How do people find the time to go out all weekend every weekend?

I think its about priorities and what is important to you.  Different people have different priorities in life and that's what makes us all unique and different.

Agreed. I actually enjoy cleaning. I probably need to get more of a life, but I feel accomplished when I've cleaned something. I don't mind doing chores on weekends like scrubbing bathrooms and vacuuming.

However, I expect my future husband to participate equally in household maintenance. If I cook, he does the dishes. I'll do the laundry regularly if he mops the kitchen floor often. I also won't tolerate someone who leaves little messes around for me to clean up. I'm not perfect, but I do try to clean and tidy up as I go.

When I lived in London, I got out of work at 5 and got home around 6. I tried to be in bed no later than 11, and up at 6:30.

How much cleaning can someone do for £20 a week, considering minimum wage is almot £6 an hour.

I think the idea is that regular maintenance shouldn't take more than an hour for say, a three-bedroom home. If a cleaner comes weekly, s/he should be able to clean an average-sized dwelling fairly quickly. Also, cleaners clean multiple homes per day, so £20 adds up. I realize some agencies are without scruples and take a disproportionate cut of a cleaner's earnings, but that's the general idea behind £20 a clean.

My mom and I (well, me) pay $55 every two weeks for a cleaner to come to our 2/2 apartment. They just do the basic stuff - clean bathrooms, dust, vacuum, clean countertops, stove, take out the trash. Because they come regularly, it only takes them (they work in a team of three) 20 minutes to clean. They would do more labor-intensive tasks if we asked for an extra fee. I imagine cleaning agencies operate similarly in the UK. When I lived in student flats in London, the housing agency hired a weekly cleaner to clean the common areas - bathrooms, kitchens, and living rooms. I was home a few times when the cleaner arrived, and although I don't know what her fee was, it took her about 45 minutes for her to clean a 3/2 flat.

DH works during the day and brings work home. We run our own business (technically, I am an employee of his),  so there is a very strong correlation between the number of hours we work and the amount of money we have.

We both love what we do, so the job itself isn't a problem.

DH's friends are mostly people that he's known since he was young - not job friends.

It's not so much that the house is messy in the sense of being cluttered. We're both careful to pick up after ourselves. It's more about cleaning rather than tidying - mopping the floors, cleaning the oven, dusting, Hoovering. Getting rid of the dirt that naturally builds up even if you are tidy.

If we went away for a week when we came back there would be dust and mould.


I'll think about getting a cleaner.

Clutter is going to complicate things.  When I moved from a two bed flat to a studio just before I married Mr A, I tried to keep everything, but cleaning got to be too much.  Over the next few years, I got rid of probably 75% of what I owned.  Hands down, getting rid of the clutter is the biggest step towards keeping a house clean.

You can clean around clutter, but your house won't be clean or neat. [Edit: Plus, it will take forever for you to clean something that would be relatively quick to clean if you're shifting stuff around]

It might sound like I am a bit hardline about it, but I had to go around asking myself if I really needed this thing or another, if I really loved it, or if I could use it to make money in some way (value, utility).  On the last one, I had to really look at it objectively and not keep something that might be useful someday or have a great value at some point. [Edit: Everything you do keep should have a home, but you shouldn't figure out the system for organising it until you've decluttered]

When I moved here, I got rid of almost everything else.  I kept at least one thing from each of the people I loved to "remember" them by, but if I was keeping something just to remember them and I had other things, I got rid of it.

Decluttering has done so much to help me centre my life.  My house is my home and not a warehouse for stuff.  I think the reason I was so unhappy with my inlaws is they were incredibly cluttered people, and nothing I could say would convince my mother-in-law to throw things out.  For instance, she kept the little plastic bit from the microwave they threw out.  You know, that ring the tray sits and rotates on?  I told her that keeping the glass tray was (somewhat) understandable because she could use it as a tray, but she should throw out the plastic bit.  She said she was keeping it because they might get a microwave it would fit (it didn't fit the new one) and that the part might break on it, so she had a spare.  I asked her what the chances were that that would happen, and she couldn't answer.  I asked her what the chances were she'd be able to find it if it did happen, and she couldn't answer.  It's a small little piece of plastic, but multiply that times how many things (like she collected empty Nescafe jars), and you don't have room for things that matter.  It also meant that Mr A and I had no room outside our room for anything.

Now, I am not saying you're like my mother-in-law, but I have a feeling you are more like I was.  I can't tell you how liberating it is to get rid of even a small or moderate amount of clutter.

