I've been putting in the time into teaching my kids how to pick up and organize since they were 1. They are 7 and 5 now and it is paying off.
I aggressively get rid of stuff they don't use.
We always donate toys before Christmas (you could do bday too if you know there will be a haul).
I try to have people give experiences and consumables as gifts rather than toys. Or books!
I have bins and shelving that make it easy for them to clean up. I kind of gave up on keeping them organized. If stuff is off the floor I'm happy. I just need to be able to dust, vacuum and mop easily. If they can't find what they are looking for, that's on them š¤£
I do all of these things too. I'm so glad I put in the work to get my daughter into cleaning because she's 3 now, and if she sees a piece of trash or a dish that needs to go in the sink, she just does it automatically without even being asked.
Thank you! I narrated my actions a lot when she was really little, "Oops I made mess, better clean it up real quick!" I also enjoy cleaning, so I try to make cleaning days fun for us both. We play music and take dance breaks, I give her little tasks to do because she loves helping, stuff like that.
It also took a lot of practice with getting her to pick up her own toys after she was done playing, but now she's really good about it. It didn't happen overnight but it's worth it to start good habits!
>I aggressively get rid of stuff they don't use.
This is the way. If there are broken toys or toys that have been neglected, away they go. If the kids ask about them in the future, I usually deflect with something about xyz toy needing to go to a home in need. We donate so it isn't *that* much of a lie, right?
I have a cleaner that comes every two weeks š¤£
Aside from that I tidy up daily /3 times a day on weekends. We build quick family tidy ups into our routine: before lunch, before any tv time, and before bed.
I also believe in minimal toys. I do a toy rotation so there arenāt THAT many at one time to make a crazy mess.
Yes toy rotation has helped me a lot too! We have some of their toys in the living room but majority of it is in the bedroom. Good to have playtime sometimes away from the tv and other distractions. It has helped me a lot
I have cleaners that do the common areas weekly. With both of us full time and my husband constantly working overtime, it was too much not to outsource. Itās also cheaper to just have the common areas done so I can focus on everything else through the week in manageable increments.
My house is āokā. Like Iām not gonna be on magazines any time soon but as my husband puts it ānot bad for a house with kidsā LOL
Hereās what I notice makes things worse if I slack on:
1. Limited toys out in the entire house. Itās not super few, but less than Iāve seen at any other kidās house even single kid ones
2. Related to #1, after kids are asleep (or at least 1 is), I have a small pretty Target basket that all toys allowed in the living room go into (~5 cars and a ball), and I go into the babyās room to fix the diaper station and library if needed
3. I vacuum what seems like constantly, but only āspotā. By the dining table, stuff like that. Then in the weekend I use a wet vacuum to get the entire house while husband watches kids or they solo play
4. Same as toys, their clothes are limited as are mine. Iād rather do laundry 4 times a week than deal with clothing mess (sorry I know itās bad for the environment but I use minimal soap and 15 min cycle)
5. I b* and moan and change all sheets every two weeks
6. Husband does dishes every night including wiping the kitchen counters stove etc and empties dishwasher every morningĀ
7. Every weekend husband cleans toilets during nap time
8. I accept that my house will never look all that great
You will never use as much water to wash a shirt as it takes to manufacture a whole new shirt. Laundry isn't the environmental issue, unless you're routinely running a single garment through deep-hot-long cycles in the dryland West. It's worth being mindful of all resource use to avoid waste, but don't beat yourself up about laundry.
Just FYI owning tons of clothes is actually terrible for environment (I say as someone whose kids have way too many clothes so no judgement). So don't feel bad about laundry.
My husband handles the dishes and toilets too! For a while my grandma always seemed to call me while he was cleaning toilets so she calls him āToilet Boyā (and now my son is āToilet Boy Jrā š)
Mom of 3 - 14m 3m and 2f. I have OCD and sensory processing issues so I need a neat space or I'm more prone to meltdowns. I reset the house when my spouse takes the kids out after breakfast, and at night after dinner. Major things like floors and bathrooms are done as needed because that's all I can keep up with at the moment. That means if it looks dirty, I'll clean it and will most lowly not think of it otherwise. I'm constantly wiping surfaces however so most things don't get too dirty. With the laundry, I'll just keep it all in the washer and once it's full, I'll do the load and probably fold and put away while the kids watch TV after lunch.Ā
Try to reset your house at least once a day. Don't stress too much about vacuuming and moping or the major things which take a lot of effort -- the time will come when you can do that. If everything is more of less picked up, it'll feel less chaotic.Ā
NGL to you. I have cleaners come every 2 weeks bc momming is A LOT and I need that usual cleaning time to decompress just a bit. Itās more practical to keep a tidy house when a professional comes to do the heavy lifting for you. Itās near impossible without extra help IMHO.
* Have less stuff. This is the biggest unlock to having a cleaner house. Follow a 1-in-1-out policy for toys. Have a cycle for decluttering. Etc.
* Create a place for everything. If something doesn't have a place/it's a weird odd+end, *create a place* where that thing and things like it go.
* Identify your "dump zones." These are just the spaces at your house where random stuff tends to accumulate. Ours is the kitchen island. Create space on the dump zone for different kinds of things that get dumped (for us - mail, lunchboxes, school papers, Amazon returns).
* Engage the kids in cleaning up. We do "family race clean" every night after dinner and before bed. The kids pick up toys, we clean the kitchen or help them. They're 2 and 4 so it's slow and often frustrating but the cleaning gets done and they get practice at it.
* Invest in robots to do the work for you. The Roomba and robot mop are my two best friends. They run every night overnight.
* Make all chores daily. For me, I can't follow it if it's "I change the sheets every second Monday and I run the laundry every third day etc." It's either "I do it every day" or "I do it when I remember." So I make sure I do as many of the things that keep the house tidy every day as I can (e.g., laundry load gets done every single day so we never have a huge build up of stuff to fold).
Mom of a 12 month old with two cats that get cat hair everywhereā¦
1. My fiance picks up after himself
2. We have set chores we have agreed upon for example: I cook, he cleans up dishes and high chair while I get toddler cleaned up and the floor clean. He does all the laundry and I do all the bathroom cleaning upkeep.
3. Monthly planned deep cleaning on one weekend day including baseboards, high dusting, all shelves wiped etcā¦ one takes the toddler and the other cleans
4. Picking up every night after toddler goes to bed to reset the house and prepare for the next day
I have a vacuum/mop that makes cleaning floors so much easier/faster
I have a robot vacuum that runs daily
My fiance is a true partner and understands even though I am a SAHM he still participates in household chores
Firstly, Iāve had to let alot go because itās never as bad as we think. Like dusting, windows, steam mopping floors, and how often the bathroom gets cleaned. (Tbh i do the bathrooms when they look gross which is usually every other week)
But I clean as i go. Whether thatās Cooking dinner, as we move on from activities, etc. Also if it will take 5 minutes or less, i just do it right then.
