We have all been there. Clean the house or spend time with the kids. The obvious choice is to spend quality time with your kids! We have a solution for the ever-daunting task of cleaning your house. Save time with a house cleaning schedule!
Follow these house cleaning tips and you will still have plenty of time to do what matters most to you.
Establish a routine with your family
Have everyone make their bed upon awakening. Even toddlers can be expected to make their beds (with help from you, of course). Add to the fun and let them choose their very own magnetic responsibility chart to encourage them to help daily with household chores.
All you need is 10-15 minutes per day! Who wants to spend countless hours each day cleaning? Nobody has time for that! Find little tasks to complete along the way that will diminish the time spent cleaning each day.
TIP: Have your family put their dirty clothes right in the washer. When it is full, run it! Make sure to establish the rule that whomever fills it needs to let you know when it is full if they are unable to independently start the wash cycle. The same technique works well with the dishwasher.
Get the kids involved!
Allow your child(ren) to sweep, vacuum, and even put laundry away. Give them washcloths and towels to bring into the bathroom. Ask them to put their socks away in their dresser drawer. Toddlers can and will help you with the laundry! You will have to lower your standards of thinking in regards to what a folded towel should look like. Savor the pride on your preschooler’s face when they fold something. Allow them to put piles of clothes in corresponding rooms. Believe it or not, this little task actually saves you some time. Did we mention it keeps them busy so you can get the laundry done?! Give them one article of clothing at a time and this back and forth laundry game can last a while. You will be pleasantly surprised at the amount of stuff you can get done with their help!
Learn more about what toddlers are capable of here.
Remember this above all of our other house cleaning tips- preschoolers and toddlers want to help and they absolutely love to help with chores! Give them credit. They are more than capable of helping you with household chores!
TIP: Use all natural cleaning products. They are safer, you can clean with the kids around, and the littles can even help with cleaning.
Read more about cleaning without chemicals here.
Alliteration will help you to remember the daily task at hand:
Sunday: sinks, shower, & surface clean the kitchen- counters/stovetop.
Monday: mirrors & mop- Wash any mirrors in your home with glass cleaner. Mop the floors.
TIP: One of our favorite house cleaning tips is to wait until after the kids have gone to bed and the dog is in for the night to mop the floors!
Tuesday: toilets.
Wednesday: Whoa- where did all of this dust come from? Dust & Vacuum. It is always a great idea to dust right before you vacuum. This way the dust you stir up is then vacuumed up.
Thursday: This laundry is multiplying as quickly as rabbits! Make sure everyone’s laundry is washed, dried, folded, and put away so you do not spend the entire upcoming weekend doing laundry. Aim to do a couple of loads on Thursdays to keep up with the demand. You may need to dedicate one more day to laundry depending on how large your family is. Since laundry is ongoing, hopefully it will not pile up too much on you!
Tip: Toddlers can help fold washcloths and small towels, panties, shorts / pants.
Friday: FREE- give yourself a break! You deserve it.
Saturday: sheets- Change all of the bedsheets. Aim to wash comforters once per month.
Daily: sweep- Letting a toddler sweep each day is perfectly acceptable!
Read more about taking some time for yourself here.
TIP: Have at least two sets of sheets for each bed! This way you do not have to wait for the sheets to become clean prior to making beds!
Ongoing: laundry/ dishwasher- Remember to have your family put their dirty clothes right in the washer/dishes in the dishwasher. When the machine is full, run it! Make sure the established rule of whoever fills the (dish)washer runs it or tells you it needs to be turned on is being followed.
House cleaning tips 101: Be Flexible
Know that life happens and you will miss a day here and there. Ten to fifteen minutes of tidying up per day is attainable. Obviously, if a mess arises, you will have to go off schedule and tend to said mess. Parties and special events can also alter your schedule. Once this house cleaning schedule becomes a routine in your home with everyone helping out, it will be second nature and you will not have to stress about how and when to clean the house.
Start early! Toddlers are completely capable of cleaning up. Children as young as three can begin making their beds. All children should clean up after themselves post meals. If you establish habits with your family, those habits will become a routine. Before you know it, everyone will be pitching in and you will have more quality time to spend as a family.
WANT TO READ MORE?
Need more house cleaning tips? We have you covered here.
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