The housework is a forever chore. It’s constant upkeep. Without it, the place slowly starts to look and smell like a boy’s dormitory. Never wanting to reexperience the aftertaste of a room full of stale farts, bad breath and foot odour.

Some days these daily tasks are a mind-numbing blessing. That familiarity of tidying the kitchen up after dinner. Other days the dishes get thrashed around the sink, taking our mood out on the cutlery feeling better than a therapy session. Then there’s that blank stare; in a world of your own folding clothes with a heavy heart.

These tasks allow us to shake off tension and loosen up.

Then there are the times when chores feel like resentment topped with a bitter aftertaste. They are the furthest thing we want to do. Tired and drained from a full day, becoming the referee for children who won’t be quiet until bedtime. And there are still several hours of routine before the mind will allow you to splatter on the couch and stare.

Doing a task over and over has its benefits. Although it does cross your mind that other people in the house could contribute more.

If you are reading this post, you are responsible for the house running as smoothly as it does. It is you who cares the most about the state of your home. The rest of the family would function obliviously until they run out of clean clothes or are left wondering if their personal chef is slackening off.

You are the one doing the most miles wearing down the carpet. Making sure the laundry is delivered to its rightful owner, the cupboards are stocked and the toilet bowls shine. Never-ending tasks screaming for daily and weekly attention.

Clothes and shoes lying around and empty glasses leaving drink rings on the furniture are a constant reminder the maid is underpaid and underappreciated. You have explained, nagged and screamed they clean up after themselves. Slowly spiralling from calm to mad woman and they still seem blind to the mess they leave behind. But they do wonder what’s up with all the psycho?

You constantly question if you have lost your memory, as you can’t recount dropping your children on their heads throughout infancy or were just too tired to remember. But that does not answer questions about the man-child who sleeps soundly beside you.

Pick and drop

Before leaving a room, have a quick look to see if anything lives in the room you are about to enter. Pick it up and drop it in the room you just arrived in. LEAVE IT!!! This is not a clean-up exercise.

Each time you leave a room, repeat.

Superior organisational skills emerge while circulating throughout the house. Most organisers want the house to look tidy before they go to bed. Crossing off one of the things that can keep them awake at night.

The pick-and-drop strategy only takes several seconds and causes minimal disruptions.

Think of it like this; six people came over and had beers. Remember those glory days. The following morning sees in a sore head, unable to do too much. Every time you go to the kitchen to get more toast you take a couple of empty bottles with you. By the end of the day, the remains of the party are now in the kitchen and the lounge is free of any good time evidence. And that was done on a hangover.

Instead of putting an hour into a tidy-up, know you will be moving from one room to another; utilise this time to its optimum.

Laundry

Creating a family means more time than you’d prefer to spend in the laundry. If you have room, purchase a basket for everyone in the household. This has two benefits.

You may not have time to fold the laundry.
When another human under the same roof needs an item of clothing, they go to their own laundry basket. You won’t get as many, ‘mummmmmmm I can’t find it’ moments.

A huge pile of clothes comes from the dryer or off the line. Everyone’s bits are in the mix. Reduce it by quickly throwing clothes into individual baskets. The next time you enter the clothes zone focus on one specific basket.

Remove extra crinkly items immediately. Or have a small whiteboard close to remind you how many items must be pulled out of the load immediately.

Another option is to do what you came into the laundry to do then fold one or two items and leave. It won’t be long before you return. It’s surprising how often you walk into the laundry.

Without any effort and only a couple of minutes taken, several of your baskets are complete. This can motivate you to finish the remaining baskets. Getting into the swing of it, folding in a mediative state of mind on automatic pilot.

There is no right or wrong to any process. Setting up the ongoing laundry task to cater to any of the following mindsets.

Motivated and organised,
Too tired to do anything,
Can’t be bothered,
On strike teaching these house demons a lesson; or
Only have a second.

You have produced a choice in how you go about this chore. Our moods change, but the task at hand does not. Now you have catered to whatever you are feeling on the day. And no matter where you are at, it’s always manageable, well most of the time.

Bathrooms

Wet towels left to dry on the floor, discarded clothes items forgotten, small hairs freestyling in the sink, dried toothpaste remains on the counter, empty toilet rolls lying around and soggy tissues absorbing moisture. Bathrooms can look like they haven’t been cleaned in months and they were only scrubbed several days prior.

Clear a space in the cabinet and stock up on cleaning rags, mirror cleaner, jiff and disinfectant. When you don’t have to go and fetch cleaning products, things can be done in a minute or two.

While you are brushing your teeth, get out the rag ready for action and whip the surfaces. Nothing more. A remarkable difference. Within seconds the watermarks have disappeared.

Several hours later you walk into the bathroom and do what you came in for and spurt a bit of Jiff on the rag and clean the sink, nothing more and out you go.

