When you have kids, it can be really hard to keep them and yourself clean (think of all the baby food, crumbs, spit, booty cream, crayons…) so it’s not a surprise that many parents totally neglect their house and let it turn to complete chaos.
If you want to return your home to its previous state, you will need to know a few tricks that will allow you to keep your house clean no matter how many messy kids you have.
Declutter Once a Week
Start by decluttering your space. The more stuff you have, the harder it will be to keep everything clean and in its place.
Kids can get easily confused and they won’t know where things belong in the overwhelming sea of clutter. The best place to start your decluttering efforts is the bathroom.
This room contains a lot of things you can throw away and almost zero sentimental items. Once you go through the entire house, don’t think you’re done for good.
Decluttering is an ongoing process, especially with kids around, that you’ll have to do at least once a month.
Make Your House Kid-Friendly
If you want to keep your house tidy, you need to make it easy for kids to put away things. If your coat rack is too high up, you can expect to see jackets everywhere.
If your dishes are out of reach even with a stool, the dishwasher will not be emptied.
If you can, get a good stepping stool and buy kid-friendly items that will make it easy for kids to do their chores.
Let Kids Help
Toddlers and kids love to feel like they’re helpful and they take a lot of pride in tasks successfully done.
So when you clean and declutter, make sure to call your little ones and allow them to help keep the house clean and tidy. Make sure to give them easy tasks they can successfully accomplish.
For instance, toddlers can put toys back, tidy up throw pillows, collect placemats after a meal and so on.
Limit Toys
Kids love their toys and most of them want to have their favorite pieces in the living room or wherever they go. In that case, you can end up with a house full of toy cars, building blocks and dolls in the blink of an eye.
Make sure to limit the use of toys in the shared areas—allow a few pieces and keep the rest contained in the child’s room or playroom.
If you prefer to have an eye on your kid all at times while they play, you can grab a decorative container and tidy up toys after each play session.
You can also find more info on BornCute.com and get great toy recommendations so you can reduce the number of toys your kids have.
If you get a few fun, creative and dynamic toys, your kids will be entertained for hours without the need for several boxes of playing material!
Don’t Allow The Build-Up
If you take literally 10 minutes every evening before bed to tidy up, you will save yourself a lot of time down the line.
Before they hit the bed, kids can put away toys and you can do a sweep of all the floors and wipe the kitchen counters.
If you wait two or three days to do this, you will definitely not be able to finish in 10 minutes, so avoid build-up at all costs.
Allow Some Extra TV Time
If you try to keep your kids away from screens as much as you can, sometimes, they can be very helpful.
When you struggle to keep your house clean, it’s best to ditch the guilt and play some cartoons or kid’s shows.
While your kids are entertained, you can clean a huge portion of the house knowing your kids are sitting tightly and safely.
Half an hour or an hour of TV a day won’t do any harm to your little ones, but a dirty living environment will! So, keep your priorities straight by providing kids with a clean home.
Get a Good Baby Wrap
If you have a baby at home, cleaning can get even harder. It’s easy to clean up while they are asleep, but it can be hard to ignore a sobbing baby while you’re doing the dishes.
Luckily, you can get a nice baby wrap. Some models are very small and practical, so you can pick up around the house while your baby relaxes and even falls asleep!
Invest in Easy-To-Use Equipment
When your kids are finally having a nice nap, it can be extremely risky to take out your huge vacuum or start banging around with mop and bucket.
Instead, invest in some practical cleaning equipment like a lightweight cordless vacuum that will help you keep up with mess without too much effort or noise.
A mop with a water bottle kept in the corner of the kitchen can also be a lifesaver for certain food emergencies. Other essentials are definitely spotted cleaners and dusting mitts.
With these tips, you can have your cake and eat it too! Your kids will be happy and entertained while your house sparkles.
Okay, it might not sparkle, but it will definitely be much cleaner and healthier than before!
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