Morning routines - YouLookFab Forum

rachylou

Veteran

What is your old/current cleaning routine? Are you a vacuum every day person?

My anti-stress manouevre is going with the policy of a ‘little English dust’...

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Also: have to say that I like to clean before eating. I don’t like the emotional pressure of having something waiting to be done, lol.

4 years ago

Anonymous

Cleaning is not part of my morning routine and never has been - with the obvious exceptions of tidying the kitchen after using it in the morning , tidying the bathroom after getting ready for the day , and making the bed . If something else in the house needs attention , it gets done , but not on any schedule .

4 years ago

Runcarla

Veteran

I’m retired, so don’t have a 35-40 hour work week competing for my time. I save chore days (everything that’s not routine kitchen tidy work) for inclement weather, when playing out-of-doors isn’t possible. Laundry is on an ‘as needs’ basis - when there is enough accumulated. I also enlist help, and assign chores based on skills. The organized, tallest DS sorts and organizes books, magazines, games, replaces any burnt out lightbulbs as well as doing all the computer maintenance. The burly DS does heavy lifting, groceries, garbage duty, helps with laundry and empties the dishwasher. DH vacuums, folds laundry, does all the household ironing, and cleans/washes the windows. I clean the bathrooms, sweep and wash floors, and do most of the cooking - though DH runs the b-b-que. This week I cleaned my oven, but I have a self cleaning feature, so it wasn’t the chore it used to be. There’s no set schedule for anything, except changing bed linens, so everything is quite random and weather dependant.

4 years ago

Helena

Veteran

Yes, I think it depends what sort of cleaning you mean ... I have a morning light cleaning routine similar to Lisa's ... Make the beds, quick wipe of the bathrooms, tidy the kitchen and living area. But proper cleaning waits until later.

4 years ago

Anonymous

I often start a load of wash in the am since I'm wfh for now. I swear it multiplies like bunnies...
And I'll often wash the breakfast dishes/ blender before work- or on my lunchbreak. We don't have a dishwasher, so I keep very few dishes!

4 years ago

Sal

Veteran

I tend to do my cleaning on a Friday afternoon but I am not a role model to follow.

I did used to go to work later on a Monday and spend 45 minutes doing a clean and that worked.

If you are a morning person it could work well - worth trying if your current system is not working right now.

4 years ago

Anonymous

When tackling cleaning or anything I like and use FLYLady’s idea of setting a timer for 15 minutes. As she says, you can do anything for 15 minutes. You can also accomplish a lot. I also like to start the day with things that are pretty much a routine and do not take much thought. Examples are walking on the tread mill and filling the bird feeders. Laying out your outfit the night before, including accessories and underwear, is helpful as there are no surprises and less thinking and decision making to do.

4 years ago

SarahD8

Veteran

I do my housework in the late afternoon, since morning is my best time for cognitive work. I have a weekly round of tasks with different rooms assigned to different days, plus monthly (1 day a week, rotating) and yearly (on weekends) tasks. Of course it all gets thrown out the window during especially busy weeks at work like this one!

4 years ago

Ledonna N.

Veteran

I work 40+ hours a week but I stay consistent

Wake up at 5:20am
Drink 8oz room temp water
Stretch
Wash dress
Tidy the bedsheets
Wash the dishes
Take the trash out
Prep breakfast for my daughter and I wake her up about 6:15
Tidy up
Her room wipe everything down
Clean up breakfast out the door .

I do light cleaning throughout the week early Sunday I do the wash and deep cleaning Used to be church but I like taking care of everything early in the morning

4 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

If I have time for anything beyond basic body care in the morning, I want to use it to read while my mind is still settled. When I get around to writing again, that will be a morning task, with reading /setting up writing in the morning.
I’m not the world’s greatest housekeeper. The way it seems to work best for me is if I do little tasks throughout the day—sweep the floor during a writing break, use the bathroom, notice the sink could be cleaned and do it right away. My son is different from me; we both do a little pick-up before bed, just putting away what we have used in the evening. For him, that can turn into an all-out cleaning session. Drives me crazy when I want to sleep and the kiddo (who I’m supposed to be teaching to be a good clean little person) is nagging me to take out the compost or fold the laundry, lol.

4 years ago

Minaminu

Veteran

So many interesting approaches!

I am already do some tidying up in the morning and currently these are the good parts of my cleansing routine

beddings are changed every Sunday
laundry is done in the mornings of Monday (beddings), Wednesday (darks), Friday (lights)
dusting and hoovering are done on alternative days
rubbish bins / garbage duty every Monday evening
ironing on Sunday (with my favourite radio show)
internal hallway and stairs are cleaned on Tuesdays and Saturdays

As for the rest, I often end up doing it all on an afternoon. It may work for some, but I do wonder if a simple 15 minutes cleaning every day (like Joy suggested) can spread the work and make it less stressful, maybe not all in the morning but it may be worth a try!

