question for those of you who don't have cleaning help

amother ↓

Wed, Nov 29 2006, 5:16 pm

I was wondering if any of you can give me tips.

I stopped getting my cleaning girl because I just couldn't affort it any more. this is my problem, I am not a very big 'balabusta'. I just am not great at cleaning. I am great at other things, but cleaning is my weak piont.

so since I stopped having my cleaning help I made a rule that I don't do anything before my house is under control. so every morning for the past 2-3 weeks I was very good. I didn't leave the house before beds, laundry, dishes etc. were all in place. today I was just lazy... I didn't have the patience to do anything, now everyhting is accumalating.

how do you keep your house in order, day in day out...... what are your tips and tricks.

↑ Crayon210 ↓

Wed, Nov 29 2006, 6:20 pm

A home organization system that really helps you organize your life.

It sets up daily routines, weekly routines, and monthly routines. You therefore have a list of things to do that day...and an even longer list of things NOT to do.

The system was set up by and for naturally disorganized women, so it's not an organized person talking down at the rest of us. ;-)

It puts cleaning and housekeeping into perspective: they only exist to enhance our mental health and relationships with others. That is a very powerful message.

Please check out the website, or ask more questions here.

Mevater

Wed, Nov 29 2006, 6:40 pm

Crayon210 wrote:

A home organization system that really helps you organize your life.

Please check out the website, or ask more questions here.

I looked at the website and think they need organization! It was hard to figure out how to get information. Or is it meant to be funny?

LOL

↑ Crayon210 ↓

Wed, Nov 29 2006, 6:43 pm

letsbehonest wrote:

Crayon210 wrote:

A home organization system that really helps you organize your life.

Please check out the website, or ask more questions here.

I looked at the website and think they need organization! It was hard to figure out how to get information. Or is it meant to be funny?

LOL

No, it's not meant to be funny, but no, it's not the most organized site.

It works, though. It took me a little while, but I got the hang of it.

lubcoralsprings

Wed, Nov 29 2006, 7:14 pm

I don't have cleaning help just because it is soo expensive here and I can't think shelling out that much money.

The way I keep things easy is that during the week we only serve on plastic. Every night I do the dishes. I do laundry every wednesdays and make sure the house is clean by thrusday so I can cook for shabbos. THe key thing to do is to set up chores so that you don't have to do everything all at once.

↑ amother ↓

Wed, Nov 29 2006, 7:36 pm

and if the beds arent made everyday?

I do laundry as needed and fold it on my bed in the mornings- so that it must get put away if I want to go to sleep that nite.

I do not wash my floor daily (or even weekly).

dishes get done after they are used. and put away when there is no more room in the drainboard for more dishes.

there is more to life than a perfectly clean and organized place. I would much rather have a messy table than drive myself too hard to clean up after everybody always.

↑ amother ↓

Wed, Nov 29 2006, 7:51 pm

I have never had cleaning help but I hope to find some in the near future now that I'm expecting my second (b'shaah tova).

What has helped me keep the house more or less in order is to set one day a week to wash the floors and clean the bathroom. The kitchen, I try to wipe up each night after supper once everything in the sink is washed. If I miss a night, so I'll try to do it the next morning. I try not to let things accumulate. I'm trying to train my toddler to keep all his toys in his room and not all over the house. Believe me, despite what I do, the house looks far from perfect. I just do what I can though and lower my standards of a perfectly clean house.

Marion

Wed, Nov 29 2006, 10:49 pm

I'm not great, but here's how I keep up a little:

1. Washing machine gets loaded at night, including the soap, ready to go. In the morning I push the button on my way out to work, then in the evening I hang it to dry (first removing the previous night's load from the drying rack). IY"H I will soon figure out how to set up my dryer (sleeve, and venting) for the winter so I can get the drying rack out of my living room!

2. I wash dishes in the morning (because I need the bottles for the baby), alternating days between milchig and fleishig. In the winter I wash as many dishes as possible motza"sh while I'm waiting for DH to come back from Ma'ariv to make havdalah (I just say baruch hamavdil).

3. I remember to water the plants by doing it right before I light candles Friday afternoon.

4. DS has daycare on alternate Friday mornings. That's when I vacuum (because the noise still scares him). I wash the floor (kitchen & living room) while DH is in the shower or giving DS his bath Friday afternoon, when all the cooking is done. I try to sweep every other night after dinner.

Bathrooms are my nemesis. DH does the toilets (because I don't actually notice them, and it drives him crazy), and the sink in our bathroom (because he's the one that never washes anything off. I do the tub and sink in the main bathroom upstairs, and the sink in the "powder room".

I'm crazy picky about my kitchen, so I do the counters whenever I can (when they're clear enough!), about every other day (usually after I finish washing dishes). And I do my stovetop as soon as the racks on top are cool enough to touch, otherwise it's hard to get stuff off.

shininglight ↓

Thu, Nov 30 2006, 12:44 am

I'm also on flylady, even though I'm really only "fluttering" these days.

