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Is it possible to keep the house clean with little kids?
We get asked this question all the time. New moms worry that they'll have to give up on their neatly organized homes or well styled rooms and instead, settle on a cluttered messy house.
It can be a challenge to keep the house clean and organized when you have kids to take care of, and don't have much time or energy to clean and maintain the home.
But today we are going to share with you, how you can keep the house clean with little kids. The trick to keep the house clean when you have little kids, is to put in a small effort everyday. The tasks are small and doable for moms who have so much to do and so little time.
So don't let the fact that you have little kids, keep you from living in a clean and tidy house. With these smart mom hacks you can go from messy to clean and well organized.
MOM HACKS TO KEEP the HOUSE CLEAN WITH LITTLE KIDS
1.invest in storage containers or baskets
The easiest organizing strategy ever, is to use baskets and storage containers to organize every room in your house.
When we are designing spaces, this is our trick to making sure the rooms stay organized and decluttered. You too can use baskets to corral clutter is every room of your house from the living room to dining room and kitchen.
Look at the creative and beautiful ways baskets and storage containers are used for organizing every room in the house.
2. DECLUTTER
Keeping a house clean and tidy can be hard when the house is cluttered with things you have zero emotional attachment to (or worse, dislike).
Pick a long weekend, send the kids over to grandma's and just tackle the clutter. If you are expecting a baby, then this is the perfect time to get organized. Check out this nesting checklist to get started.
Get rid of things that are broken or you don't need. Donate items that the kids have grown out of. Get the house de-cluttered and you'll find that keeping and maintaining a clean house is much easier afterwards.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to look around and see a home you love?
3.HAVE A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING
Once you have de -cluttered, you've got to find storage for things you have. Focus on storing like with like. For example, organize the books together, toys together, etc.
Make sure you have designated storage places for everything. This is where the baskets we talked about before, come in handy.
4.WRITE DOWN A CLEANING SCHEDULE
Creating a cleaning schedule is essential to keeping your house clean when you have little kids. It will help you break down the cleaning of the house into simple tasks that feels less daunting and time consuming.
Keep in mind, that the easiest house cleaning schedule only requires you to spend a little time every day. With a 25 minute clean up routine every day, you'll have a presentable house, pretty much all the time.
The best time to tackle the daily clean up tasks, is when your little one is napping during the day.
Here's a sample cleaning schedule you can follow during the week:
Monday
- Vacuum bedroom carpets
- Wash bathroom towels
- Clean common area floors
TUESDAY
- Clean master bathroom
- Clean the kids bathroom
WEDNESDAY
- Dust surfaces
- Clean glass doors
- Organize study
THURSDAY
- Clean microwave
- Clean refrigerator
- Clean oven
FRIDAY
- Clean Guest and kids’ bathrooms
- Vacuum floors
- Mop Floors
Saturday
- Strip beds and wash bed linens
- Change bedding
- Pick up closets
Sunday
- Rotate toys and books
- Iron and organize kids clothes for the week
- Sort and Manage Mail
5.Start by Making the Bed
Can making your bed change your life?
According to the New York Times Bestseller, The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg, making your bed is a keystone habit that leads to better productivity and a greater sense of well being among other things.
And, if you need more convincing, Retired U.S. Navy Admiral Seal William H. McCraven, gave a commencement speech which went viral, where we told students that one of the most powerful lessons he learned during his time as a Navy SEAL was to make the bed every morning.
“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day,″ he said. “It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.”
6. Do One Load of Laundry Per Day
One of our favorite mom hacks, to keep the house clean with kids, is to tackle laundry everyday. That's right, no more trying to collect piles of laundry and doing laundry once a week. You've got to get in the routine of doing a load of laundry either in the morning or after dinner.
It's really not going to take a lot of time. It will take you at most, five minutes to put laundry in the washer, start the machine and go on with your day (and switch the clothes to the dryer in between). And, then it will take another 10 minutes or so to put it away.
7. GET EVERYONE INVOLVED
If you want to keep the house clean get your husband, kids, dog and everyone else involved. They've got to pitch in and understand that keeping the house clean is important.
