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Possible to manage without cleaning lady?
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amother
OP


 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 8:41 pm
I live in a two story, 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom home. I have two messy, active little kids.
Is it possible for me to run a clean, neat home without cleaning help? I currently have 8 hours a week. Wondering if it's possible for me to live without it.
Please post tips and schedule.
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amother
Smokey


 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 8:43 pm
It’s possible
But you will be constantly cleaning
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amother
Periwinkle


 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 8:45 pm
Do you work outside the home?
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nycgal




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 8:45 pm
Do you work? Do you have children at home with you if/when you are not in work?
This will make a huge difference in the possibility of cleaning your house yourself.


Last edited by nycgal on Sun, Jul 21 2019, 8:47 pm; edited 2 times in total
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pesek zman




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 8:46 pm
It’s possible if you lower your standards.
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amother
Teal


 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 8:50 pm
Locate the 8 hours in your schedule.
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amother
Coral


 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 9:28 pm
amother [ Teal ] wrote:
Locate the 8 hours in your schedule.


IME I get the job done a lot faster than a cleaning lady does. So while I now have 8 hours of cleaning help a week, I used to do it all myself throughout the week in about half to 2/3 the time. YMMV
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amother
Mint


 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 10:27 pm
Of course it's possible. But if you're used to cleaning help, it'll take some time till you get used to doing everything yourself. Make a schedule and do something else every day. You don't have to do the entire house at once and you don't have to do everything every week. Implement a rule that food is only allowed in the kitchen or only downstairs.
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amother
Orange


 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 10:30 pm
Do you work?

I live in a 2 story, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom. I have an almost 3 year old. I work full time. I have no cleaning help. My house is always clean and neat, but I think being out of it most of the day helps a lot!
My hacks are: keep lysol wipes in every bathroom and closet. Use a scrub free spray for the bathrooms. Invest in a good vacuum and mop (saves you time and energy). If it takes less than 5 minutes, do it now. Have the kids clean up their own toys. Never go to sleep with dishes in the sink. Get as many disposable-pan-friendly meal recipes, so you're not forever washing dishes. Split up the deep cleaning into 15-20 min a day, so you dont save everything for one or two days (windows on Sunday, bathrooms on Monday, dusting on Tuesday, sweep/vacuum on Wednesday, mop on Thursday, NO SHOES INDOOR ON FRIDAY, laundry as needed). If there is a cleaning task you dread, do it fast (rip it off like a bandaid). Listen to music the entire time (or acapella now in 3 weeks).
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ectomorph




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 10:34 pm
Google flylady schedule. I followed it strictly when I didn't have help.
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amother
Burlywood


 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 10:58 pm
I live in a 3000sq ft house with 3 kids, work out of the house 25 hrs a week and have no cleaning help.
Is my house clean? Yes
Is it neat? No
Because I have to do it all myself (and yes my DH helps a ton) I have time to clean. But that means just the basics - bathrooms and kitchen twice a week, vacuum and mop once a week, laundry one load a day. Anything more doesn't really get done - like baseboards, dusting, windows....
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amother
Mauve


 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 11:14 pm
I live in a two floor 2200 sq foot home 3 kids. Work full time. I let my cleaning help go recently and don't see a change in cleanliness. Regardless a few hours after she's gone a little boy has peed all over the toilet, tracked mud into the Hall and smudged fingers on the front door. My house is mostly clean now depending on when you stop by lol. I do clean alot but atleast I'm not getting annoyed that the help was just here and now it's undone. I wash kitchen floor about 3-4 times a week. Bathrooms 1-2 and constantly wiping down with Lysol wipes, linen every 2 weeks or so, laundry almost every day, windows and mirrors once a week, vaccum once a week. Wiping down kitchen, sweeping, dishes, happens a few times a day lol. Stovetop, oven, fridge, toaster, microwave as needed usually not often enough though.
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amother
Coral


 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 11:17 pm
amother [ Mauve ] wrote:
I live in a two floor 22000 sq foot home 3 kids. Work full time. I let my cleaning help go recently and don't see a change in cleanliness. Regardless a few hours after she's gone a little boy has peed all over the toilet, tracked mud into the Hall and smudged fingers on the front door. My house is mostly clean now depending on when you stop by lol. I do clean alot but atleast I'm not getting annoyed that the help was just here and now it's undone. I wash kitchen floor about 3-4 times a week. Bathrooms 1-2 and constantly wiping down with Lysol wipes, linen every 2 weeks or so, laundry almost every day, windows and mirrors once a week, vaccum once a week. Wiping down kitchen, sweeping, dishes, happens a few times a day lol. Stovetop, oven, fridge, toaster, microwave as needed usually not often enough though.


Please tell me your home is 2200 sq ft, not 22000?!?
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amother
Yellow


 

Post Sun, Jul 21 2019, 11:19 pm
I personally would need cleaning help.
You need to know yourself.
I’m a much calmer person when my help comes and the house is in order. (For however long) my menuchas hanefesh is different when I have her.
I and my husband and children all function much better when the house is in order.
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amother
Emerald


 

Post Mon, Jul 22 2019, 12:06 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
I live in a two story, 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom home. I have two messy, active little kids.
Is it possible for me to run a clean, neat home without cleaning help? I currently have 8 hours a week. Wondering if it's possible for me to live without it.
Please post tips and schedule.