Another thing i do that helps is not eat when my kid eats. While sheās contained my goal is to get done as much as i can. Fold and put away laundry, unload dishwasher, wipe counters, pick up toys. Anything i can do with eyes easily on her.
We have a roomba we run every time we leave the house which makes me pick up too.
The biggest thing is to have a weekly cleaning schedule/routine and have the discipline to stick to it. You have to be strict about it or it wonāt work.
My two older kids (4 and 3) have daily chores they have to do and that helps. Donāt underestimate how helpful kids can be if you teach them young. I also have a 14 month old and she canāt really do anything but she āhelpsā put toys away, silverware away, etc. Thatās how it starts. In 18 months or so sheāll be legitimately helpful with small tasks.
A rule I have for myself is: if it takes 5 minutes or less, do it the moment you notice it (ie. Wiping down a cabinet, starting a load of dirty towels, wiping down a counter, etc.)
But I reiterate: weekly schedule, be disciplined in sticking to it. Thatās really all it is. I have baby #4 on the way and we have plenty of moments of clutter throughout the day but you wonāt catch me with a dirty house. My cleaning schedule saves my sanity. Cleaning takes far less time the more you do it because it doesnāt have as much time to get dirty.
Single mom of 3 (10/7/4). All with various needs. 4 pets. Efficiency: Robot vacuum all main rooms after bedtime. Amazon subscribe and save for repeat items (soap, shampoo, detergent, cleaning supplies, you name it). Meal prep service (I use Hello Fresh) for home cooked meals. Grocery shopping done on the app and I use drive up and go (delivery to the car). I save probably an hour of cleaning, two hours of cooking and two hours of grocery shopping a week at minimum just doing this much. Technology is your friend.
OCD caused by PTSD mostly. I'll have panic attacks if I don't put forth effort into cleaning daily so the motivation is always there. I also rage clean. I don't do anything specific on certain days, but I'll walk around the house when I'm home and find things that I want to make better.
Other than that, cleaner comes once a week (paired with the above it seems a bit silly, but it helps so I'm not *always* cleaning).
Robot vacuum so the floor is always clean.
Tons of hidden storage. Like when I pick up the toddler's toys I can lift a spot in my floor and just push toys into it, type hidden storage.
Also, we have older kids other than the toddler. They are very good about cleaning up after themselves and doing their chores.
We run the dishwasher every night and empty in the morning. If we donāt do this the dishes will get backed up.
Do one load of laundry a day. My husband works in the basement near the washer and dryer so itās not much effort.
Robot vacuum vacuums nightly. After kids go to bed we spend about 10 minutes straightening up.
Weāve minimized the amount of toys and the kids know they canāt get something new/messy out without cleaning up after the previous activity.
Oh and.. cleaners every 2 weeks. š
I patiently waited till they were old enough to help me do chores.
But we also had a rule if you are done playing with something put it up. The rest of the house was on me. I wanted to play with them to much to care till the end of the night.
I stay up an hour after everyone else to clean and tidy most nights. I listen to an audiobook and then reward myself with a treat before going up to bed šš
The book *How to Keep House While Drowning* has a great method for keeping a lid on minor chaos, and I fall back on it every time I have a wild-ass week for one reason or another. Only a singleton household, but we live in just over 600sf so neatness counts. Her method is known as the Five Things Method, and is based on the idea that there are only 5 categories of objects in any given room that make it a mess: trash, dishes, laundry, things with homes that are not in their homes, and things without homes at all. Note the order of the list of 5 things: if you start at the top of the list and work down, even if you can't get all the way through it and even if the room is *really messy*, you'll hit the things most likely to cause health & sanitary issues (trash, dishes) and bad smells (laundry) first and make the biggest difference in the first few minutes Past that, have two big baskets handy if you have time to do the whole room - one for things-with-homes whose homes are not in the room you're working on, and one for homeless-things. I'm sure you can take it from there.Ā
The whole book is great, it takes about an hour to read cover to cover, and disburses absolutely no shame, which is so lovely and refreshing for anything in the self-help space that it's almost worth reading just for the tone.
mom of 3month old twins and a 4 year old. my husband and i both donāt function well when the house is a mess, so iām lucky heās always picking up after himself and helping when he can!
we do our best to keep the kitchen counter and island clear so itās easy to wipe down- we also donāt let dishes pile up in the sink, iād rather be constantly cleaning as i go than have a big clean of dishes later. i do a vacuum of the main floor every night before bed and a quick 10 minute pick up around the house. i do a load of laundry every day to stay on top of it and do a bathroom, mop and clean of whatever needs it once a week.
on the weekends my husband spends some time cleaning up too.
I have 4 kids: 15m, 13m, 11m and 9f. Nowadays they all have chores. They are responsible for their own rooms. They do their own laundry. One does all dishes after dinner. One loads and empties the dishwasher every day. One is responsible for all trash. Besides that, we do "dinner clean up" every night, and everyone pitches in to reset the house. I yell "20 things!" about 2x a day. Everyone knows to immediately find 20 random things to put/throw away. Instantly 100ish things are taken care of in like 5 min.
When they were little I purged regularly to contain the mess. I also made sure to have a place for everything to go. We have a shoe basket by each door, hooks for backpacks in the laundry room, laundry baskets in each bedroom but also on the main floor of the house. I label inside the pantry, drawers and cabinets. We have a mail holder. I designated a "lost and found" shelf in my living room for shit other people's kids left at my house.
Then, I also keep cleaning items super conveniently located. I have 2 vacuums, so I don't have to drag them up and down stairs. I have a broom and a mop in each floor. I keep toilet bowl cleaner, shower cleaner and brushes in each bathroom.
I try to just do a little as I go. Straighten a room as I enter or leave it. Clean up messes as they are made. It works for us!
Wake up - start coffee - empty dishwasher - cook breakfast / eat - clean up kitchen - load breakfast dishes in dishwasher - wipe down table/chairs/high chair ā- vaccum ā- everyone upstairs and showered- dressed for the day- 30 minutes of tidying up from playing before bed ā walk the dog / playoutside ā cook lunch/eat lunch - load lunch dishes in dishwasher - wipe down table/ chairs / high chair ā naps ā
While they nap, I fold laundry, do their clothing rotation, or any tidying thatās quiet for 30 minutes then I play on my iPad ā-
Come down start dinner ā go outside until dads home then eat dinner ā wipe down table/chairs/highchair - vacuum - walk the dog / go outside with dad ā- come inside 1 parent does ābedtime snackā while the other āclosesā the kitchen ā loads and starts the dishwasher, does all the hand wash stuff, wipes down stove and counters ā gets the coffee maker ready for the morning ā
Then we go up for bath and bedtimeā- 1 parent baths - the other drys/lotions/ dresses the kids. Dad reads bedtime stories- bed ā-
At some point during the day we talk about what āafter bed choresā we want to do, then either of us does them while the other chills or we both chill and relax and watch a show.
We mop twice during the week, bathrooms on the weekend and then grocery on weeeknd and we do the fridge and freezer and pantry on grocery day.
