The Organised Mum Method {book review}

I’m not a natural cleaner but I do take pride in keeping my house nice and clean. With two children we have a lot of toys and clutter, so I was pretty excited to receive a copy of The Organised Mum Method by Gemma Bray to review. The method aims to transform your home in 30 minutes a day so I was keen to read more about it.

The Organised Mum Method

Do you spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning (or thinking about cleaning?). Say goodbye to mess, clutter and weekends spent tidying and cleaning! Gemma Bray (a.k.a The Organised Mum) is a firm believer that there is more to life than housework, and over the last decade she has perfected The Organised Mum Method (TOMM).

Gemma Bray founded The Organised Mum Method 11 years ago when her first child was born. Fed up with the housework getting out of control, she created a cleaning routine and stuck it on the fridge. TOMM was born! In January 2017 Gemma put it all down in a blog and shared her method with her readers. The response was phenomenal and she has now shared her ideas in her book.

The Organised Mum Method is a structured, manageable and ultra-efficient cleaning routine that ensures all areas of the home are taken care of. It’s easy to follow, effective and ensures that everything gets done in just 30 minutes a day, Monday to Friday. Yes, if you follow the plan you get weekends off!

The good news is that the method isn’t just for mums. It’s for anyone who wants to re-asses how and what they clean, whilst giving handy tips on how to manage it all. I was sent a copy of the book at the beginning of the Summer holidays which has given me plenty of time to try it out for myself.

Does the Organised Mum Method work? Well, I have to admit I tweaked it slightly to adapt to our routine but a lot of the ideas I’ve managed to incorporate into our week (just about). Essentially it’s a great idea. With a little bit of prep the night before you can spend 30 minutes a day on a different room keeping everything clean and tidy. We had a major declutter over the summer which means this is almost possible – however, the method requires you to do a 15 minute Level 1 clean BEFORE you tackle the 30 minute Level 2 clean suggested in the Organised Mum Method.

The Level 1 jobs include one load of laundry, a quick bathroom clean, vacuuming/sweeping floors and keeping on top of the kitchen Monday to Friday. To be honest I already do these Level 1 jobs daily but they take a lot more than 15 minutes! The Level 2 jobs include stripping beds, sweeping floors, tidying and dusting, depending on the room.

There are some great tips, lists and recipes in the book. I loved the tip about putting your phone away so you’re not distracted and timing your 30 minutes. It’s super easy to get distracted, but if you really concentrate, you get a lot more done than you think you will. I’m straight out of the door in the morning but I’ve adapted the method to work for me after school and before bedtime.

Life is a bit of a squeeze sometimes but this is a fun book to read and might help you change the way you approach housekeeping. I especially enjoyed the final chapters covering getting organised for Christmas – I can’t wait to try them out this year!

The Organised Mum Method: transform your home in 30 minutes a day by Gemma Bray is published today, priced £12.99. Check out Gemma’s blog for some free printables to get you started with the method!