PLEASE help me figure out schedule for cleaning (long)

[calendula]

I am really desperate for help. I am not a "natural" born housecleaner but I do like a clean house and have become progressively more houseproud over the years.

But I cannot for the life of me figure out WHEN to clean and even then HOW to clean with a baby around. Below is my situation and I hope that you kind people will see some obvious way for me to get cleaning done. I would love to have a schedule of some kind both within the day (eg 10am clean sink), and day by day (Monday bedrooms, Tues, bathrooms etc). I feel like if can break it down into tiny parts I might do well (like a checklist).
BUT I am now so stressed and frustrated by my own inabilities that I can't see where to begin.

This is why I am posting. I am open to ideas and motivation! (and I am so very sleep deprived so I always want to just nap or surf around when baby sleeps but the problem is so bad now I want to get on and clean...)

I have an almost 7 month old about to start crawling. I also have a 6 year old.
My roadblocks are:
- My older is at Kindy until 2.30pm. I feel strongly any cleaning should be done before he gets home so he can get the attention he needs. I can do a little bit of laundry with him in between activities but that's it.

- So then time for chores is say 8.30am - 2.30am. But, I have a baby. Our morning looks like this:
Get up around 7.30/7.45am. Breakfast for me.
8.15 ish nurse
8.15- 9.30 baby plays with toys/ I shower and dress (baby in bouncy)/ put in laundry/
9.30/10 ish Go out. This is our 1 outing of the day. Either a mom's group, library, grocery shop, or just walk around downtown.
OR, if we stay home:
9.30 ish Baby Naps - lately baby naps at this time unless I go out and she naps in the car or whereever we're headed.

So then suddenly it's about 11.30/12 depending
12- 12.45 ish Lunch with husband who works at home. Our 1 chance to catch up with each other since we don't hang out in the evening (early bed for me).

1pm ish After lunch, maybe baby will nap again / play with toys or (honestly not sure what happens but the time just goes. Mostly I am entertaining baby. I might fold laundry, go through a pile of papers in the kitchen).

2.30 Older child comes home.

QUESTIONS/ DILEMMAS
-do I go out with her in the morning which does us both good or do I stay home most days except say 1 day, just so I can get some cleaning done. What do you folks do about this?
- How and I mean REALLY SPELL IT OUT, how do you clean with a baby. She can't see me from the living rm if I go in the kitchen, she'd have to come with to sit in the bouncy or swing (maybe get 15 mins from that.) Bathrooms - very very small. She has to sit just outside the door in a bouncy. Bedrooms - easier as she can sit and play on the floor with toys, less hazardous. But what about vacuuming and mopping. How do you do that - (picturing mopping around baby sitting in a little island in the middle of the floor!) It's the fuss factor that's the problem. There's only so long she will be happy in a chair/swing. And she's doing a lot of facesplatting as she gets ready to crawl so even sitting her down I have to stop every few minutes to make her upright again/calm her down from her frustration.

I do have a Beco carrier and I have cleaned with her in a back carry but ...it's not ideal. I do use some chemicals and I just would like to separate the cleaning from the baby.....

- other issues - feeling like it's all wrecked within 10 minutes.
- really terrible dog hair - large shedding black dog on blonde hardwood floors
- terribly indecisive -CANNOT decide best way to clean hardwood floors. Some say use vinegar others say no way. So....I am stuck not knowing what to do and worried I'll wreck the floors. So I don't do anything.
- again, just completing a task without having to stop for baby.

I am sure some of the answers are obvious but please don't hold back!
Thanks in advance!

[PenelopeJune]

I like to work in quick spurts. I am not good at keeping schedules, so no suggestion there. I'd say when the baby naps, set yourself to work for say, 15 minutes. Get as much done during her nap and then go and sit and rest yourself.

Don't skip your outing if it makes you a happier mama. Try and get as much done as possible before you leave.

