I won’t lie – it’s important to me to have a clean house. But within the past few weeks, I have had multiple people tell me that they think I deep clean all day every day. Ha! Ain’t nobody got time for that. Especially if you have young children, am I right?! And for the record, some of those people have never even been to my house. Do I really put out that much of a nutty vibe?
We also live on church property, so that gives me a little more motivation because you never know who may stop by (which I don’t mind at all!).
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I will admit that I like our home to be kept a certain way, which is why I’ve prepared these 6 simple housekeeping tips to let you in on my secret…
Two Truths and a Lie
- Truth: If our house is not organized and (at least semi) clean, I feel overwhelmed and can’t function well.
- Truth: I like having people over. Messes truly don’t bother me if we’re having a good time and enjoying ourselves at the house. In all honesty, I will probably be picking up before you’re totally out of the driveway, but you don’t need to know that 😉.
- Lie: My house has no dirt and I spend hours each night making sure that it is spotless.
Clean House Essentials
Ok listen, in order for me to have a clean house (even with kids!), there are a few items that are simply essential.
- Robot Vacuum. This has made such a HUGE difference in keeping my cleaning anxiety down that my husband agrees that we can *always* have one. 🥳 Hooray! You can get super fancy with these, but this is just like the one I have and it does a great job at keeping my floors clean.
- Steam Mop. Again, this is an essential in our home. In fact, last night, we spilled BLACK royal icing all in the kitchen, and this bad boy had it cleaned up in no time!
Both of these products are an investment, but well worth the price tag!
- Lightweight Vacuum. I prefer to use a vacuum instead of a broom and dust pan. This model is SO easy to use that I’ve made it my preschooler’s job to sweep up after dinner. I also love that it can be used as a handheld vac for carseats and high chairs!
So, how do I do it?
How To Have A Clean House (Even With Kids!)
1. Don’t “Save it for Later”
This one is huge (which is why I made it #1) – the mother of all housekeeping tips. No matter if we’re cooking, playing, coloring, or eating, when we’re done, it gets picked up right away. There’s no such thing at my house as “we’ll clean it up later.”
While you’re using/playing with whatever you’ve got out, have fun! Be imaginative! Get out whatever you want! But when you’re done, it needs to be picked up and back where you found it.
As far as the kitchen, dishes that need to soak are the only exception for things not cleaned and put away after dinner.
By putting things back after you’re done using them, you will save yourself a whole lot of time at the end of the day and have a clean house to unwind in!
2. The 60-Second Rule
The rule is simple: if you can do it in 60 seconds or less, do it right away. It’s amazing how much your to-do list will shrink if you will just take care of the little things immediately. What’s even more amazing is how many things can be done in 60 seconds or less!
Don’t get too crazy with this one…doing 60 things in a row in 60 seconds or less is not the point (guilty 🤪 ).
3. Everything Has a Place
To reduce clutter (my arch nemesis), I make sure everything has a place. Toys go in the toy box. Dishes go in the cabinets. Bills go in the organizer. Magazines go in their super-cute crate. Books/Movies go on the shelf. Blankets/clothes go in the closet or dresser (besides one quilt that is allowed to hang out on the back of a chair).
The only areas that have escaped my grasp are my husband’s nightstand and dresser (the struggle is real). But I figure he’s grown and when he really wants to show me he loves me, he cleans them off (and they may even stay that way for a day or two haha).
It’s amazing how just putting things away can help you have a clean house.
4. Teach Your Kiddos
From the time our daughter was able to follow simple instructions, we started teaching her to pick up her toys. We would turn it into a game and praise her (excessively) each time she put something back in her toy box. It was so exciting to see her start to understand and the look of achievement that she would shoot in our direction. Sometimes, we would get distracted and she would remind us that she needed her applause.
By the time she was 2, it was magical! When it was time to start getting ready for bed, all we had to say was “go start picking up your toys” and she would do it! Sometimes she needed help staying on track and we’d point things out that still needed to be put away, but for the most part, she had it under control.
Now that she’s older, she can also put her clothes in the drawer, run the vacuum under the table after dinner, help wipe spills and stains (they actually love going on a “scavenger hunt for spills and stains” 😂🥳), make her bed, and help put some dishes and groceries away.
We’re starting the process over with our youngest (who is nearing 2) and having a big sister to copy seems to make a big difference 👌.
A lot of parenting is teaching our kids how to live without us so that they can be responsible adults. By teaching your kids to do chores and help with housework, you’re teaching them how to have a clean house of their own one day.
5. Tackle One Project Each Day
When we were newlyweds and living in an apartment, I would have “housecleaning night” and knock everything out at once. It wasn’t super difficult to clean the bathrooms, do the laundry, vacuum, and dust all in one night. Now, we have a larger house, a 4 year old, and a toddler…and that’s just not gonna happen. So we have a bathroom day, a main floor day (living room and kitchen), and a bedroom day.
I don’t have a set day of the week for each, and some weeks everything might not get done, but I also don’t drive myself nuts by trying to do everything in one day.
6. Do One Load of Laundry a Day
This kind of goes with the previous tip, but “laundry days” are exhausting – especially if you have more than one or two people dirtying up clothes! For us, having a super simple sorting system works wonders.
We have a hamper with 3 baskets in our bedroom…whites (towels, socks, and underwear), lights (nothing red, blue, or black), and darks. My husband and I differ slightly on those last two sorts, but I’m the one writing the blog, so I say that’s how it goes haha. Our daughters have their own hampers that I don’t bother sorting by color.
All I do is manage the levels. If I see one basket is getting pretty full, I’ll do that one load. Wash, dry, put away. Tomorrow, maybe there’s another one that needs to be done…or maybe there’s not! Do the math…4 baskets, 7 days a week…every night does not have to have a load of laundry done.
Voila! I think that’s pretty much it…my tried and true housekeeping tips to always have a clean home.
I am so glad to be reading your blog again! You have a way with words! It is also nice to see things from your point of view rather than that of your Mom. So very proud of the Christian woman, wife, mother, sister and friend that you’ve become!