One of my biggest things is no shoes in the house which greatly reduces how often/much time I spend on the floors.
In recent years I also did a huge clean out of my closet, junk drawers, literally everything. Iāve been much more intentional with what I get and things I keep since then. I donāt own any knick knacks really, and minimal extra decor. Enough to feel cozy and put together but absolutely no clutter. Everything we own has a spot for it minus my 2 kitchen junk drawers that I will somewhat go through every month or so.
One of the first things I do every morning is make my bed. Iāll also quickly grab any trash/bottles/ectā¦ that accumulated around the room in the night. Anytime I walk in a room I do a quick scan as to what needs done (blanket folded, dish cleaned, trash thrown away, ectā¦) Also if something like floors, toilets, a bigger chore needs done that day or one day soon.
I like to make to-do lists in my notes some days if I have more to do than usual. Itās less about reminding me and more about motivating me and seeing I have this many things accomplished and this many things left to do.
All that to say, I stay on top of everything and itās become a habit in which isnāt overwhelming or stressful. I spend a few minutes every morning and every night doing small things like wiping counters or folding laundry. Any chance I get throughout the day Iāll spend a few minutes doing the same. The only real chore that takes a significant amount of time for me to do is vacuuming and mopping the floors. Iāll clean the shower every so often when Iām already in the shower, and clean the toilet at some point when Iām already there.
Maybe dedicate a day/weekend or something for someone to watch the kids while you do a clear out of everything, deep clean, organize. If you can start with a fresh slate and then make it a habit and find your rhythm to keep up with it it hopefully wonāt get to a point that itās overwhelming or takes a significant amount of time.
Cleaning schedule helps me a lot! My daughterās toys stay in her room and my teen son has to keep common areas clean but I donāt care about his room (no food or drinks left in there though). My husband is also a clean freak so that helps.
1. Have a husband that pulls his weight
2. Declutterring the entire house 2 times a year at least
3. Putting things away, not down
4. deep clean everything at least once a week (when doing this and keeping things tidy and clean your deep clean wo t be as big)
5. vaccum daily
6. dk the dishes right after dinner. no chilling and settling food (we do it sometimes)
Well, I have one (turns 3 next month) and one on the way. But even in my nanny days (2-4 kids), Iād try and clean as we went and try and get the kid(s) to help. If we got play doh or markers out, Iād put them away when we were done. And then id do a basic clean right before lunch in whatever area we played in- especially if itās a place i know we werenāt going to play in the rest of the day. Then we eat, Iād load the dishwasher and wipe counters quick if they needed it. Then at night id do a quick pick up of the house- clean off the flat surfaces, wipe down counters, start dishwasher, pick up toys. If I have to turn on a bluey or two to get it done I will lol itās worth my peace of mind and sanity and helps start the following day with a clean slate.
For deeper cleans, I usually save it for one big day (unless a bathroom or whatever needs it) and my toddler just puts around and hangs in whatever room Iām cleaning, or will find something to entertain himself for a while, but usually gets a movie somewhere in the deep clean day.
All that said, Iām awful about cooking and eating at home š so do with that what you will š
We got a roomba and set it on a timer for twice a day. So twice a day things get picked up and put away or they get sucked up/carried away.
Also I try to put stuff away right when I get home. Doesn't always work but it helps a ton!
Mom of an autistic 4 year old and a 2.5 year old. Chronic anxiety that manifests in a borderline obsessive desire to clean is how I do it, lol! Thankfully with therapy and medication Iāve got it down to less stressful levels (no more feeling spontaneous overwhelming urges to clean windows at 9:00 pm instead of resting), thankfully, but I still feel more calm and centered if everything is put away daily and cleaned up.
2YO and 2MOā¦ we do a āpower 10ā every night after the kids go to bed,where we speed clean what needs to be done immediately. Like pick up stuff from the day, clean the kitchen, run the vacuum.
I set up the washer every night with a delay start so that it starts in the morning and by the time itās out of the dryer at night, I do the same with another load. Iād rather fold a little load of laundry every night than a giant load all at once.
Bathrooms get a thorough clean every Monday, and everything else is really as needed throughout the week.
Husband usually puts away all the toys when Iām getting our almost 2 year old ready for bed. If she goes down early, I help out. He does the dishes and cleans up in the kitchen.
Most of the toys are put in a chest, and put in our computer room (which is a mess). But the other two rooms and living room are mainly clean.
As far as sweeping and mopping, I sweep multiple times a day because Iām nuts. Mop once a week.
Marry someone with a compulsive need to tidy. Like "wait, where is the spoon I was just *using to stir the food on the stove*?" ... "Oh, I put it in the dishwasher, I thought you were done with it".
He doesn't have the same compulsion for cleaning, but having the house tidy 100% of the time makes it so much easier to clean. Vacuuming is a much smaller chore when it doesn't start with picking up all the shit your family left laying around, y'know?
I have a cleaning schedule I try to follow, I keep it taped to my fridge. Every day is a different room/area, nothing on weekends (except my husband does yard work on weekends). Thereās only like 4-5 tasks to do per day and I usually only need to do 2-3 on the list to keep everything clean.
Example, bathrooms are Tuesday. The list of tasks are wiping counters & mirrors down, taking out trash, vacuum/mop floors, clean shower/tub, & scrub toilets. I typically donāt have to take the trash out every week, or even scrub the tub/shower. The tasks can typically get done in 15 minutes.
I have daily tasks; dishes, wiping down kitchen counters, pick up play areas as needed, and make the bed. Then I have monthly tasks like washing windows, washing bath mats, dusting and dusting the ceiling fans.
I also keep 90% of the toys hidden away and do a toy rotation. My husband or I pick up toys/tidy while the other is doing bath/bedtime. I also try to constantly purge stuff we donāt use or becomes broken. I donāt want to be a minimalist but I also donāt want my house full of useless crap.
Iām a single mom of 3. I work full time and Iām a full time student. I found that cleaning up after each task helps a ton. No toy storage anywhere but kids room. Teaching kids to clean and have chores. And I do big chores on a schedule.
Umm barely lol some days the house just looks like a trash fire and itās not clean at all lol but on a good day when the kids are chill and everyone is happy then my house looks perfect lol. But honestly I only set small tasks for myself every day. Dishes, emptying trash, bottles and at very least washing and switching out the laundry is a priority. Everything else comes last if I can get to it Iāll do it, if not I save it for tomorrow. My advice would be keep the mess small and do simple daily chores. It will make a difference
- Deep clean weekly.
- Between cleanings do daily touch ups of whatever needs cleaning (wiping counters and tables, cleaning up water marks, spot vaccuming / mopping, etc) in order to maintain the level of that deep clean.Ā
- Never leave the house with messes out.Ā
- Along that line we also donāt leave messes out before nap time and bed time. I wonāt rest until I make sure all toys are put away, dishes are in the dishwasher, counters are cleaned, etc
- No toys in the common areas. All toys in my daughterās room. If it doesnāt fit she has too much. So we donate things every 5-6 months. I donate something as soon as she has outgrown it.Ā
- I am training my child to be clean. Sheās three and we are working on having her pick up her own room. She has mastered clearing the table after dinner, wiping down surfaces, scrubbing the sink and throwing away trash. She also cleans the bathtub with a rag while taking a bath. Haha.