Runcarla, your boys are amazing!!!! Mr Minu has grown up in a very cosy environment and, over the last 20 years of our relationship, he has learnt to help a little (hoovering, folding laundry and sometimes garbage duty) but has kept his mantra "minimum efforts, maximum results" for the rest. I even "went on strike" but that didn't change his approach and as I like to live in a clean space, I tend to do all the cleaning.

Please keep on writing any suggestions, I really want to tackle my cleaning routine once for all!

4 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I don’t know your situation well enough to know if this is applicable/possible, but advice I’ve heard is to get over the guilt of hiring someone, especially if this has become a point of tension between you and your SO. People generally don’t think twice/feel guilty about hiring someone to mow their lawn, tutor their kid, paint a room, or do other things they could do themselves, so why the guilt over having someone come run the vacuum or whatever?

4 years ago

cjh

(website)

Veteran

Trying to establish a routine is a very good idea. It might be a help to make a defined chore or a defined time frame each day, so you can either flex your time or the chore of highest demand or interest. As with all improvement plans, it will probably take time to make the new habits.

For the last few years I worked, I had a cleaning person every other week. She did a pretty fabulous job, as after retiring and taking back the cleaning jobs myself, I found not a speck of dust anywhere - tops of furniture, ceiling fans, window frames and behind pictures, all spotless. Stove burners were always shiny and windows were brilliantly clear. But the kitchen floor was kind of layered with a dull film and the shower was never really shiny, so that has greatly improved.

I learned some things from the experience that define my cleaning routine now, mostly that I like having everything clean at once, but every two weeks works fine. Of course I keep up with any daily messiness that happens between cleaning days.

Daily morning routine includes coffee, simple breakfast, a couple hours of reading news, watching tv news, reading and writing emails. Definitely lazy in many ways. Husband makes bed, unloads dishwasher. Later in the day, I’m responsible for any laundry, cooking, and most of cooking cleanup, though husband loads dishwasher after meals.

Sunday evening is tidy up. Put away clutter, take care of any lingering mail or paperwork, write cards to send, replace coats and shoes which might be out in the entry hall, declutter coffee table, take laundry to laundry room; just putting away stuff that could get in the way of Monday. I think that doing these sorts of things in a morning routine would go a long way to making a house feel neat and welcoming.

Every other Monday is BIG cleaning day. Dust EVERYTHING from ceiling down on main floor, cyclical dusting of about 1/3 of downstairs (family, sewing and laundry rooms), scrub bathroom, windex windows and mirrors, change bedding and towels, start laundry, scrub kitchen sink and wipe down counter and appliances, take out trash. Husband runs robot vac and uses regular vac on stairs and entry hall. Realistically this takes about 2 1/2 hours. I’ve been scheduling my grocery pickup for 1:00, so after finishing cleaning and lunch, I go get my groceries and the day is fabulous!

4 years ago

Anonymous

I always love cleaning and home keeping discussions Even though I've already commented , I kept thinking about how your current routine stresses you out. It's your post, and we should be trying to see what might help you ! I firmly believe that anything that if something stresses you out - you need to drop it or change it , which is what you want to do What specifically is stressing you out ? The time it takes? Feeling pressured to clean when you don't feel like it?

4 years ago

The Cat

Veteran

I am following this post with interest. Need inspiration for establishing new routines here in my parents' home. None of us are morning persons, but I am willing to do a few house chores early in the day (in particular if they can be done quickly) if having done them early will make me feel better.

4 years ago

Bonnie

Veteran

My daily routine has gotten less stressful since I've divided it into eight shorter time periods each morning. My DH also shares the work by cooking, ordering groceries, and keeping the kitchen and living room areas clean, while I clean bathrooms, bedrooms, laundry, and do the yard work.

4 years ago

bella

(website)

Veteran

I live in a part of the world where this type of work can be easily outsourced due to the low cost of labor, and this is what I've been doing for years. We had to stop during the pandemic because we are working and schooling from home. The only thing I can say is that it has been a huge source of stress and contention at home. We have to do it all ourselves and it does not last long at all, because all three of us are at home 24/7.
This is our current routine: Hubby and I do a big clean up on Sunday morning (dust, vacuum, mop), change the linens every other weekend, towels every weekend. Then we vacuum and clean the bathroom as needed taking turns - vacuum pretty much every other day, and bathroom twice a week. I clean and tidy the kitchen every time I cook, which is at least 2 times a day. We take turns to load and unload the dishwasher, and the laundry gets done as needed. We usually wash and dry 3 loads and then fold and put it away altogether as a not-so-fun family activity.

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Right. So now I’m wondering if you have a lot of rooms, a lot of carpet, a lot of knickknacks (bane of dusting), furniture placement (bane of vacuuming for me), a dishwasher... Like Lisap, I’m wondering if you can pinpoint the source of the frustration. Is it the time it’s taking? Does the process seem too fiddly? Is it dealing with big rugs and curtains? Sanitising? That sort of thing.