I have problems with Mr A sometimes.  He hoards paperwork, old books [edit: not talking about first editions or books he cherishes, but stuff like "Startsky and Huch" or whatever they're called.  That series has been the friggen bane of my existence, but he claims he plans on reading them again before he gets rid of them], and so on.  But he agrees in principal and is working on it.  He is so much better than he used to be, and I think that has made a huge difference.

Good luck.  If you want, PM me and I can point you to more online help.

Probably not enough cleaning for only £20 a week, found one that charges £8/hour.    I'm not suggesting my strategy is a good one as I am sure I will have a fight with the letting agent when I move in a few weeks. Her view of clean and mine are very different.
I have been trying hard to stay on top of my house for a few weeks and I have found 15-20 minutes of effort keeps me ok, though kim and aggie may still cringe.
I'm typically wired after rehearsals so I am awake until midnight. I'm usually at work for 8 am.
My strategy works for me but probably won't work for others...

Legs, I think you may have misread my post. I don't have clutter. I have dirt - dust, mould, etc.There is stuff that you have to keep up with even with no clutter at all, like cleaning the loo, for example.

My strategy is a lot like cheesebiscuit.  BF and I get up about 6.30 and are in bed around 11.30 usually.  He is home about 6-7 and I am 7-8 in the evening.  The exception is Friday when I work from home and end at 5.

All my bills are managed by DD.  I also do a LOT of budgetting and moving money between accounts but my system is so fixed and routine that I just spend about 15 minutes a week looking over everything.  I use Quicken to track everything and bank online to move money. 

Groceries are picked up on our way home.  We have a Tesco Metro just around the block so anything needed takes seconds to get.  We sometimes do a big shop and try to do that on Friday night so it is out of the way.  We ALWAYS do this together.

I am REALLY low maintenance about what I eat, so most everything takes only minutes to make during the week.  I am also a big fan of one pot cooking so there is no clean up.  BF cooks on the weekend sometimes, as he finds it relaxing/fun, but clean up is done then.

I do my laundry during the week.  I will go ahead and set it out so whoever is home first will put it in.  I was work clothes on delicate which only is an hour wash, so everything is done pretty early.  I do sheets and towels on the weekend and have no problem putting them in the wash in the morn and getting them out whenever I happen to be back.

I have NO clutter and tidy as I go along.  I am super tidy.  I would never put clothes on the floor or leave shoes around.  Everything goes in its place first time.  So I can easily just spend 10-15 minutes a day sorting things out and it is pretty clean.  We do have a cleaner now from a time when BF was working crazy hours and I was resentful of picking up after him (he is not tidy).  She comes for 2 hours a week to do the vaccumming, mopping, etc.  It is really funny because I could do the same chores in half the time, so I think it is a bit of a rip off!!  But BF pays so I don't care too much.

I don't really understand either why stuff is taking you so long or your house seems to be so dusty without clutter.  We have a no shoes in the house rule -- maybe that adds to our ease?

I would also say that BF and I are TOTALLY a team.  If we do have to clean, go to the grocery store, whatever, we do it together.  Or if one of us is working more, then other will do a few extra things, so overall we are still good (I may fold some of his laundry if it is piling up, or he will do the ironing).  Like loveaturtle said, I absolutely do not abide by him doing less than me.

Legs, I think you may have misread my post. I don't have clutter. I have dirt - dust, mould, etc.There is stuff that you have to keep up with even with no clutter at all, like cleaning the loo, for example.

Yeah, I did. But your house shouldn't be getting mouldy/too dirty/dusty if neither of you are there most of the time.  Road dust is a problem if you live on a main road, but it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Dust is caused mostly by people's skin cells and dust mite poo.  Mould and stuff is usually caused by badly ventilated properties and people doing things people do like breathing, cooking, showering without the windows open.  It can also happen in flats close to the water line or where there are leaks.  Preventing the mould might be easier than cleaning it.

I would totally look over the Flylady site.  Even if you don't follow her advice, it would help you to figure out a system which works for you.  Like she believes in dusting with a proper feather duster daily, but most of the other stuff literally takes seconds to do.  It would have to be a team work exercise, like Sara Smile says.  It shouldn't be left all to you (if it is).


ETA: I also totally agree with the no shoes rule or at least an "indoor" and "outdoor" shoes rule.  Also, we use mats both inside and outside our door, and it helps keep things being dragged in to a minimum.  You can even use them over carpet.

Wiping down the shower if the mould is in the shower will help a lot.  You can get one of those squeegee things and then quickly wipe everything down.  We keep a towel specifically for that in our bathroom (as well as an old tshirt next to the washing machine to wipe it out after we use that).  Crack a window or turn on an exhaust fan or dehumidifier after your showers.  If you dry you clothes in your house in the winter, consider running a dehumidifier as well.  It's a bit expensive, but it cuts down on the damp a lot.