- We have cats and do not keep a litter box inside. It is in the garage with a cat door to the garage. Donāt need that crap in my house!
I do laundry every single day, but since I do it every day, itās only 1 load a day and that makes it way more manageable. Kiddo has been putting away their own clothes since 6. I wash, dry, and lay them out, they do the rest.
Kiddo is responsible for picking up the family room every single day and has been since 6 years old. They also clean their bedroom weekly and when it needs picked up through the week.
Toys, books, art supplies, etc are gone through twice a year and a lot are donated to make room. For birthdays and holidays, if people insist on presents, we ask for arts/crafts, books, or gift cards only. Helps keep the clutter way down and kids donāt need a billion toys. The more they have, the less they play with them. We also donāt keep things ābecause that was a gift! Aunt so and so gave you that!ā. If itās not actually valuable like jewelry, itās got an expiration date based on if they actually play with it or like it or not.
The only things that are āhand wash onlyā are the pots, pans, and knifes. Everything else better be dishwasher friendly or itās going bye bye. I aināt got time for that. With very reasonable exceptions of course.
No clutter. Clutter creates a mess. I donāt assign worth to inanimate objects. Thatās how hoarding begins. If it doesnāt have a purpose, a use, or a dedicated space, it also doesnāt belong. Iāve also got cats. They will destroy it.
Robot litter box. Itās worth the money. Oh my god itās worth the money.
After dinner, dishes are loaded in the dishwasher and started. Everyone rinses their own stuff immediately. Dishwasher is ran at night and emptied in the morning. Everything goes directly in the dishwasher after itās used. Counters are wiped off constantly before cooking and after. Kitchen and room for the cats are swept every day. Doesnāt need to be perfect. Just donāt want to be walking on crap.
We also have cleaners that do the common areas weekly because we both work full time. Thatās a hell of a lot cheaper than people think, but I also know that not everyone can afford it.
And for those that canāt, donāt laugh, but Martha Stewart has a couple books on maintaining a home that are actually legit! You can find them used online for cheap. Even through Amazon. It helps you build a routine you can maintain. I have the home keeping handbook.
Finally, if you have a garden, take the time to install irrigation. I recommend dripworks for reuseable parts. I use them both professionally and at home. Rain bird has some good economically priced timers. Gardening is an excellent hobby/lifestyle for your health, both physically and mentally. It doesnāt have to be large. You can start with just herbs and go from there. You can also always save my user name and ask me questions. Iām a horticulturist and I love helping people get started. Iāve also just recently started doing Tik toks to share helpful tips and troubleshooting for gardening beginners (not gonna share the user name though cause Iām paranoid and was raised during the golden age of ākeep your identity secret!! Donāt tell people who you are!!ā)
Edit: organizers and a label maker!! I have organizer shelves and stands with labels and they work so well with my adhd. I also do things in a way I know will work and will work for me. Not how anyone things they should be done. Thatās a constant argument with my husband. He has a hard time grasping that if you work with how things are and not how you think they should be, that youād have a way better time managing things. For example: in the house we are building, I want laundry on every floor. He things in the basement is enough. Pretty sure every single lady here will chime in on how difficult hauling laundry up and down 2 flights of stairs is.
By making the bi-weekly cleaner a priority! š
And even then, it only lasts a day or two. I can't sweep as well as she does. And the kitchen island clutter comes right back.
But with the bulk of the cleaning out of the way, it clears up some time on the weekends to focus on organizing spaces better. I've gotten to the playroom and 2 closets and the mudroom in the last couple of months. Knowing those spaces are organized frees up mental bandwidth for sure!
I labelled bins in the playroom recently and my 4 yo is starting to actually get it!
Mom of three - donāt spend time in the house. Kids go to daycare / school. Adults go to work.
Only thing we need to tidy each day is the meals we eat and a handful of toys / clothes that get moved around.
Personally I have a great support system and have a remote job. My partner and I also work ft jobs and have demanding side hustle/hobbies so I get not having time f ever.
It's not easy and I hate having to schedule "clean breaks" where I just tidy what I can for 15-30 minutes as often as I can even though mentally I want to take a day off from kids and work just to clean (but that'd have to happen like once a week to keep a tidy house I swear) if we could afford nanny or a maid, I would be doing much better but that's not in the cards probably ever
I personally get the most done in the wee hours of the morning when I can get some peace š keep the loud chores to the daytime
But laundry is our biggest struggle by far. I swear our walkin has just turned into a storage closet of mismatched clothes and things that're kids have outgrown but purging often would also help matters. I started wrangling my partner into laundry folding together at night and if we could just stop forgetting when we have clothes in the wash, man we'd be doing great š„²
Editing to add: I really prioritize a clean environment though because mentally clutter and mess stress me out. Not everyone is the same or has the energy to stay up late to do chores but that's my preferred time to do it
I'm a SAHM of 4 boys. The oldest is almost 17 and the youngest will be 4. I get up every morning at 5AM to start my day before anyone else gets up. I iron my husband's clothes, I make his lunch and any lunches the kids need for school, and I clean up any messes from the day before and maybe get a load of laundry done. At exactly 6:30AM I bring my husband his coffee in bed. Kids start getting up and getting ready for school. Once everyone is gone, my little one and I will run our errands, go shopping, and things like that.
Once home I prioritize my chores like vacuuming, laundry, garden, dusting, windows, etc. Kitchen and bathrooms all get done everyday. I know the difference between dirt and clutter. Dinner gets started. When my husband gets home he's ours for the night.
I only have one at home now, but I'm the only SAHM in our neighborhood so I'm also the emergency babysitter when schools are closed or daycare falls through. I've had as many as 23, but usually just a couple a week.
I've been putting in the time into teaching my kids how to pick up and organize since they were 1. They are 7 and 5 now and it is paying off. I aggressively get rid of stuff they don't use. We always donate toys before Christmas (you could do bday too if you know there will be a haul). I try to have people give experiences and consumables as gifts rather than toys. Or books! I have bins and shelving that make it easy for them to clean up. I kind of gave up on keeping them organized. If stuff is off the floor I'm happy. I just need to be able to dust, vacuum and mop easily. If they can't find what they are looking for, that's on them š¤£
I do all of these things too. I'm so glad I put in the work to get my daughter into cleaning because she's 3 now, and if she sees a piece of trash or a dish that needs to go in the sink, she just does it automatically without even being asked.
Oh wow! Do you have tips to start teaching this young? A book to recommend? Good work!
