How do you organize your household chores?

[SuzyLee]

I guess this could go in the Minful Home area too, but I am wondering specifically how SAHP's handle it.

When I used to work I always did everything on the weekend out of necessity.

Now, I have been doing stuff (laundry mostly) daily. It is nice not to have tons to do on the weekend, but on the other hand I feel like I am constantly doing laundry. (I do about a load a day).

How do you organize things?

[Heidi74]

Our apartment is far from perfect, but over the past months I have gotten some routines in place that are really helping a lot.

Every day, I empty the dishwasher, do the dishes and clean the kitchen. I also usually remember to do a "swish and swipe" in the bathroom (Flylady's reminder to clean the toilet and sink), and I aim to make the beds although that rarely happens. DH and DS1 put away toys in the evening. DH empties the garbage every day and cleans our dining room area after dinner.

That's the daily stuff. Otherwise, our week goes like this:

Monday
Laundry-2 loads (one of diapers, one other) Fold and put away.
Vacuum

Tuesday
Free day housework-wise, although I try to spend 15 minutes or so doing some sort of tidying or cleaning.

Wednesday
Make menu for next week. Put together weekly shopping list.

Thursday
DH goes shopping.

Friday
Cleaning day. This is the only day of the week where the kids and I stay home all day, aside from a quick trip to play outside for 30 mins or so. 3 loads of laundry, (one diapers, two other), fold and put away, vacuum, clean bathroom, dust, toss old magazines.

Saturday
DH takes care of the recycling, and any small fix-ups that need to be done. Often we do these together if they require two people. I might tackle a small cleaning project, depending on our day. Often, we spend Saturday as a family day, so we don't really do much in the way of cleaning.

Sunday
Day off from housework

A lot of this is inspired by Flylady, but I've kind of fallen into my own routines. I'm hoping to add a daily decluttering time to my routine, but don't seem to manage to integrate it.

[zinemama]

Organize? What is this term you speak of?

I just do things as they need to be done. And yes, a load of laundry a day is pretty normal with a young child.

[mbhf]

I have a schedule. I am one that will not notice food smeared on the wall (or my kid's faces ) or that the rug needs to be vacuumed, sheets need to be washed, etc. So I have to do it regularly or things get gross before I even notice. I am blind to dirt, as long as the house is picked up it looks fine to me. I typically don't do housework beyond the normal pick up wipe down on the weekends.

Every week day I do at least one load of laundry. I don't really feel like I'm always doing laundry and I prefer it this way because folding and putting away a smaller load is so much easier for me and I don't just dump the laundry on the couch and stare at it for an hour like I do with the really big loads I end up with when I don't wash as frequently. I know there are other things I do daily but I really need my list or I totally forget.

Then on Mondays I do the master bedroom, wash the sheets, vacuum, etc. Tuesdays it's bathrooms. Wednesdays the boy's rooms. Thursday I do the hallways and my car. Friday I sweep and mop all of the hard floors (kitchen, playroom, living room) and vacuum the rugs. Fridays are busier than most but it just makes sense to do those rooms all together since I have the stuff out anyway.

My boys pick up the living area and their rooms between dinner and bed, and I do the kitchen at that time. We also generally pick up before leaving the house. The boys wipe down their spot at the table and put their dishes in the sink after eating, etc. I wipe down the bathroom in the mornings, run the dishwasher in the mornings, start a load of laundry in the mornings, etc. Keeping on top of things is so easy when I just do a little bit each day. I almost never spend more than an hour actually cleaning when I keep up with it, though if I take a "day off" of the normal stuff it takes a week to get caught up at least.

[aggieP]

I have no schedule. I do what I can, when I can and when I feel like it. Everything gets done eventually

[zebrachick83]

Originally Posted by aggieP

I have no schedule. I do what I can, when I can and when I feel like it. Everything gets done eventually

Words to live by....

[wsgrl84]

I too do chores when I am in the mood to. I have no schedule usually.

I do laundry when the washer is full.
I do the dishes as I cook and after we eat.
My boys clean their rooms, I don't pick up their toys anymore.

[BetsyS]

I'm envious of the people with no schedule. It's one of those things that I just can't imagine.

I do laundry on Mondays. My mother always did laundry on Mondays, and it just stuck with me. I'll wash a load or two mid-week, but mostly, it's all day Monday. That works out great, because after a busy weekend, we usually have no desire to go anywhere on Mondays, so it's a natural stay-at-home sort of day.

I have 6 tasks I try to do weekly. Dusting, vacuuming/mopping (mop only kitchen), purge magazines, change sheets, empty trash throughout house, and clean bathrooms. I sometimes do all this in one day, but usually it's 1-2 tasks a day. I keep a to-do list, and I just cross them off as I do them. I'm not one that minds a little dirt, so it doesn't ever get to the point where I'm thinking it needs to be done before the one week mark.

