Are you constantly walking into your home only to find a clutter-filled mess? You sweep, wipe and put away – and the kids immediately dump everything back on the floor!
However, a clean, tidy home is a requirement for healthy living and a pleasant, functional place for your family.
Whether you stay-at-home, work-from-home, or work in an office, there is always a way to balance your busy moms schedule and stay clutter-free.
So how do you keep your home clean on a tight schedule? Have more time to enjoy your little ones’ with these simple cleaning tips plus the full checklist of daily, weekly and seasonal chores.
How to Keep the House Clean With Kids:
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Tips for Keeping a Clean House with a Baby
Moms juggle a lot every day and finding solutions for how to keep your house clean with a toddler that likes to pull all the Tupperware out of cabinets or a newborn that needs your constant attention can make you feel overwhelmed.
Once your kids start going to preschool, you’ll find a little extra time to cross off a few chores, but how can you do a deep cleaning when you have a baby by your side 24/7?
Get things done with a baby carrier
Using a baby carrier allows you to keep your baby close while maintaining your hands free to get light daily cleaning done. Carriers make “speed cleaning for mommies” more practical and life easier. Popular brands of baby carriers include Ergo, BabyBjörn, and Moby Wraps.
If you search “baby carriers” online, you’ll see that some lend themselves better to walks and hikes with larger babies while others are more ideally suited to infants.
If you decide to take this approach, refrain from using harmful cleaners or spray cleaners as these can harm delicate lungs. Do household jobs that can be tackled standing up and using soap and water like washing the dishes.
Practicalities of a baby carrier
Using a baby carrier while cleaning doesn’t work well for vacuuming either due to the loud noise it generates. Also, any food preparation that involves heat or cutting with a sharp knife should be avoided.
However, many busy moms get lots of laundry done and do things like declutter the pantry with a baby strapped to their chests or backs. In short, using a baby carrier isn’t the time to cook over a hot stove, clean the oven or run the vacuum.
👼 Has your baby outgrown their carrier? Make sure you donate it or get eco-friendly disposal!
Keep your baby occupied while speed cleaning your home
Another option for cleaning your house with newborns and toddlers is to consider a video, playpen or activity center filled with safe and engaging toys. This can go a long way towards keeping your child occupied and entertained.
Invest in a baby play area
As long as a playroom or activity center is only used for a short period of time, it can be a good option. However, it is vital that you pay close attention to how your child reacts. If he or she is getting upset, then maybe a baby swing or playpen might not work for longer periods of time.
Play a short video for your little one
Finally, if all else fails, then you can play a short children’s video to keep your baby entertained while you take some time to clean up. Screen time has received a good deal of attention in the last couple of years with many experts recommending that screen time be limited to two hours per day in total.
Early childhood development experts are very clear that infants, toddlers, and young children need a high level of adult interaction and stimulus. Playpens, activity centers, toys, and videos can be useful tools, but they should be used sparingly and only for short periods of time.
Practice self-care to avoid being an overwhelmed mom
Keeping your home clean with infants and toddlers can be a substantial challenge. Experts generally agree that you shouldn’t use your baby’s nap-time as a session of “frantic cleaning,” but instead you should use that time to give yourself a bit of a mental health break.
In fact, you might want to use this time to take a nap yourself or engage in some other relaxing activity, such as talking to friends, reading a parenting book, or eating a healthy snack. Consider meditation, which has been proven to lower stress levels, boost immunity, and maybe even slow down the aging process.
Tips for Keeping a Clean House as a Working Mom
While being a mom is an endless challenge, these tips as well as decluttering, delegating, and sticking to a cleaning schedule can help reduce the stress on full-time working moms overwhelmed with a messy house.
Get help from your older kids
Moms with older children definitely have additional options. An excellent option is to get your children involved in cleaning tasks in a creative way. If you look for ways to make chores fun, such as creating a contest with a big reward, you’ll be surprised by how much they can accomplish.
You’ll also find that this approach will help your children feel more mature knowing that they did something special, especially if they know they are helping you take care of a new baby.
More From the Trash Talk Blog: What to do with old baby items!
Be sure to allocate your work
We live in a society that has a range of ways that moms can use to outsource certain tasks. You really don’t need to do it all yourself. In fact, when moms become overwhelmed and stressed from too much pressure, it can cause stress and depression. When you start outsourcing your housework, you’ll have more free time and feel more together, organized, and content.