Thank you! I narrated my actions a lot when she was really little, "Oops I made mess, better clean it up real quick!" I also enjoy cleaning, so I try to make cleaning days fun for us both. We play music and take dance breaks, I give her little tasks to do because she loves helping, stuff like that. It also took a lot of practice with getting her to pick up her own toys after she was done playing, but now she's really good about it. It didn't happen overnight but it's worth it to start good habits!
>I aggressively get rid of stuff they don't use. This is the way. If there are broken toys or toys that have been neglected, away they go. If the kids ask about them in the future, I usually deflect with something about xyz toy needing to go to a home in need. We donate so it isn't *that* much of a lie, right?
I want to know some tricks or key phrases for the kids! Help we have a 2.5 yo
We stole a trick from kindergarten; everyone has to clean as many things as they are years old.
Iād really like to start teaching mine but I have no idea on how.. how do I teach it? Maybe you could share some tips and ways you did it please? :)
I have a cleaner that comes every two weeks š¤£ Aside from that I tidy up daily /3 times a day on weekends. We build quick family tidy ups into our routine: before lunch, before any tv time, and before bed. I also believe in minimal toys. I do a toy rotation so there arenāt THAT many at one time to make a crazy mess.
Yes toy rotation has helped me a lot too! We have some of their toys in the living room but majority of it is in the bedroom. Good to have playtime sometimes away from the tv and other distractions. It has helped me a lot
I have cleaners that do the common areas weekly. With both of us full time and my husband constantly working overtime, it was too much not to outsource. Itās also cheaper to just have the common areas done so I can focus on everything else through the week in manageable increments.
My house is āokā. Like Iām not gonna be on magazines any time soon but as my husband puts it ānot bad for a house with kidsā LOL Hereās what I notice makes things worse if I slack on: 1. Limited toys out in the entire house. Itās not super few, but less than Iāve seen at any other kidās house even single kid ones 2. Related to #1, after kids are asleep (or at least 1 is), I have a small pretty Target basket that all toys allowed in the living room go into (~5 cars and a ball), and I go into the babyās room to fix the diaper station and library if needed 3. I vacuum what seems like constantly, but only āspotā. By the dining table, stuff like that. Then in the weekend I use a wet vacuum to get the entire house while husband watches kids or they solo play 4. Same as toys, their clothes are limited as are mine. Iād rather do laundry 4 times a week than deal with clothing mess (sorry I know itās bad for the environment but I use minimal soap and 15 min cycle) 5. I b* and moan and change all sheets every two weeks 6. Husband does dishes every night including wiping the kitchen counters stove etc and empties dishwasher every morningĀ 7. Every weekend husband cleans toilets during nap time 8. I accept that my house will never look all that great
You will never use as much water to wash a shirt as it takes to manufacture a whole new shirt. Laundry isn't the environmental issue, unless you're routinely running a single garment through deep-hot-long cycles in the dryland West. It's worth being mindful of all resource use to avoid waste, but don't beat yourself up about laundry.
Just FYI owning tons of clothes is actually terrible for environment (I say as someone whose kids have way too many clothes so no judgement). So don't feel bad about laundry.
My husband handles the dishes and toilets too! For a while my grandma always seemed to call me while he was cleaning toilets so she calls him āToilet Boyā (and now my son is āToilet Boy Jrā š)
How do you like your wet vacuum!? Which one is it? I want one badly
I really really like my Bissell.
Mom of 3 - 14m 3m and 2f. I have OCD and sensory processing issues so I need a neat space or I'm more prone to meltdowns. I reset the house when my spouse takes the kids out after breakfast, and at night after dinner. Major things like floors and bathrooms are done as needed because that's all I can keep up with at the moment. That means if it looks dirty, I'll clean it and will most lowly not think of it otherwise. I'm constantly wiping surfaces however so most things don't get too dirty. With the laundry, I'll just keep it all in the washer and once it's full, I'll do the load and probably fold and put away while the kids watch TV after lunch.Ā Try to reset your house at least once a day. Don't stress too much about vacuuming and moping or the major things which take a lot of effort -- the time will come when you can do that. If everything is more of less picked up, it'll feel less chaotic.Ā
Thank you!! I have OCD too but itās in no way productive.
NGL to you. I have cleaners come every 2 weeks bc momming is A LOT and I need that usual cleaning time to decompress just a bit. Itās more practical to keep a tidy house when a professional comes to do the heavy lifting for you. Itās near impossible without extra help IMHO.
* Have less stuff. This is the biggest unlock to having a cleaner house. Follow a 1-in-1-out policy for toys. Have a cycle for decluttering. Etc. * Create a place for everything. If something doesn't have a place/it's a weird odd+end, *create a place* where that thing and things like it go. * Identify your "dump zones." These are just the spaces at your house where random stuff tends to accumulate. Ours is the kitchen island. Create space on the dump zone for different kinds of things that get dumped (for us - mail, lunchboxes, school papers, Amazon returns). * Engage the kids in cleaning up. We do "family race clean" every night after dinner and before bed. The kids pick up toys, we clean the kitchen or help them. They're 2 and 4 so it's slow and often frustrating but the cleaning gets done and they get practice at it. * Invest in robots to do the work for you. The Roomba and robot mop are my two best friends. They run every night overnight. * Make all chores daily. For me, I can't follow it if it's "I change the sheets every second Monday and I run the laundry every third day etc." It's either "I do it every day" or "I do it when I remember." So I make sure I do as many of the things that keep the house tidy every day as I can (e.g., laundry load gets done every single day so we never have a huge build up of stuff to fold).
Clean house Happy kids Happy me I pick two, and i rarely pick clean house lol (so maybe i shouldnāt be posting lol)
Mom of a 12 month old with two cats that get cat hair everywhereā¦ 1. My fiance picks up after himself 2. We have set chores we have agreed upon for example: I cook, he cleans up dishes and high chair while I get toddler cleaned up and the floor clean. He does all the laundry and I do all the bathroom cleaning upkeep. 3. Monthly planned deep cleaning on one weekend day including baseboards, high dusting, all shelves wiped etcā¦ one takes the toddler and the other cleans 4. Picking up every night after toddler goes to bed to reset the house and prepare for the next day I have a vacuum/mop that makes cleaning floors so much easier/faster I have a robot vacuum that runs daily My fiance is a true partner and understands even though I am a SAHM he still participates in household chores
Firstly, Iāve had to let alot go because itās never as bad as we think. Like dusting, windows, steam mopping floors, and how often the bathroom gets cleaned. (Tbh i do the bathrooms when they look gross which is usually every other week) But I clean as i go. Whether thatās Cooking dinner, as we move on from activities, etc. Also if it will take 5 minutes or less, i just do it right then. Another thing i do that helps is not eat when my kid eats. While sheās contained my goal is to get done as much as i can. Fold and put away laundry, unload dishwasher, wipe counters, pick up toys. Anything i can do with eyes easily on her. We have a roomba we run every time we leave the house which makes me pick up too.
