Housework is overwhelming

Does anyone else find it hard to do housework?

I feel like my house is such a mess and because there are lots of big things to do like I need to clean my front door and my kitchen wall etc, and there is so much to do, I end up doing nothing because I know I'll never get it all done.

I'll tidy the house in preparation for hoovering, but by the time I've done that the kids (my own kids) need me for something or I've simply lost energy, or LO is sleeping, so I can't hoover. Then the house gets untidy again so I've missed the hoovering oppotunity!

I'm sure it shouldn't be this hard to do housework but I seem to be in this endless loop of having no energy for it.

We can't afford a cleaner so that isn't an option sadly.

I'd appreciate any tips on how you all manage to get things done!

Thanks in advance

:group hug: I know how you feel! My last mindee left at 4.30pm, which is very civilised, but since then I've tidied up, made dinner for my own children, washed up, got washing off the line, put a load of washing on, and cleaned the bathrooms. Just having a cup of tea and then I need to cook 2 meals for mindees lunches, write a 2yr old progress check, and do the other bits of paperwork that I must do today. And that is just the tip of a huge housework/ admin mountain :(

This sounds really sad but over the years I have come to love house work - but I did used to get stressed about it. I am a morning person so my way forward when my boys were young was to clean my kitchen very early on Saturday morning before anybody was up. Music on quietly, time to move everything to one side and deep clean, I grew to love it and it turned into therapy when I was at my most stressed in my professional life. I did one deep clean job every Saturday in the end, kitchen, bathroom, living room three week rota.

I love cleaning now - a bit like Monica on friends. I pop over to my friends for coffee and they are happy to give me a cleaning job!
So, perhaps you could set aside a weekend early early morning when you are more likely to have the energy, decide which room is in need first and just do that one.

Failing this - find a friend like me!!

My top tips are:

- cut the clutter:
If you are having to clear the floor to be able to vacuum then see what you can clear out for good- or move up on shelves. All my floors are clear. Toys are all away by end of the day and my own children's toys do not come downstairs. Everything has its place and I can put everything away.

- do a bit as you go along:
I wipe the bathroom down while I am using it. I keep all kitchen surfaces clear and wipe as I go.

- do clean with mindees or while they are busy playing (in view):
I put a load in the washing machine early morning, hang it up with the mindees. Load and put the dishwasher on while mindees are finishing their lunch in kitchen. If they are happy playing for a minute I get the vacuum cleaner out and do a quick whip round downstairs (they love pressing the button to wind in cable). I sweep under the table after every meal, mindees get out their dustpan and brush to help. I use white vinegar in a spray with a cloth to clean windows and give mindees a cloth too, or while they are busy playing within view. It is all part of being a home setting- they learn how to clean a house.

Bigger jobs go on a list for weekends, my DH is good at deep cleans- he blitzed the bathroom last weekend, even unscrewed the loo seat and cleaned round the fixings!

I also need to get a grip. On the rare occasion that I am on top of it, it is usually down to the following:

1. Limit the amount of toys on offer and have a break from 'messy fun' activities.
2. Keep one room out of bounds from mindees. When I don't do this toys end up being dragged into every room.
3 Get mindees to tidy up properly before they leave - plan time for it and make sure it happens.
4 Come up with a list of chores for each family member - simple stuff like putting away own pjs, or putting worn clothes in the laundry basket
5 Have a set of 'rules' for each room, eg put the loo roll in the recycling if you use the last bit, wipe away toothpaste marks from the basin after you spit (sorry), scrape own leftovers into the bin etc.
6. Once a week plan a meal where you don't have to use every pan in the house to prepare it. It could be spag bol that you made extra of last week and put in your freezer, or a healthy ready made meal.
7. Make the most of the decent weather and have sandwiches and stuff outside for lunch - no clean up!
8. A couple of times I have been out of the house pretty much all day, only coming back home for naps and the house has looked amazing!
9. Have a family cleaning day where you get all the kids involved and get them to do skirting boards etc. They usually enjoy it if it is a team effort. Blast some music while you work. You can then have a group reward!
10. Identify what the main mess is (toys, food related, laundry etc), what is stopping it from being cleared away and whether that could be changed, and how you could minimise the mess from happening again.

Would it be impossible for you to hoover during nap time? I don't know your set up but you might be surprised!

yes its still a struggle!!

It is a struggle here too but the mindees are limited to downstairs which helps. They put all toys away before they leave. The playroom gets a good clean aftr lunch every day too. The mindes are getting used to having to play in a certain part of the room while i sweep and bleach.
I then tackle 1 room downstairs for 30 minutes each night. That keeps on top of it and some. That was at the weekend i only have upstairs to sort and mow the lawn if needed.

Yes housework is definately overwhelming but if you had a 9-5 job in the office you would still have the same chores to do. The ones I can't do when the kids are around are done on a Saturday morning but everything else is done when I have a quiet day.

I struggle too the areas I work in are fine as we all tidy as we go through the day. I start each morning by putting washing on and make my bed and quick tidy in my room. My boys look after their own rooms which is great. But my cousin does cleaning and she comes once a week to clean my hall stairs and landing and the two bathrooms which I then manage to keep on top of. It's not that I'm lazy it's just I don't want to spend all weekend cleaning when I could be spending time with my family. That may all change now as I'm finishing work a lot earlier and my latest finish is 6pm xx

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I think we all struggle to keep on top of things - the job doesn't help because CM have a lot more stuff than normal households! I do have a cleaner to change the beds and clean upstairs and I try to keep things ticking along downstairs by doing little jobs early mornings and as and when the children are occupied. After work, I use an irobot vacuum cleaner - just switch it on and off it goes while I'm getting dinner started.

