Any working mom NOT have a housecleaner?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FT WOH with no housekeeper and no plans to get one.
-Our house is really, really small - so although I bitch about it, cleaning it doesn't actually take that long.
-I tend to do one room or one activity at a time... think "mop kitchen floor" not "clean kitchen" or "mop ALL floors." I do as much as possible in 30 second sprints while DD is blessedly entertained by something else. You can accomplish a lot while your 3YO attempts to get stickers off the sticker sheet
-I clean the full bathroom (except for the tub) while DD is IN the tub. Then I clean the tub while I shower.
-We only have carpet in the bedrooms and DH is willing to vacuum those, when left a very specific to-do note. He actually does a really good job.
-clutter is the thing that drives me nuts, and it is just not allowed to happen. Periodically I sweep through the house and toss everything of DH's that doesn't belong, into a big bin and sit it at his side of the bed. I pick up the flotsam and jetsam of daily life every minute, it's practically a nervous habit. Mail does not come in the house unless it needs to be opened. The mail is picked up and sorted, and mostly recycled, before I put my key in the door this helps a lot.
-DD's toys are picked up nightly, in the living room at least. She is very good about cleaning up one activity (say, painting) before moving on (to dolls or such). So at the end of the night there's usually just one or two or twelve kinds of crap spread all over, which she helps to clean up before bedtime.

It's totally doable, and while I KNOW my standards could be higher, my house is neither a pigsty nor a health hazard.

OP here. I think you hit the nail on the head--clutter is a big problem. It's one reason I actually like cleaning the bathrooms; ours are too small for much clutter to accumulate, so it's a quick job.

Guess I should focus on this first and foremost.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[Anonymous]

Also, something that helped me, although it sounds really silly - get a toilet brush and bottle of toilet cleaner for EACH TOILET IN THE HOUSE. They were always in the other bathroom so I always put it off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, no. The $200/month cleaner saved not just my sanity but my marriage also. I would give up cable, extras at the grocery store, you name it, before I would give up the cleaner. And I was one who always said we couldn't afford it.

+1. Having a clean house every 2 weeks helps me to recharge. I've cut other things to make sure we can afford it.

[Anonymous]

I also work 30 hours, and our kids are cared for at our house, so I'm also "on" the second I walk through the door. We have never had a housekeeper (and have not asked our nanny to do very much in the way of housekeeping duties).

There is always, always stuff on the floor in every room, except for the few moments once a week when we've just cleaned up. Dirty clothes, toys, crayons, random bits of paper or string that the kids feel are important...This would have caused me enormous stress at one point, but it doesn't now. I don't know why; maybe because it does not matter a damn to my DH and so I gave up.

Once a week I really clean our bathrooms, and either DH or I cleans the kitchen. We have the kids help with a big toy pick-up once a week or so also, and when that's done we vaccuum and sometimes clean the wood floors.

I think my choices are either to leave things as they are, or spend most of every evening cleaning up after bedtime, and that seems like a path to irritation, so I leave it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, no. The $200/month cleaner saved not just my sanity but my marriage also. I would give up cable, extras at the grocery store, you name it, before I would give up the cleaner. And I was one who always said we couldn't afford it.

+1 - I could have written this myself!

[Anonymous]

Another single mom in a 2 bedroom condo. I also clean a little bit at a time. My DD is getting old enough to help me. Clorox wipes are the best for countertops and since the bathrooms are small, I use them on the floors in the bathrooms too. Gotta love Scrubbing Bubbles for the bathtub and shower. I hate junk so I start over the recycling bin with the mail and most of it goes in recycling. I used to save most of my DD's stuff from school but after 2 yrs of paper, I recycle 95% of school work sent home. I would love to come home to a completely clean house but I don't have the $ for that.

[Anonymous]

Single mom, working full time, no cleaner for me but my house is a mess. I usually try to do most of the cleaning on Friday Night so I can wake up to a clean house on Saturday

[Anonymous]

After the Federal furlough, we did a hard hard look at our finances and decided it was time to cut out the cleaners. Our oldest is 8 and middle child is 5, and we decided that they were old enough to begin doing daily and weekly cleaning chores. It's been a pain at times, since they needed lots of guidance initially, but they've gotten the hang of it and are doing a decent job. DH kicks in, too, which is also a big help. I just need to get into a more regular routine so that I'm not in a completely foul mood every Saturday morning when I'm spending 2 hours upstairs dusting, vacuuming, changing the sheets, etc., not to mention the other two floors that need work. If I can get everyone into a better and more predictable routine, that should help. Good luck, obviously you're not alone!!