One thing that cracks me up about flylady is how much she talked about Thanksgiving and how to get ready for the meal, when to shop, and when to do the guest linens, etc ...

I was thinking to myself - I wonder how different flylady would be if she kept Shabbos every week!

PS. I hardly ever go to the website - I get the emails in a daily digest and do the "zones" and "missions" that Kelly says to do ...

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Nov 30 2006, 12:58 am

I have no set anything for cleaning the house. it just all gets done somehow.
the floor gets vaccumed and cleaned by my husband every friday or at least vaccumed (there is a lot of dust accumulation here in Israel).

the dishes, I try, to do after the meal, but I like to use plastic b/c I hate doing dishes and my husband hates it even more.

the laundry gets done whenever needed and the folding takes a day or so.

dusting I do every once in a while. the toilets I clean every few days, its just a thing of mine that I hate dirty toilets.

other things, like dusting and windows, we get a cleaning lady every month or every tow months to do a big overall cleaning.

I just hate paying someone to clean the house that I so very ably can clean.

↑ amother ↓

Thu, Nov 30 2006, 1:24 am

I've only been married for just about 3 months, and I work very part time, so cleaning the house isn't that overwhelming.
Laundry gets done as needed and I find it much easier to fold it and put it away as soon as its done, better than leaving in the basket or on the bed waiting to get put away. I need to sweep at least once a day cuz of the dust (and ants) that never seem to go away in Israel.
Dishes get washed usually right after the meal, DH and I both dont mind doing the dishes so either one of us washes them. If we arent in the mood to wash dishes we occasionaly leave them for the next day or use paper.
Shabbos prep is done Thursday nights and Fridays, DH and I share all the things that need to get done ,including cooking Smile

Most of the time things are under control however, once in awhile if ur just not in the mood or too tired, its ok to take a break for a day.
I just hope I can keep things this way in the future!

shopaholic

Thu, Nov 30 2006, 8:20 am

I get out of bed, use the bathroom & then make our beds before anything else. I can't have my room a mess. At some point before I leave the house I make DS's bed. DD sleeps very neatly so it's mostly just fixing a corner of the blanket.

I move very fast, so I can pick up toys, shoes, books etc & zip throught the house cleaning up. I keep up with it when I'm home so it it never gets really messy.

I also alternate milchig & fleishig suppers & very often do dishes in the am.

Within an hour after Shabbos, the dishes are done, counters cleaned, tablecloth & candles put away & toys from Shabbos cleaned up. For that I get the kids to help. DH is a great help too.

I then have a cleaning lady on Thursdays to sweep (which I do throughout the week), mop & do the bathrooms & kitchen.I looked at the flylady website too. Too much info there.

jba

Thu, Nov 30 2006, 8:56 am

I used to bea a neat freak. I wouldn't go to bed until every dish was washed and everything put away. It was too tiring. The most important thing for me is that the house is CLEAN during the week (not nessicarialy neat) and neat and clean for Shabbat. I make sure to make the beds every morning -- dh laughs at me, but it makes me feel put together. But other than that things get used too ofen during the week for me to keep running them back to their places. I do set aside time on Wed or Thurs. to do the heavy cleaning in prep for shabbat.
Good luck.

HindaRochel

Thu, Nov 30 2006, 9:31 am

I tried flylady for awhile but ended up feeling angry so I quit her and tried various other places.

My problem is I can get started but can't finish! I need someone who likes to do the last part of the job.

Oh well..I'm going to try and get the house organized again.

One day I'll get it right. When I do I'll announce it because I'm certain the Moshiach will show up the very next day.

mimsy7420

Thu, Nov 30 2006, 9:43 am

I don't have cleaning help, and DH and I both work full time. There are times that the house is messy in the middle of the week. Sometimes the dishes stay in the sink over a night or two. Sometimes the dining room table is covered with papers from the weeks mail. And sometimes the laundry sits in the basket waiting to be folded.
BUT I always always clean up for shabbos. That is my one major cleaning day (besides for regular during the week maitenance) that I make the house look spotless and it really makes a difference for shabbos when the house is sparkling and everything is neat and tidy.
If I wouldn't make sure the house was clean for shabbos, then I wouldn't be able to handle the one or 2 days that there is a mess in the house. The after shabbos clean is also important because shabbos does make a nice mess. But it's not as hard core as the friday clean. I don't need to re-wash the floor motzei shabbos, I just washed it on friday, I can swiffer wet jet it.
I just can't make the house be sparkling 24/7 - it's just not possible. And you know what? I'm OK with that. As long as I go into shabbos with a clean house then it makes it OK for me.
So I don't know, but that is just what works for me.