I don't work during the day so I can't really compare to people who aren't getting home until late in the evening.  But being 9 months pregnant (and not having the energy to spend an entire day doing housework like I used to) and trying to prepare for taking care of a newborn has made me come up with way to break things up and make it easier for myself. 

As far as the cleaning...I spend about 15-30 minutes a day cleaning and that way it never builds up.  Each day I will do something different...for example:  dusting and hoovering downstairs on Monday, dusting and hovering upstairs on Tuesday, downstairs 1/2 bath on Wednesday, main bath upstairs on Saturdays, etc.  I "clean" the kitchen every day which includes wiping everything down and mopping floor.  I also have a sponge in each of the bathrooms and I will wipe the sinks several times throughout the week (when I'm washing my hands or using the sink anyway).  Because everything in the house is cleaned at least once a week (I do most of the "daily" cleaning twice a week), nothing is ever really "dirty" and therefore doesn't take a lot of scrubbing or time to keep clean.  The one-off things (like cleaning the oven or the fridge) only get done about once a month and that's when I have extra time and energy to get them done.  Anyway, I'm not sure how much time you actually spend on cleaning but I've noticed that doing a little bit each day takes a lot less time and effort...and also keeps things more clean.

As for laundry, how much do you have to do?  If it's only a few loads, if you could throw one load in the evening and have it finished before the 9pm restriction, it might make things easier because you could do a little bit each day.  For example, one load of laundry in the wash on Monday night and hung to dry.  That load ironed and folded on Tuesday night.  Etc.  Or if you didn't have time/energy to iron it, you could at least have it washed and dried during the week and then on the weekend you only have to do the ironing.

I don't do much housework on the weekends at all because it's "family time".  We don't go out all weekend but we stay pretty busy (DH and DD go out a lot of times without me because I just don't have the energy at this point in time to keep up with them).

Interesting thread.  We are around the same age as you sweetpeach, but hubby doesn't hang out with this friends who party / hike / etc. all weekend as much as he used to.  Personally, I like quiet weekends most of the time, but do love to go out walking with hubby or meeting up / having dinner with friends once in a while.

I work part-time most of the time (three full days), so because I work less I do all the household chores and about 3/4 ths of the cooking.  Our house is small--a 2 up 2 down, except it's really only 1 and a half rooms upstairs plus the bathroom.

I am another one who is very strict about clutter.  Hubby isn't as strict, but much better than he used to be.  I probably do 5 loads of laundry a week (hubby generates a lot because of his job), but either throw a load in very early before work or as soon as I get home.  I'll spot clean throughout the week but hardly ever do a deep clean (I should do more).  Dishes are done as soon as the meal is eaten and if I see dust I'll get to it right away since dust really  makes me sneezy. 

Every time I cook I make double and freeze the second half for another time when we won't feel like cooking.  A couple nights a week I make something super easy like pre-made pizza.

On a normal work day I'm up before 6:30 and even on weekends I won't sleep much past that unless we've had a late night.  I do go to bed before 11 usually. 

Like phatbeetle my priority these days is working on my music.  I want to keep that a priority.  But we also do watch a favorite program or two or a movie almost every night.

I do admire those of  you who work full time and even more and still get loads of fun in!

I'm just amazed at how much cleaning people do! 

And that people clean their ovens regularly, like monthly?! 



Neither of us is particularly tidy - we practice just enough (that'll do!), just in time. 

I'm just amazed at how much cleaning people do! 

And that people clean their ovens regularly, like monthly?! 



Neither of us is particularly tidy - we practice just enough (that'll do!), just in time. 

Ditto. I have far too much else in my life to be stressed about to let cleaning get me down. Yeah, I'd like it to be cleaner/tidier but for now, it's just not a priority.

I'm just amazed at how much cleaning people do! 

And that people clean their ovens regularly, like monthly?! 



Neither of us is particularly tidy - we practice just enough (that'll do!), just in time. 

I'm glad someone else came by and said this first!  

Ditto. I have far too much else in my life to be stressed about to let cleaning get me down. Yeah, I'd like it to be cleaner/tidier but for now, it's just not a priority.

I'm glad someone else came by and said this first!  

Heh heh!  And as for clutter, what else are closets, under-the-bed, unseen corners of the room, and the guest bedroom good for?!!!  

Besides, there is always something far more interesting to be getting on with than cleaning house - like surfing t'internet, online forums, etc - if nothing else!

My sentiments too Mrs. R!

Not sure I've ever cleaned an oven?