For example: laundry. I’m a little crazy, because I really like to sort excessively. I also really despise the idea of running a zillion little loads all day, every day. So, I have a zillion socks and a zillion hampers, so I can run full loads of each of my crazy categories on one big wash day.

4 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I'm nodding along with LisaP and Torontogirl, although I do have a schedule

Daily clean: Bathrooms, kitchen, bedroom, and make everything neat and tidy (I'm a bit compulsive and do this all the time!). Vacuum high traffic areas. Cook three meals a day.

Every few days: Laundry, ironing, Bonsai management

Weekly: Vacuum, change bed linen, water plants.

Fortnightly: Professional cleaning crew come in do a deep clean (includes floor mopping), but obviously not as regularly this past year with COVID restrictions in place. Grocery shopping, and off to the fresh outdoor markets too. It's a 20 minute walk from our loft. Very handy!

I'm up at 5.45am ish and do an hour's yoga at home in gear after I've woken up a bit I read the news, read YLF, and catch up on texts from other time zones.

Shower, get ready completely and choose my fun outfit! Take Yorkie Sam out, and am done by 8.30am. Make breakfast, phone my Dad, tidy up and clean. Plan meals for the day. Working by 9.30am. I do the rest of the chores during the day when I need a break, and all in whatever I'm wearing. Taking Sam out several times a day and doing errands too.

4 years ago

Minaminu

Veteran

I think the stress is partly due from the current situation with the Covid and the fact that it is culturally important for me to have a clean place ready to receive visits anytime, which makes me slightly OCD. I enjoy cleaning, so I don't feel like having a cleaner would be of much benefit on my case.

Mr Minu comes from a different cultural background than me and is not used to family and friends visiting, hence he's not stressed . We live in a small flat (well, huge for London's standards!) but still as we are both at home due to the pandemic, it is stressing me out to do most of the cleaning on one afternoon as I can see that our place gets messy quicker than when we used to work in the city.

So, I am hoping that Joy's, Cjh's and Bonnie's suggestions will work for me!

4 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

So it’s Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome, more than your own irritation at things not always being squared away all the time? Is there a part of your big little flat that could be for receiving visitors, so the two of you could agree to keep it at a higher standard? I know you said he isn’t as into having guests, but happy wife=happy life. It sounds like this really matters to you, so I hope he’ll meet you partway.

4 years ago

Helena

Veteran

Minaminu, I am echoing Joy's suggestion that something like FlyLady might help you establish some new routines. Her emails can be super-overwhelming, but if you take the overall pattern she recommends, it does work (at least it did for me when I was balancing part-time work and babies; now I have my own routines, but it helped to have that structure to get me started).

Her big focus is on daily small routines (make the bed, keep the sink clean), and then tackling clutter. If you get those two things under control, then the big cleaning chores become so much quicker and easier, and daily maintenance is a snap. Every week she has you focusing on a different 'zone', and there are short daily challenges. So you don't do a bit giant clean; rather you chip away day by day and before you know it, things are much more smooth.

I know there are other similar programs (CleanMama and Unf**k Your Habitat are two similar ones), so you might find one or another more appealing.

Anyways, might be worth checking out, if only for some inspiration and ideas

4 years ago

AJ

Veteran

I like Flylady. Basically this method boils down to 3 categories:

1) Daily routines: taking small 15min steps for your self-care, kitchen, bathroom, laundry and tidying. This is done by setting up a morning, afternoon, and before bed routine.

2) Days of the Week focus:
Mon - Clean whole house for 1 hour only. Which means you are not super detailed. (For example, you vacuum only the traffic areas, not the whole room.) This does not include bathrooms because you are taking care of that during your morning routine.
The goal is to make the house look presentable, not perfect. Quick dust, vacuum, mop, throw out trash, change sheets, and polish mirrors/glass will make a satisfying difference.
If you work outside the home, you can divide this up throughout the week or take an hour on Saturday morning.

Tue - Planner day - Take 30 min to plan your week, make appointments, menu plan, etc.

Wed - Errand day - When you make appointments, plan them on Wednesdays. Go grocery shopping, make returns, etc. Save all your running around for one day.

Thur - Free day

Fri - Clean car and date night

Sat - Family fun day

Sun - Renew your spirit day

(These days can be switched around to meet your needs.)

3) Weekly Zones: 15 minutes of daily deep clean/declutter (this is when you vacuum the whole room)
Week 1 of the month is dedicated to the entrance, porch, and dining room.
Week 2 is the kitchen and pantry
Week 3 is the main bathroom and one other room
Week 4 is the master bedroom, bathroom, and closet
week 5 is the living room, den, and family room.

Since these zones repeat every month, you don't have to worry that each week is a complete overhaul of that zone. The goal is see progress not perfection.

I hope that makes sense. There are many youtube videos on this method. I like this one:
https://youtu.be/ztCaANY5aBA

4 years ago

Minaminu

Veteran

Lots of interesting suggestions! I will try them and report back in a few weeks' time

4 years ago

Category