Housework blues.

Start with something you can see and appreciate - clean a window and windowsill/mantelpiece/side table, clean and rearrange the ornaments, put out some fresh flowers, put away things that don't belong there. Empty out a drawer or small cupboard, give it a good clean, get rid of things you no longer need/want, decide what you want to store in there and make it tidy. Make homes for things that are usually lying about. There are lots of things you can do that you won't have to do again for a while but will have an impact on your life. They all add up and inspire you to do a bit more. Make it fun - put music on, watch a favourite film. My GGS helps me polish a table when he's here - he's five. He found out his dad used to help me polish and now considers it his job ?

I’ve got the Shark out and plugged in - just working up to using it!
I live alone and as long as I can’t write my name in the dust on the coffee table, I’m happy.

I was lucky enough to afford a cleaner when I was working but now I'm not I feel that life is too short to do housework - unless it looks too awful. I clean the bathrooms and do the odd vacuum clean when I feel up to it but with a herd of GC coming and going and 2 elderly cats I can't be too bothered. I do it when I feel like it really - which is not very often!!! - when it looks even worse than usual. I prefer to read a book or do some knitting etc

Am too busy reading everyone's posts to do housework.
Meh.. gets done when it gets done. IF I'm in the mood. When I was younger, I polished & hoovered EVERY DAY!! Why? Didn't get any medals..

I have a cleaner two mornings a week as Im now too disabled to do much housework. I hate it anyway. Complete waste of time when you are on your own.

It's called...
back dated me time
enjoy!!

I cannot think of anything more reststrictive or confining, to me, than routine. Things get done as and when. I am far too busy, doing nice positive things, to be stuck into any timetable for cleaning of all things, which I regard as negative

Gardening is not a chore because I don`t have a lawn or hedge that make me cut them. I potter in mine to get in tune with the earth, so that happens when I feel like it and is usually me walking around with a kneeler and a hand hoe and my pottering garden, as a result, is beautiful

Some people seem to have the cleaning tail wagging the dog, according to a timetable. That is not life, not in my book

Thank you all for your replies. Even though I do live alone, I do love to see a clean and tidy home. I have certain friends who's homes are so beautiful all the time. That's what inspires me, but this soon wears off. My house is fine, don't get me wrong, but its not how I want it. When I have done it all I feel so good, the trouble is I rarely feel motivated. I'm going to check out Flylady and hope that does the trick. Thanks again.

Another fan of Flylady here. She was my lifesaver almost 20 years ago and I loved her posts on youtube, It started with shining your sink, I believe. Give it a go!

I'm very routine. Deep clean bathrooms, bedrooms and washing Monday. Ironing, deep clean kitchen on Tuesday, and lounge and dining room on Tuesday. Bathrooms and kitchen get quick tidy as I go along daily. Washing, windows cleaning and gardening Wednesday. Thursday is ironing and meal planning and shopping list. Friday is quick cleaning, washing and shopping. Saturday is ironing. Sunday is my day. I do gardening in afternoons.

Housework is not my idea of fun, but needs must etc: So, you may think I am daft but I have games I play on myself.
First of all_ Walk round tidy. Start where you are, spot something out of place, put it away. Repeat until exhausted.
Have a cup of tea.
Second ploy. Make a list. Time each job, start and finish times. No dallying, can I beat the target?
Or third ploy. Make a list. Number the tasks. Make slips of paper bearing the numbers. Fold up, put in a dish, stir and and pick. Tick off the list when done. Save the number slips.
Have a G&T. When one gets to 84, enjoy life. XX

Don’t do routine either. Kitchen cleared after main meal prep. Bath and shower as soon as been used..while still warm and wet.easier. Loos as required, kept sweet smelling and clean with a tablet thing, don’t have dining room, bedrooms as required..only one used, one as study with comp. etc. other 2 storage. Days are busy, dog walk, volunteering, singing in choir (need to practice) singing lesson..yet more practice, yoga,shopping, Brownies.

Invite someone over,that always makes me clean?

Can't offer you any tips beautybumble, I'm in the same camp as Maw. When I can write my name in the dust on flat surfaces I clean them. The floor is usually grubby thanks to DH and our dog. Loos get a cursory wipe over every other day. Laundry gets done when we run out of clothes, the same with ironing. My ironing board and iron are always in the diner, but they're there for me to iron whatever sewing I'm working on, clothes take second place. Our house is very much 'lived in'. One of our GC said "I like going to Nanny's, she doesn't mind if I make a mess" No, I don' t mind and nobody would notice if they did! Life is too short to walk round with a duster in my hand. We do have a frantic clean up and tidy if anyone's coming to stay, thankfully it's not very often. If they're just dropping in they have to take us as they find us.

You say "organize". Is your home what you'd call disorganized?

If it's 'only you' in the home, do you mean rather that you don't feel inspired to do the basics of cleaning/tidying up?
I can understand that, if you feel that no one will see it anyway. It does feel, even to me sometimes, that I'm the only one who notices the work I've put into cleaning!

I often wonder what my own home would be like if I had no one living here but myself.
I would think that if dishes needed doing, I'd do them.
Beds made, a quick vac, dust when necessary etc...

If a thorough cleaning each week is important to you, then just start, as one person said, one room at a time, more if you have the energy.

Sorry but other than that, if you live on your own, I can't even imagine it looking disorganized unless you haven't done a tidy up/purge of unused items/ fridge/freezer clean in ages, as necessary.

Just do what you can do, tidy rather than clean, and enjoy your free time doing something you would like to do!

I am just the same, I only do housework if someone is coming to the house. I just don’t have the motivation especially since lockdown. It’s just me and my adult son who has ASD and he doesn’t care what the house looks like. Last weekend we were having a Eurovision party so I blitzed downstairs but upstairs was a tip. I didn’t think anyone would be going upstairs because we have a downstairs loo. Imagine how mortified I felt when a friends girlfriend asked if she could use the upstairs loo! ?

No tips…..just do what needs to be done to keep yourself healthy and reasonably sane. You’re retired…..act it!

You could try The Organised Mum Method. 30 minutes a day Monday to Friday.

I’m so glad I am not the only one to wonder about this. When I worked shifts, full time and was also studying, I kept things pristine. Since I have fully retired it’s not so shiny and gleaming. I believe some of it is because my thought process is….I don’t fancy doing that right now….I’ll do it tomorrow.
I, also, am not as fit nor as healthy. I believe a cleaner/house keeper/robot would be the answer. :-)

I only became good at 'blessing my house' by cleaning it when I went onto the market. Still never got into a routine unfortunately, and I never ever think of cleaning out the fridge!

Meant to add that during my ‘no housework week’ I visit museums, see friends and family, and generally please myself!

I live alone in a small house; six rooms in total, plus garage and a small back garden. I have a ‘housework week’, when I do one room a day along with any washing and ironing that need doing. I take my time but try to finish by early afternoon so that I can have the rest of the day to myself. I have a window cleaner who does the exterior windows; the interior ones I do myself. The majority of my groceries are delivered.

I sneak up on cleaning - bathroom and kitchen are daily jobs but other things get done as and when.
When OH goes out for the day I open the windows and doors and have a complete front-to-back clean. That's at least once a month so I guess it gets us by.
This time last year we were selling our house and so cleaning was a daily event - I reckon I'm allowed to down tools for a bit now!

You and me both! I would love it if someone tidied up after me, but I can’t be bothered. Every now and then I have a blitz when things get too bad!

Gosh, you’re showing me up! No wonder my place is in grubby chaos most of the time!