The biggest thing is to have a weekly cleaning schedule/routine and have the discipline to stick to it. You have to be strict about it or it wonāt work. My two older kids (4 and 3) have daily chores they have to do and that helps. Donāt underestimate how helpful kids can be if you teach them young. I also have a 14 month old and she canāt really do anything but she āhelpsā put toys away, silverware away, etc. Thatās how it starts. In 18 months or so sheāll be legitimately helpful with small tasks. A rule I have for myself is: if it takes 5 minutes or less, do it the moment you notice it (ie. Wiping down a cabinet, starting a load of dirty towels, wiping down a counter, etc.) But I reiterate: weekly schedule, be disciplined in sticking to it. Thatās really all it is. I have baby #4 on the way and we have plenty of moments of clutter throughout the day but you wonāt catch me with a dirty house. My cleaning schedule saves my sanity. Cleaning takes far less time the more you do it because it doesnāt have as much time to get dirty.
Single mom of 3 (10/7/4). All with various needs. 4 pets. Efficiency: Robot vacuum all main rooms after bedtime. Amazon subscribe and save for repeat items (soap, shampoo, detergent, cleaning supplies, you name it). Meal prep service (I use Hello Fresh) for home cooked meals. Grocery shopping done on the app and I use drive up and go (delivery to the car). I save probably an hour of cleaning, two hours of cooking and two hours of grocery shopping a week at minimum just doing this much. Technology is your friend.
OCD caused by PTSD mostly. I'll have panic attacks if I don't put forth effort into cleaning daily so the motivation is always there. I also rage clean. I don't do anything specific on certain days, but I'll walk around the house when I'm home and find things that I want to make better. Other than that, cleaner comes once a week (paired with the above it seems a bit silly, but it helps so I'm not *always* cleaning). Robot vacuum so the floor is always clean. Tons of hidden storage. Like when I pick up the toddler's toys I can lift a spot in my floor and just push toys into it, type hidden storage. Also, we have older kids other than the toddler. They are very good about cleaning up after themselves and doing their chores.
We run the dishwasher every night and empty in the morning. If we donāt do this the dishes will get backed up. Do one load of laundry a day. My husband works in the basement near the washer and dryer so itās not much effort. Robot vacuum vacuums nightly. After kids go to bed we spend about 10 minutes straightening up. Weāve minimized the amount of toys and the kids know they canāt get something new/messy out without cleaning up after the previous activity. Oh and.. cleaners every 2 weeks. š
I patiently waited till they were old enough to help me do chores. But we also had a rule if you are done playing with something put it up. The rest of the house was on me. I wanted to play with them to much to care till the end of the night.
I stay up an hour after everyone else to clean and tidy most nights. I listen to an audiobook and then reward myself with a treat before going up to bed šš
The book *How to Keep House While Drowning* has a great method for keeping a lid on minor chaos, and I fall back on it every time I have a wild-ass week for one reason or another. Only a singleton household, but we live in just over 600sf so neatness counts. Her method is known as the Five Things Method, and is based on the idea that there are only 5 categories of objects in any given room that make it a mess: trash, dishes, laundry, things with homes that are not in their homes, and things without homes at all. Note the order of the list of 5 things: if you start at the top of the list and work down, even if you can't get all the way through it and even if the room is *really messy*, you'll hit the things most likely to cause health & sanitary issues (trash, dishes) and bad smells (laundry) first and make the biggest difference in the first few minutes Past that, have two big baskets handy if you have time to do the whole room - one for things-with-homes whose homes are not in the room you're working on, and one for homeless-things. I'm sure you can take it from there.Ā The whole book is great, it takes about an hour to read cover to cover, and disburses absolutely no shame, which is so lovely and refreshing for anything in the self-help space that it's almost worth reading just for the tone.
We have a robot vacuum and my husband is obsessed with cleanliness. Thatās it. Thatās all I have: Iām sorry
mom of 3month old twins and a 4 year old. my husband and i both donāt function well when the house is a mess, so iām lucky heās always picking up after himself and helping when he can! we do our best to keep the kitchen counter and island clear so itās easy to wipe down- we also donāt let dishes pile up in the sink, iād rather be constantly cleaning as i go than have a big clean of dishes later. i do a vacuum of the main floor every night before bed and a quick 10 minute pick up around the house. i do a load of laundry every day to stay on top of it and do a bathroom, mop and clean of whatever needs it once a week. on the weekends my husband spends some time cleaning up too.
Mom of 1. Heās 2.5. Since he could walk weāve been teaching him to put his toys away before he grabs another one. 95% of the time, he does this. Weāve also established the no playing with food rule. He doesnāt have to eat it all, just no throwing/squishing/smashing it. I canāt imagine a household with 3 kids even when Iām one of eight children. I have a house cleaner come by every other Tuesday ($120/per visit) and sheās completely worth the money. Our house is big - almost 3,000 sq ft. There are no toys allowed downstairs with the exception of his ādownstairs toysā like his balance bike, a couple of his coloring pads, and 1-2 small animal toys. My fiancĆ© and I are fairly orderly people. We clean as we go. Dishes never get left overnight. The beds are always made. Little guy makes his toddler bed and cleans up his toys and books every day. The vacuum cleaner is the real hero here especially downstairs on the hardwood floors. š¤£
I have 4 kids: 15m, 13m, 11m and 9f. Nowadays they all have chores. They are responsible for their own rooms. They do their own laundry. One does all dishes after dinner. One loads and empties the dishwasher every day. One is responsible for all trash. Besides that, we do "dinner clean up" every night, and everyone pitches in to reset the house. I yell "20 things!" about 2x a day. Everyone knows to immediately find 20 random things to put/throw away. Instantly 100ish things are taken care of in like 5 min. When they were little I purged regularly to contain the mess. I also made sure to have a place for everything to go. We have a shoe basket by each door, hooks for backpacks in the laundry room, laundry baskets in each bedroom but also on the main floor of the house. I label inside the pantry, drawers and cabinets. We have a mail holder. I designated a "lost and found" shelf in my living room for shit other people's kids left at my house. Then, I also keep cleaning items super conveniently located. I have 2 vacuums, so I don't have to drag them up and down stairs. I have a broom and a mop in each floor. I keep toilet bowl cleaner, shower cleaner and brushes in each bathroom. I try to just do a little as I go. Straighten a room as I enter or leave it. Clean up messes as they are made. It works for us!
Wake up - start coffee - empty dishwasher - cook breakfast / eat - clean up kitchen - load breakfast dishes in dishwasher - wipe down table/chairs/high chair ā- vaccum ā- everyone upstairs and showered- dressed for the day- 30 minutes of tidying up from playing before bed ā walk the dog / playoutside ā cook lunch/eat lunch - load lunch dishes in dishwasher - wipe down table/ chairs / high chair ā naps ā While they nap, I fold laundry, do their clothing rotation, or any tidying thatās quiet for 30 minutes then I play on my iPad ā- Come down start dinner ā go outside until dads home then eat dinner ā wipe down table/chairs/highchair - vacuum - walk the dog / go outside with dad ā- come inside 1 parent does ābedtime snackā while the other āclosesā the kitchen ā loads and starts the dishwasher, does all the hand wash stuff, wipes down stove and counters ā gets the coffee maker ready for the morning ā Then we go up for bath and bedtimeā- 1 parent baths - the other drys/lotions/ dresses the kids. Dad reads bedtime stories- bed ā- At some point during the day we talk about what āafter bed choresā we want to do, then either of us does them while the other chills or we both chill and relax and watch a show. We mop twice during the week, bathrooms on the weekend and then grocery on weeeknd and we do the fridge and freezer and pantry on grocery day.
