Introduction
Kids are a bundle of joy, occasionally. However, most times they leave a trail of mess and make simple chores like decluttering your home or mopping the floor a daunting task. That’s why some people prefer to search for “cleaning services near me” and hire professionals to do the job. However, hiring a full-time housekeeper isn’t sustainable for most people. Let’s check out how you can keep your house clean when kids are home:
Tips & Tricks
- Adjust your expectations – Everyone has different levels of cleanliness. For some, a clean sink may be washing the dishes and putting them on the rack to dry. For others, it may mean an additional soak and rinse for the cleaning tools and the sink itself.
That’s why you need to communicate your cleaning threshold to your family. Make sure they have a clear understanding of how the home should be kept. You also need to keep the standards realistic with the current level of cleanliness in your home.
Don’t compare the cleanliness of your home with your peers and other homes in the neighborhood. For instance, if you have kids and need to work out, and spend 10 hours every day working and commuting, you have less time for cleaning chores. A stay-at-home mom would be able to devote more time to hunt down every stain and dust particle.
- Don’t lose perspective – As mentioned above, comparing the cleanliness of your home with others doesn’t do you any good. Don’t scroll down Instagram and compare your home with the picture-perfect rooms. Those rooms don’t look that usually and a lot of lighting and editing tricks were used to make that bedroom look so gorgeous. You need to develop a cleaning routine that is sustainable and functional.
- Boxes and labels – Kids like to play and put things all over the house. Control that behavior, guide it in the right direction and you’ll get a cleaner home. Kids often forget where they put their toys, stationery, and other things.
Get a few boxes or organize drawers and label them according to their purpose. Let the kids know that everything has a “home”. The Hot Wheels, Lego, and dolls have a home inside the “Toys” box while art and craft supplies and stationery have a home in the “Arts” box. You’ll have a much easier time decluttering your home when kids know where to put things.
- Establish a toy rotation system – If you’re up for the extra work, consider building a toy closet. You can convert this space into something else when the kids grow up. Establish clear rules about using the toys.
Some toys like baby dolls and play kitchen toys can be kept in the playroom at all times. Other toys can be kept inside the closet. It remains out of sight and out of mind for the most part. Establish a rule so that your kids can only take one or two toys from the closet at a time. If they want to play with another toy from the closet, they need to put something back.
Toy rotation helps you manage clutter and keeps most things manageable inside a small closet. It also helps your child build discipline and understand the need for rules. You can also use this rule for yourself. For instance, if something new comes into your home, you need to declutter at least one old thing. This prevents things from piling up.
- Plan a cleaning routine – Deep cleaning your home is a nightmare when kids are around. A difficult task becomes impossible and overwhelms you very easily. You can fix that with cleaning routines. Bring out the calendar and designate different tasks and different rooms for each day of the week.
Tasks and rooms that require a long time for thorough cleaning and execution can be done once a week or once a month. For instance, while you vacuum and quickly mop your floors every day, thorough scrubbing and mopping can be reserved for Mondays.
Similarly, breaking up time-consuming deep cleaning chores into small chunks helps you feel motivated while keeping your home clean.
- Go minimal – Taking this step may seem difficult for families with kids. However, if you can implement this lifestyle, you’ll have plenty of benefits, cleaning and otherwise. To some people cleaning may mean owning just a mattress and a pillow as the bedroom furniture. You don’t need to draw inspiration from the extremes. Instead, you can simply reduce what you have by reducing your purchases.
Start your minimal lifestyle with a giant purge. Everyone is a bit of a hoarder and has a hard time getting rid of useless junk. Some people can’t get rid of that leaky mattress that they bought for guests while others keep that board game that’s missing most cards, and a few pieces and is unplayable at this point. Identify such items in your home and get rid of them. When you have fewer things to worry about, you have an easier time keeping your home clean.
- Keep the kids busy – In countries like Japan, children learn to be independent early on and start contributing to the household chores very early. Teach your kids about responsibilities from an early age and get them involved in household chores.
For instance, toddlers can do the simplest tasks like putting the clothes inside the hamper. Older kids can mop the floor, fold the towels and make their bed. By the time they are ready to go to kindergarten, they would be capable enough to do grocery shopping. Getting your kids involved in household chores early on teaches them valuable responsibilities and makes them more dependable.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned tips should help you maintain a cleaner home with kids around. Get the kids and your partner involved in cleaning chores and establish some house rules to keep a neat home. If things still turn out to be messy, you can hire a pro by searching for “cleaning services near me”.
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