My home is a mess

soupdragon10

They are not cobwebs they are ecological flytraps!!! So much better than sprays or sticky traps (with the bonus of pet spiders).

Getting rid of clutter is the only way I've found helps me to keep at least the basics clean and tidy. If I haven't used it for 6 months it's likely I won't need it for another 6 months so it can go to charity/freecycle etc.

I went through a stage of almost weekly visits to the local recycling centre with things that weren't any use to anyone. Now it's harder and harder to fill the car to make the trip as I've weeded out all the things 'that might come in useful' but in fact just take up space and clutter up your life. Start small - I would sit and do a drawer at a time and then take a break. It's amazing how much easier doing it in small chunks is.

Very best of luck to you.

skintbint_2

can understand where your coming from -i work full time, have a little part-time business, a mad spaniel, two kids it all seems too much sometimes but i started following the flylady thread and even doing the smallest chores started to make a difference, unfortunately fell off the bandwagon last week but back on the flying tomorrow, even after a week its not nearly as bad as what it was. one of the things i do is i bought flash wipes leave them in the loo so when i go to the loo - i give the bathroom a quick wipe round, also have a pack in the kitchen so when waiting on the kettle to boil i sometimes wipe down the unit doors, or wipe out the fridge/microwave.(saves digging out the cleaning stuff and cloths etc.) after the first couple of times it just takes minutes. i also get a black bag and again waiting on the kettle to boil (i drink a lot of coffee!) go round the livingroom, kitchen, anywhere down stairs and bin anything that we dont need. i am now going to buy the polish wipes, or a couple of spare tins of polish and keep those in the livingroom drawer and also in the bedroom so they are always at hand and when and if i get two minutes that will be those rooms dusted.

you will get there, a little bit at a time

livalot

Buddingblonde wrote: »

I think for me I would like to get to the stage where a visitor to the door does not put me in a panic that they might want to come in or even worse need a cup or tea or a pee!!!
We never have guests as even when clean the house is tatty and looks very scabby in places.

I totally understand you as I was in the same situation just a few months ago...... was really ashamed of my house and never wanted anyone to see it. If I knew someone was coming I would spend days and days hiding things and making the main areas look presentable but I was still ashamed. I had tried using the american flylady website and the flylady thread on here, but found I just could not follow the cleaning routines. I never wanted to clean as my house was too full of clutter and I also hated spending so much time cleaning only to find that the place was filled up and messy in no time.

Reading a thread on MSE someone suggested "the organizer lady". I thought on no here we go another silly web site and how much will I have to pay...... Well its free and I signed up for the emails and it is is really working for me. It is helping me to be more tidy and to organize my life. My life ,my house even my debts are changing. I have started to throw stuff away so I want to keep areas cleaner. My oh and 2 dds have really benefited and cant believe the changes in the house! You get a different email every day but it has helped me see how to do things in other ways. The plus point is it has changed the way I do things. :jThe lightbulb moment for me was the 30 second rule. If something is going to take 30 seconds or less to do then just do it. its so easy to follow that even I can do it and it means I have less to clean up.... brilliant and simple enough even for me. If you would like the link I will pm you.

*Jellie*

I've been on a declutter mission for a couple of years. I also suffer with poor health. I started at the library to find decluttering books- think me fave was The Joy of Less. I agree with the breaking things down to baby steps. While trying to do flylady basics when I could I also picked a small manageable project. I targeted one room at a time. I gradually worked through decluttering deep storage areas (harder to reach cupboards etc) getting rid of thing I didn't need one cupboard/ shelf at a time. These areas could then be used to house stuff you only need to get to rarely. Once you've made space you can then gradually work round a room finding places for everything. When that is done it is so much easier to clean. Clearing surfaces of excess stuff now means that dusting is quick and easy!
This has taken ages but you will start to see a difference one room at a time. Just keep your steps tiny so you don't overdo things.

SammyD_2

The problem I have applying the flylady and some of the posts on various threads is that they seem to be aimed at people who are at home, rather than working full time. I cannot work on a "zone" per day or week - and am very envious of those who can!

As I see it, if you are away from home 10 hours a day working, you still have the same number of meals, dishes, washing and housework. So you either have to spend the same amount of time doing the compulsory chores, or let something slide. I never watch tv, rarely go on the internet, get up at 6.30am and go to bed at 11pm. But between cooking meals, getting uniforms ready, arranging after school activities and doing the washing I simply do not have the energy for much else. My husband does as much as I do, but between the two of us it is a struggle. And it is the paper war that really gets me down!

I would love to hear from any working parent who manages to keep a clean house and can share their routine.

Rummer

I am a full time working mum who also has oodles of animals in the house and I have been working hard to get the house in order and I have found multi tasking is the way to go.

For example while the bath is running I wash down the rest of the bathroom and while cooking dinner I make extra for lunches and tidy the kitchen as I go. I even bake every day. As soon as I come in at night I give the place a quick hoover and make sure that when I have finished using something I put it away.

Clothing wise, I put dirty laundry straight in the machine everyday and put it on when the machine is full. On a Sunday I iron all the clothes we need for the working week and for my DD I have a 5 day clothes holder that I put her school uniform in. This saves ages in the morning as we just get up and go.

Paperwork I deal with every day so that it doesn't build up, although to be honest I have moved everything I can onto paperless billing and payment by direct debit so I don't have a lot of paper to deal with.

In relation to the larger cleaning jobs etc then I do them as and when I have time/motivation. Maybe one evening I will clean windows or wipe the skirting boards etc but I don't feel pressured to do that as in the main my house is kept ticking over.

We also have the same approach with our garden and after the annual blitz we spend an hour or so a week keeping it in order and that gives us time to grow our own fruit and veg too.

I get my daughter involved in the house work too so she has a small managable list of things to do each day.

Onecoincloser

I am also living in a hovel!!!:o:eek: I think my main problem is that I spend more time thinking about how appalling my house is and feeling guilty about it than I do trying to clean it!!!!:rotfl::rotfl:

Honestly, I really do need to get myself organised....I had a good weekend in the garden this weekend and I think that I will do a room a day this week until the weekend when I will tackle the worst room in the house....:eek::eek::eek:

I am always in awe of people who manage to have immaculate homes.....it's not that I don't have time really, I think that I am just basically lazy :whistle:

I always think that my time at home should be my time, but I do spend most of it feeling rubbish about how awful it looks and I am also in the unfortunate position where I can have it megaclean but it is still a shabby house (I refuse to spend any serious money on it until I own it outright so I guess I will just have to put up with that!;))

However, regardless of that, it still looks better and makes me feel better when it is clean.. so I really will start doing something this time!!

Frugalista

livalot wrote: »

If you would like the link I will pm you.

I would like the link, please

Buddingblonde

Me too - tried to google it but just got loads of adverts.

Buddingblonde

Onecoincloser wrote: »

I am just basically lazy :whistle:

However, regardless of that, it still looks better and makes me feel better when it is clean. so I really will start doing something this time!!

I am lazy (and I do know this) and I do know that I mentally feel better coming home to a clean house - it is depressing to open the door and have the house looking like a tip.