The laziest question ever. (household routine) - Page 5

[ZoshaMosha]

Before I put in a major time investment decluttering and organizing, I did spend over two hours a day cleaning. And I still felt like my house was never really all that clean. Now, I'd say I clean for maybe an hour, and not even everyday. And my house is really clean, if I may say so myself.

I'd spend up to an hour a day cleaning just the LO's room because it was so cluttered with toys and clothes. Just fixing up their room has made my life immeasurably easier. My DD is a clothes horse and she changes her outfit about once a minute. I finally got her a child sized clothing rack so all of her clothes are hung up (almost none in drawers), so that she can easily see what she wants and can put it away when she's done. Wow! No more clothes on the floor! I also did a major toy declutter and got rid of tons of miscellaneous toys. Now all the toys fit neatly into designated bins, so it takes maybe 5-10 minutes to get the room in order. And we still have a ton of toys, but even the 18 month old knows where everything goes!

I also finally organized my home office, so now all the paperwork has a home. Mail goes directly into bill inbox or recycle, magazines go in the magazine rack. I also designated one cabinet in our dining hutch as an arts and craft/playdoh zone so the kids can easily get something out and put it away.

Since I have 2 kids and 2 dogs and 1 cat, I do feel like I need to sweep constantly because my floors get so covered with crumbs and dirt and hair, etc... I only mop once or twice a week and spot clean the floors as needed.

[Yvaine Undomiel]

Originally Posted by ZoshaMosha

Before I put in a major time investment decluttering and organizing, I did spend over two hours a day cleaning. And I still felt like my house was never really all that clean. Now, I'd say I clean for maybe an hour, and not even everyday. And my house is really clean, if I may say so myself.
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Since I have 2 kids and 2 dogs and 1 cat, I do feel like I need to sweep constantly because my floors get so covered with crumbs and dirt and hair, etc... I only mop once or twice a week and spot clean the floors as needed.

Right, we're minimalists, so cleaning is almost easy. Unfortunately, we are all crafters in this family, SO...

We too, clean the floors several times a day. Four kids, cat dog, husband, firewood, and country living.

I sweep maybe three times, and my two older kids grab the broom a couple times a day as well. Even my preschooler will grab the wisk and dust pan once or twice. It's just impossible to keep it clean, and we have floor baby, so we're constantly trying to stay on top of it.

[ArtsyMomma]

It's just myself, three kids (oldest is 6), 3 cats and a fishtank in an apartment - but I would think that right now, we spend about 2 hours a day cleaning. DP will do chores - dishes, vacuuming, general tidying for about an hour or so in the morning while he is 'working from home'. I try to keep up during the day - but I generally find it is quicker and easier to pick up after the kids are in bed for the night. Or the one night a week the go to their dads I will clean like crazy (seriously, last week DP was out of town, kids were at their dads, I stayed up until 3 am but I got so much accomplished!)

The main problem is that even at 2 hours a day of cleaning - my home is not quite at a level I find acceptable. IE the fish tank needs cleaning, but I haven't gotten to it because I'm spending so much time on other tasks. Decluttering and simplifying is helping because as I go from room to room I can get a deep clean done, then it only takes a few minutes a day to keep the room at that level of clean.

[kittywitty]

I don't spend that much time cleaning. I used to spend more than that cleaning but gave up. It just doesn't do any good but stress me out more. Now I spend about an hour or more each week on brutal decluttering, wipe down the sinks every night when I get ready for bed, donate all sell/toss things to Salvation Army that isn't worth selling for a good deal of money, and do a 15 minute nightly family clean up. Dh has actually (thank goodness!) started helping with dishes and my two oldest now are in charge of their own laundry (with mom's help). Without these things, I would pull my hair out. I have some serious OCD/visual clutter sensory issues and it drags me down if it's not done, but if I think about it too much, I will go crazy. My house still isn't nearly as decluttered or clean as I want it to be, but I enjoy it more now.

[lchadder]

Now thats what I call a typical mom.
I think you should involve the kids to do their share of work. They must be old enough to understand I think. One website did work some wonders for me. kidrewardzone.com. I was doubtful when I started. But the result was very good. Kids have started understanding their responsibilities and then the dispersal of allowances was never so easy. Add a little bonus now and then and all of us are happy. We are now the best of pals.