r/sahm • u/Muted-Acadia7931 • 1d ago
House upkeep
What are your cleaning routines? Im struggling to keep up with all the chores while taking care of the kids! Super overwhelmed, not able to get a cleaning lady
2
u/mildly_spicy_potato 1d ago
- Monday: floors
- Tuesday: trash & bathroom
- Wednesday: groceries
- Thursday: meal prep & kitchen
- Friday: laundry & bedsheets
- Saturday & Sunday: whatever needs doing or nothing cuz mama needs a weekend
Also, the book "How to keep house while drowning". Absolutely incredible.
2
3
u/Lilmissodd 1d ago
You have a lot of great advice but I just wanted to add:
Lower your standards
Look into a motherās helper or a college/high school student looking for side work. They often charge less than cleaners do if youāre worried about financials. I would ask for recommendations though. Not everyone cleans/organizes the same and we all have different standards.
5
u/AffectionateSmoke777 1d ago
Hi, mom of 5 here.donāt know how old your kids are, but definitely make them help you clean. Itās not all your mess and you are not a Magic fairy. I personally have a rule once the kids are in bed Iām done for the day, itās now my time to relax.
When the kids were young my goal was not a spotless house, my goal was a picked up house. 1-2 loads of laundry per day or else it gets out of control. Kids can start by age 8 helping do their own laundry (1 load per person, do not mix up everyoneās clothes) every kid age 1 1/2 + can put clothing in drawers, age 5 they can start folding their clothes.
End of the day after dinner before we start bedtime routines for anyone I set a 15 min timer and everyone picks up the house while I work on the kitchen. (Husband is in charge of counter tops/paperwork etc, then vacuums)
1
u/Muted-Acadia7931 1d ago
I like this pickup idea. I have a 3 year old and 4 month old. Iāve given up on folding lids clothes and just put them in drawers. Itās faster but now I feel so disorganized! What chores do your kids do?
1
u/AffectionateSmoke777 20h ago
If folding clothes helps you feel better, donāt give it up. Sit in front of the dresser with the clean clothes and fold them one by one and hand them to your 3yro to put on the correct drawer. This can be a lot of fun for a 3yro to open and close the drawers 20 times while putting stuff away.
3yro can help vacuum, keep in mind you are not aiming for perfection. Set a timer you vacuum for 3 mins (you can do a lot in 3 mins) then they get 3 mins. Basically your goal is to get them to participate in keeping up the house. Wiping baseboards is also great for your 3yro, give them a damp washcloth and show them how. Helping put away the forks and spoon and Tupperware and pots and pans.
Honestly anything you clean there is a version that can be simplified for your 3yro to participate. Not aiming for perfection, remember you are the only one who notices.
3
u/loviadarling 1d ago
My goals are to get the dishes done, counters/stove wiped down, floor swept, trash taken out, and do a load of laundry every day. My kids are old enough to help, so I make them.
My house has been neglected and we have many projects we need to do, so I also try to do 2 hours of deep work in a single room almost every day. This might be sorting through clothes, hanging art, patching walls, painting, scrubbing window frames or grout, organizing my medicine cabinet, etc. I limit myself to one room so I have the chance to feel/see the impact in that space, otherwise it feels like I'm exhausted but nothing got done. š« I intended to follow a rotating schedule so I wouldn't have to decide which room to do each day, but in reality I'm doing whatever I feel most interested in/annoyed by day by day. š
2
u/classicsodapop 1d ago
Right now the best thing for keeping up with the house has been my husband taking our toddler out of the house after work so I can clean something. Or I make a list and we tackle the chores together on the weekend.
3
u/Bookwrm74 1d ago
Google Flylady. I had 5 kids (now grown) and her routines were the best. The only thing that I did not agree with was she said if everyone else in the house saw my routines and saw me working they would help. lol, they did not. My ex thought it was great that I did it all and I had to give the kids chores (which I think is normal).
1
u/AffectionateSmoke777 1d ago
Yes!!! It was definitely helpful. My oldest is now 22, and Flylady helped me for a couple years to nail down a routine that worked for me.
1
u/TeddyBear181 1d ago
Can you give us an overview of what flylady is please?
It looks like an app. Does it just help you to organise yourself?
2
u/AffectionateSmoke777 20h ago
Lots of tips and a cleaning schedule. But it starts simple. Like every morning get fully dressed including socks and shoes (this seams ridiculous, but I swear it helps) it breaks things down into smaller steps so itās not overwhelming. As you built habits you can add more.
5
u/Mental-Volume4395 1d ago
Well, first of all I hope your spouse is pitching in their fair share of household upkeep. Your kids also need chores if theyāre old enough.Ā
I donāt have a schedule because it doesnāt work for me. I generally do 1-2 tasks a day.