Of course it's possible to run a clean, neat home without cleaning help! As others have asked - are you working outside your home? I'm in a 2800 sq foot home, 3 floors, four bedrooms on third floor and 2 in the basement - 8 kids under 11 ka"h and I haven't had help since I left my job 2 years ago to be home full time. Having help was a luxury I could afford because I worked.

I don't work on a schedule with the exception of laundry. My kids are assigned laundry days so I keep on top of stuff and so I wash, dry and fold each kids stuff without needing to sort.
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amother
Beige


 

Post Mon, Jul 22 2019, 6:44 am
I live in a 6 bedroom, 4 bathroom home and host a lot for extended periods of time. Both of our sides live out of town and enjoy extended stays. I did not have cleaning help. I work full time out of the house. I got allergies and borderline hypothyroid which the Dr. said was all stress related. BH I found a cleaning lady who is able to come to me in th summer on Fridays and I am already feeling physically better. I really can not do it all. Oh, I have 5 kids..
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Jul 22 2019, 7:25 am
amother [ Periwinkle ] wrote:
Do you work outside the home?


Yes, during the hours my kids are in playgroup/babysitting.

So basically I would be able to clean only at night, once they're sleeping.
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DVOM




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 22 2019, 7:33 am
It can be done!

My house is 1800 square feet. I have four kids and I work full time. I am a naturally clean person and I enjoy organizing so that helps. My boys are very helpful. They sleep on their own floor, in the attic. We clean their 3 bedrooms and bathroom and upstairs playroom together once a week, on Thursday evenings after school. Some of them are better about keeping thier stuff neat in between the weekly pick up, some let thier room turn into a hurricane of toys and clothes and project debris. The downstairs has my bedroom, a playroom, living room, dining room, kitchen and storage room. My room gets swept and mopped once a week on Fridays. The main living areas get cleaned as needed and all swept and mopped on Friday afternoons. I do laundry every day. I'm a continuous cleaning type of person. I can't let the mess build up or I get overwhelmed. But if I'm on top of it it's really doable.

The key for me though is helpful kids who have very clear guidelines for what is expected of them in terms of cleanliness. Their shoes come off when they come home and strait into the shoe bucket. Knapsacks get hung up. Now with daily swimming they unpack thier camp bags the minute they walk in the door and hang up their wet towels and bathing suits to dry for the next day. After they eat they scrape thier plates and put them in the sink. Dirty clothing goes in the hamper strait away. These small things keep our house from getting overwhelmed with clutter. I can't say they never need a reminder, but for the most part these things are done smoothly and without conversation.
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amother
Cyan


 

Post Mon, Jul 22 2019, 9:41 am
If I had to clean a house that size myself without help, I would probably sell up and downsize or just close half of it up to reduce the amount I had to clean....
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amother
Emerald


 

Post Mon, Jul 22 2019, 11:04 am
DVOM wrote:
It can be done!

My house is 1800 square feet. I have four kids and I work full time. I am a naturally clean person and I enjoy organizing so that helps. My boys are very helpful. They sleep on their own floor, in the attic. We clean their 3 bedrooms and bathroom and upstairs playroom together once a week, on Thursday evenings after school. Some of them are better about keeping thier stuff neat in between the weekly pick up, some let thier room turn into a hurricane of toys and clothes and project debris. The downstairs has my bedroom, a playroom, living room, dining room, kitchen and storage room. My room gets swept and mopped once a week on Fridays. The main living areas get cleaned as needed and all swept and mopped on Friday afternoons. I do laundry every day. I'm a continuous cleaning type of person. I can't let the mess build up or I get overwhelmed. But if I'm on top of it it's really doable.

The key for me though is helpful kids who have very clear guidelines for what is expected of them in terms of cleanliness. Their shoes come off when they come home and strait into the shoe bucket. Knapsacks get hung up. Now with daily swimming they unpack thier camp bags the minute they walk in the door and hang up their wet towels and bathing suits to dry for the next day. After they eat they scrape thier plates and put them in the sink. Dirty clothing goes in the hamper strait away. These small things keep our house from getting overwhelmed with clutter. I can't say they never need a reminder, but for the most part these things are done smoothly and without conversation.


I'd like to echo the above! Key here to is my kids have responsibilities and know they are responsible for their belongings. Shoes on shoe rack, coats hung up, backpacks put away...clear the table after eating, they are responsible to put their laundry in the machine and put away once folded - yes, my three year old does it too very enthusiastically! My kids have their own chores - everyone pitches in basically. Part of being in a family is that everyone helps. It definitely helps with keeping the house under control. Couldn't you and your husband devote an hour on a Sunday morning to cleaning as well? My husband cleans all the washrooms here. The responsibility of keeping the house clean shouldn't fall on one person.
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