After a hectic morning getting Elsa ready for nursery & breakfasts (including a very mucky baby porridge experience) the house normally needs a clean. This is done whilst Rory naps (usually for 3 hours) as we don’t usually go out until after lunchtime. It takes me about half an hour to completely blitz the downstairs area.
I usually follow the same daily cleaning routine which then sets me up for the day. On top of that I normally do a ‘full house’ clean usually once a week which includes hoovering upstairs plus the bathrooms, polishing, dusting & I mop using bleach every other week – i’ll blog about that more thorough clean separately.
So, to start with I tend to put a load of washing on when I first wake up before I take Elsa to nursery (she goes 3 days a week). This means that by the time i’m back & given Rory his breakfast, it’s finished & ready to either hang out or pop in the tumble drier. It’s amazing how much washing 2 kids make so I find myself doing a load a day.
I also tend to open windows as even the slightest bit of sun turns the conservatory into a sauna which then heats the whole downstairs & becomes unbearable. In the winter i’m sure it’ll become more Antarctic than Sahara so I will have the doors shut & definitely no windows open.
Once Rory has been fed, watered & is soundly asleep upstairs (usually 10am) I then crack on. I start by washing up bottles & glasses that have been used overnight, then leave them to dry on the side. We always make sure we wash up/load the dishwasher the night before so this is also left on the side to dry overnight too. As Rory is still teeny I have to sterilise bottles too so they are popped in the microwave after washing.
I then clean the hob which I don’t do after dinner/before bed as I like to enjoy my evenings. I use antibacterial cleaner, a scourer & finish off by drying with kitchen roll.
Usually everything is dry by the time i’ve finished this so I put all the washing up away & unload the dishwasher.
I then wipe down all the sides using antibacterial spray & a microfiber cloth. I then buff the granite using a microfiber tea towel to remove any streaks.
Finally, I hoover. I do this once a day as I find that being open plan it can get quite messy with crumbs/bits of food & the dreaded dog hair. Anybody that’s met a pug will know that they malt ridiculously due to their double coat. I finish off by using my handheld Dyson to hoover the sofas, footstool & his bed.
I don’t let myself sit down until everything is sorted, then reward myself with a cup of tea, breakfast (Slimming World friendly so unfortunately not cake) & some awful daytime TV.
I normally don’t do much cleaning for the rest of the day until after dinner apart from wipe down the sides if they get dirty after lunch.
In the evening, we don’t go to bed until the washing up has been done/dishwasher loaded & everything has been tidied away. Tidying & cleaning are two completely separate things in my eyes & I do think i’m far more tidy than I am clean. I put everything away & everything looks tidy, but I wouldn’t say i’m
massively clean….by that I mean that I don’t clean my oven anywhere near as much as I probably should, my kettle has so much limescale that I dread to think what it does to my insides & I most definitely neglect the crumbs at the bottom of the toaster. These things aren’t as important to me as things that are seen & I can relax knowing that they are dirty, something I wish I could do with more things!
This week i’m going to do my first vlog (video blog), thanks to my lovely sister over at backsnbumps.com for lending me her camera, which will show you my daily tidying routine. In my previous post ‘4 Steps To A Tidier Home’ (see here) I explained how I keep my house looking so immaculate but I thought i’d prove how little time it can be achieved if you implement my tips.
What is your daily cleaning routine?
Love, Charlotte x
Soooooo excited for your vlog!! I don't have a set routine at thr mo, but deffo trying to get more into one! Hopefully your video will help!
It'll be up in the next couple of days lovely – going to let Elsa run riot when she gets home from nursery then do some recording – make sure you subscribe for regular updates on here or bloglovin 🙂 x
Hi Charlotte, I follow you on Instagram but am new to your blog, I really enjoyed it and your 'vlog' as well, what a gorgeous home you have! I notice that you use the Dyson handheld for your sofa – would you recommend it? Also do you use it on your stairs? I've used handhelds before but have always been disappointed with the results so I'm reluctant to invest in this – my main vac is an upright Dyson and I love it but it's a bit of a pain dragging it out every two minutes! Thanks Sarah xx
Hi Sarah, I would 100% recommend! I use it about 20x a day hoovering up bits that have been dropped (if Mungo doesn't 'hoover' them up before me) & it's brilliant for the sofa's & stairs. I've got the animal one which has a turbine head so sucks up all the hair brilliantly 🙂 x