Finally tidied downstairs but want advice on how to keep it that way..... PLEASE!!!

Mics_chick

Had an important visitor due to visit me at home last Thursday so needed to tidy up before then and me & the OH managed it :T although last minute as always

Need advice on how to keep it this way though but also how to sort out the clusters of stuff (mostly in our bedroom but some in porch, hall and understairs cupboard too) that still needs sorting.

I know about the 'original' Flylady website and the MSE Flylady threads but I feel that I need to do something inbetween these two. This is because I've got 2 kids so cleaning the house, especially the lounge & kitchen, just once a week isn't enough but giving the house a thorough clean weekly seems a bit OTT to someone so recently in some sort of domestic control at the grand ol' age of 44:eek: :rotfl:

Any help/advice very gratefully received especially if you have used either of the Flylady standards but tailored it to suit your own house/lifestyle

Aarons_mummy

I don't use flylady but for me the best way to keep on top of it is to do little and often. So while you're sitting watching TV file away any paperwork, set a timer for say 15 minutes and do as much as you can in that time, if you can manage to do it every day then it isn't as big a task. Maybe write up a rota of little things to do so you're always on top of things. I clean every day if I didn't my house would be a bombsite and I'd spend my weekend to myself doing it all. Also invest in storage. I have in the kitchen a set of those 4 little drawers that were in Asda for £4 I keep stuff in there almost like junk drawers until I take it upstairs to be put away.

Put washing away as soon as possible so it doesn't pile up, give the floors a quick sweep when needed so it isn;t a huge task to complete. Things like that is how I keep it neat and tidy .

pleasedelete

From the title I was expecting something a bit unusual!



Tidied downstairs usually has a totally different meaning.

HariboJunkie

There really isn't anything else for it but to keep on top of it. I don't follow FL either, partly as the thread is massive and difficult to follow and I'd spend all day reading it instead of cleaning.

With small children and actually in general, the key to tidiness is good storage. Most of my furniture is multifunctional, ie my coffee tables are blanket boxes, one for toys when the girls were younger and now a family games box another contains all the photos and albums and the third which has the TV on it is full of Christmas decorations. In the hall I have an old bureau which has stationery (stamps, pens, writing paper) etc as well as candles and torches.
The kitchen has a dresser which houses my personal paperwork, stuff for my voluntary jobs and one which takes a box file for work which I can transport easily between home and office. There is a bench seat which has the kids' art materials in it and 2 baskets of magazines and books. All these things need a regular clear out as inevitably stuff gets put in the wrong place but generally it means that surfaces are kept clear and tidy.

As far as cleaning goes, I tend to have daily tasks (kitchen swish and swipe, hall and stairs hoovering (I have a hairy dog) and loo cleaning. The kitchen floor gets washed most evenings after tea.
The rest of the chores I spread out over the week and do one room a day so by the end of the week each room in the house will have been cleaned less than a week ago.

Get the rest of the family involved in tidy up time (no matter how young) and teach them responsibility for their own belongings.

Another trick is a stair basket (you can buy fancy purpose built one but I use an old wicker shopping basket at the foot of the stairs). Anything that's go be put away upstairs goes in there and they all know to take their stuff when they next go up.

It's all personal though so what works for us might not work for you. Good luck.

rachbc

Good storgae, getting rid of clutter and tidying as you go.

Toys get picked up and put away every evening, beds made every morning, clothes in the wash basket as they are taken off, kitchen gets cleaned every night - dishwasher loaded, surfaces wiped, floor swpet. I try to do a laod of washing a day so it doesn't build up but there is alwys extra at the weekends.

At the weekend we do a quick hoover through, mop hard floors, clean the bathroom, change the beds and each week one rooom gets a more thorough blitz - be it sorting dd's clothes for charity, attacking the clutter cupboard, reorganising the art cupboard etc etc

hippyadam

As a husband I suggest locking the kids and OH in the shed until the visitor has been.

It's the only way.....

alex21

First thing, get rid of your kids!!!!!
Ditto husband!!!!
Only joking, well done.

ubamother

try to get a clear idea on your head of what each bit looks like when it is the way you want it. It is easier then to see what is out of place. One thing out of place doesn't make much difference to the overall look, but one thing leads to five, a biscuit wrapper, a used mug and a lost sock! If you do a quick visual sweep every time you walk into, out or around an area and pick up things that are out of place, at first you feel like you are clearing, cleaning or on watch-duty all the time, but if you keep at it, it does become normal and you end up not even noticing you're doing it. The old double duty mantra of never going in or out of a room without bringing something in that belongs there or taking something out that doesn't helps too.

Mics_chick

pleasedelete wrote: »

From the title I was expecting something a bit unusual!



Tidied downstairs usually has a totally different meaning.

This made me howl with laughter :rotfl: The idea that I would need advice on how to keep my bush trimmed is a hoot

Should I edit the title or just think "pubes" and leave it as it is

Mics_chick

rachbc wrote: »

Good storgae, getting rid of clutter and tidying as you go.

Toys get picked up and put away every evening, beds made every morning, clothes in the wash basket as they are taken off, kitchen gets cleaned every night - dishwasher loaded, surfaces wiped, floor swpet. I try to do a laod of washing a day so it doesn't build up but there is alwys extra at the weekends.

At the weekend we do a quick hoover through, mop hard floors, clean the bathroom, change the beds and each week one rooom gets a more thorough blitz - be it sorting dd's clothes for charity, attacking the clutter cupboard, reorganising the art cupboard etc etc

Working on the clutter - planning to clear out the garage so alot of stuff that I want to sell coz can't afford to just give it away can go in there.

How many rooms do you have in your house - what about stuff like hoovering under sofa and chairs, cleaning fridge, cleaning cooker, hoovering to avoid cobwebs in corners and light fittings, etc?

rachbc

Mics_chick wrote: »

Working on the clutter - planning to clear out the garage so alot of stuff that I want to sell coz can't afford to just give it away can go in there.

How many rooms do you have in your house - what about stuff like hoovering under sofa and chairs, cleaning fridge, cleaning cooker, hoovering to avoid cobwebs in corners and light fittings, etc?

I have 5 beds, 2 reception rooms but only 1 bathroom. DS is 13 and is totall rsposible for his room - one of the bedrooms is DH study so thats his responsibilty.

Hoovering all gets done every weekend - I move the chairs and sofa, dining chairs up on the table to sweep and mop, under the bed with the hose, cobwebs get done with the vac at the same time, tops of skirting boards and picutre rails too. Cooker gets wiped down each evening - I have a silicone liner in the bottom which goes thru the dw every now and again with the racks but other than that I've never cleaned it inside!! Fridge gets done when I ntoice it needs a wipe - only takes 5 mins as I am fairly ruthless about keeping it 'tidy' - if you can have a tidy fridge lol.