And don't forget - you aren't alone - you work full time and so does your other half so you should be sharing the jobs. Let me know how that goes because mine is definately not housetrained! :laughing:

I have a strict daily routine for all downstairs rooms, tidy, wipe surfaces and fronts, hoover, mop floors.

The bathroom gets wiped daily and is cleaned once a week really well...

Upstairs though gets neglected tbh. I aim to clean up there once a week but its often a rushed job...

You say you cant afford a cleaner... but they are not as expensive as you might think.... My friend pays £20 a week for 3 hours. In 3 hours you could have someone do all the jobs you never get round to doing which might ease your workload a bit. I think I am deffo going to get one once I have paid back my start up costs into my savings :)

it is really hard though isn't it to not let the housework get on top of you! :-(

Sometimes I think - "I haven't got time to start anything as it's only 5 minutes before the children arrive" but then I think 5 mins is better than anything, you can actually achieve a lot in that time - set the kitchen timer and see what you can get done, you will never dismiss 5 mins as not long enough again.

Sometimes I just spend 5 mins in each room tidying up and sometimes I walk in and think which 3 things need doing that will make the biggest difference - eg in bathroom it could be cleaning sink, hanging up towels properly and putting some bleach in the loo.

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Originally Posted by hectors house

Sometimes I think - "I haven't got time to start anything as it's only 5 minutes before the children arrive" but then I think 5 mins is better than anything, you can actually achieve a lot in that time - set the kitchen timer and see what you can get done, you will never dismiss 5 mins as not long enough again.

Sometimes I just spend 5 mins in each room tidying up and sometimes I walk in and think which 3 things need doing that will make the biggest difference - eg in bathroom it could be cleaning sink, hanging up towels properly and putting some bleach in the loo.

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I agree. You can get small jobs done as and when you have a spare few minutes. I wipe down my front door and sweep the step and the children usually watch me with great interest. I am always giving my patio door a quick wipe over although the state of them is down to the dog :panic:. I will happily whizz around with a duster and polish whilst the children are playing, they can have a cloth if they like, I used to have a little boy who loved to wipe down all my paintwork with baby wipes lol. The kitchen I keep on top of through out the day and the bathrooms get a quick wipe over every morning. The only thing I don't do when I'm working is the hoovering as I worry I can't hear the children when I'm doing it. My snug area in the kitchen really needs the carpet cleaner out as the floor is looking really dirty (that's down to the dog too) but the cleaner is sooo noisy I can't possibly do that when I'm working. My washing machine is on at least once every day. I'll wipe down doors / skirtings as I go, it only takes a couple of minutes. I spend about 10 mins after everyone has gone home running the hoover around downstairs and mopping the kitchen. My upstairs only gets done once a week though.
My advice is just do the little jobs throughout the day and you'll soon feel better about things.

xxx

Thanks everyone. Nice to know I'm not alone and thanks for the tips. You make it sound easy :)

Toddlers896 - if I had a 9-5 office job I don't think my house would be nearly so messy lol!

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Originally Posted by buzzy bee

Thanks everyone. Nice to know I'm not alone and thanks for the tips. You make it sound easy :)

Toddlers896 - if I had a 9-5 office job I don't think my house would be nearly so messy lol!

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For sure buzzy bee. I did mean to say that. My house is always a tip when the kids are here and would always be clean if I had a 9-5 job but it makes me feel better if I keep reassuring myself that everything would be the same if I had an office job :laughing: it's a nightmare trying to stay tidy. Ime a clean freak and after a few months of doing this job suddenly thought oh dear I don't think this job is for me but now I have a wee routine and make sure everything is put away before the kids leave. I even sweep and mop my floor while they are sat at the table doing drawing etc. problem is they want to help so the floor gets dirty again :jump for joy:

Someone once said to me never go up or down the stairs empty handed, it works! I would love a cleaner but tbh I would find it hard to trust someone.

Know the feeling, today was a good day, new after schoolers did a good tidy up with a sticker as a reward if everyone helped which they all did, then at dinner I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher and gave the kitchen a quick tidy up, then got them to put their own pudding bowls in the kitchen and got them playing hide and seek before collection while I cleared up the dining room table and floor after dinner, a job which if I leave until they've been collected there's not time as I have to get my toddler to bed and my husband seems blind to all the food all over the floor :-(
However I'm now sat here shattered, looking at the living room carpet knowing it needs hoovering before mindees arrive tomorrow, and the kitchen is a mess from cooking dinner, and my husband is dozing on the sofa next to me so I'm going to have to get up and start the clear up all over again...
But like others say, I find the more I can get done with mindees here the better, nothing more than loading washing machine and hanging washing while they're in the garden playing, and I'll Hoover in the morning quickly, before they arrive if time but 5 minute whip around won't do any harm if they're here.
Leaving bits like that till eve I'm just too shattered to bother!
We do have a cleaner who does the whole house in 2 hours every 2 weeks, so I just have to maintain in between times, makes the world of difference and is £20 well spent every fortnight for me as my husband doesn't help with any of it and I just can't get it all done on my own