Get the little ones to help you pick up their toys and books. Ask your husband to help you with the dishes and cleaning the kitchen every night.
8. Do a 15 Minute Nightly Clean-up.
A 15 minute nightly routine to clean up and organize the living room, family room and play room will make keeping the house clean and tidy so much easier.
Fix the blankets and pillows, put the toys and books away, and tidy up anything else that is not in it's designated place.
Just imagine how wonderful it would be to wake up to a neat and beautiful house, sounds awesome, doesn’t it?
9.Put everything away after use.
A mom hack we swear by, is to always put things away right after using them. Imagine how much less clutter and how much less work you’d have, if everyone in your house just put their things away after using them.
It takes effort to get into that habit. It is convenient to come into the house and just drop the jacket on the floor. Or leave the toys on the living room floor after playtime is done, instead of picking it all up.
But the truth is, either way — you’re going to have to put the stuff away. So do it as you go through the day, rather than waiting for "clean up" time.
10. CLEAN AS YOU COOK
Cooking dinner when you have little kids to care for, can be challenging.
But if you are cooking in the kitchen, get in the habit of cleaning the kitchen as you cook. That means, wash the bowls, cutting board and knives and put them in the dishwasher once you are done using them. Discard food scraps and trash. Wipe down the counters after use.
Once you practice cleaning the kitchen as you cook, you'll never want to go back to the time when you were left with a messy kitchen after cooking dinner.
11. Spend a few extra minutes cleaning your kitchen after each meal
Meal times with little kids can be messy and stressful! And, once you've got though feeding them and having your meal, you are exhausted.
However, always spend a few minutes cleaning up the kitchen after every meal. Put away the leftovers, put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, wipe down the kitchen counters, dining table, high chair and stove. And, sweep the kitchen floor! After cleaning, make sure you start the dishwasher.
If you do this routine after every meal, keeping your kitchen clean will not be hard at all!
12. Put away dishes—always have an empty sink
Always wash dishes right away, as you use them, instead of piling them into the sink.
While you are a busy mom with a lot to do, the extra 2 minutes to wash the cereal bowls and spoons from breakfast can make a surprising impact at the end of the day.
13.Empty the dishwasher while you brew your coffee
In the mornings, many of us can't get going until we enjoy our morning coffee. And, while your coffee is brewing, spend a few minutes and unload your dishwasher. This act will set the stage to keeping your kitchen clean throughout the day!
14. schedule a deep cleaning
You'll need to schedule in a deep cleaning once every 3 weeks or so. This can take some time, so it's best to make sure you have help to watch the kiddos while you focus on the cleaning or vice versa.
15.HIRE HELP IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT
If you can financially afford it, have someone come to your house every 3-4 weeks to do a deep clean for you. It will save you so much time and effort, especially if you have little kids to take care of.
16.Sort the mail regularly
Get control of paper clutter in your home by sorting the mail regularly. In your weekly cleaning schedule, allocate time to sort and manage the mail.
17. Have a dedicated hamper for every person in your home
Place hampers wherever you and each of the family members undress whether in the closet or bathroom. That way, you don't have to spend precious time, corralling clothes to put in the washer.
18.Edit your closet as you go
How many times have you stared at your closet wondering how you can have so many clothes, yet still have nothing to wear?
So don't let your closet get out of control. Take stock of your clothing and simplifying things so that you have a wearable collection of pieces to choose from.
19.KEEP BATHROOM CLEAN LONGER
Cleaning bathrooms is difficult! So how do you keep a bathroom clean and fresh for a whole week or so?
Hang a squeegee over the shower head and make it a rule that the last one to take a shower wipes down the walls, tub, and shower doors. Use toilet bowl tablets to clean, deodorize and kill 99.9% of household bacteria in the toilet bowl water every time you flush the toilet. And, keep clorox wipes on the vanity to clean it throughout the week after use.
20. good ENOUGH IS OKAY
Stop being hard on yourself!
You are doing the best you can. When clean enough has to be good enough too, that, mama, is your solution for a clean enough house!
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Last Updated on March 29, 2020 by Tira Attygalla
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