I'm a terrible housekeeper...how can I change?

Question

I am very bad at keeping house...not in the sense that I'm terrible at it, but in the sense that I don't do it as often as I should! I leave dishes in the sink for days, I don't vacuum more than once a month (usually I get a 'nesting' urge...women will understand that), my corner of the living room is a cluttered mess! How can I change my habits so that my apartment is clean all the time?

Answer 1

Don't. Just tell everybody that you've redecorated your house in "Early American Landfill".

Answer 2

Get a dishwasher if possible for the kitchen area. Buy some sort of cabinet to store your stuff in the living room. Make a schedule of when you want to accomplish certain tasks like vacuuming. Put the schedule on the fridge and try to stick with it. For instance, you might want to "save" vacuuming" for the weekend because it's more time consuming than cleaning the dishes. The same thing for your kitchen floor- save it for the weekend. A good tip also is to do things in the morning- then it's finished and you won't "begrudge" taking time to do it later in the day.

Answer 3

You probably have the same problem I do....you procrastinate and have too much stuff. I love a clean house but sometimes the idea of cleaning the whole thing is so overwhelming,I say,"I'll get up early on Saturday and do it then." This has never worked so I found if I set the timer for 30 minutes and clean in one room until it goes off and reward myself with 30 minutes of reading,TV, crafting or something I really enjoy,then do another 30 minutes of cleaning and so on....I manage to get the job done without getting too bored or feeling sorry for myself. As for the too much stuff thing, the best system I ever saw was in a book called SIDETRACKED HOME EXECUTIVES. Go to the website www.shesintouch.com and learn all about these two sisters who are, in their own words,reformed slobs.

Answer 4

Everyone has been there!

There is an easy and enjoyable answer to this - invite people round more often. It makes you clean up.

By the way, if you do persist in neglecting the dishes, don't leave them in the sink, that means they stay damp and so go mouldy, and are continually in the way. No, leave them on the worktop to dry out fully, they can stay like this until you need to re-use the crockery, weeks if need be. But of course you don't need to know this as you are going to be doing the dishes promptly from now on!

Answer 5

First of all you need to want to change. When I lived alone I had one place setting for my meals. I washed after every meal. I did laundry daily, and at least damp mopped my floors on a daily basis. This friend of mine had her kid come to live with me. I just bought one more place setting. I kept all my household goods to a minimum. He was a young teenage boy so I had to buy a TV and an extra bed. If you keep things simple it is simple to keep things clean. It is surprising how little time it takes to keep things up. When you get behind then it is harder to catch up. I pulled the carpets up so all I had to do was damp mop each day.

Answer 6

I set aside 15 minutes once or twice a day to clean. It doesn't seem so overwhelming when there is a time limit and you would be surprised how much you can get done in 15 minutes. My house doesn't stay spotless, but it never gets bad either.

Answer 7

find a show on TV that you like then clean only during the commercials. You'll be suprised what you'll get done. This works or me when I'm having a lack of motivation.

Answer 8

There is a yahoo group called the flylady. She teaches you and gets you organized. She is a bit much for me, but I have joined at times. Esp when I need a kick start. She sends you emails and helps you to know what to do. AND, it's free!!

Answer 9

Invite your friends over for dinner every saturday night.

That'll give you a reason to clean up.

Answer 10

Try the FlyLady. She has some good ideas if you're willing to try them out. It's all about 'baby steps'