[Anonymous]

I work full time out of the house and I take our kid both to and from daycare, which is in my office, so I get no alone time to clean either. With my commute I am out of the house a minimum of 50 hours a week if I am able to only work 40 hours, which is rare.

As soon as we get home, I set my kid up with an activity (she's only 3 so not so great at entertaining herself) while I put her dinner together. Then, while she eats I put together the components of dinner for me and H, and do a quick clean up of any dishes I made and wipe down counters. If she's still eating I will take that time to toss in a load of laundry or unload the dishwasher.

Next it's bath for her and then we do something together, read, play games, whatever, until H gets home. She is his the second he walks in the door so that I can finish the dinner for the two of us. He plays with her if there is time, otherwise it's straight upstairs for teethbrushing and stories while I finish dinner.

He and I eat, he cleans up any leftover dinner detrius and I take that time to either scrub a toilet, dust a room, or fold any laundry I was able to do the day before. As long as I do one of those things each night, that leaves only vacumming and moping and maybe some more laundry for the weekend. Laundry and mopping I do while she naps, vacuumming I do while the kid is occupied with H or doing her own thing. I have to do something every night or it gets out of control and I spend the whole weekend cleaning. H does the yardwork while she naps.

[Anonymous]

My husband and I both work full time with two kids in daycare. No housecleaner--can't afford it with the childcare right now. I'm tired all the time, and my house could do with a good scrubbing, we try to hold back the mess by cleaning a bit every day, and conquering at least 1 big task every weekend.

[Anonymous]

Our house used to be full of clutter until we moved into a new house and I decided there would be rules about what could be done in each area of the house. This has helped tremendously. No shoes or food upstairs (now I can go longer without vacuuming too). Food can only be eaten in the kitchen. Laundry can never be downstairs - if you take off your socks, put them upstairs in the laundry room. Mail and papers stay in the office. This seemed to be easier for my family than just telling them to pick up after themselves and when things like laundry and papers accumulate, at least I'm only collecting it from one area of the house rather than running around to every room picking up socks.

Investing in proper storage helps too so that everything has a place and your family knows where to return an item once they are done using it. Bookshelves, a filing cabinet, and entryway storage have helped us keep things organized.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a housekeeper. Since our first I have really lowered my cleanliness standards. I basically just keep dishes clean, laundry, and I like to have the "main" rooms of the house livable, like the living room and kitchen. Luckily my husband does pitch in. If he did not the place would look like crap.

[Anonymous]

I work part time, no housekeeper, and my house is a mess. I used to have a housekeeper when my kids were small. It saved my sanity, and my house was so much cleaner!! Now it's just filthy, and I'm used to it, even though I loathe the mess. No tips, just commiseration. When I find full time work, I'm hiring a housekeeper. I do not know how people keep their house clean without a housekeeper, even ones who don't work! It's impossible. I have two dogs, four kids, a messy husband. No way am I cleaning all the time!!

[Anonymous]

No housekeeper, work full time, the house is messier than I'd like but it helps to have a few must-do tasks. I run dishwasher and laundry every morning when leaving and after DD goes to bed I always spend at least 15 min cleaning. Now that she's getting old enough to help, we do some pickup as part of the bedtime routine too. DH is moderately unhelpful, but when he is helping out things stay much cleaner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our house used to be full of clutter until we moved into a new house and I decided there would be rules about what could be done in each area of the house. This has helped tremendously. No shoes or food upstairs (now I can go longer without vacuuming too). Food can only be eaten in the kitchen. Laundry can never be downstairs - if you take off your socks, put them upstairs in the laundry room. Mail and papers stay in the office. This seemed to be easier for my family than just telling them to pick up after themselves and when things like laundry and papers accumulate, at least I'm only collecting it from one area of the house rather than running around to every room picking up socks.

Investing in proper storage helps too so that everything has a place and your family knows where to return an item once they are done using it. Bookshelves, a filing cabinet, and entryway storage have helped us keep things organized.

Yes this. The clutter is magically gone when it's on a shelf or a basket.

I went to Michaels and got a bunch of these big wicker baskets and placed them throughout the house, on landings, etc. Throw everything in there and poof, clutter's gone.