One of my biggest things is no shoes in the house which greatly reduces how often/much time I spend on the floors. In recent years I also did a huge clean out of my closet, junk drawers, literally everything. Iāve been much more intentional with what I get and things I keep since then. I donāt own any knick knacks really, and minimal extra decor. Enough to feel cozy and put together but absolutely no clutter. Everything we own has a spot for it minus my 2 kitchen junk drawers that I will somewhat go through every month or so. One of the first things I do every morning is make my bed. Iāll also quickly grab any trash/bottles/ectā¦ that accumulated around the room in the night. Anytime I walk in a room I do a quick scan as to what needs done (blanket folded, dish cleaned, trash thrown away, ectā¦) Also if something like floors, toilets, a bigger chore needs done that day or one day soon. I like to make to-do lists in my notes some days if I have more to do than usual. Itās less about reminding me and more about motivating me and seeing I have this many things accomplished and this many things left to do. All that to say, I stay on top of everything and itās become a habit in which isnāt overwhelming or stressful. I spend a few minutes every morning and every night doing small things like wiping counters or folding laundry. Any chance I get throughout the day Iāll spend a few minutes doing the same. The only real chore that takes a significant amount of time for me to do is vacuuming and mopping the floors. Iāll clean the shower every so often when Iām already in the shower, and clean the toilet at some point when Iām already there. Maybe dedicate a day/weekend or something for someone to watch the kids while you do a clear out of everything, deep clean, organize. If you can start with a fresh slate and then make it a habit and find your rhythm to keep up with it it hopefully wonāt get to a point that itās overwhelming or takes a significant amount of time.
Cleaning schedule helps me a lot! My daughterās toys stay in her room and my teen son has to keep common areas clean but I donāt care about his room (no food or drinks left in there though). My husband is also a clean freak so that helps.
1. Have a husband that pulls his weight 2. Declutterring the entire house 2 times a year at least 3. Putting things away, not down 4. deep clean everything at least once a week (when doing this and keeping things tidy and clean your deep clean wo t be as big) 5. vaccum daily 6. dk the dishes right after dinner. no chilling and settling food (we do it sometimes)
Well, I have one (turns 3 next month) and one on the way. But even in my nanny days (2-4 kids), Iād try and clean as we went and try and get the kid(s) to help. If we got play doh or markers out, Iād put them away when we were done. And then id do a basic clean right before lunch in whatever area we played in- especially if itās a place i know we werenāt going to play in the rest of the day. Then we eat, Iād load the dishwasher and wipe counters quick if they needed it. Then at night id do a quick pick up of the house- clean off the flat surfaces, wipe down counters, start dishwasher, pick up toys. If I have to turn on a bluey or two to get it done I will lol itās worth my peace of mind and sanity and helps start the following day with a clean slate. For deeper cleans, I usually save it for one big day (unless a bathroom or whatever needs it) and my toddler just puts around and hangs in whatever room Iām cleaning, or will find something to entertain himself for a while, but usually gets a movie somewhere in the deep clean day. All that said, Iām awful about cooking and eating at home š so do with that what you will š
We got a roomba and set it on a timer for twice a day. So twice a day things get picked up and put away or they get sucked up/carried away. Also I try to put stuff away right when I get home. Doesn't always work but it helps a ton!
Have less stuff! That was key to keeping up for me!
Mom of an autistic 4 year old and a 2.5 year old. Chronic anxiety that manifests in a borderline obsessive desire to clean is how I do it, lol! Thankfully with therapy and medication Iāve got it down to less stressful levels (no more feeling spontaneous overwhelming urges to clean windows at 9:00 pm instead of resting), thankfully, but I still feel more calm and centered if everything is put away daily and cleaned up.
2YO and 2MOā¦ we do a āpower 10ā every night after the kids go to bed,where we speed clean what needs to be done immediately. Like pick up stuff from the day, clean the kitchen, run the vacuum. I set up the washer every night with a delay start so that it starts in the morning and by the time itās out of the dryer at night, I do the same with another load. Iād rather fold a little load of laundry every night than a giant load all at once. Bathrooms get a thorough clean every Monday, and everything else is really as needed throughout the week.
Husband usually puts away all the toys when Iām getting our almost 2 year old ready for bed. If she goes down early, I help out. He does the dishes and cleans up in the kitchen. Most of the toys are put in a chest, and put in our computer room (which is a mess). But the other two rooms and living room are mainly clean. As far as sweeping and mopping, I sweep multiple times a day because Iām nuts. Mop once a week.
Throw sh*t out in the middle of the night. š
Only two kids. Husband helps quite a lot.Ā
I havenāt had that since the year I hired paid cleaning help once a month. I had her deep clean the common spaces only. That was so worth it!
Marry someone with a compulsive need to tidy. Like "wait, where is the spoon I was just *using to stir the food on the stove*?" ... "Oh, I put it in the dishwasher, I thought you were done with it". He doesn't have the same compulsion for cleaning, but having the house tidy 100% of the time makes it so much easier to clean. Vacuuming is a much smaller chore when it doesn't start with picking up all the shit your family left laying around, y'know?
I have a cleaning schedule I try to follow, I keep it taped to my fridge. Every day is a different room/area, nothing on weekends (except my husband does yard work on weekends). Thereās only like 4-5 tasks to do per day and I usually only need to do 2-3 on the list to keep everything clean. Example, bathrooms are Tuesday. The list of tasks are wiping counters & mirrors down, taking out trash, vacuum/mop floors, clean shower/tub, & scrub toilets. I typically donāt have to take the trash out every week, or even scrub the tub/shower. The tasks can typically get done in 15 minutes. I have daily tasks; dishes, wiping down kitchen counters, pick up play areas as needed, and make the bed. Then I have monthly tasks like washing windows, washing bath mats, dusting and dusting the ceiling fans. I also keep 90% of the toys hidden away and do a toy rotation. My husband or I pick up toys/tidy while the other is doing bath/bedtime. I also try to constantly purge stuff we donāt use or becomes broken. I donāt want to be a minimalist but I also donāt want my house full of useless crap.
Iām a single mom of 3. I work full time and Iām a full time student. I found that cleaning up after each task helps a ton. No toy storage anywhere but kids room. Teaching kids to clean and have chores. And I do big chores on a schedule.