Your kindergartener does not need your absolute undivided attention when she gets home. Let her play while you do 15 minutes of work. Or put her at the kitchen table and let her tell you about her day while you work. Let the baby crawl around and explore, or sit in a bouncy or swing.

I did the bare minimum while my baby was still so clingy. Dishes, laundry, general decluttering. Everything else can wait until the baby is grown.

ETA: Don't be a perfectionist. Sweep the dog hair once a day and call it good. Mop the floor when you feel like it. (Um...I mop once a year. Don't judge. I do use a wet rag on needed spots when I see something) If your floors are real hardwood, you probably can't do anything to permanantly ruin them. Anything can be sanded off and resealed if you REALLY eff it up, but I doubt you will.

Put baby in high chair while you are doing some work. Is she old enough to snack on something yet?

[Leta]

I try to get as much possible done in the mornings. If at all possible, get up before your kids. Get yourself dressed and groomed, and wipe down the bathroom mirrors, sinks, and toilets.

Try to do that, and breakfast before your older DC leaves for the day. While you are fixing breakfast, figure out what lunch/dinner will be. Mix up dishes or make the salad or get the crockpot going, whatever. Then, try to sling your LO and do the dishes. This cuts down on cleaning the kitchen later in the day and babies are usually the most cheerful in the morning, anyway.

Try to get a load of wash in before you go out. Then, go out. When you come home, get the wash on the line/in the dryer.
Do a little laundry with your older DC- you guys can chat while putting clothes away, it won't take too long, anyhow. Besides, you need help with baskets if you're holding a baby.
Sometime between lunch and bedtime, get your DH to hang out with both kiddos for 30 minutes. This was a huge thing for me. Then power clean the entire time. Finish up your dishes/laundry, tidy up, if that stuff is alread done, mop the bathroom floor, clean the tub... you get the idea.

This won't all fall into place the first week. Give yourself time to get used to it, and time to make progress. You'll tweak your schedule more as you gain success.

Good luck!

[99lauren]

Can you make some of your chores into "activities" that you can do with your 6 year old? We like to set the timer and see how fast we can clean up. This is my husband and I... but this could be fun if you make it fun. Put some music on and dance while you clean. 6 years old is old enough to start helping you a little. He might like to help...you never know.

Can you do some more complicated stuff while your baby naps? Like do the bathrooms then? Or this becomes easier if you cut the chemicals out and use natural cleaners that you arent afraid to have your baby around. The natural stuff works great!

[mercy589]

I've been thinking of purchasing this checklist from motivatedmoms.com, it sounds like it might help you too. My problem is that I look at it all and don't know what to do and this seems to break it down into little manageable tasks that I can check off as I get a chance.

[PenelopeJune]

I think I called your kindergartener a she. Sorry.

[flowmom]

I would suggest switching to child-safe cleaners -- not just so you can clean with your baby helping, but also so that you can involve your children in the process. For normal cleaning I never have to use anything toxic. You'll wonder why you bothered with the chemicals once you switch.

Also, try not to be too task-oriented. Try to do little 3 minute jobs, not big cleaning stretches. Do some with baby on back and consider it exercise -- put on some music and make it fun. I used to vacuum with the baby on my back to get her to sleep during one phase (but I don't have a really noisy vaccuum).

Don't be a perfectionist. Be objective about what makes the most difference. In most homes that means keeping on top of dishes, laundry, and serious health and safety hazards. Everything else is optional when you have a baby .

Honestly, my first baby was high need so I only got stuff done when he was asleep .

