There’s toys everywhere, stacks of papers on top of every flat surface, piles and piles of laundry- it looks like your home has been hit by a tornado, sound familiar? When you have a home with littles, it can make it seem like your house will never be clean. But there are some steps you can take to keep your home clean even with littles running around.
Related: What You Need To Take Care Of A Sick Kid Or Baby
Have Less Stuff
Not just less toys, but less items of your own. Less things means less moving things from one place to the next. It means less putting things away. Less visual uncleanliness.
A few things to get rid of:
- Things that haven’t been used in the last 12 months including clothes, tools, toys, decor.
- Anything that is broken and you know you won’t repair it. Ask yourself “would I buy it now?” “Would I move it if I were to move?”
- Try Marie Kondo’s method of holding each item and decide if it brings you joy. If it doesn’t say thank you and sell, donate, or throw it away.
You can sell these items at a garage sale, Facebook marketplace, donate them to a charity or thrift store.
House Rules
Have some house rules that encourage cleanliness such as no shoes in the house, food at the table or counter only. Some rules we have are keeping liquids at tables, no food in bedrooms, and shoes stay in the entry way.
Montessori Or Rotate
Try this one Montessori practice- put all different toys in an individual box or basket and put them in a closet, or on a shelf. Have your child choose one activity at a time and clean it up before getting a new one. This makes for less mess all at once and your kids have practice cleaning up their toys. This also really helps me know which toys the kids play with and what they don’t. Take it one step further and rotate the toys, put some toys away in a non-clear box and put it on a high shelf or in the garage. After a week, month, or a few days take it out and put different toys away.
Put Things All The Way Away
To put things all the way away, you have to first have a place for every item in your home. Then when you have something to put away, walk the extra distance and put it away. It may only take 30 seconds, but it will help to make sure everything stays clean.
Speed Clean
Set aside 1, 5, or 15 minutes to speed clean something. Set a timer and clean as much as you can in the allotted time. Focus in on a specific area like the counters, floor, or windows. You can also have the kids help during the time frame.
Flat Surfaces
Focus on anything that’s a flat surface and it will seem like your space is cleaner. Work on tables, counters, and floors and the rest will seem less important.
15 Minute Reset
Take 15 minutes at the end of the day to get everything back to a condition that would make you pleased the next day. Having a cleaner home first thing in the morning may give you motivation the next day to keep it all clean.
Get The Kids To Help
Have your children clean up after themselves. Try using a clean up basket or a toy jail. Put items in the basket or box when they don’t clean up and have your children do a cleaning task to get them back.
Related: How To Live Without Paper Towels
What do you do to keep your home clean?
