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

gryp

Thu, Nov 30 2006, 10:00 am

I dont have a cleaning lady because I dont even know what I would do with one. I just cant imagine getting someone to clean something I can clean faster and better myself.
it's not easy keeping the house (apartment) clean with my 2 kids making a mess right after me, but this is what keeps my sanity:
1) everything has a specific designated place
2) the kids need to clean up each toy as soon as theyre finished playing- this is hard to enforce sometimes but most of the time it works.
3) I train my kids not to make messes in the first place, ie. we wipe our hands on a napkin, not on the table! we sit nicely while we're eating so we dont end up with crumbs snowing all over the place. etc.
4) a carpet sweeper! ($25 in Target) no shlepping out the vaccuum each time I see a crumb on the floor. it only takes a minute and youve got a spotless floor. it works on any kind of floor too, not just the carpets.
5) sanitizing wipes! I use them for a two second clean-up freshen-up in the bathroom.
6) constant tidying- the house is basically spotless by the time I'm ready to go to sleep at night. floors, couches, counters, tables, shelves, cleared and organized.

Ruchel

Thu, Nov 30 2006, 10:08 am

I will tell you what I see people doing when they have no cleaning lady (many as it's difficult to find a good one)

- live in a total mess (= worse than my room as a teen Wink

), although I don't find it good when you have kids. I know people who clean the kids rooms regularly but the rest, errrr...

- you do what you can & husband also cleans as much as possible. Also, in my country it is expected that a pregnant woman or one that has a small baby will get a cleaning lady, or any help including husband, but not do anything tiring except if it cannot wait.
I also know many women who stop cooking for their kids when pregnant & give them food the husband has cooked before going to work or just anything they agree to eat. Of course I don’t complain about that cultural thing because now no one let me do anything! LOL

My parents have no cleaning lady, dad does most of the work (mom works). Also, I only do what cannot wait (when dh is away), and he does what can wait until he comes home. It wouldn’t work for everyone but if your husband is better (the case here, believe me) and you don’t mind living in something decent but far from Versailles, why not.

I will check flylady though.

↑ shininglight

Sun, Dec 03 2006, 6:57 am

mumoo wrote:

shininglight wrote:

shabbatiscoming wrote:

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

That's exactly what my husband says!

your husband 'so ably cleans' your house? that's great

Actually, he does help me a lot for the erev shabbos clean-up. I'm a lucky lady Smile

happymom

Sun, Dec 03 2006, 7:30 am

I think routine really helps. when I wake up I make the beds and clean the room....

when I use the bathroom in the morning I wash the sink and dry it.... I have a hand vacuum and someitmes vacuum the floor....

When we have breakfast I make sure everything in the kitchen is put away and I wipe the counters after breakfast.

When my daughter takes a nap, I clean up the toys and sweep.

Every single night I force myself to clean up everything so that when I wake up my job will be simple and not take too much time.

I do laundry three times a week so that it doesnt pile up.

I mop the floor before and after shabbos, that way it stays clean.

these things really help and bh my house is always clean and organized. and yes my daughter makes big messes but by being consistant, it really never gets out of hand.

orly

Sun, Dec 10 2006, 8:57 am

First I started out having a list what I would do every Mon, every Tues, every Wed etc.. but when Mopn cam earound and that tihng didn't need cleaning, or it happened a lot where I didnt need to do laundy on "mon" so it made me lazy towards the whole schedule and I did not take it seriously anymore...
instead
1)like soemone sad - a major point is to make sure everything has a place that way it is easier and wuicker to put things away ( I find that I am lazy at cleaning up certain things where I dontknow exactly where to put them and I have to think about where Im going to put it so it just stays there)
2) always tidy up ( not to the point where it makes u or others crazy ) but if you see your kids arent playing with that toy anymore just quietly clean it up ( its not fun to play with a messed up toy anyway so its just going to sit there
3) Instead of having a weekly schedule - I write on a little paper or keep in my head the things I want to accomplish tomorrow - and I keep it small - ex dishes, organize this closet and take a nap!!
4) try to plan when is teh best time to do certain things..
I.e; if I have two things to do and one I could do while my kid are palying nucely and one I cant, so make sure to do the thing you can't do while they are around when they are sleeping or not home, and save the other for when they are - this way you;; get both done
5) I havent really done this yet but I am trying - a lot of times I want to xlean the toilet or wash the sink but the suppleis are in a diff room and either I get side tracked on the way or then it becomes a big deal so I dont do it... so ntry to have a sponge or whatver you clean with in every room (in a nice place so its not funny looking) and in each bathroom have the cleaning supply tere so it just takes a second. Make it convenient so it will get done

keep the tips coming they were all very helpful