I wanna be neat! | Imamother

amother

Wed, Dec 08 2010, 6:20 pm

I have always been a messy kind of person, leaving a trail of my stuff. When I got married I was relieved that my husband was a messy kind of person also and did not have high standards for me. We kept the house relatively clean, but now baby has come along and we both don't have much time. Our house has fallen into a bit of disarray. We can't afford to hire help, and at this point with 2 grown adults and one baby I think that's not the right way to go about it. We tried to set aside a certain period of time to clean every night, but sometimes we don't have time and then the house disintegrates within a week!

This weekend we went away for Shabbos and the hosts house was the neatest my husband or I have ever seen. It was spotless. There was not even a spot on the stove. The whole house looked brand new and she has 2 kids! I don't know if she has OCD or that is normal, but I became a "green-eyed monster" (ie: very jealous). I want MY house to look like that! My husband says he loves me regardless, but I know he would like our house a bit neater.

Please everyone, give me any and all tips. I would really appreciate it.

AlwaysGrateful

Wed, Dec 08 2010, 8:43 pm

I could have written the OP (but didn't). I've gotten better recently, though I now have two kids, so it's even harder to find the time. My tips, at least, will be coming from someone who knows how it feels...

1) Clean up well for Shabbos. I've found that if I have the goal of having the house somewhat clean for Shabbos, I can do it. That doesn't mean that everything is perfect, but that the main areas of the house - living room dining room kitchen - are all viewable by guests.

2) Write down mini goals you want to tackle, and slot times when you can accomplish them. If your pantry door doesn't close, set aside ten minutes each night for three nights to tackle it, one shelf a night. Then move on.

3) One thing I would not take from flylady (or from the person you visited) is that everything has to be perfectly clean, from your baseboards to the outside of your top cabinets. A home should look lived in.

4) When your kid gets old enough to make a mess with toys, make clean up time a set part of the day. You'll have to do a lot of it at the beginning, but it'll teach him/her to keep everything neater and will make Shabbos cleaning (and walking!) easier.

5) Buy some plastic dishes as an investment. When milchik dishes are piled in the sink and you're setting the table for a fleishig meal, and you feel overwhelmed, set it with plastic instead. Make yourself a limit on how much plasticware you can buy a year (or how many of each you can use a month) and stick to it. This will motivate you to wash your dishes more often...to save money, if nothing else!

flowerpower

Wed, Dec 08 2010, 8:46 pm

My house is usually clean with more then two kids. I am very on top of the house and keep cleaning up after each room once it starts getting messy. If you want a clean house-
-be as organized as possible. Allow only one or two games/toys at a time. Also put away the thing you just used right away. I come home from work exausted but always hang up my clothes right after I change.
-make a schedule for the week like monday is washing laundry, tuesday is folding it...don't let yourself get away with it.
-Involve the kids. I give them short silly jobs and make sure they do it so they know to be responsible

Tamiri

Sat, Jan 08 2011, 1:16 pm

(1) Limit the amount of stuff you have. The clutter makes the work of keeping the home neat much harder
(2) Get up early every morning and straighten the house. You can't hold a day job; you need to clean when no one is around.
(3) Don't let laundry pile up. Do it as it accumulates and fold and put away the minute it's dry.
(4) No shoes in the house
(5) Don't leave dishes in the sink. Wipe sink and countertops whenever you pass b.
(6) Keep on top of the windows and screens so that it's not a big job once/year.
(7) Keep stove top and oven clean, even if it means wiping down the range daily.
(8) Clean fridge weekly. Toss anything you aren't going to use. Wipe down. Don't let shelves get gunky.
(9) Don't go to sleep before the house is straightened, even though you are going to wake up and straighten it again
(10) Don't let kids leave anything around. All stuff must be picked up when not in use.
(11) Volume of "Stuff" should not exceed volume of storage space.
(12) Clean house well once a week, including moving furniture so there isn't so much work for Pesach.
(13) Be old-fashioned Yemenite/Moroccan/Tunesian: they REALLY know their stuff!

Last edited by Tamiri on Sat, Jan 08 2011, 1:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

chamco

Sat, Jan 08 2011, 1:17 pm

Someone once gave me this advice as the bare minimum: before leaving a room, close all cabinets/drawers in the room and make sure there is nothing on the floor. It is a good place to start good habits!
From my experiences, you've taken the first major step: realizing that you don't like what you have and wanting to change!
I like this site, and especially this post:
http://totallytogetherjournal......hold/

imaima

Sat, Jan 08 2011, 2:28 pm

amother wrote:

Are you me???? We are the same and were in the same situation!!!! Now we are improving, little by little..

imaima

Sat, Jan 08 2011, 2:36 pm

Tamiri wrote:

(14) Don't let the toaster or other appliances get gunky. Cleaning once/year for Pesach isn't enough.
(15) Keep pots clean: don't put away if there is any cooked-on gunk. Scrub scrub scrup to keep them looking good

or soak overnight!