Daily, I do dishes (empty dishwasher in AM, load all day, run after supper), wipe down the outside of toilets (first time I use each one--I have a 3 year old boy; enough said), pick up toys (before nap time, before Daddy gets home, and before bed), and make the beds. That's about it for daily.

I try to do a "deep clean" type chore 15 minutes a day 3 or 4 days a week (thank you flylady). This works for me, and my house is usually tolerable.

Every now and then (first trimester pregnant, new baby, or if we've been sick), it gets out of control, and I call a "all hands on deck" clean. We clean like crazy for an hour or two on a Saturday morning or Thursday night. Dh is a really good cleaner, and he's always willing, so if I need it, I can always fall back on that.

[samy23]

I just made a thread about this issue, didn't notice this one already here! I'll ask mine be deleted. Some good ideas so far in this thread, I need help with it too...seems like everything piles up which makes me feel quite down, but then I don't want to feel like all I ever do is house chores yk?

[phathui5]

Morning

Wash a load of dishes (no dishwasher)
Start a load of laundry
Have the kids straighten up the living room and their rooms
Declutter the dining room and kitchen

Afternoon

Do any actual scrubbing with kids. We generally give one room a day a thorough scrubdown. Wash windows. Sweep and scrub floor. Put everything away that's out of place.
Another load of dishes.
Put away some laundry.

Before bed

Have kids straighten up again.
Another load of dishes.
Clean up kitchen and dining room.

[becoming]

I do a load of laundry daily. In the morning while my oldest is eating breakfast/getting ready for school, I fold & put away yesterday's laundry & start today's load. I also unload the dishwasher during that time. Before I go to bed, I take a laundry basket around the whole house & pick up everything that needs to go back to the kids' rooms. Then I put it all away & make sure all clutter is put away. Those are the only things I do EVERY day, other than sweeping the kitchen floor as needed.

Mondays I vacuum everywhere there's carpet.

Tuesdays I dust all the furniture.

Wednesdays I clean the bathrooms (toilets, sinks/counters/mirrors, empty trash, sweep/mop).

Thursdays I clean out the fridge & vacuum the living room again.

Fridays I "deep clean" my kitchen table & chairs (I love that dining set & take really good care of it, haha) & mop the kitchen floor.

Saturdays I try to do one organizing project, but I'm not always home to do that. Basically everything is already organized as much as possible in my house, so this is not necessary most of the time.

Sundays I clean the bathtub & shower in our bathroom. We don't use the other bathtub/shower combo in the other bathroom, so I just wipe it down every month or so.

That's it

[redveg]

My only days that are set in stone are

Sunday and Wednesday Laundry
Saturday- bathrooms

everything else I get when I can.

[nina_yyc]

Yep, I used to WOH too. It's a different vibe, you just kinda do things throughout the week so it seems like it doesn't end. When I was working the house would be either clean or dirty. Now it's just sort of reasonable all the time. I do about 3 loads of laundry once a week and then a couple loads of diapers in the middle. Probably averages out to one a day.

I am lazy and I dust, vacuum, and clean the bathroom more like biweekly. I mop twice a week (our hi traffic areas are all floor.) I also try to tick one deep-cleaning chore per week.

I know I'm getting too far behind if my DH comes home from work, eyes up the place, sighs, and starts sweeping.

[htcamommy]

I too do laundry daily but definitly more than one load. We have at least 2 sometimes 3 a day. I NEVER CATCH UP! I also run my dishwasher at least twice a day so I'm sure the water consumption in my house isn't what you'd consider "conserved". I also usually have to vacuum the living room once a day and whipe down the kitchen table 500 (maybe it just feels that way, thank you mr. jelly hands) times a day. My house is only CLEAN about once a month but I am trying every day. With kids its hard to make schedules. They don't follow them. They are always chipping teeth, eating things that make me call poison control etc etc

[starlein26]

Originally Posted by zinemama

I just do things as they need to be done.

Same here. I'm so defiant that if I tried to schedule housework, I'd defy myself. Doing things as needed prevents this self-destructive tendency.

