Any working mom NOT have a housecleaner?

[Anonymous]

How do you make it work?

I recently went back to work (30 hours between home and office). My schedule is such that we don't use any childcare, so I'm "on" the minute the kids get home with homework, driving, dinner, etc. No money at this point for a housecleaner. The kids have been pretty helpful, but I can't believe the percentage of time I spend cleaning and the house is still a disaster. Please don't tell me to lower my standards...they were pretty low to begin with. I don't want a showcase home, just a moderately clean house.

Any tips, schedules, etc. would be helpful.

[Anonymous]

Full time mom here with no housecleaner but am still considering one. To be honest I just get used to a messier house. Mop the kitchen floors once a week but rest of house is more like once a month. Dishes every other day, laundry twice a week, lots of shelves/boxes that I can just throw toys in to make it look neater. Sorry not much help here, but I just get used to it.

[Anonymous]

I'm on the same boat. I used to have a house cleaner and gave her up because A) I wanted to save the $100 I was spending every 2 weeks. B) It cost me more aggravation having to put things away the night before she would come over to clean. I try to keep things cllean but it's not on a regular basis. If anyone has any tips, that would be great!

[Anonymous]

another one here with no housekeeper. In general we do not have high standards (although our house is no dump). We do daily stuff like sweep kitchen floor but the stuff that gets away from us are things like dusting and dust on steps, etc. Honestly, we probably clean our toilets once a month (they look fine to me).

Generally DH and I are good about being proactive when it just looks bad. I do more day-to-day sweeping, he vacuums about every 2 weeks.

It basically works, but I was at my MIL's house when her housekeeper was working and it just looked so luxurious. I thought-- wow, I can PAY someone to do all of this????

[Anonymous]

In my family Saturday morning was "clean the house" morning. No activities, nothing could happen after breakfast until the whole house was clean. We all pitched in.

[Anonymous]

I'm away from home (commute plus work) from 7am until 7pm. My house is not as clean as I would like. I only get about 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night. I wish we could afford a cleaner (or a husband who would help out more), but it's not feasible...and I've accepted that husband will never help out more...so no more kids for us unless he steps up (hell will probably freeze over first). Husband works part time.

[Anonymous]

I don't. I'm a single mom of one in a one-bedroom rental. We clean as we go, and then I do a little extra a few times a week. It just ... works fine.

[Anonymous]

My house is not as clean as I would like. But I do work from home on Fridays just so I can do some laundry, otherwise it would all fall apart.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

well, its a struggle in my house, but we're getting there. Trying to incorporate more "routines" into each day so that it doesn't get as dirty and therefor is easier to clean. One example is cleaning the bathroom while the kiddo is in the tub. Another is putting a load of laundry in as I leave the house in the morning - switch when I get home and by doing one a day, there's never a buildup.

[Anonymous]

I'm a single mom in a townhouse. The rule is clean as you go, and do little things. If I'm waiting for the pasta to boil, I windex the bathroom mirrors. Keep Clorox wipes under every sink and grab one and clean the sink while the little one is playing in the tub. Get a minivac for each floor and grab and go.

On snow days like today, steam clean the kitchen and bathroom floors.

[Anonymous]

It helps if you get in the habit of doing certain tasks every day. For example, start the dishwasher when you go to bed and clear it first thing in the morning. Or start a load of laundry every morning and put it in the dryer when you get home. The other stuff you have to rotate. One disadvantage of not having a cleaner is that the house is never all clean at once.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

I work full time with two kids - we get a housecleaner once a month and it is hugely helpful. They do a great job of doing a deep clean so that I feel like I just need to "keep up" in between visits. If you can afford once a month or even once every other month, treat yourself!

I like the PP's advice too. Like her, I also clean the bathroom during bathtimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work full time with two kids - we get a housecleaner once a month and it is hugely helpful. They do a great job of doing a deep clean so that I feel like I just need to "keep up" in between visits. If you can afford once a month or even once every other month, treat yourself!

I like the PP's advice too. Like her, I also clean the bathroom during bathtimes.

Oh, I just posted and sorry if it was unhelpful since you said you had no money for a housecleaner. Working basically FT AND not having childcare - you have a lot on your plate!!!

I am jealous at the money you are saving from not having childcare! So much of my paycheck goes to that right now....