After going to the toilet where there is no basin guess where we go? Well let’s hope so, cuddles are big in households.

If you enter the bathroom five times a day, completing small tasks that only take a minute or two; this area will no longer look like a swimming locker room.

This can motivate you to go even further. Leaving that bathroom to put on a load of washing. Starting small can lead anywhere, especially when there is no obligation outside of one or two minutes on a chore.

Toys can make a bathroom look messy. Cute, coloured milk crates to store all the toys in the middle of the bath can make all the difference.

Two-minute tasks keep the surface of the house looking like it is constantly sparkling.

The toilet laws

There should be no toilet mats or wooden seats in this room. Otherwise, it will always smell like a public urinal. Nothing on the floor or in the corner especially with newly trained bowl aimers.

The toilet can be a continual nightmare if you have just finished potty training. Little people can’t wait to use the toilet alone, wanting to celebrate their independence, doing their business in the bowl and flushing the button. If those practice sessions are left for too long, a hazmat suit may come in handy.

Install a couple of small shelves or purchase a small corner unit. Have a supply of rubber gloves and wipes ready at your disposal. After going to the toilet or more like before, you put a glove on, wipe the toilet seat and the floor for a far more comfortable experience.

Have the toilet brush and liquid cleaner within reach. Flush, disperse liquid, brush, flush. Time it. A quick bowl clean, with products for a shiny finish. It will feel like cheating.

Is the toilet chore completed? Absolutely not, but within seconds, it looks and smells better. Take any empty toilet rolls with you. You were heading in the direction of a rubbish bin after washing your hands anyway.

Use a car deodoriser, potpourri or essential oils to keep this area fresh.

Bedsheets

Fresh sheets feel wonderful to jump into, but changing linen in each room is a joyless task. Choose how you want to tackle this weekly or fortnightly chore. It’s worse when you have a couple of sweaters in the house and would prefer their sheets changed more regularly.

Will you do all the rooms at once or do one room every day throughout the week?
Will you strip the bed and redo it immediately?
Will you put the sheet on and then go away to do something else? When you walk past the room again, you put on the pillowcases and then leave. The cover on the Duna is applied when walking past the bedroom for the third time.

If the person inhabiting the room is home, you may not get a choice in the second exercise.

Breaking up this chore is a good way of doing beds when you are not in the mood or lack motivation. It won’t seem like too much over a day and could actually help you get back into the swing of chores.

Vacuuming

The one job that really can’t be broken up into parts or divided into tasks. Hair, dust and crumbs can be carried from one room into another. They are the true definitions of hanger-on-errs. Freeloading on the soul of your foot or hanging from your clothes, they won’t be stopped.

You can try sectioning off areas with towels, but it seems these fragments are clingy and just want to travel if they have not been vacuumed in one go.

How to overcome this task without feeling overwhelmed?

There is one day every week or fortnight when you cut out your daily walk or exercise routine. You still put on your tracksuit, add a headband and lace up if you want. Put on your earphones, search for housework hits on Spotify and begin vacuuming.

Bend properly and squat when picking up and moving things. Commit and get into the carpet. Sweat it up; before you know it, the carpets are crumb-free and your workout is complete.

Don’t forget to stretch, warm down, water up and have a piece of fruit to bring your electrolyte levels back to balance.

Never put this chore off again. An hour of vacuuming is a light intermediate workout. The body is warm, and perspiration is wiped from your forehead before it hits your eyes and burns. Feeling grateful you have a headband (you 80’s fan). This is a two-for-one offer.

Housework in sections

Break the housework up.

Mondays are mentally challenging for most. The start of the week resets daily and weekly tasks back to the beginning. ‘Itis’ is real. Decide if Mondays are for the bare minimum. Actioning only what is necessary.
Tuesday – Bathrooms & Toilets – Laundry matters.
Wednesday – Kitchen tops and dusting – Landry matters
Thursday – Sweeping – Laundry matters

It’s up to you how you want to do your week. Arrange the housework chores around your commitments and energy levels.

Got a spare few minutes before leaving and need an onion or two for the evening’s dinner. Get it done.

Make the rules as you go

Your mob won’t be making complaints to the cleaning committee that the dusting is not done on the same day as the bathroom and toilet. You are the cleaning committee.

Nobody will know the onions were done in the morning, not cut up with the rest of the meal. Most don’t even know there are onions in the spag bowl anyway, they don’t think enough about it.

A few minutes here and there is beneficial when the upkeep is to your desire. It is you the house must please. Find methods to suit your moods rather than just discipline. There’s a massive difference in breaking down tasks into small time slots that are easy to manage. Now there are several ways to tackle three to four hours of routine house cleaning chores.

Enjoy your organisational skills.

2-minute chores versus housework