[Kelly1101]

I have a pretty loose organization for things. I cloth diaper so I do a lot of laundry. Usually the daily routine is, we wake up, change the baby's diaper and then throw the diapers in the washer before breakfast. At some point after breakfast I'll switch over the diapers (and throw any other laundry in the washer) and then we go out doing errands or play inside. Sometimes if I have prep to do for dinner I'll do it early if the baby is content playing with toys on the floor (her play area is connected to the kitchen). Usually in the early afternoon I'll put her on my back and then spend an hour doing housework. Dishes, picking up and wiping down, finishing up laundry, vaccuum and sweep, just make the house look halfway put together and not full of chaos. Then we eat a snack and/or play for a while more and/or go out somewhere, then cook dinner. Sometimes after dinner I'll toss in some more laundry or clean up a little in the kitchen, but usually I don't do housework in the evenings. Although I do put away any laundry right before bed, but that's kind of like play because the baby sits on the bed and plays with the clothes while I try to fold them (which takes forever but is fun).

Saturday is my "heavy cleaning" day where I do any major projects like cleaning out closets or cabinets or the fridge, etc., and "deep cleaning"-- like on Saturday I scrub down the bathroom from top to bottom, so that during our afternoon cleaning hour during the week, I'll just do any quick touch-ups.

I like having only an hour a day to clean (besides laundry, which isn't that big a deal for me, just toss it in and press the buttons). An hour is about all that Emma will put up with at one time in the Mei Tai, so whatever doesn't get done in that hour is put off until tomorrow. Our house will never look like a picture in a Martha Stewart catalog, but it's not filthy and it's not chaotic.

[claddaghmom]

Originally Posted by aggieP

I have no schedule. I do what I can, when I can and when I feel like it. Everything gets done eventually

This.


But I have one toddler. So I might need to change things as our family changes.

[sapphire_chan]

When I do stuff as needed, I feel like I'm constantly thinking about getting stuff done and about how it's not done yet. Very pressuring and stressful. Whereas with a schedule, even if it's just "huh, I need to do XYZ soon, I'll do it Tuesday afternoon" I can dismiss it mentally until it's time.

[mbhf]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

When I do stuff as needed, I feel like I'm constantly thinking about getting stuff done and about how it's not done yet. Very pressuring and stressful. Whereas with a schedule, even if it's just "huh, I need to do XYZ soon, I'll do it Tuesday afternoon" I can dismiss it mentally until it's time.

I feel the same way, when I don't have a schedule my house is always a disaster and I feel like I am always cleaning. When I have a schedule, my house is clean enough for me to be comfortable and I only have an hour or so of actual cleaning every day.

And since I have my netbook handy, here's my schedule for Mondays, every weekday I have the same basic list plus a big job that changes for each day. And I put everything on my schedule to help me remember and to give me guidelines of when things should get done-
Make Bed
Make breakfast
Dress
Lay out kids clothes
Have boys dress, dress baby
Load dishwasher
Start laundry (whatever needs to be done)
School dropoff
Turn over laundry
Unload dishwasher
Wipe BR sink
Strip sheets, wash (this is a Monday job)
Pick up bedroom (again, a Monday job)
Vacuum bedroom (Monday)
Turn over sheets (Monday)
Fold laundry (first load)
Replace sheets (Monday)
School pick up
Dinner
Clean up dinner
Have boys pick up LR/their room

My big Tuesday job is the hall bathroom and vacuum the hallway
Wednesday is the boys room, vacuuming and washing the sheets, dusting, organizing the closet, whatever.
Thursday is the playroom and master bath.
Friday I mop the LR, DR, and kitchen and vacuum the rugs in those rooms.

[AmandasMom]

We ripped up the carpet downstairs (finally!!!) and got beautiful laminate floor installed. It is so nice to have fresh clean floors this spurred me on to get the rest of the house fresh and clean and organized.

first thing I did was declutter each room. I had to organize this around trash pick up days, recycle pick up days, days when the kids were not home (so they didn't see what I was tossing), and days when Amvets and others would come by and pick things up. That's took over a month! I finally got each room completely decluttered. I don't think I could have kept the house organized if I didn't declutter.

Once decluttered, i borrowed some ideas from flylady and went "keep it clean" mode.

I put cleaning supplies upstairs and downstairs, including a vaccum.

Each kid has their own laundry basket.

Each bathroom gets a daily wipe down with a spray bottle of white vinegar. It takes like 1 minutes to keep the toilet and sink clean, then on the way out I spray the floor and its done.

This helped 100% because the bathrooms are always clean now.

I do laundry every single day, but because the laundry is done every day, there is usually just one load. I put all 3 laundry baskets by the dryer and when they come out of the dryer they get put in the correct baskets. I then dump the baskets on their beds, and they must put away the clothes by bedtime.

This has helped 100% because I never have a ton of laundry to do.

I vaccum every single day because i have these beautiful floors.

This past weekend I bought a quart of paint and some nail hole filler and have been freshening up the walls and trim. What a huge difference a little can of paint can make!

So everyday I make the beds, do a load of laundry, wipe down the bathrooms, wipe down the floors and has made my life a thousands times easier.