it a going over and that way I don't have a guilty conscience.

Enjoy life - its very short.  

Answer 4

Try to set aside time each night when you get home from work to take care of housework - whatever you think you can stand, even if it is only 15 mins. but be vigilant about doing it every night.  Maybe assign one room for each night of the week - ie: Mondays  - bathroom, Tuesdays - kitchen, etc.

If that doesn't work for you, then you both must make a mental note to clean up after yourselves right after you make each mess - ie: don't leave mail laying around after you've opened it.  Throw out what you don't want, and act on what you need to; wipe down kitchen counter tops and stove when finished in the kitchen each time.  Doing this will only take a few minutes each time and then won't add up to an overwhelming bunch of work by the weekend.

Good luck!

Answer 5

call kim and aggy

Answer 6

the best way is to set yourself one task a day, ie monday - do washing, tuesday- ironing wednesday - clean bathroom - thursday- clean living room etc etc just take it one job at a time that way it doesnt seem so overwhelming

Answer 7

Does your husband work? Then you should ring up a domestic cleaning company like dial an angel in perth western australia, Australia they charge $80 AUS for 3 hours but charge extra for doing washing ironing and they dont do dishes as rule.  other wise you should so one thing a day. i.e. mon vaccum tues,clean bathroom, wednesday dust etc.

Answer 8

The only thing you can do is write down a list of what needs doing daily and do those things and give yourself a 'treat' when you have finished that task! Sounds childish but i do that all the time!

I always find that putting music on while cleaning makes me do it faster!

Answer 9

throw your laundry in the wash on your way out to work when you get home dry it so you can fold it when its done drying this should cut your ironing time. wash dishes as soon as you are done eating. wipe counters when you are getting yourself a drink of water or refreshment. clean your shower while you are in it then wash your self. after brushing your teeth wipe off and out your sink about every two days. have your husband scrub the toilet bowl prior to using it once a week.   vacuum or sweep when cooking dinner while you are waiting for water to boil or food to simmer/cook . leave dusting for the weekend so you can follow with a  good vacuum. DON"T MAKE YOUR BED!!! i know our parents always taught us to but when you make your bed the bacteria from our skin we shed and the sweat you  sweat ed while sleeping spreads. just leave it un made and let the air and sunshine hit it.  

Answer 10

i recommend getting hoe to clean just about anything and look at page 80-88 (or when the section ends)

Answer 11

I discovered "Fly Lady" 12 months ago.  Within a short time my house was completely manageable.  It's free!  flylady.com literally changed my life and my families life.

Good luck

Answer 12

Invest in a dishwasher. The time it saves is amazing, and it cleans better than you can by hand. Indesit is cheap but reliable.

Answer 13

If you and your husband are keeping on top of the dish washing and basics and you're not a total pig maybe just settle for "clean enough".

You don't have to spend all weekend cleaning.  The major things that really need a good cleaning are the kitchen and bathroom.  Maybe you can clean the kitchen, your husband can clean the bathroom (or swap that around) and you can toss a coin for the vacuuming and dusting.  That really shouldn't take too long.  While you guys are doing that the washer and dryer can be doing the laundry.♥☺♥

Answer 14

buy a kitchen timer and clean for 15 minutes a day, set the timer for 15 minutes and don't stop until it goes off.  

There are always some good time saving articles in Womans Day magazine. here are 40 cleaning tasks that take 5 minutes or less.

http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Shelte...

Just click on the red arrow in the pic to cycle through the pages.