Best OS time saving tips please!

Louisa_2

Hello all

I'm hoping the collective wisdom of the OS readership can help me!

I'm due to return to work in ten days after being on maternity leave for nearly a year. :(:( (been unpaid for quite a while now and OS has really helped our finances cope with the loss of my income)

As is unfortunately the case with babies, they create a lot more housework! And so I would like your advice please on how best to do my normal household chores with the minimum of time input to that I can spend more of it with my little munchkin.

I know the most obvious tip is to not do any housework until he is in bed! And of course that will be the case during the week, but at weekends when the bulk of it gets done I have a feeling I will need to be a multi-tasking quick-dusting speedy hoovering goddess. I am not currently even a minor deity of the housework variety so I really need your advice on how to do stuff quick!

All help gratefully received
Louisa
x

sans_2

Difficult one, can't say I have mastered anything but I strap my baby in one of those vibrating chairs, put him at the other end of the kitchen whilst I can keep my eye on him and he can see me (whilst screaming) I can at least do the dishes/ put them away and clean the kitchen bunkers. Not ideal unless your kitchen is a reasonable size. I just do the basic housework as I never find the time or energy to do much more.

Louisa_2

sans wrote:

I just do the basic housework as I never find the time or energy to do much more.

Me either! I feel really quite pleased with myself if I manage to load/unload the dishwasher and stick the washing machine on during the day- stuff like cleaning the bathroom is for special occasions only

Sarahsaver

never go up or downstairs without taking something with you
never leave a room without taking something with you if there's something out of place
less is more - have a clearout, if all your clothes and kitchen stuff, books etc actually fit in your storage space it will be easier to keep it tidy
dont start a new load of washing until the last one is put away
when my daughter was a baby she loved to be in the kitchen with all the appliances on and me cooking

ChocClare

Gosh, I remember this so well... I can remember a colleague with 3 kids calling me at home after my eldest son was born and saying you know you've just had a baby when it's midday, you've been up since six, and you've only just managed to get one leg in your jeans so far... that's always stuck with me!
On the subject of fitting in housework around babies though - have you tried the Flylady? I know it's something you either love or hate (and it is VERY American(!), but it's really worked for me. You do get bombarded with emails, but they are just supposed to be reminders: I just delete mine without opening them, which is what you're supposed to do. It's completely free, and by taking "baby steps", she gets you into easy peasy routines which mean that your house is always pretty clean, your supper planned, your appointments booked etc etc. My bathroom is now always spotless, which is FAR more than could be said for it three months ago, and I never consciously clean it! I'm still VERY FAR from a spotless house, but I don't forget appointments, supper is done - and the bathroom is great, so one step on the way! See what you think - it might just suit you (and no, I have no shares in the company!!!). The link is https://www.flylady.net and then go to Beginner Baby Steps
Hope this helps!

apprentice_tycoon

I find that if I use those bathroom wipe cloths (not very Old Style, I agree, but when needs must....) and give everything a wipe every day, and I mean just a quick swish over the surfaces then it means that I never really need to 'clean' the bathroom, it is always acceptable.
Also when you are doing a job around the house make a note (mental or in a book) of how long it took to complete. The reason is when you have a task looming it's very easy to think that it will take AGES to do and put it off until you have more time (in which case it may be an even bigger job later) when by looking in your book or searching your memory you know that in actual fact that it only takes 10 minutes to, say, hoover the stairs, not the 30 minutes you think that it takes and it just happens that you have 10 minutes spare.......

tiredwithtwins

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

I find that if I use those bathroom wipe cloths (not very Old Style, I agree, but when needs must....) and give everything a wipe every day, and I mean just a quick swish over the surfaces then it means that I never really need to 'clean' the bathroom, it is always acceptable.

hiya, I agree with ^^^^^^!!!!

except i use the face flannel i have just wiped the little'uns faces with, quick wipe over the surfaces, then straight into the washing machine with that mornings' load!! (I have one or two loads of washing a day!)
I have also started using the little'uns old terry nappies cut up as flannels/wash cloths......as well as old towels, saved a fortune in flannels/wash cloths!
good luck with the return to work.

sue

16011996

my best time saving tip for less housework at the weekends is to spend ten mins every night tidying up before bed, put everything straight and things away. if everywhere looks tidy the dust doesn't show as much. then i spend one hour sunday morning, dusting straight through, the tip is not to get dstracted along the way, then an hour hoovering through. and i always have something special planned for lunch to make me feel like i'm working towards something. for last hour before lunch, i blitz either the kitchen or the bathroom (alternate) which get a wipe down everyday anyway (kitchen after tea pots washed up, bathroom last job before bed).
you need to find your own way of fitting things in, but i hope this might help.

JAMIEDODGER

HI LOUISA!!!

the best thing i have found to help me with the demands of 4 young children versus housework (yuk) is https://www.flylady.net ok so its american (but easily adaptable) and you do get a lot of emails (which i just delete except the testamonials) but i have found it helped sooo much especially in the early days with my last daughter (now 18 months) while i was on my own and with 3 other kids to care for and all that housework and washing to do. i still use the system everyday and my house is never perfect but always good enough!!!! HTH

Savvy_Sue

Forget ironing.

Make sure your OH helps as well.

Keep one room presentable and ignore the rest.

The idea of flannels for faces, surfaces, floors then straight to washing machine is a good one. I used to use J-cloths as they seemed to get less smelly and disgusting than actual flannels.

culpepper

I used to Clean the bathroom while the nippers were having their bath.
I bought a toy hoover for my son and he used to do his hoovering while I was doing mine. Littleuns can help fill or empty the washing machine or fold clothes so that becomes a fun thing to do with them.