Is It Possible to Keep a Clean House with Kids?
Kids can often seem like nothing but mess-makers. What’s more, when you spend most of your time looking after them, it can be easy to forget about cleaning your house. So, how do you juggle having kids and keeping a clean house?
Perhaps more importantly, is it actually possible? That’s what we’ll discuss in this article, so read on to find out.
How to Keep Your House Clean When You Have Kids
1. Prevent Clutter Where Possible
Kids can be a major source of stuff. Whether it’s toys, old clothes, buggies, or anything else, it can all take up a lot of space. When this stuff isn’t in use, it can just look like clutter that’s messing up your house.
To avoid this, tackle the issue from two angles. First, be as ruthless as you can with decluttering and getting rid of old stuff. Toys and clothes are the biggest culprits. Have a one-in-one-out policy with toys, and clean out wardrobes every couple of months.
Also, have plenty of storage available. Plastic tubs are ideal for toys, particularly stackable ones. Aim to implement storage solutions that kids can use without your involvement.
2. Have Cleaning Routines
Write out checklists for cleaning jobs and get kids into routines for everyday things like making beds and putting toys away. It can help to have a rewards table to encourage them to help out, particularly for the less enjoyable jobs.
Similarly, have a cleaning routine for yourself. Try to set aside the same time every week for larger cleaning jobs, such as hoovering, and make sure your kids know they have to entertain themselves during this time.
3. Figure Out Chores for Kids
There’s no reason why your kids can’t get involved in cleaning. You’ll have to decide on the best age-appropriate chores, of course, as you can’t expect a toddler to tidy the kitchen for you!
Some options include:
· Toddlers: Putting toys away, picking up clothes
· 4-10 years old: Putting clothes in laundry basket, making beds, helping with bins and the dishwasher
· 11 plus: Dusting, taking out bins, loading and unloading dishwasher, etc.
While there might be a bit of a learning curve initially, in time you should be able to leave them to it. Hopefully, this will take a bit of the weight off your shoulders.
4. Make Cleaning Fun
This might sound like the impossible, but there are plenty of ways to make cleaning enjoyable – for both you and your kids. Try to make chores into games, such as a race to put toys away, and offer fun rewards for getting things done.
Put on some upbeat music while you’re cleaning and have a dance with your kids. It might take a bit longer but at least everyone will be having a better time. The more you can make cleaning seem enjoyable, the more motivated your kids will be to help out.
5. Have Easy to Clean Stuff
Any parent will probably already know the benefits of wipe-clean things. Try to apply this to your furniture and home as much as possible. For example, buy a rug that’s machine washable and use removable cushion covers on your sofa.
If something isn’t easy to clean, find a way to cover it with something that is. You could throw a blanket over your sofa, which can then be whipped off and washed. Similarly, use washable paint when decorating so you can just wipe it clean as needed.
6. Set Realistic Expectations
The only way you’re going to have a truly spotless house when you have kids is if you clean every day. And let’s be reasonable, very few people have the time or energy to do that.
So, set realistic expectations for the level of mess you can expect and, more importantly, the level you should tolerate. No one wants to live in a dirty house, but a bit of mess isn’t all that bad.
Set a rule along the lines of “mess but no dirt.” For example, ensure there are no dirty dishes or old food lying around and that there’s no filth. Toilets and showers should be clean to a decent standard, and the kitchen should be safe to use. But at the same time, an unorganised room can be ignored for another time.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that a house with kids is always going to look lived-in, and that’s fine. Get kids involved in cleaning up and your home will at least look tidy for a few hours! If they can’t, then you should think about hiring house cleaning services instead.
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