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Forum -> Household Management
Housekeeping Advice to an Alien (Spinoff of Linen-Changing)
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 28 2014, 1:01 am
Sherri wrote:
Hi OP-

I agree with those who say that having a designated space for everything is crucial. Easier said than done, but will be a game-changer.

You mention you have read a lot of books. Have you read the FlyLady's book, Sink Reflections, or The House that Cleans Itself? Also, a great blog is A Slob Comes Clean.

Good luck!


Flylady.net
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ora_43




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 28 2014, 2:04 am
Step 1: Figure out what in the house gets dirty/cluttered and how often. Eg. table needs to be cleaned twice a day, bathroom needs to be cleaned twice a week - etc.

Step 2: Put it in the schedule. Eg. "8:30-9 am: nurse baby, clean table." Or for things that don't need to happen often, "10th of the month - sweep under kids' beds."

Not everything will fit in the daily schedule. That's natural, especially with so many young kids. The point of the schedule isn't to fit everything in, it's to prioritize and make sure the most important stuff gets done.

Once you've picked a surface:

Step 3: Get all the stuff together (eg sweep everything on floor to center of room).

Step 4: Separate it into piles based on where the stuff needs to go. For instance, stuff on my table might break down into "garbage," "art supplies," "school supplies," "dirty dishes," and "things that need to go into the kitchen."

If there's anything that doesn't have a place (I.e., you look at it and can't immediately say "this goes (wherever)"), put it in a pile called "other."

Step 5: Put away all the stuff, one pile at a time. Except the "other" pile. Put that one away in a safe place (safe = high up, so the kids won't reach it and it won't end up as clutter again).

Step 6: Clean the surface (if it's the table, wipe it down with a moist cloth, if it's the floor, sweep it, etc).

Steps 3-6 should happen together.

Step 7 can happen later. even much later.

Step 7: Get the "other" piles together. Sort them into piles: garbage (eg. stained clothes, puzzles missing more than 5% of their pieces), give away (eg. stuffed animals your kids don't play with), storage (eg. too-small clothes that you expect to use within a year or two), and things you want to keep available.

Step 8: Deal with all the piles except the last. Garbage into garbage, "give away" stuff in a bag and prepared to go out of the house, etc.

Step 9: Go through the things you want to keep available, and find/create a spot for everything. For example, if you have a lot of kids' art you want to keep, you may need to buy a binder for it. If you have a lot of hair ties and nowhere to put them, you need to find or buy a basket, drawer, or some other storage space for them.
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Raisin




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 28 2014, 2:05 am
if you have 6 kids under 8 and live in a small apartment it makes sense the house would be a bit cluttered.
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ora_43




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 28 2014, 2:08 am
Also, remember that organizing solutions aren't permanent. Try to notice which things keep making a mess - are the kids' art supplies always all over the place? are they throwing dirty laundry everywhere? Maybe those things need a better "home." It doesn't mean their old spot wasn't good, but it may not be working anymore for whatever reason.

On a similar note, each bedroom should have a laundry hamper and garbage.

Teaching kids to do these things themselves can be a hassle, but is very worth it IMHO. It's worth ignoring the dishes and/or laundry for a day in favor of setting up a chore system to encourage your kids to put their own dirty clothes in the hamper, help you set the table, etc. (sticker charts work well IME).
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amother


 

Post Tue, Oct 28 2014, 7:37 am
OP here.

Wow, thank you all for the responses. I don't know why but I only got notified about the first couple.

I guess I should clarify. It's not that I don't know where to put things, although I definitely have what to work on with that, but it's more like how to make it all happen. Where is the time? What is the secret to getting it all done?

I gt up, nurse, get the older kids out, get the younger kids out, nurse, eat, and then I try to get some food going for lunch, nurse more, and then I have about an hour till the little kids get picked up. During that hour I might be able to do some housework, but I might have to run an errand, go to the dr, Shabbos prep, whatever. So something, but not much, gets done.

Kids come home, I feed them, then I have time but I have a hard time getting stuff done when the kids are around and there are always emergencies that come up (toilet training accidents, kid needs to go to the dr, etc). And there are so many things to do, I don't know what to do first.

The older ones come home, and they have so much to tell me and really need my attention, but the little ones need to get ready for bed, and bedtime takes forever because I can't focus, and by the time the little ones are in bed my husband comes home and makes himself supper (he is also on a tight schedule and often has work appointments in the evening and I won't eat the food that he makes anyway - he's the eat out of a can type). And then I get the older kids to bed and nurse the baby who is hysterical by now, and then I eat omething, and yes, I have some time then but I am so exhausted! So I might get something done in the house before bed, but again, it's only one small dent in everything that needs to get done.
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amother


 

Post Tue, Oct 28 2014, 7:41 am
Oh yes, and also the kids do often undo all my organizing. So on top of the usual maintinence, I am also constantly re-organizing. And the stuff that needs to be reorganized mixes with the regular stuff and....
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amother


 

Post Tue, Oct 28 2014, 7:52 am
Op I don't think you're doing anything wrong- I honestly don't think it's humanly possible to keep a small apartment clean and organized with 6 kids under 8 unless you have daily cleaning help. I have 1 toddler in a small apartment and I struggle with this! There's a big difference between messy and dirty though- my apartment definitely gets messy at times but I try to focus on not letting it get dirty- washing dishes, wiping down counters, putting away all food items, cleaning bathrooms, etc. can't say I'm always successful but it's an ongoing struggle Wink good luck!!!
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Jewishmofm




