How I Keep A Clean House With Children Around

I live by two rules in my house:
1.) Everything has its place.
2.) Do a little bit each day.

I'm a neat freak through and through, I cannot relax unless my house is clean. My husband often teases me and says that I like cleaning, but I actually like the end result. Keeping a clean and tidy house is important to me; it keeps me sane and helps me feel like I'm in control of something.

Even though I have two small children, I still like to keep things orderly. Yes, messes and accidents happen and there are some times when I need to just let life happen in our house. But there are plenty of other times when order reigns supreme in our house. Here are my tips on how I keep our house tidy even with my children around.

1.) To repeat myself from the beginning: Everything has its place.
Teach this to the people who live in your house. Shoes go on the shoe rack, book bags get hung up, toys go in the closet, books go on the shelf, papers get filed etc. My daughter knows where everything goes and when I tell her that it is time to clean up, she can easily help put everything back where it belongs in its proper place. By putting things where they belong eliminates the clutter on the kitchen counters and tables in the living room.


2.) Do a little bit each day.
Before I had children, I used to spend one day each week (and sometimes every other week) cleaning the house from top to bottom. I quickly learned with children that I don't have time for that. Plus, that cleaning day usually ended up being on a Saturday and I definitely don't want to spend our one completely free day cleaning. So I developed a cleaning schedule where I do a little bit each day. One day I will clean the bathrooms, another day I will clean the kitchen, another day is when I vacuum, etc. My cleaning schedule has changed over time, but I still live by the rule that I need to do a little bit each day.

3.) Wash your laundry by person. 
I do separate loads of laundry for each person in the house. This makes putting the laundry away a breeze. I don't have to worry about separating anything out, I just take the laundry to the appropriate person's room and put it away there. This is really helpful when other people help to put away laundry, they don't have to guess which items belong to anyone as each load is only for one person. I also do a little bit of laundry each day (or every couple of days). This way I stay on top of the laundry and don't end up with a mountain of clothes to get washed. Doing a little bit of laundry each day is actually better for your septic system too.

4.) Devote 15 minutes at the end of the day for a "reset."
After I put the kids to bed and before I sit down to watch Netflix, I tidy up and "reset" the house for the next day. I'll tidy up the kitchen, clean any dishes that maybe didn't go into the dishwasher, make sure shoes are put away, put the pillows back on the couch where they go, put away any miscellaneous items. By taking a little bit of time each night to pick things up, I save myself a lot of hassle in the morning.

5.) Make your bed.
One of the easiest ways to have your bedroom appear clean is to make your bed each morning. A nicely made bed looks so much better than a heap of crumbled sheets. When we first moved into our new house, one of the first things I did was make the beds.

6.) When you first get home, put away whatever you brought in.
I absolutely detest having clutter and items just laying around. It is a slippery slope if you let items accumulate in common areas. Whenever I come into the house, I immediately put away everything I brought in. If I purchased items at a store, I will put them where they are supposed to go. If I bring trash in from the car, I'll throw it away. If I carry in my purse, I will hang it up. By not procrastinating and putting everything away as soon as I come in prevents me from having a big mess to clean up later.
The same is true with packages that get delivered. As soon as I open a package, I will throw away the packing supplies, tear down the box and put the new item where it is supposed to go.

7.) Clean as you cook if you can.
I love making recipes for dinner that get prepared first and then bake for about 30 minutes. While the meal is baking, I will clean up the kitchen. That way almost all of the dishes are done, all leftover ingredients are put back and the kitchen is clean before you sit down to dinner.

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