Long ago I questioned whether you could have a clean house with kids.

And the answer?  No, you can’t have it as clean as if the house had no kids, and I’m okay with that.

I have, however, found some ways to multi-task and get a little cleaning done while doing other things, like having fun with the kids.

1. The laundry always piles up.  (I mean, no matter how often you wash clothes, there are always dirty ones to wash.)  And once they get out of the drier, they need folded and put away.  I HATE this part.Solution?  I let the clothes pile up and sit until the kids are asleep (after all, if I try to do it when they’re awake they tend to throw the just folded clothes on the ground…).  Then I put on a favorite t.v. show (either Criminal Minds on Wednesday or Friends reruns on DVD) and fold while I watch.  It’s like rewarding myself while I work.  And it seems to get done faster.
2. Next problem – getting the clothes put away.  I usually wait to do this until morning, for one thing, you can’t put them in the kids’ drawers while they’re sleeping…  My kids LOVE to play hide-n-seek, so I suggest we play a game and then when they go hide, I count really, really slowly, putting away laundry as I count.  They’re happy and entertained and the clothes get put away.   (This also works for simple tidying around the house.)
3. What about dishes?  I try to load/unload the dishwasher after each meal, while the kids are still finishing their food.  Using this time that I used to just sit and try to convince them to keep eating means I don’t have a full sink to deal with at the end of each day.
4. I have two days a week where vacuuming is on my schedule.  My kids love to help.  I just give one of them the cordless hand vac to do the couch while I do the floor.  They also like to use the Swifter on the kitchen floor. (It might not be perfect, but it will do.  Besides, the dog gets all the crumbs up right away anyway!)
5.  How clean is your shower?  I confess, when I did my spring cleaning it took 3 days of scrubbing to get mine clean.  I vowed not to let it get that bad again. Solution?  I bought a little scrub brush to keep in the shower.  A couple times a week I scrub down the walls while I’m in the shower.  I just use my foot to scrub the floor while the hot water pours down my back (I love hot showers).  It doesn’t take more than a minute or two, and the shower still looks great 6 months after the big spring cleaning scrub down.

What about you?  Do you have any great multi-task tips for cleaning that could save a fellow mom some time?  Let me know in the comments section – I might just use your idea and link to your site in a future post!

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