Housework drives me BATTY!

[TikiGoddess]

Hi all,

I know I can't be the only one who hates housework. I have a 5yr DD, a 3yr DD, and a fairly small house (1400 sq feet).

On my day off (Fridays) I clean the house -- put things away, vacuum, wipe down the counters, do the laundry, and try to clean out one closet or room. We are in the process of decluttering (mainly because I'm tired of cleaning -- the less things to clean up, the better!!) so I take toys that the kids haven't played with or other things down to the basement for our tag sale this summer.

The kids rooms are set up so they can do the cleaning. My 5 yr old can put her toys away (dinosaurs in one bin, trains in another, dress up on the shelves, etc). The 3 yr old is just learning how to clean up her room (and I know, she's 3...). The living room and the downstairs playroom are often a mess though, from their playing.

It makes me so frustrated that I can have the house clean Friday afternoon and by Saturday lunchtime it looks like I didn't do a thing!! It's hard enough to be working during the week and then constantly dealing with mess at every turn.

It's not just the girls... my husband and I are often so busy during the week that things just get put wherever until we have time to deal with them.

One of the reasons I love going on vacation every year is the fact that I don't have to clean!! If I'm in the house I feel like there's always something to be done. Unfortunately, we're not going on vacation this year... :(

Any suggestions?? How can I have a relatively clean house without driving myself crazy?

TikiG

[5fromabove]

Just wanted to empathize with you. We have a house with similiar sq. ft. (plus a finished playroom downstairs). There are 7 of us sandwiched into here- 2 adults & 5 little piggies. I feel like all I ever do is clean...like Cinderella before her slipper came into to picture. Unfortunately, I don't have any constructive advice for you. I am constantly on the kids to pick up after themselves, they make a trail from the front door to their rooms...dropping things along the way. With the older kids, I've recently started telling them that I will charge them like a maid charges if I have to keep picking up their stuff. We'll see if that works. Good luck...it's exhausting and very frustrating. Sending you some Calgon.

[BronxTigger]

There are a ton of ideas on the Internet for ideas on how to maintain organization in the home. I think the best one is FlyLady. Her big thing is to spend 15 minutes each night before you go to bed to put things back in their place (and to shine your sink...so that the first thing you see when you wake up is clean!). Trust me...I know it's easier said than done, because I do the same thing you do: spend my day off trying to catch up from 6 days of tossing stuff around in a hurry!

[jrkcr]

Another vote for flylady here! It sounds kinda iffy, but you have to try it!! I actually love to clean. :cloud9: I kinda drive my kids nutso, I am hoping they will learn to like cleaning too. So far-NOT. But they each have a "morning chore" that they do 7 days a week. I tried switching around the chores, making chore charts, all that stuff. But it is just easier to have each kid know what to do, and be OK with doing it forever. DD16 does the litter box and feeds/waters pets, DD14 gathers all trash and takes it out, DD8 brings all dirty laundry to the laundry room from every hamper(and behind her door where she hoards it). Just that little bit helps!
My kids call me "Momica" after Monica on Friends. HAHA, so very funny! If I didn't have 3 kids, 2 cats, 1 dog, and a hubby, my house would be soooo clean. Oh well...

My favorite tips-
stuck-on food on a baking dish-leave a little water and a new dryer sheet in it overnight, and the next morning it will wipe out.
Also, soap scum on glass shower doors-clean it with clorox toilet bowl gel cleaner-wipe it all around with a dryer sheet and rinse!

Good Luck!

[Mousefever]

I'm right there with you, Kath. The thing is, once the whole house is clean I get a little obsessive. No one is allowed to eat anything with crumbs, the animals aren't allowed to shed, etc. During those rare times I'm not much fun to be around.

By the way, if I visit this summer, I won't be wearing any white gloves. I don't really notice when other people's houses are a little messy, just mine.

Amy


:dory:

[pianobabe]

I have been with FlyLady on and off for probably 5 years. When I am on, the house looks great. When I am off of it, well...we won't go there. It is a wonderful program. Like a pp said, you spend 15 minutes a day in the zone. Also, you spend 1 hour a week doing things like dusting, emptying the trash cans, etc. When I am active with it, it takes us (usually my DS and myself) less than an hour to get everything done on our "Blessing our house" list (our house is about 2200 sq ft). There are three of us that live here. Check out her website. She also has a book and you can sign up for daily reminders. If you have any questions, PM me.