[jennlyn]

delete

[ekortering]

I had Daily Minimum Requirements (DMRs) when my daughter was a baby:

Morning:

1.Make beds & pick up bedrooms
2.One load laundry – washed & hung on clothesline/tossed in dryer
3.Unload/Load/Run dishwasher
4.Kitchen counters wiped down after breakfast

Afternoon:

1.Fold and put away morning laundry
2.Walk/Read/Hobby/Organization Project Time
3.Meal preparations

Evening:

1.Pick up magazines, newspaper, books, etc.
2.Pick up kitchen – vacuum/sweep up crumbs
3.Put away shoes
4.Go through papers – dump or file
5.Quiet time

When my daughter turned 2 yo, I started adding in my "detailed" cleaning:

Monday~
P/U & Dust bedrooms
Vacuum bedrooms and hall

Tuesday~
Clean kitchen
Vacuum LR, FR, and rugs

Wednesday~
Clean upstairs bathrooms
Change towels and bed linens

Thursday~
Clean ½ bath
Swiffer wood floors

Friday~
Mop kitchen
Mop hall
Mop bathrooms

Saturday~
Bake for following week
P/U sewing room

Sunday~
weekly meal plan

Start with the DMRs and try to do them faithfully every day for a month or two. When they become second nature (believe me, they will), start to add more detailed cleaning. Don't feel guilty ... I've been where you are. My mom was/is a top notch house cleaner but never taught me how to do it. =)

[calendula]

Hi,
I'm the OP. Thanks for all the great replies so far. I was really motivated today and got a lot done in the kitchen with baby in the high chair. Then I continued on when she napped.

Just a bit more info: I do need to be home by 2.30, that's unmovable but it is an idea to go out say just before or just after lunch.

My husband can't spare the time after work to hold baby while I clean. He finishes between 5.30-6pm and then it's feed dog, play with dog, and he cooks many nights....in between he wants to have a bit of time with our older child. So, yeah it's my ideal but he says he just doesn't see how to do it wihtout making dinner and bedtime really late. I am trying to cook more often myself so that will free up some time but it' s not reality just yet.

I can't get up any earlier - DH gets DS up at 6.15 for the bus at 7.10am. If I get up with them I am told off for getting in the way. And I can't get up before 6.15am, I think I'd die......

I do like the idea of DMRs! I am going to draw up a list for myself.
And yes I am very perfectionist so I have a hard time doing just a bit, not doing the entire thing.

Do you folks all focus on one room at a time, or spread it out eg vacuum an entire floor?

I am definitely going to switch to natural cleaners.

SWIFFERS - I have looked at these but which is the appropriate one for hardwood floors? Wet or dry? Please can you tell me the exact name?

Thanks and please keep the ideas coming. It has helped.

[Cativari]

I don't have too much too add but I do have a tip for the hardwood floors and the dog fur...They have "sticky" mops (rolls of segmented sticky paper similar to lint remover but on a long mop stick)) in some of the floor cleaning isles at the store. Also check into a steam mop they do well for cleaning hardwood.

[lil_earthmomma]

it's so hard to adapt to life with babes sometimes isn't it! I'm still working on this, but here's what works for us:

We focus on everyday tidy (toys cleaned up, books away, etc. before lunch and after dinner.) The kitchen gets cleaned up after lunch (during nap time), and after the ds's are asleep.

Laundry throughout the day.

Once a week we do a big clean, where we clean bathrooms, sweep and mop etc. Maybe on your dh's day off, you can spend an hour doing this. He does some while you occupy baby, then you switch off. This works well for us!

[cloudswinger]

Cleaning is overrated. And research is showing that too much cleanliness is actually bad for your health. Such as making beds promotes growth of dust mites, and other such things.

So that said, we do our laundry weekly or maybe even every other week, I vacuum weekly and mop every other week. We do keep our shoes off inside the house. Dishes are washed after dinner, for the most part. Chores I don't like I don't do, so if it bugs someone else in the house, I suggest they do it. Such as cleaning the toilets, the shower and the sinks.

My 4yo dd helps with laundry, either sorting dirty clothes, or putting away her clothes. She also likes spraying the cleaning fluids. I used to sling her all the time when I was vacuuming, and it used to be done more often when we had the dogs.

Swiffers - there's a greener version, using microfiber pads that are washable. Probably would cost less in the long run too. We have mostly concrete/tile floors, and I just vacuum it all.