1. Make Your Bed First Thing
Starting your morning off with a clean room really sets the tone for the rest of your day. When I look at my neatly made bed it just makes me want to make sure I keep things clean around it. I don’t want to throw my clothes on top of it, or leave the load of laundry that needs to be folded sitting there. It’s clean already, and I want to keep it that way. This one small chore will take you less than 5 minutes and can really make all the difference. Hey, maybe even your kids will see you and start making their own bed. Or better yet, maybe your husband will see your efforts and make it for you every morning 🙂 Well maybe not but a girl can dream!
2. A Little A Day Keeps the Mess Away
Don’t leave everything for one day. It will get overwhelming and make it easier for you to “take a break” and then never actually finish. I like to use a “Rule of 1” when I think about cleaning. Each day, I do 1 load of laundry (start to finish- folded and put away), 1 load of dishes, and clean one area or room of the house. This may seem like a lot, but I promise it doesn’t take much time. Try it for a week and you will see a difference.
Laundry
My family of 4 can easily produce 1 load of dirty laundry in a day. Find a time that works best for you to do this load of laundry. For me, it’s first thing in the morning. I run the load first thing with everything from the previous day. I skip the sorting. That is a personal preference and you may do it differently and that’s ok, but for me, I just throw it all in! Knock on wood, but I’ve never turned a white shirt pink. I switch it as soon as I hear it ding. Then, I wait until nap time to fold and put away. Remember, it’s okay to put your kids to work on this one. Have them put their own laundry away. See my previous post on organizing with kids for solutions to getting even your toddlers involved.
Dishes
If you are lucky enough to have a dishwasher, this can be fairly easy. Again, my family can also go through dishes! If you don’t fill your dishwasher in a day, then maybe every other day will work for you. I run the dishwasher at the end of the night. It runs while I sleep, and I get up and empty it in the morning while I am making breakfast. I also like to make sure that I put things in the dishwasher as we use them and not let them pile up. This really makes a huge difference. If you let them pile up, it can be overwhelming to even look at and you just keep walking past it hoping the dish fairy (or that husband that also makes the bed every morning :)) does it for you!
One Room/Area
Pick one room or area in your home to clean each day. This doesn’t have to be done EVERY day, but breaking your house down into areas and picking one to clean each day really makes the task of cleaning your house much less daunting. Maybe Monday is bathroom day. Take 10 minutes in each bathroom and give it a quick once over. This really doesn’t have to take an hour of your day. Who has that extra time each day to clean anyway?
*One little tip I have is to keep your cleaning supplies in the room where you use them. I keep an all purpose cleaner under my kitchen and bathroom sink with a cloth. This way, I can quickly wipe down the counters and sink when I need to. It only takes a minute and then there isn’t a big mess to clean up when it is the day I’m supposed to clean that room.
(Check out Clean Mama’s Cleaning Routine HERE)
3. Put Things Away After You Use Them
This one may seem like a no brainer. If you use something, put it away, and make sure your children and anyone else in your family knows to do the same. Teach your kids that when they are done playing with their toys, they put them away. After you brush your teeth, put your toothbrush away. This will be much easier for you and your family if you have a designated spot for everything. This may take longer to set up at first, but in the long run it will really pay off. Putting things away as you use them means less to clean up at the end of the day. If everything is put away in your bathroom, Mondays will be a breeze when you go to clean them. A quick wipe down of everything and you are done.
4. Everyone Chips In
Don’t put the entire work load on yourself. It will get overwhelming. Assign daily or weekly chores for your children. My 3 year old is in charge of making his bed in the morning, picking up his toys, helping put laundry away, and helping put dishes away. We make a game out of it and it doesn’t even seem like a chore to him. He actually enjoys matching the lids to the sippy cups and sorting the silverware. If everyone does a little bit, there is less work for you :).
5. Don’t Stress About A Little Mess
Really this one should be number one. I will be the first to admit that my house is not always perfect. If you miss one day of your daily chores, or the laundry piles up for two days, that’s okay. Just don’t let it pile up to the point that you cringe looking at it and put it off for another week! The more you keep up on things, the easier it is to maintain. If your house is already filled with clutter and you are overwhelmed thinking about finding a place for everything, start with one area. Pick your priority room and organize it. I promise, once that room is organized you will notice how much easier it is to keep clean and maintain by just putting things where they belong.
What tips do you have for keeping the house clean?
