LOOKING FOR A HOUSEWORK ROUTINE

When I have been lax in the house and it all looks a bit grubby I play a 'pretend cleaner' game and it really works !

You pretend you are the cleaner, so you start in the kitchen. wash up, wipe the units and wash the floor and then move onto what ever room suits.

You clean everywhere and give yourself a time scale in which to do the jobs. By the time you are finished you wonder where you got your energy
Try it.

I did hear of a woman who used to pretend she was her own cleaner, even to the extent of walking round the block to arrive at a certain time! Whatever helps, I suppose, if you feel certain 'standards' must be upheld...

Do you then pay yourself the going rate, Nonnie1?

Hey Nonnie1 - I know what you mean. I sometimes pretend to be a TV cook when preparing a dinner - it actually makes it quite good fun!!I will try the cleaner routine next time I feel the need to do some housework.

Alea brilliant poem!

I tend to do housework 3 days a week, and wing it the rest of the time. Whatever isnt done, isnt done.

I have found that I underestimated tidiness. Getting rid of things somehow helps housework in general.

I think that I may pin that poem on the wall.
I remember when I was young my mother being horrified that a neighbour had set jobs each day- she thought it was too deadly boring and I agree. If you have managed up to now without a routine I wouldn't bother to find one!
I do things when they need it, or when I am in the mood or when someone is coming!
Luckily my husband does a lot.

I even make myself a cuppa and take it with me 'on the hoof' as they say, but if I make a slice of toast it is stealing so I wait until it's all done

Three days a week, obieone???
What on earth do you don't get it mucky?
Or do you still have DC at home?

Apart from everyday hygiene my housework routine is that I do housework when I notice something needs doing, or maybe a few days after that.

Sorry that should have read
"What do you do to get it mucky?"

bags, an excellent policy which I also adopted long ago.

I used to be able to do several loads of washing, change beds and hoover and dust plus wash floors all on one day. Now it takes me longer and I do less.

Was it another poster who suggested the FlyLady tips for cleaning the house?
Also there is this website:
cleaning.lovetoknow.com/Daily_Cleaning_Schedule

I'm on Pinterest and there are several useful tips there for various rotas you can adopt so you could try a few and see which work best for you. I prefer to have the odd job to do on a daily basis rather than have a total purge on a single day.

I recently injured my back and have not been able to be as active as usual. My movement is still quite restricted and I have been amazed with just how little work actually needs doing in this house! In fact, I have just engaged a cleaner to keep things up to scratch as we have just put the house on the market, and she said she only need 2-3 hours once a fortnight! There are only the two of us, with occasional visitors staying, but this is a four bed, two bath house. So not small!

I used to have a delightful and efficient lady when I worked who came to do the ironing on Monday and the cleaning on Thursday or Friday. Once I retired I determined to do the work myself but not to let it run into my afternoons. I decided to do the ironing daily as I didn't want to do two hours' worth in one go with 14 shirts and all the rest. So I have a routine:-

Monday, Hoover the house. Washing & ironing.
Tuesday, Washing & ironing.
Wednesday, clean the downstairs loo & the en suite shower room. Washing including the towels.Ironing.
Thursday, clean the main bathroom and do the dusting. Do the washing & ironing including son's bedding. Clean the kitchen. Cut the grass and sort the garden out.
Friday, change my bed and launder the bedding with the washing. Clean the sink. ironing.

I only clean the cooker sporadically when I think it needs doing. The washing which looks as if it is a major task is nothing really as I just throw clothes in the washing machine. I would get a robotic Hoover if I didn't actually like the exercise of Hoovering myself.

This routine gets me up and keeps me busy. I listen to Radio Four Catch-up programmes while I work and enjoy what I do. It doesn't seem onerous but I guess it takes a while to keep a largish house and garden maintained. The reward is in seeing everything ordered, fresh, clean and lovely. I am both Lady Crawley and the backstairs maid!

flylady.net has lots of ideas on hot to get stuff done with minimum effort.

Has bold "Ramblingrose" come back or are we talking to ourselves?

I polish and hoover when it's necessary, probably do three or four lots of washing per week, and swish round the kitchen and bathroom every day.
I worked to a strict timetable throughout my career, so I'm not going to do the same thing now!

i've never kept to a routine - i gave up routine when i gave up work!!
last year my daughter and her two daughters moved in with me and there's more work but still no routine although, after two nasty colds and a stomach bug we're still in the getting over it stage.
so no housework has been done - not proper, move all the furniture and clean beneath housework - since the bug.
still hectic as my daughter is covering for a sick colleague [she usually works two days a week] and any routine we may have had has definately gone to pot.
however, with half term next week, i'm hoping we an at least get the backlog done and then, after half term, it'll be easy to keep up to scratch - but i'm not going to do anything "routinely! it'll get done as and when i feel like it - mornings only though.

Clean beds and loos otherwise housework only when guests are coming. Life's too short.

I use to, religiously, do "Monday work". Cleaned the whole house. It was good inasmuch as it was out of the way until Friday when I did a quick touch up. Too exhausting now though. Sometimes I think I should try to go back to it.

Mind you, with a cordless vac and a steam mop, I can quickly do bits here and there when it's needed.

I had set days for going out shopping too. Now I have it delivered. Just couldn't manage it anymore on my bike.

I often wonder what it would be like to live in a house where everything's tidy and cleaned regularly. Can't imagine it . If I'm likely to be sewing most days, then obviously it makes sense that the sewing machine, cutting mat, scissors, pins, tape measure, fabric etc. are all left out on the table. I'd hate to be a tidy freak and have to get it all out every day and then put it all away again afterwards. What a complete and utter waste of time!
And because I'm likely to be sewing most days, housework is simply not given a thought. DH always washes up and tidies the kitchen every morning. One of us will put the vacuum round when it needs doing. If dust is visibly thick then I might go and look for a duster. Or I might just grab a tissue and give it a swipe.
I'd rather be sewing

I don't think I'd be remembered as someone who cleans all the time, though my mother would be. I suddenly turn into Mrs Mop though if I know anyone is visiting. I find with us retirees the banter tends to be a competition as to who puts the least time into housework, yet I am sure we all run our houses efficiently, tidily and cleanly. It must be sad though to let the house run the person.