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 28 2014, 8:04 am
This didn't work for me since my last was born but in the past I've done weird scheduling: I go to sleep with young kids at 7ish, then work from 12-2 or 3, then wake up with kids. At a different tekufa I woke at five and had my whole day, then crashed at 9-9:30.
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nyer1




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 28 2014, 8:27 am
the key to keeping a house decluttered is to never put things down except for in their rightful place. don't let your table become the dumping ground. EVERYTHING has it's place.
bathroom things in the bathroom, cleaning supplies in kitchen or bathroom, linen in a closet, clothes in drawers or closets etc etc. buy storage bins or have someone customize closets for u - it makes a world of difference.
label storage bins so u know where to find things

if you put everything away right after u use them, at night, all u have to do is a light sweep to put away a few leftover things. assign each night one room to clean. mondays - bathrooms, tuesdays kitchen etc etc. or u could do ALL floors on one day, all surfaces on a different day. things like that
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2gether




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 28 2014, 8:28 am
6 kids under 8 and exclusively nursing- that's amazing!!! Don't feel bad a drop!

If you need help try to be more specific
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Kugglegirl




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 28 2014, 8:32 am
A note about the "if your kids havent used it in 2 months throw it out" method of household maintenance.

I can not imagine that & would not adopt that as a house hold maintenance stratagey.

I have kids from infant to teens & if a toy has not been played with in 2 months, it probably means the kids are at a different developmental stage or have moved on to different toys.

Our magna tiles had not been played with for 2 months. That is a $100. toy. It got put away & will come out in a few months to more interest.

Yes, throw away broken toys, art projects that your child has forgotten about, dried up markers, clothes that you really have no time to mend or are too stained to clean. (OK, truth is I put some of the stained clothes in a pile of things that I will do the next batch of tye dye on, but most ladies in B'nai Brak are not doing that....)

Just my 2 cents.

& I am not the world's greatest housekeeper either, but I did Fly Lady for several years & that taught me some basics for routines. As well as giving me chizuk for doing what I can.

When the tiny ones get a little bigger & are out of the house part of the day, it will be more realisitic to keep organized & clean. For now, you & I will be picking up the same blocks & board books at the end of the day & mostly trying to whipe up the sticky messes while they are still wet.

Best to you & all the mommies.
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Sherri




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 06 2014, 6:28 pm
Iymnok wrote:
Flylady.net
(Many people find the site and accompanying emails to be very dizzying so I recommend the book over the site.)
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fbmommy




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 07 2014, 6:32 am
Hi,
While I do change linen a drop more often, I find that with little kids what can be overwhelming is that most of the time you are doing the SAME thing over and over again. It gets very tedious. for example, if every time something spilled I would sweep up right away the house would stay cleaner, but that could be 10 times a day. There is always something on the table to put away, and I find if I am constantly putting away things and cleaning up I become very uptight. I find that once my kids come home I sort of tune out the mess until they go to bed, and then clean up the tornado. It can get very overwhelming, but its very stressful to keep cleaning with kids around. ( I have 3 kids in a small apartment).
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kollel wife




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 07 2014, 8:35 am
I think if you would have some cleaning help, even if only a bit, plus allocate a small amount of time each day to putting things in the right place, you would get ahead. A mother's help (age 12 or so) might also be a good idea of helping with kids or the cleanup or both.

You can teach kids to put things in the hamper and clean up toys and clear garbage off the table and REWARD them - they're going to eat cookies, snacks, nosh anyway, so let them first do something helpful and then get it.

In the morning while everyone is getting out get the pagamas put away (in one bucket) and then laundry in the hamper. Multiple hampers or even a small garbage pail can function as one type of hamper. Same for the evening - hamper.

If you live in Lakewood I'd love to come over and help you. I don't mean on a regular basis but to develop some strategies. Are you more of a morning person or night person? You want to try to get more done during the hours you have more motiviation and strength. While making phone calls, nursing, a table can get cleared. Things we really want to do, we get done. Such as reading the continuing story in the Binah or whatever.

Some general straightening, doing laundry, shopping, cooking all are going to get done. Usually we can do a few things at a time without paying too much attention. I think you also have to maximize your efficiency during the time no one is home besides the baby - that might mean taking a nap or perhaps going to the doctor immediately following the morning drop off, or sometimes going to the doctor after picking up the younger ones, while you are in the car anyway.

You can PM me if you wish - I am the type who loves being organized - but often the reality is I'm too tired to be that way.
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chickpea_salad




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Nov 08 2014, 11:08 am
Pick one area in each room that needs to stay clean for your peace of mind. Work on keeping these spots clean every day, to help keep you calm and feel like you are making a difference. If you have extra time you can keep cleaning, obv, but always start by cleaning these first.

My wellness chores:
Hallway - shoes on shoe rack
Bathroom - Bathroom sink and mirror clean (don't judge me for not picking the toilet)
Bedroom - Bed made (nevermind the laundry on the floor)
Kitchen - dishes done and sink wiped out (this one takes the longest but is the most important to me)
Livingroom - livingroom table clear of clutter

Also, invest in storage so that everything really does have a place.
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