Rhonda

[murphy1]

Yes, OMG me, too!!!!!! Hate it!!! I'm so not Giselle-sing your happy little working song, ugh!! I hate the laundry so much!! i will have it all caught up only to get behind! I am pretty clean, too, but it just gets crazy, I know. I'm trying to get ready for my surgery coming up and it's driving me nuts knowing I won't have control for a couple of weeks.

I have three kids, two cats, a dog, dh and no help from MIL, pretty sad.

[Tink2002]

OH do I EVER know what you mean. This past school year I had an apartment with three male roomates (I know - I must have been clinically insane when I signed that lease) and combine the fact that one was just an absolute slob and the other two were your typical "cleaning is not on my list of priorities" kind of guys and it was horrid. Floors were constantly tracked on, hair, toothpaste, and water all over the bathroom, crumbs all over the kitchen, and dirty dishes piled up to kalamazoo. All of the begging and reminding in the world didn't help them pitch in, either, with the exception of the roomate that is my bf - but our relationship definitely had a lot of stress put on it. A week ago the roomates moved out and we're getting our own place in a couple of weeks so all of that grossness is over now, but BELIEVE ME I know what it's like to clean something and literally turn around and find it messy again. I had a lot of homework and a job to deal with in addition to classes and I felt like any free time I had was spent cleaning up after the slobs only for things to get dirty again an hour later. Hang in there, and if you can afford it consider hiring a cleaning lady for just a couple of hours a week even - to do things like dusting and mopping floors, cleaning the tub, etc. - things that only need to be done once a week or so. My mother did this for a while when I was young and it saved her some time on her days off to only worry about laundry, dishes, and everyday kind of things.

whew. long post? ;)

[Dakota Rose]

I'm a Flylady fan too...I used to live in CHAOS (can't have anyone over syndrome) because of the messy house. But now, at least most days, things are clean. I got rid of my "cleaning day" as it gave me an excuse to let things go. Instead, I just spend 10-15 minutes each day straightening, and putting things away.

[TikiGoddess]

Yes, OMG me, too!!!!!! Hate it!!! I'm so not Giselle-sing your happy little working song, ugh!!

I laughed out loud when I read that -- I had just been telling my 3 yr old that we need to be like Giselle when we clean... she likes chores, doesn't she? And Cinderella too... she's always singing when she scrubs the floor... :D

I don't think she bought it but I sure will give it a try the next time she needs to clean her room!

TikiG

[Dsnygirl]

Hey Kathy! I saw your post and just had to jump in! I so feel your pain... we're in a similar sized house with the same two little girls who can create a mess like there are about 10 of them... I have had the SAME thoughts the day after I've spent it cleaning! It's like it's all for nothing! Add to it the fact that 95% of the floors in my house are hardwood... I always thought that meant less cleaning... NOT!!! At least the carpeting in our other house "hid" all the dust and cat/dog hair, relatively well at least... but not hardwoods, oh no... it's everywhere, skimming across the floor, rolling like something you'd see going across the desert out west... I definitely clean more in this little house than I did in our bigger one!

And don't even get me going on the girls... oh, I love them, I do... each and every fibre of their mess-making little beings... but boy oh boy have I started getting tough on them and cleaning up -- I felt like all I did was re-do what I'd just done! Mind you, they're 6 & 9, almost 7 & 10, so they can do more... and so we're expecting them to more & more... not to their liking! Maybe I'll try that whole "giselle thing" myself... they sure loved that part of the movie! :thumbsup:

I'm off to try the Flylady sight... maybe it'll give me some good tips... I really like the ones I've read on here already!!

Good luck, Kath... I'm right there with ya!! :)

[Tinkerfreak]

I abssolutely hate cleaning the house. It just cuts into my INTERCOT time too much:blush:. We are almost finished building our new house and it has 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and I think I may have to get a job and hire a housekeeper. I am a SAHM and secretary for our construction business so I do have more time than most for cleaning but I honestly just hate it. I am thinking I should work part time for Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks just to hire a housekeeper and get a discount on coffee.
I have one DD who is so helpful when it comes to cleaning up and one who hates it just as much as I do.

[Stitchahula]

I hate cleaning. It's ususally something like this..I'm in 1 room cleaning it and my 5 year old is in a different room making appear as if a bomb went off in there. I've come out of the room I've been cleaning to see he's used the cherries I just bought at the store to redecorate. He'll have thrown them against the white drapes and wall on the floor you get the idea. I would rather mow the lawn and do the outside work and let my husband clean the house once in a while except he doesn't move anything when he dusts. I might hate cleaning but if it's going to be done than it's going to be done right. In my family though when we are under stress we seem to have really clean houses. I guess it's just a way to burn off all that nervous energy.

