On My Way to a Cleaner House

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So a couple weeks ago I asked the question, “Can you have a clean house with toddlers?”  Getting all the household chores done, entertaining the kids, running errands, cooking meals… It is impossible to get it all done every day and do it well.  After all, there’s just one mommy, so something has to give, and more often than not, it’s cleaning.  I started wondering how bad my house had become; was I skipping some essential cleaning routines?

I was relieved to find that I was getting  the  recommended daily  tasks done that I found on most websites… and MOST of the weekly one, at least according to sites like the one where I found the Ultimate House Cleaning Schedule. Of the weekly tasks I was missing, I’ve tried to start disinfecting the toys each week, like the schedule suggests.  And my son has made sure lately that the sheets have been cleaned each week instead of every couple weeks (diaper leaks), which I’ve found really isn’t such a pain if I get the sheets off in the morning and put new ones on while the kids are eating breakfast.  I haven’t gotten it written down into some set schedule yet like so many sites suggest, but at least I don’t feel like I’m letting the house fall to shambles.

I’ve also come to realize that it’s the “tidying” aspect of cleaning that really concerns me.  With the kitchen table consistently  littered with papers , mittens, hats, and various toys, and the counter being in similar shape, I need to find a better way to keep those areas organized.  Any ideas?

Comments

  1. I find that if I just have everyone put things away when they’re done it makes my cleaning easier. If they’re too little, I help them put it away when they’re done. Helps with the clutter. Also, I only clean once a day–at night when they’re all asleep 🙂 Doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me.

    Visiting from SITS & now following 🙂 Would love to have you stop by:
    http://acreativemomma.blogspot.com/
    http://www.facebook.com/creativemommas

    • Yes, I usually clean after they’re in bed too… But I never seem to get to the kitchen table, just picking up the toys off the floor. I’m trying to start a 5 minutes before bedtime pickup routine….
      Thanks for the follow; I’ll be at your site soon!

  2. Hi sitstah! The dining room table is my pet peeve! I set up bins in the hall closet for all the hats and mittens and then an accordion file for the mail and papers. But mainly it comes down to consistency and making sure that everyone does their part.

    Now following you and sharin’ the sits love!

    • Thanks for the good ideas. I actually have a file for papers, and I try to get them in each day… You’re right about the “everyone” needing to do their part. Wonder if I can actually get the husband involved. LOL.
      Thanks for the follow. I’ll be checking out your site shortly…

  3. Hi. Visiting from SITS. Very cute blog. I have been trying to keep organized & clean more this year. 1 of my goals is to get organized. It is very hard with a toddler.

  4. I hung a clear vinyl shoe organizer with pockets on the inside of the coat closet for my kids to put their hats and mittens in. It seems to help my kids find their hats and gloves. I’m still working on trying to keep books and papers organized.

    We used to make a game out of seeing how many things we could put away while we listened to a song. Or, we’d pretend to be Thing 1 and Thing 2 and the Cat and the Hat, putting things away before Mom came in the door…. 🙂

    Hope your week goes well! I’m following from Mom Loop. 🙂
    Kay
    http://www.e-learninglinks.com/

  5. I wish I had ideas, but my one and two-year-old make it super hard to clean. I made corn muffins this morning and my son decided to play Hansel and Gretel in the forest. He definitely left a trail behind LOL!

    I’m following from bloggy moms.

    ecwrites.blogspot.com

    • Too cute! I love the Hansel and Gretel image. We have a dog… the bread crumbs wouldn’t last long here. LOL>
      I’ll be checking out your site soon; thanks for stopping by!

  7. Hi! I’m your newest follower from Bloggy Moms! My dining room table is also my biggest pet peeve! I can never seem to keep all the papers, recepits, books, and misc. things off of it! I’m curious to see if you get any suggestions that will help me out as well!

    Looking forward to reading more from you!

  10. I usually clean while my little one (who isn’t crawling yet, thank heavens!) is sleeping…then again, I’m going to have to rethink the nap time cleaning once he’s mobile!!

    New follower from BloggyMoms 🙂

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