(16) Get pregnant - in the 9th month the nesting instinct kicks in! LOL

Besiyata Dishmaya

Sat, Jan 08 2011, 2:40 pm

goldenrozes wrote:

Can people who are naturally neat and clean please post the way they methodically keep the house spotless? I have the same issue. Thank you!

Tamiri has good points but for someone who's naturally messy, so many instructions might be too overwhelming.

If someone is naturally neat and clean they can have 10 or more kids and their house will always be tidy.

For a start, I would tell you to work on ONE THING. Make sure there should not be anything laying around on the floors, table, chairs, couch.

In the kitchen, put all dishes in the sink and the food back in the fridge or pantry right after it’s used. If you bake or cook, don't put any food items on the counter but put them right back in the pantry or fridge after you used it. Dishes in the sink does not make your house messy. You’ll get to wash it later.

For non-kitchen stuff if you don't have the time to put them where they belong, get yourself a box and put it all in there for the moment. At least when you walk in to the house there's no balagan. Later on, when you have the time and patience, go through the box and put each item, one by one, back to its place. Your house will always look neat. Once your house will be neat, you’ll automatically want it to stay neat and then you'll naturally want it to be clean too.

Generally, when you use something, put it right back afterwards, whether it’s a phonebook, a hanger, salt or a siddur.

I've given this suggestion to countless of people who followed it and their house always looks tidy.

moonstone

Sat, Jan 08 2011, 2:50 pm

amother wrote:

This weekend we went away for Shabbos and the hosts house was the neatest my husband or I have ever seen. It was spotless. There was not even a spot on the stove. The whole house looked brand new and she has 2 kids! I don't know if she has OCD or that is normal, but I became a "green-eyed monster" (ie: very jealous). I want MY house to look like that!

How much do you want to bet that her house isn't usually that neat, that they cleaned like crazy because they were having guests for Shabbat? I know that's what I do.

imaima

Sat, Jan 08 2011, 3:02 pm

Ok, from a really messy person here:

Get good quality equipment! Once we got a new vacuum cleaner, I vacuum every day.

Invite guests and host stuff. The baby can watch you from the playpen. Babies are actually excited when mommy is cleaning and takes out all sorts of weird stuff like brooms etc.

Train the baby to sleep in the evening so you could have more time to clean.

Invite a cleaner ONCE and try to maintain the house after that. When the mess is EVERYWHERE it is so overwhelming, you don't know where to start. Also, watch her clean - she might have some smart tricks.

imaima

Sat, Jan 08 2011, 3:05 pm

moonstone wrote:

amother wrote:

How much do you want to bet that her house isn't usually that neat, that they cleaned like crazy because they were having guests for Shabbat? I know that's what I do.

Naaawww!! I was in a house of a person who told me to please not forget to wipe out the bathroom wall after showering because the drops leave these tiny slightly visible spots on tiles, you know... I hardly understood what she was talking about...

Tamiri

Sat, Jan 08 2011, 4:32 pm

Ruchel wrote:

Wow Tamiri!! Do people really manage to keep all that? You should be a cleaning coach to help others! Wink

I wish. I am neither Yemenite nor Tunesian/Moroccan. I am the daughter of Americans. 'nuff said :-)
OTOH, we DO clean the whole house top to bottom every Friday. My DS #1 says it's insane but then complains about places that aren't clean. I ask him: how do you think places get unclean? By not cleaning them! Duh.

There4you

Sat, Jan 08 2011, 5:54 pm

[code]
(16) Get pregnant - in the 9th month the nesting instinct kicks in! Laughing[quote]
Tamiri great ideas...but this one kinda.....doesn't fit Smile

you might have to wait until the ninth month for exhaustion to wear off and nesting to kick in!

Thanks for all the tips! The more the merrier! ps I cleaned up for motzai Shabbos and am so proud of myself! my house looks beautiful b'h! I guess I am getting slowly better at the cleanup

sky

Sat, Jan 08 2011, 7:48 pm

I'm naturally messy.
I've gotten into organizing. I haven't been getting too far but I find the more I organize the easier it is to say neat. things have a place to be put away or if they don't have a place then it is easier to throw away.
[You can't tell from looking at my house that its getting better, but I'm feeling it. ]