Please tell me how you keep your house clean? What is your routine??

[nikandbud]

Needs some tips on getting a routine to keep my house in order. I have a 4.5 yr old and 3 yr old and one on the way. I feel like I'm always just picking up from the day and never have time to really clean. Then it all piles up on me. Any tips?

[Alyantavid]

I really clean on Saturdays while my kids watch cartoons.  That means dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing the kitchen and bathrooms, sweeping and mopping.

During the week, I maintain.  Bathrooms get wiped down during bathtime.  Kitchen floor gets swept and spot cleaned after dinner a few times a week.  I hate vacuuming, so once a week is max on that.  Beds get made every morning, dishes done every night after dinner, dishwasher runs as needed.  My kids pick up their own stuff (with help if needed).

Bigger jobs get done as needed; cleaning behind the fridge, stuff like that.

[clutterwarrior]

Have you tried Motivated Moms....it has worked for me. It breaks down the cleaning into manageable chunks, so you just do a bit each day.

There is a thread on this page about it.

[mich]

I was thinking of a reply, then I read the ages of your kids. Last year we were watching old home movies of when the boys were little, ages 1 and 3. I was so embarrassed to see the food, crumbs and wrappers on the kitchen floor. I new I was never perfect with cleaning, but it looked much worse that I remember!

As for now, cleaning is MUCH easier. The kids do chores and don't make as much mess as when they were young.

But that movie tells me I am not the person to give tips.

[clutterwarrior]

Michelle that is so true, that cleaning with young children is an uphill battle!

I also still remember vividly how quickly a small person could undo all my work....it's soul destroying at times.

The main areas to keep clean with small children for the sake of hygiene and health are the bathrooms, kitchen, and the floors. Other things like dusting etc are nice to get done but not as crucial, unless you have a child with asthma that is.

Try to clean over the bathroom sink and give the toilet a quick clean with the brush, every day after you have bathed, whether that be in the morning or night it doesn't matter...it's about making a routine.

It's great to mop weekly, but even if you don't always have time to, at least sweeping (or vacuuming) the kitchen daily will make a big difference.

[zoebird]

i tidy throughout the day, and do one chore a day.

Tidy: make the bed, pick up dirty laundry (to wash/dry/put away, or where ever i am in that cycle); then get dressed and ready for the day, straightening up the bathroom (quick wipe down of everything, quick sweep; keep laundry cycle going); then to the kitchen. make breakfast, clean up dishes, sweep the floor. 

then my chore.

the rest of the day i have three more tidy sessions: 1. tidy up toys at DS's nap time, and then DH and I have lunch so i do that and clean up the kitchen again after; 2. before dinner, another tidy of toys/etc, then dinner time and clean up from dinner; 3. final pick up before bed, should it be necessary.

i find that it doesn't take long if i do it throughout the day in little 5-15 minute bursts so that it's clean for the next go at it. but, if a mess builds up, it's not a problem either, because i know that i will get to it by the end of the next tidy.

[FillingMyQuiver]

It's so good to read these 2 posts, b/c I think many times, those of us w/ multiple young children become so discouraged by how little cleaning we get done.  Add to that the tendency to compare ourselves to other moms who seem to have it "all together", and it's how clutterwarrior put it, "soul destroying".

I seriously struggle w/ cleaning my home.  But I have 4 children under 6.5yo and I'm pg w/ #5.  I homeschool my 2 oldest and we pretty much spend most of our days at home.

I've adapted 2 cleaning routines to fit me, one is FlyLady and the other is by a member here, Kniitin' in the Shade's "brain files".  She's posted about it in this forum, I'm sure you can find it if you search.  It's just a daily/ monthly rotation of chores that uses about 30min a day and by the end of the month, my whole house has been cleaned
 

Originally Posted by clutterwarrior 

Michelle that is so true, that cleaning with young children is an uphill battle!

I also still remember vividly how quickly a small person could undo all my work....it's soul destroying at times.

The main areas to keep clean with small children for the sake of hygiene and health are the bathrooms, kitchen, and the floors. Other things like dusting etc are nice to get done but not as crucial, unless you have a child with asthma that is.

Try to clean over the bathroom sink and give the toilet a quick clean with the brush, every day after you have bathed, whether that be in the morning or night it doesn't matter...it's about making a routine.

It's great to mop weekly, but even if you don't always have time to, at least sweeping (or vacuuming) the kitchen daily will make a big difference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mich 

I was thinking of a reply, then I read the ages of your kids. Last year we were watching old home movies of when the boys were little, ages 1 and 3. I was so embarrassed to see the food, crumbs and wrappers on the kitchen floor. I new I was never perfect with cleaning, but it looked much worse that I remember!

As for now, cleaning is MUCH easier. The kids do chores and don't make as much mess as when they were young.

But that movie tells me I am not the person to give tips.

[Tumble Bumbles]

I found one of the best ways to keep clean is to be seriously decluttered. It's hard as it is with children, especially young children, to keep the house tidy -- but when you have unnecessary stuff cluttering up your life -- whether it be too many toys or too many clothes to wash or too many towels to fold, or too many dishes to load in the dishwasher etc, it adds up to a ton more work. I don't know if any of that applies to you but I found that when I seriously reduced the amount of stuff in our home, cleaning got easier.

[coyotemist]

Good info, thank you all for sharing.

I think I'm middle of the road, sometimes the house is good, sometimes not.  It's especially bad when I've worked a couple days (I work 12's, and at the end of the day the last thing I want to do is pick up toys).

I keep looking for more ways to keep things together (the number 1 solution has been to get this stuff OUT of here!).