Post # 1
Member
491 posts
Helper bee
I will be the first to admit that I’m not so clean/organized. I was just recently diagnosed with adult ADD which I can try to blame my disorganization on, but either way.. I feel like our house is messy all the time. Darling Husband is military and works a crazy schedule so while he tries to help, it’s mostly left up to me.
For some people, cleaning just comes naturally. For those of us who aren’t the cleanest, what do you do to help? Make daily/weekly/monthly lists or routines? Do a certain thing every day? I’m sick of having a messy house all the time, damnit!
PS like I said Darling Husband works crazy hours so I take most of the chores, but when he is home both of us are messy… which doesn’t help either!
Post # 3
Member
1826 posts
Buzzing bee
Clean?!?! Bahahahahaha *gasp*
I guess I’ll add my ideas when I figure them out! In the meantime I’ll be following this thread 😀
Post # 4
Member
753 posts
Busy bee
Once/week I clean my kitchen, living room, and dining room, and then another day that week I’ll clean the bathrooms. I split these rooms up so it’s not as daunting. When I clean the kitchen and living areas I dust, vacuum, sweep, mop, wipe down countertops, disinfect etc.. Every day I try to keep things neat by puting stuff away after use, washing dishes after meals, etc. I DO NOT leave everything for one day. I refuse to spend my entire day off cleaning! 🙂
Post # 5
Member
10849 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
We’re not very tidy people either, we’re pilers. Darling Husband seems to collect endless amounts of paper, and there is not nearly enough storage in our house (we don’t have a garage so that accounts for 90% of the problem). To me though, there’s a BIG difference between being messy and being dirty. I have a friend who is out right dirty and it freaks me out. I don’t like being in their house. Like I don’t think they’ve swept, vaccuumed or washed the floor since they moved in more than once every 2 months. No exaggeration.
Our bedroom is a disaster, but we try to keep our “public” zones tidy. I find having peole over is a good incentive to clean everything up, so we host a lot. Also, having my stepson every other weekend means clearing off the diningroom table (also my office/work space), giving the floors a good clean, etc.
In all honesty, we’re likely going to get a cleaning service every week or two, I just hate it that much!!! LOL!
Post # 6
Member
547 posts
Busy bee
I have ADHD and cleaning use be just like this:
Wash the dishes: make it to the dishes remember I want to do laundry, walk in my rooms see my bed unmade make the bed and OH I wanted to wash the dishes, go to the kitchen on the way I see my dirty clothes..SHOOT I need to up that in the washed, put close in the washer walk to the hallway and see my cat…hum did it get cat food out of the garage yet, walk into the garage stand and wonder why I am in the darn garage, go back to the kitchen, omg dishes! Start the dishes and OH YEAH the cat food that is why I was in the garage, go back to the garage and stand and wonder why I am in the darn garage….
Ok this went on all day, at the end of the day the dishes were half done, the laundry never made it to the dryer, and the darn cat food is still in the garage! SO what did I do about it? I got on Vyvance 40 mg and I keep sticky notes in all the rooms so I can remember why the heck I walked in them HAHA
Post # 7
Member
2319 posts
Buzzing bee
We have a chore list and it’s broken down by day. It’s easier this way and helps reduce the feeling that we have to get everything down at that very moment. So for instance we dust and take out the garbage on Wednesday’s and then we vacuum on Thursday’s, etc.
Post # 8
Member
5670 posts
Bee Keeper
I hired a cleaning person to come 1x per week. Cleaning was the only thing Darling Husband and I really fought about and it has been wonderful. I do pick up every day and never go to bed with dishes in the sink or the kitchen looking like a disaster.
Post # 9
Member
192 posts
Blushing bee
we tried a chore list but it didn’t work for us. now we just clean every weekend, but our house is small so it doesnt take a lot of time. we just split the tasks up between the both of us and get going! before we know it, we are done and the house is clean!
i hate bathrooms the most 🙁
Post # 10
Member
100 posts
Blushing bee
I love, love, love UFYH. (I put the link behind the word because I didn’t want to offend anyone who’s sensitive about language!) The 20/10 method is awesome — you clean for 20 minutes, take a 10 minute break, repeat as needed. It’s shocking how much you can get done in 20 minutes, and it feels like no time at all. Really it’s great if you’re distractable since you know you just have to focus for a short time and then you get a break, instead of having a whole huge project ahead of you.
Post # 11
Member
558 posts
Busy bee
@LoveMySailor1018: Both Fiance and I work messed up hours too and I hate seeing the house a mess and having to rush to clean it up when a guest is coming over.
What I usually do is divide chores into the begining, middle and end of the week.
I do the laundry: Wednesday + Saturday
Dishes are does Each day obviously
I sweep before I go to bed
But you can use this (I just googles it) not sure how it works so let me know (pm)
http://www.chorebuster.net/
http://annmeadows.hubpages.com/hub/Cut-Clutter-Tips-to-Organize-Household-Chores
Post # 12
Member
10849 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
@roxy821: Question: Does your cleaning person come when you’re home and if so, what do you do while they’re there?
Post # 13
Member
7289 posts
Busy Beekeeper
You can google to find the basic premise but I love this e-book
31 Days to Clean – Having a Martha House the Mary Way
FYI it has religious connections, but if you can put that aside it shows you how to create “zones” in our house and spend time in each on per day, rotating to keep things perpetually tidy!
Post # 14
Member
679 posts
Busy bee
@roxy821: Same.
We hired a cleaning service. We see it as buying time for ourselves on weekends. Actually, today is cleaning day! I can’t wait to get home to clean house.
Post # 15
Member
491 posts
Helper bee
@Otulyssa: That is my life. GAH! I got on adderall but it still isn’t seeming to help…
Okay so the general consensus I got is either a) make lists and spread them out evenly or b) hire a cleaning service! For those of you that make daily/weekly lists could you give me an example?
Post # 16
Member
491 posts
Helper bee
@Mz Izzie: These are all very helpful, thank you! I think dishes are my biggest issue. I’ll do the dishes, but then let them pile up because when we eat dinner together we’ll be cuddling/watching tv after, and I’d rather spend time with Darling Husband when he’s home than clean. but then they’ll pile up and the next thing I know theres a sink full. Then the cycle repeats itself over and over and over…
@bakerella: I wonder the same thing! i’d also be nervous that they wouldn’t know what to save/throw away, or would judge me for how messy our house truly is.
@Eva Peron: I will look into that book, thank you! =] And the religious connections won’t bother me at all!
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