Turning to friends and family
Even if your budget doesn’t allow for you to pay a nanny so you can go get a luxurious massage, you can still turn to friends and family for help with some of your tasks. In other words, moms shouldn’t try to do it all because their number one job should be providing great care for their children.
If possible, see if you can have your significant other pick up some tasks like organizing the garage. Remember other people are busy too and focused on their own lives. They may have simply not thought of providing you with the extra help that you need. Sometimes you really do just need to reach out and ask.
Think about hiring some assistance
Whether it is ordering groceries online or even hiring a cleaning service, (just be sure it is a green cleaning service if you have children) there are now more ways than ever before for moms to take a little of the pressure off especially when it comes to housework.
A key part of keeping your stress levels low is picking your battles. On days when your energy levels are particularly low, maybe just order take-out instead of cooking.
A great way to free up some time is to simply stop worrying about trash around the house. If you have bulky items that need to be removed like an old crib, don’t try to handle these items yourself. Why risk injury when you can have professionals deal with such items?
A service like LoadUp is a great example of taking a different approach, you can reduce the amount of work while reducing your stress levels.
Don’t Spend All Your Time Cleaning Your House
Keep in mind that the help your friends and relatives provide enables you to be your best and makes taking care of your children less stressful. You may be amazed by just how much people are willing to help you. Sometimes it really does take a village! “Mom time” benefits you and especially benefits your kids, so take all the help you can get.
Part of freeing up more time to focus balancing motherhood and keeping your home clean means strategically prioritizing what needs to be done and then taking steps to find help. The bottom line is your house doesn’t have to be 100% clean. No one expects perfection and you very well may be placing unnecessary pressure on yourself to be “supermom.”
Cleaning Schedule for Working Moms
Now that we’ve covered a few simple tips to entertaining your kids and how to actually get to the checklist, check out the cleaning schedule below for busy moms to maintain a clean, tidy, healthy home.
📝 Daily cleaning tasks
- Make beds
- Sweep / vacuum floors
- Unload / reload dishwasher
- Clear off and wipe down countertops
- Empty main kitchen trash and recycling
- Do one load of laundry (wash a load and transfer to dryer before heading to work so the load will be ready to remove once home, use the speed cycle for a quick turnaround).
⏳ Time Tip: Once you get into a rhythm, daily tasks shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes per day (or less if you assign chores to other household members!).
📝 Weekly cleaning tasks:
- Clean bathrooms
- Empty all trash cans
- Sweep / vacuum floors
- Wash and/or replace bed linens
- Wash and/or replace bath towels, washcloths
- Dust flat surfaces (tables, lamps, bookshelves)
- Speed clean: go from top to bottom – wipe down mirrors, countertops and solid surfaces (toilet and shower/tub), clean toilet bowl, replace toilet paper, Kleenex, etc., sweep floors
- Wipe down kitchen counters and appliances (dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave)
⏳ Time Tip: Block time for weekly chores on the weekend or during a morning/afternoon off work. Combat the mundane tasks of household work by popping in ear buds and listening to music or a podcast.
📝 Monthly cleaning tasks:
- Dust ceiling fans
- Wash throw blankets
- Dust window blinds/shades
- Wipe down kitchen cabinets
- Declutter and wipe down inside of refrigerator
- Do a washer tub clean (using bleach or white vinegar)
- Declutter pantry and wipe/brush off the shelves and floor
- Deep clean bathrooms (follow steps above for simple clean but add mopping floor, heavier tub/shower clean, wash toothbrush holder, wash bath mats)
⏳ Time Tip: Try to schedule time for monthly cleaning chores when your kids are away from the house or on a weekend when all family members are pitching in with projects or tasks. Note on your monthly planner a 1-2 hour time block for monthly cleaning.
📝 Seasonal cleaning tips:
- Spring: gutters, outdoor spaces, patio furniture, house windows, carpets, indoor area rugs, windows and window sills
- Summer: garage, area rugs, lawn equipment, pool equipment, tools, clothes, games, camping gear, school supplies
- Fall: fall decor, have carpets professionally cleaned, appliance and plumbing checks, fireplace/chimney sweep
- Winter: Christmas decor, outdoor equipment check (i.e., snow blower), HVAC system, post-holiday declutter
Extra tips for cleaning
- Keep a room spray / freshener handy for smelly rooms
- Open windows whenever possible to air out your house
- Run toothbrush holders in dishwasher occasionally
- Wash a load of dishcloths weekly
- Do daily load of laundry
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