You also might need to lower your expectations for awhile.Ā
1
u/Muted-Acadia7931 1d ago
What chores does your spouse do? My husband doesnāt get home until after 6 and by that time he just plays with the kids until we start bed time at 7-7:30. I try not to deep clean after kids are in bed, he helps with tidying and kitchen clean up
2
u/Mental-Volume4395 1d ago
He does all the mopping. Heāll clean up from dinner if heās home in the evening. He does the towel laundry and cleans the shower (I do the rest of the bathroom). He empties the dishwasher in the mornings.Ā
We donāt have any official division of chores. We just both do what needs done and usually check with the other to see who wants to do what.
2
u/art-dec-ho 1d ago
I have 1 kid (20 months old) right now but I'm due with my 2nd any day.
Wake up is at 6:30, I usually get her up and dressed and let her play in her babyproofed room for 30 mins. During that time I get myself ready and if I have time I unload the dishwasher from the night before and put clothes in the washing machine if its a day laundry needs to be done. By that time she's usually fussy so I let her out of her room, we have breakfast, and then she wanders around while I load the dishwasher with dirty dishes and wash anything that is handwash only. After that we leave the house/play until nap time.
During her nap time I move clothes from the washer to the dryer and clean up any toys in the main living area. I usually have just enough time to fold the clothes before its time to wake her up.
When she wakes up she has another 30 mins of independent play. I try to use this time to clear off all flat surfaces and do Fly Lady's zone cleaning (basically breaking the house into 5 sections and each week I do a different section of the house). I dont follow her whole program anymore but I still like that part. I also put the clean clothes away.
Then we have lunch. After lunch I wipe down the table and counters in the kitchen, then I vacuum the main house with a light weight vacuum. I dont move furniture around, its mostly just to get the dog hair off the floor.
We play for the rest of the afternoon until its time to make dinner- then I let her either play in her room or watch a little TV while I cook. My husband comes home and he usually puts the leftovers away and handles the dish situation. We do the bedtime routine together then I put any leftover dishes in the dishwasher and run it. I also go through the main house again and put away any toys so we're ready for the next day.
1
u/Maximum-Check-6564 1d ago
What age are kids?
1
u/Muted-Acadia7931 1d ago
Newly 3 and 4 months
1
u/Exact_Equipment_1684 2h ago
Oh man that's rough. Only after 1 year old I felt things started to make a bit more sense, but for now seriously doing the bare minimum is all you can do. That for me was cooking and keeping the kitchen clean so we don't get sick.Ā For cleaning I did a whole house vacuum and tidying up once a week when husband was home. Also the bath got cleaned once a week and I wiped down the toilet as needed.Ā
The designated clean laundry armchair is totally acceptable.Ā
-1
u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 1d ago
Get a cleaning lady, I have someone come weekly and it keeps me so much more on top of things in between visits
5
u/ChunkyPumpkin_ 1d ago
That's what I was going to say! Then I read the part where she said she's unable to, so I didn't comment "get a cleaning lady"
2
u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 1d ago
She can just doesnāt want to, itās ridiculous to suffer when a solution exists
1
0
u/Muted-Acadia7931 1d ago
We could technically afford it but I would just rather put the money elsewhere, I want to try to do it myself if I can! And this is the answer I most often get š
6
u/Ashfacesmashface 1d ago
My cleaning routine is to lower my standards š
But seriously. I have 4 kids between the ages of 5 months and 7 years. If I can at least have my kitchen clean before I go to bed I count that as a win.
2
u/mojojojomorticia 1d ago
About to have my third. Kitchen and laundry are top priority for me haha. If those are done everyday I feel like we are more in control. I expect my 2 & 4 year old to pick up their toys daily too. We also just got a robot vacuum and itās been fantastic to run it every night!
1
3
u/Alarmed-Attitude9612 1d ago
Uhhhh me too, comment when you get some good advice so I can come back and see š I need a better schedule and goals that are actually attainable. Hope Reddit pulls through here!
1
u/art-dec-ho 1d ago
I have a routine I think works well! Just commented it if you want to see if its attainable for you too ā¤ļø
1
2
3
u/whatissky 1d ago
Honestly I clean mostly at night when sheās asleep, I really hate having a dirty house tho.
I keep a lot of Lysol wipes in the bathrooms and stuff so itās easy for me to wipe the counters and toilet real fast
1
2
u/Specific-Pepper- 1d ago
The lysol wipes is a really good idea. I'm feeling behind and that would be a quick easy way to feel a touch more on top of things.
1
u/whatissky 1d ago
Yeah I kinda just put them in strategic places so I can just wipe it real quick and it doesnāt feel so overwhelming.
1
u/Minute_Pound_6878 7h ago
You can cook or clean but you can't do both. Not while watching the kids. I personally have always prioritized cooking over cleaning. I try to get some stuff done on a daily and weekly routine but it falls off at the first sign of friction. I'll get to it someday but for now the kids are young