House staying clean/ put together

amother

Marigold

Sun, Nov 19 2023, 10:07 am

For a quick pick up get a laundry basket and pick up everything that doesn’t belong in that room.
You could have a rule that every 3 days whatever wasnt put away MIGHT go in the garbage

As far as laundry and dishes - you need to be super on top of it. When my kids were school age they wore uniforms. Uniform went straight from them wearing to the laundry and back to wearing. We had 3 sets but 2 were for back up in case there were stains that needed soaking or ironing. My girls knew how to use a steam iron from about 10 yrs old. They only did it if I was too busy and I gave them permission. They knew to ask since heat sets stains

Plus I had help 3x a week 8hrs each time
So that was HUGE. Those were the days that with a little budgeting it was possible
Now with inflation impossible

amother

Sun, Nov 19 2023, 10:14 am

I guess part of the problem is I try not to use too many disposables so we have breakfast dishes so maybe I should do that in the morning and whatever I used to make lunches. Then there’s dinner dinner dishes and all the containers from the lunchboxes. Also like making dinner is a chore. I also watch kids at my house during the day so I have to clean up that from that which was why it’ll take so long.
I try to keep the laundry more under control and usually as long as I wash it my cleaning help folds it the I put it away I’m really trying to work on my kitchen at least put your laundry in the basket we have a communal basket bec Having one in each room was too messy . I’m

amother

Calendula

Sun, Nov 19 2023, 10:23 am

amother OP wrote:

If washing dishes is hard or too time consuming definitely switch to disposable. The trick is to make it as easy as you can in yourself.
I find that washing supper dishes as soon as we finish eating us easiest, otherwise I leave the kitchen and start other things and then it's hard to get back in the mood of straightening up the kitchen.
Do you have one room you babysit in? Maybe you can work on only keeping the mess in one room so that it's easier to straighten up after, have your kids help you pick up the toys etc.
Dinner is hard for me too and I do enjoy cooking. I do sheet pan ideas or reaper the same simple things a lot. I also cook in bulk and can sometimes defrost things from the freezer if I need to.

amother

Gold

Sun, Nov 19 2023, 10:26 am

amother Oak wrote:

It doesn't take two hours, but it must be done daily, or it gets out of control very quickly. At the end of the day I put away anything not in its place - toys, laundry, books, papers, whatever. Sweep or vacuum. Wash dishes, and clean counters and stovetop. It doesn't usually take more than a half hour. I don't have the energy, but it has to be done!

You’re providing the answer as to why this is harder for some people than others. It takes you about a half hour; the same list takes others much longer-like minimally an hour, or an hour and a half, easily.

613mitzvahgirl

Sun, Nov 19 2023, 10:32 am

We don’t have cleaning help. I make sure the dishes are washed right after each meal, floors are sweeped as well after each meal, laundry is done three times a week, counters and tables are done daily, linens as needed, toys and such as needed. We use disposable dishes when we have a lot of company, bathroom twice a week, vacuumibg once a week.. we all chip in together as a family to make it easier. Also I never go to sleep before the dishes are at least washed- they don’t have to be put away- just cleaned.
Hatzlocha

zaq

Sun, Nov 19 2023, 2:01 pm

"Everyone" doesn't. You're choosing to look at the ones who do and ignoring the many who don't.

Much has to do with your stage in life. What's easy for a childless couple is unreasonable for a family with young children. What's doable when you have plenty of space becomes impossible when you're cramped.

I can't overstress purging and cleaning up immediately. Granted, it's easy to say "wash the dishes as soon as the meal is over"--but if you have a screaming baby demanding to be fed and a newly potty-trained toddler who needs to be wiped, the dishes have to wait. Still...the longer you let stuff pile up the harder it is to recover. Buy plastic dishpans for the sink, fill them with hot sudsy water and slip the dishes into the pan as soon as they're used. The dishes will be practically clean and ready to swish and rinse when you get back to them instead of crusted with dried food that now requires a jackhammer to remove.

Clean up spills as soon as they happen or as soon as you notice them. Keep a spritz bottle of water or diluted white vinegar in your kitchen so you can spritz surfaces and wipe them down with an old washcloth or rag. "Spot" cleaning works well. See a spot, spritz, wipe. 100% improvement in the way the room looks.

Sort your mail as soon as it comes in. Have a wastebasket near your entrance so you can throw the junk mail away immediately, as well as all the excess stuff your real mail comes with: envelopes, advertising inserts, reply envelopes if you pay bills online, and so on.

Kids can and should have regular chores. My kids were washing supper dishes from the time they were six or seven. Maybe younger. Buy Melamine dishes if you're afraid the kids will break regular ones.

Don't spend two hours after supper cleaning up. Spend 15 minutes with the cooperation of all family members. Even a 2-year-old can put a used diaper in the garbage or a dirty shirt in a hamper. (At this age they don't accomplish much, but it's an investment in the future.)

Have a wastebasket in every room and make sure people use them. Empty them out weekly or more often if necessary. Emptying out the wastebaskets is one of many jobs that even young children can do.

Use bins or laundry baskets to corral things like books, magazines, toys, laundry and items that belong in rooms other than the ones in which they are at the moment.

Purge, purge, purge. Be ruthless. No, neither you nor your kids need to keep every art project, homework paper, notebook, exam paper, birthday card, book and toy they ever got. Not even if it was a gift from a beloved grandparent, and I say this as a grandparent.

The less stuff you have, the less time and energy you spend cleaning it and around it. I'd rather do laundry three times as often and have some breathing room in my drawers than have three times as much clothing and have laundry piling up.

amother

Holly

Sun, Nov 19 2023, 3:12 pm

amother OP wrote:

How does everyone keep there house together I have cleaning help so that helps but everything builds up . Always dishes always clothes all over paper papers papers . I didn’t grow up in an clean house environment so it’s hard for me . we swept like once a week. My kids help but they get busy with there own stuff and I don’t want to overload them . Taking 2 hours and the end of the day to clean is so much I don’t have the energy. I organize I Declutter. But it doesn’t stay nice .
Looking for any tips

The evening after the cleaning lady comes if you put the few things away that are out it takes. 10 minutes. Then you start fresh the next day and you put things away as you finish with them. Then in the evening it takes 20 minutes every night.