Thursday 12 January 2012

Life is rosy, but needs to be CLEANER!!!

My house is currently filled with the soft scent of fresh paint. My decorator is an absolute star and I am so glad that I managed to persuade my husband to get someone in to decorate rather than do it himself. You will be relieved to know that since I last wrote life is looking much rosier!


  • My essay is done dusted and sent off!!
  • My holiday is nearly sorted in spite of a bumpy ride trying to organise it.
  • My decorator is brilliant.
  • My house is starting to look gorgeous.
  • My course is finished
  • I am back to work tomorrow & can't wait to see my colleagues.
All this painting and decorating has made me think though. I need to get my head round keeping this place clean and tidy. My decorator's wife, poor love, has OCD and cleans twice a day, every day. That, I think, is too much for anyone, but I have to be more organised so that it doesn't get into the mess it was in when we prepared for the painting.



But how to do this? I am NOT a great housewife. I have so many other things I would rather be doing, like reading, running, skiing, gardening, working, cooking, running a family, blogging, studying ... see what I mean??

So how can I go about it? Maybe a room a day? Maybe have my husband and two boys move out and wrap everything in cellophane?

I do not want to spend all my time cleaning, but its no good waiting for someone to visit before I spring clean frantically. Now ... don't get me wrong ... the house is not disgustingly dirty. Its dusty and untidy because there are 4 of us in a tiny house and we have gathered lots of clutter over the years. This decorating thing has forced us to consider and the plan is to get rid of LOTS of 'stuff '.

I think I may have to draw up a rota for myself so I can put it next to my running rota and be organised ... Perhaps I need to buy some essential cleaning tools... What are your essentials? Am I missing something vital?? I have vacuum cleaner, sprays, brooms ... is there something missing??

Oh Good Grief!! I can't believe I am actually writing a post about cleaning ... But its one of those things I was never really 'taught' and I think I am a combination of lazy/occupied in other things/ignorant of technique ... Is there a cleaning technique??

Help me!!! Maybe I should just hire a cleaner??? EUREKA!!!!


8 comments:

Inkling said...

I so feel your pain on this. The irony of hiring a cleaner is that my friends who do that always have to "clean before the cleaner gets there", which strikes me as funny. Sometimes I imagine taking a pressure washer to our home and just spraying away all the clutter.

We don't have proper closets, so that means that I have to find creative storage for clothing and toys. And because I'm a bookworm and my husband is a wilderness educator, we have scads of books and loads of outdoor gear everywhere we look. I scale down and routinely give boxes of items to various charitable associations, but it's like digging a whole in the sand by the ocean's edge. Something mysteriously fills up that space before I have a chance to think we've made much progress.

I think small living spaces are like that. But you've got me intrigued with your talk of decorating. I wish it was possible to be a little bird sitting on your windowsill taking a look around the beauty you are creating for your family.

sarah at secret housewife said...

Ha! Your house sounds like mine! I will take some photos and do a before and after thingy! xx

Pauline said...

One of the reasons I love your blog so much, Sarah, is it's quite often like a little step back in time for me. I remember I had frequent dilemas like this. Never did find the solution though!

Caz said...

You'll be surprised what kids can achieve with a little extra pocket money! Although I still do love a clean house and sometimes obsess, it stopped being just my problem a long time ago - it still drives me crazy though!

Urban Cynic said...

I dust and hoover once a week. A top tip is to put 2 socks over your hands & dust that way. It's quicker & you can pick up things & wipe them over. You just spin the sock round or change them for another pair once they're too dirty.

I then deep clean one room each week instead of trying to keep on top of everything. If you clean up as you go along then you won't need to spend so much time each week.

Sounds like you have the right tools. Hoover, socks, bleach for the loo (I wipe the bathroom sink round each night with a facial wipe once I'm done with it on my face!)

Also wipe over the light sockets & door handles. The sockets get really dirty without you noticing, & door handles get covered in germs. Give the radiators & skirting boards a once-over now & again but you can just use your eyes to see if they need a wipe. Tops of lampshades & light bulbs also need a bit of a wipe now & again.

When I hoover I also lift up the cushion covers & pull out the furniture as well. But then I do enjoy a good hoover!

sarah at secret housewife said...

Excellent! You just don't realise how helpful your comments are!! Thank you!! Sarah x

MichelleTwinMum said...

You know what, I am a bit sad, I like cleaning. I get a sense of satisfaction from it. After I had my twins I found it so hard to keep on top of the housework so I set aside specific days for specific areas (like a rota) and that made it so much more managable.

Good luck, Mich x

sarah at secret housewife said...

I am trying to get organised enough to draw up a rota Mich!! And I have decided I'm far too mean to get a cleaner!! No hope for me. x