Guest Blogger, Lizzie Weakley
Most people are capable of maintaining a clean and tidy home throughout the week while using each room. Those who have kids quickly learn that the home can become destroyed due to play time and little feet running around. To ensure that you can continue to keep the home clean when you have kids, there are a few important steps to take.
Designate Areas of Play
Instead of allowing your children to take control over the entire home, designate specific areas for play time to ensure that you won’t have to pick up the entire house at the end of the day. Allow them to only play in their room or in a play room to keep the mess controlled. You can also use baby gates to prevent the kids from entering the kitchen or certain rooms of the home.
Install a Built-In Vacuum Cleaner
Crumbs and dust are commonly found on the floors of homes where kids reside, which can be difficult to pick up or sweep multiple times each day when snacks and meals are served. Use a central vacuum to maintain clean floors with an automated product that is installed in the walls of a room and sucks up dirt that accumulates. The efficiency of the product will allow you to keep the floors clean without having to lift a finger.
Schedule Clean-Up Time Each Day
It can be difficult to navigate the home or find what you need if you only clean it at the end of each day. Opt for scheduling clean-up time with your kids mid-day and in the evening to prevent it from becoming a disaster that takes an hour to pick up. You can even sing a “clean-up” song with your kids to make it a fun activity that they look forward to.
Purge Each Room of the Home
Purging your home of unused items and junk is one of the most effective ways of keeping your home cleaner. Your children will have fewer items to grab and play with if you remove a significant amount of times that are not needed. Perform a spring cleaning process in each room and donate items that have not been used in the last year. You’ll also want to keep certain decor items or books out of reach from your children to prevent them from creating a mess. You also want to avoid buying products that you don’t need to have a home that is easier to manage.
Group Like Items Together
Use containers and bins to store different types of products to ensure that cleaning up your home is easy. You can label each bin to make it easier to find where certain items belong and avoid having clutter accumulate. Use four-drawer dressers for toys and teach your child where to place their personal belongings to ensure that they can help with cleaning up and are aware of where to return the items.
Limit Toys to One Room
Instead of allowing your children’s toys to accumulate in the bedrooms and in the living room, designate a specific area of the home where the toys are stored. Create a toy library where your children can access items that they want to use to prevent the home from becoming overrun with balls and train sets.
It may seem challenging to maintain an organized and clean home as you raise children, but there are several ways to keep the interior setting tidy each day. By designating specific areas for toys and using the right tools or products, you can control the chaos while still allowing your kids to have plenty of fun.