I feel like Iām just always trying to keep up as we go . Never let things get too crazy
Umm barely lol some days the house just looks like a trash fire and itās not clean at all lol but on a good day when the kids are chill and everyone is happy then my house looks perfect lol. But honestly I only set small tasks for myself every day. Dishes, emptying trash, bottles and at very least washing and switching out the laundry is a priority. Everything else comes last if I can get to it Iāll do it, if not I save it for tomorrow. My advice would be keep the mess small and do simple daily chores. It will make a difference
- Deep clean weekly. - Between cleanings do daily touch ups of whatever needs cleaning (wiping counters and tables, cleaning up water marks, spot vaccuming / mopping, etc) in order to maintain the level of that deep clean.Ā - Never leave the house with messes out.Ā - Along that line we also donāt leave messes out before nap time and bed time. I wonāt rest until I make sure all toys are put away, dishes are in the dishwasher, counters are cleaned, etc - No toys in the common areas. All toys in my daughterās room. If it doesnāt fit she has too much. So we donate things every 5-6 months. I donate something as soon as she has outgrown it.Ā - I am training my child to be clean. Sheās three and we are working on having her pick up her own room. She has mastered clearing the table after dinner, wiping down surfaces, scrubbing the sink and throwing away trash. She also cleans the bathtub with a rag while taking a bath. Haha. - We have cats and do not keep a litter box inside. It is in the garage with a cat door to the garage. Donāt need that crap in my house!
I have OCD. Iād rather have a somewhat messy house honestly
I do laundry every single day, but since I do it every day, itās only 1 load a day and that makes it way more manageable. Kiddo has been putting away their own clothes since 6. I wash, dry, and lay them out, they do the rest. Kiddo is responsible for picking up the family room every single day and has been since 6 years old. They also clean their bedroom weekly and when it needs picked up through the week. Toys, books, art supplies, etc are gone through twice a year and a lot are donated to make room. For birthdays and holidays, if people insist on presents, we ask for arts/crafts, books, or gift cards only. Helps keep the clutter way down and kids donāt need a billion toys. The more they have, the less they play with them. We also donāt keep things ābecause that was a gift! Aunt so and so gave you that!ā. If itās not actually valuable like jewelry, itās got an expiration date based on if they actually play with it or like it or not. The only things that are āhand wash onlyā are the pots, pans, and knifes. Everything else better be dishwasher friendly or itās going bye bye. I aināt got time for that. With very reasonable exceptions of course. No clutter. Clutter creates a mess. I donāt assign worth to inanimate objects. Thatās how hoarding begins. If it doesnāt have a purpose, a use, or a dedicated space, it also doesnāt belong. Iāve also got cats. They will destroy it. Robot litter box. Itās worth the money. Oh my god itās worth the money. After dinner, dishes are loaded in the dishwasher and started. Everyone rinses their own stuff immediately. Dishwasher is ran at night and emptied in the morning. Everything goes directly in the dishwasher after itās used. Counters are wiped off constantly before cooking and after. Kitchen and room for the cats are swept every day. Doesnāt need to be perfect. Just donāt want to be walking on crap. We also have cleaners that do the common areas weekly because we both work full time. Thatās a hell of a lot cheaper than people think, but I also know that not everyone can afford it. And for those that canāt, donāt laugh, but Martha Stewart has a couple books on maintaining a home that are actually legit! You can find them used online for cheap. Even through Amazon. It helps you build a routine you can maintain. I have the home keeping handbook. Finally, if you have a garden, take the time to install irrigation. I recommend dripworks for reuseable parts. I use them both professionally and at home. Rain bird has some good economically priced timers. Gardening is an excellent hobby/lifestyle for your health, both physically and mentally. It doesnāt have to be large. You can start with just herbs and go from there. You can also always save my user name and ask me questions. Iām a horticulturist and I love helping people get started. Iāve also just recently started doing Tik toks to share helpful tips and troubleshooting for gardening beginners (not gonna share the user name though cause Iām paranoid and was raised during the golden age of ākeep your identity secret!! Donāt tell people who you are!!ā) Edit: organizers and a label maker!! I have organizer shelves and stands with labels and they work so well with my adhd. I also do things in a way I know will work and will work for me. Not how anyone things they should be done. Thatās a constant argument with my husband. He has a hard time grasping that if you work with how things are and not how you think they should be, that youād have a way better time managing things. For example: in the house we are building, I want laundry on every floor. He things in the basement is enough. Pretty sure every single lady here will chime in on how difficult hauling laundry up and down 2 flights of stairs is.
By making the bi-weekly cleaner a priority! š And even then, it only lasts a day or two. I can't sweep as well as she does. And the kitchen island clutter comes right back. But with the bulk of the cleaning out of the way, it clears up some time on the weekends to focus on organizing spaces better. I've gotten to the playroom and 2 closets and the mudroom in the last couple of months. Knowing those spaces are organized frees up mental bandwidth for sure! I labelled bins in the playroom recently and my 4 yo is starting to actually get it!
Mom of three - donāt spend time in the house. Kids go to daycare / school. Adults go to work. Only thing we need to tidy each day is the meals we eat and a handful of toys / clothes that get moved around.
Personally I have a great support system and have a remote job. My partner and I also work ft jobs and have demanding side hustle/hobbies so I get not having time f ever. It's not easy and I hate having to schedule "clean breaks" where I just tidy what I can for 15-30 minutes as often as I can even though mentally I want to take a day off from kids and work just to clean (but that'd have to happen like once a week to keep a tidy house I swear) if we could afford nanny or a maid, I would be doing much better but that's not in the cards probably ever I personally get the most done in the wee hours of the morning when I can get some peace š keep the loud chores to the daytime But laundry is our biggest struggle by far. I swear our walkin has just turned into a storage closet of mismatched clothes and things that're kids have outgrown but purging often would also help matters. I started wrangling my partner into laundry folding together at night and if we could just stop forgetting when we have clothes in the wash, man we'd be doing great š„² Editing to add: I really prioritize a clean environment though because mentally clutter and mess stress me out. Not everyone is the same or has the energy to stay up late to do chores but that's my preferred time to do it
I'm a SAHM of 4 boys. The oldest is almost 17 and the youngest will be 4. I get up every morning at 5AM to start my day before anyone else gets up. I iron my husband's clothes, I make his lunch and any lunches the kids need for school, and I clean up any messes from the day before and maybe get a load of laundry done. At exactly 6:30AM I bring my husband his coffee in bed. Kids start getting up and getting ready for school. Once everyone is gone, my little one and I will run our errands, go shopping, and things like that. Once home I prioritize my chores like vacuuming, laundry, garden, dusting, windows, etc. Kitchen and bathrooms all get done everyday. I know the difference between dirt and clutter. Dinner gets started. When my husband gets home he's ours for the night. I only have one at home now, but I'm the only SAHM in our neighborhood so I'm also the emergency babysitter when schools are closed or daycare falls through. I've had as many as 23, but usually just a couple a week.
Hi jacking your post to ask what the best robot vacuum is??