To start, let me remind you that everyone has a different style to how they run their house and I don't ever want anyone to think they are less of a mother because their house looks like they just lost a game of Jumanji. There are times when my own house looks that way too and that is ok! Embrace it and LIVE your life with your children and family. Keeping a clean house helps me feel in control and less stressed, so I prioritize my daily schedule to include some housekeeping. To each their own! BUT if you do want some tips, keep reading.
TIPS TO MAINTAIN A CLEAN AND TIDY HOUSE
1.) Declutter regularly.
I don't like clutter; I live by the motto that everything has its place. But in order for everything to continue to have its place, I need to go through the "things" I have and decide what I want to keep and what needs to go. Otherwise, I'm going to need to find new places.
Before birthdays and Christmas, I always go through the toys with my children and have them help pick out the items that they can part with. At the start of the new year and usually sometime in the summer, I also try to declutter each room in my house. It is incredible how much stuff we all accumulate.
Below are some links to several posts I wrote about decluttering.
I don't like clutter; I live by the motto that everything has its place. But in order for everything to continue to have its place, I need to go through the "things" I have and decide what I want to keep and what needs to go. Otherwise, I'm going to need to find new places.
Before birthdays and Christmas, I always go through the toys with my children and have them help pick out the items that they can part with. At the start of the new year and usually sometime in the summer, I also try to declutter each room in my house. It is incredible how much stuff we all accumulate.
Below are some links to several posts I wrote about decluttering.
2.) Put shoes, coats and bags away as soon as you get home.
We have a designated area in our house where we hang our coats and bags and place our shoes. That has helped keep the coats from piling up on the couch or creating a mound of shoes by the stairs. This simple practice also makes it easy to find the items you need the next time you leave. Taking just a couple minutes when you first arrive home to put those things away helps to keep the clutter from invading other spaces.
3.) Go through the mail as soon as you receive it.
Similar to number 2, as soon as the mail is brought in the house I open it and go through it. I immediately trash the junk mail and make a plan for where everything else goes. If it is a bill, it gets put on my desk to be paid. If it is something that just needs to be filed, I will either immediately file it or put it in my "to be filed pile." I try to have a plan of action for every piece of mail. The same is true with packages we receive. I immediately tear down the boxes as soon as a package is opened. We keep our recycling in the garage, so I will put the boxes and other recyclable materials by the door to be taken out to the bins the next time we leave.
Similar to number 2, as soon as the mail is brought in the house I open it and go through it. I immediately trash the junk mail and make a plan for where everything else goes. If it is a bill, it gets put on my desk to be paid. If it is something that just needs to be filed, I will either immediately file it or put it in my "to be filed pile." I try to have a plan of action for every piece of mail. The same is true with packages we receive. I immediately tear down the boxes as soon as a package is opened. We keep our recycling in the garage, so I will put the boxes and other recyclable materials by the door to be taken out to the bins the next time we leave.
4.) Get an easy to carry vacuum.
With small kids around, crumbs are inevitable. I really don't like the look of crumbs and dirt on my floor, so I do clean my floors a lot. Instead of having to get out a dust pan and broom or lug my heavy vacuum down the stairs, I keep a very lightweight vacuum in our downstairs laundry room to hit the dirt whenever I see it. Here is a link to a very affordable and super lightweight vacuum that works so well! If I could only ever give you one cleaning tip, it would be to get this vacuum!!!! It often goes on sale for $19, so scoop it up while it is still in stock!
With small kids around, crumbs are inevitable. I really don't like the look of crumbs and dirt on my floor, so I do clean my floors a lot. Instead of having to get out a dust pan and broom or lug my heavy vacuum down the stairs, I keep a very lightweight vacuum in our downstairs laundry room to hit the dirt whenever I see it. Here is a link to a very affordable and super lightweight vacuum that works so well! If I could only ever give you one cleaning tip, it would be to get this vacuum!!!! It often goes on sale for $19, so scoop it up while it is still in stock!
5.) Don't go up the stairs empty handed.
As our day goes on, I will often find items downstairs that have their place upstairs. If I'm not able to immediately take the items upstairs, I will place them on the stairs to take up later. Sometimes the stairs can fill up with our things, so I will take something up each time I go up. I make it a point to get the stairs cleaned off each night before we go to bed. I also have asked Tolar and our daughter to take items upstairs if they belong to them.
As our day goes on, I will often find items downstairs that have their place upstairs. If I'm not able to immediately take the items upstairs, I will place them on the stairs to take up later. Sometimes the stairs can fill up with our things, so I will take something up each time I go up. I make it a point to get the stairs cleaned off each night before we go to bed. I also have asked Tolar and our daughter to take items upstairs if they belong to them.
6.) Put away blankets.
One of the biggest things that can make our living room look cluttered is blankets laying all around. We are a cozy family and love to cuddle up with blankets often, so they do sometimes tend to get left out. A quick fix is to fold them up and put them back where you store them. We have a storage ottoman where we keep all of our blankets. If you don't have extra storage, consider getting a big decorative bin to keep them in.
One of the biggest things that can make our living room look cluttered is blankets laying all around. We are a cozy family and love to cuddle up with blankets often, so they do sometimes tend to get left out. A quick fix is to fold them up and put them back where you store them. We have a storage ottoman where we keep all of our blankets. If you don't have extra storage, consider getting a big decorative bin to keep them in.
I hope these tips help! If you want even more tips, check out this post I wrote last year about keeping a clean house with small kids.
If you want to get on a cleaning schedule and do a little bit of cleaning each day, here is a sample cleaning schedule.
If you want to get on a cleaning schedule and do a little bit of cleaning each day, here is a sample cleaning schedule.