[MNNHFLTX]

Also, soap scum on glass shower doors-clean it with clorox toilet bowl gel cleaner-wipe it all around with a dryer sheet and rinse!
Thanks for the tip, I'll try it out! Soap scum is my sworn enemy! I'll have to check out that Flylady website too, since so many of you recommend it!

I just have to say that I hate housework too, although I feel compulsed to do it constantly. I have several things that tend to complicate the issues:


I have a teenage son who basically has his own "pad" upstairs. Theoretically I have tried to make him accountable for keeping that clean, but easier said than done. I give him a five-minute warning (fondly called the "five-minute rule" in our house) before I come upstairs with laundry. All dirty clothes, garbage and clutter are to be picked up and put away before I get up there or there are consequences! He is also responsible for vacuuming and cleaning his own bathroom (with supervision to ensure my standards are met).
I have two (black) dogs and two cats. The fur around here is never-ending, even with daily vacuuming. I got a Roomba last year, which has helped save my sanity with the hardwood floors downstairs.
This house is just so much larger (3100 sq. ft.) than our last one (2000 sq. ft.) that it really is challenging finding time to clean everything. I try to save time by having one bathroom downstairs designated the "guest bathroom" and is not to be used by the regular occupants of our household. That way it is always clean if someone drops by. I also have two bedrooms/one bathroom upstairs closed off so that they stay clean. If someone is coming for a visit I only have to do a light cleaning to get them ready.


I think I am the only one on my block that does not have a cleaning service come by at least every couple of weeks. If I ever start working full-time I will certainly consider it.

[Disney Doll]

I would rather mow the lawn and do the outside work and let my husband clean the house once in a while except he doesn't move anything when he dusts.

Sounds like my husband! :)

Somehow DH has mistakenly begun to think that I like to clean. I have to remind him that enjoying a clean house and enjoying cleaning are 2 very different things. My 2 biggest tips are delegate and tidy as you go. DH will help, but he will not take initiative. So, if I leave him a list OR even better get into a routine it works much better. He's responsible for the cat box, the trash, and since he's off on Wednesdays he's responsible for doing the mid week laundry. I tidy up each night and then do my main cleaning (vacuuming, dusting, bathrooms) on Saturday. We have a rule that the kids must put up one thing before dragging out the next. I'm also a fan of bins. We've used bins and baskets in all the kid rooms to keep things organized and make picking up easy. I also have 4 cats and they create a lot of mess. They play in their water, they throw up on the rug, they shed, they shred the TP. It's always something. I do most of the cleaning myself because it's the only way to ensure that it's done well. I'm always feeling like I got a raw deal on our division of labor, but since DH and the kids would be happy to live in filth it seems the responsibility falls to me.

[princessgirls]

It's the same story here.

Cleaning stinks!!

Every Friday,I'm a mad woman cleaning up. I'm also picking up during the week too.

My saving grace is the summer...
I NEED my lazy days of summer, where we are out on the boat, or beach or somewhere where the dust and stuff just doesn't bother me, because if I'm home, I'm cleaning up.
Julie:mickey:

[Stich8818]

Ok as far as tips I dont know, Myself Im one of the few men that will admit I am the one who cleans our house the most. My wife and daughter are allergic to it :secret:. I like a clean house..I like things were they go. The one thing I guess I use is bribery. I use if she doesnt clean up after herself...Club Penquin gets taken away. Lets just say that the office is spotless......the rest of the house...thats another story.

[Magic Smiles]

That's what I have a husband for. He cleans. I can out wait him as he would love to be a neat freak. Unfortunately for him, I am far from a neat freak! Double unfortunate for DH is that DS takes after me.

[princessjojo]

I detest housework, but hate filth worse. What makes it worse is my ADD. I start cleaning in the kitchen, find something that belongs in the bedroom, so I take it where it belongs and clean in there for a while, until I find something that belongs in the boy's bedroom. Move there for a while until...well you get the picture. I never seem to finish one room before I move to another so it's a complete circle. I never ever finish any room completely.

The best thing I found though to assure that the boys get their homework done and behave well is to have them do either homework or housework for 1 hour. They ALWAYS choose homework until it's all done and correct(this includes 30+min of reading each day). Go figure. :shrug: And when they really get out of hand, more so than brothers should, their punishment is folding clothes. They tend to listen very well when they hear that. Hey, if it works, and doesn't hurt them physically or mentally, then I go with it...