If you’ve been searching for a simple cleaning schedule to help you stay on top of things as a stay at home mom then stick around! These simple tips are how I’m able to keep my home somewhat tidy and I know they’ll work for you too.
It’s a common misconception that being in the role of Stay at Home Parent means that your days are spent leisurely lounging around and doing random chores as you see fit and your house just magically stays tidy all the time. I don’t know about you but for whatever reason that magical cleaning fairy always seems to skip my house. Dang!
Those of us who do stay home with our kids however, know that it is in fact quite the opposite. For every area that gets tidied, it’ll take those kids approximately 30 seconds to make 3 new messes. Sounds fun, right?
While I’m certainly no expert, I’ve found a few things that have really helped me simplify the process of cleaning and trying to keep a tidy home as a mom with young kids at home.
Today we’re going to cover:
- The secret to keeping house while living in it
- What about the kids?
- Why even bother to keep a tidy home?
- Daily tasks for both you and your kids
- Your Cleaning Routine – and why you need one
So… What’s the Secret?
Y’all ready for this little dose of stay at home mama wisdom?
The secret to keeping a clean house is in the simple, seemingly mundane tasks that you do every day.
I’m going to give you all the tips, tricks and hacks that you’ll need to be able to create simple lifelong habits for both you and your kiddos. And with any luck, these habits will follow them into adulthood as well.
Our jobs as stay at home parents isn’t only about keeping the kids alive and getting food on the table. Yes, of course, those are both important aspects. But as parents in general, our single purpose every day should be focusing on raising our children and teaching them how to be decent human beings, right?
Life skills is the name of the game here!
Teaching your children responsibility and counting on them to help around the house will take more pressure off of you than you realize! I won’t go into age appropriate chores in this post but there are plenty of wonderful chore charts on Pinterest. A quick search will give you a decent idea of how your kids can get their hands dirty (so to speak). Put those munchkins to work!
Why Should You Bother Keeping a Tidy House?
I mean the little cuties that live with you will have it trashed in no time, right? Having a clean house is important for so many different reasons. There are the obvious factors like general hygiene and keeping bugs or others critters from finding their way into your home. However, it also does wonders for your mental health to have a tidy living environment.
Which would you rather come home to – a cluttered mess, overflowing trash cans, old crusty dishes in the sink? Or would you prefer to walk into a somewhat tidy home that smells fresh and has no overflowing piles of laundry or mail to be sorted?
No need to answer. I think we’re all on the same page here.
Not only is it important for us as care-givers to have a tidy space, but you have to keep in mind that our children will learn what they see. While they may seem like little slobs now, when they’re adults they’ll remember how their role models taught them to keep a clean and organized house, pick up after themselves, and generally take care of a home.
My 8 year old will swear up and down that she loves being a slob and living in filth (i.e. her bedroom). This is just laziness talking. Her actions say very differently! When her room is trashed, she hardly ever goes into it. I have to force her to go in there just to sleep at night because she suddenly prefers the couch. If her room is tidy, it’s where she’ll spend the majority of her day; playing with her horses or reading.
I do have to remind her sometimes that actions speak louder than words! But then, how do you manage to keep a clean(ish) home while raising little defiant tornados?
You set the example.
Kids (and housemates in general) will typically correlate how they keep things with how it was when they found it. For example: If the playroom was a disaster when they entered it, of course they aren’t going to put anything away before they leave the room. The item they played with was already on the floor, and that is likely where it will remain.
Same for the linen closet or any other area of the home. If they go to open a closet and things are spilling out or a totally disorganized mess, do you think they’ll neatly put away the towels? Nope. They will shove them anywhere they fit.
I hope you’re picking up what I’m putting down here (no pun intended).
Number 1 Tip to Keep a Clean House as a Stay At Home Mom
Declutter your home. Before you can get into a solid cleaning routine, you need for your home to be manageable in the first place. If there are literally piles of toys all over the place, clothes and shoes strewn about your closets and bedrooms (some of which are in terrible shape or no longer worn), or random items on all surfaces of your main living space, how could you possibly keep a tidy home?
Get rid of the excess. Have a designated place for everything you own. The mail goes straight to the mail sorter in the entry cabinet, shoes go straight onto the shoe rack in the coat closet, toys go back into the toy bin before leaving the room, etc.
Don’t leave any room for uncertainty – have a solid plan in place for the things you own and your life and home will become so much easier to manage.
Prioritize Your Daily Tasks
My simple daily tasks to keep a clean home as a stay at home mom include:
- Make your bed every day. This task takes less than 2 minutes and will make a huge impact on the feel of your space. Start your day on the right foot and just do it. This is also a great habit to instill in your children! Even your young kiddos can pull their comforter back up on the bed and straighten the pillow in the morning. Don’t overthink this. It can be done in less than 30 seconds.
- Unload the dishwasher first thing in the morning. This is actually my 8 year old’s responsibility and part of her morning chores.
- Create a laundry schedule. Monday mine and my husbands laundry, Tuesday towels, Wednesday kids clothes, etc. It doesn’t have to be something every day. You could also do a single designated laundry day and knock it all out on a certain day of the week. This is something that should be adjusted to suite your family’s needs! Don’t forget to have your kids help with this one. My oldest knows how to do her own laundry if needed. Even our 2 year old will put her clothes away upon request.
- Clean as you go. If you see fingerprints on the wall and you have 2 minutes at your disposal, grab a magic eraser and take care of it. If there are crumbs on the counter, wipe it down. If you see something questionable on your floor, go ahead and grab the vacuum or a rag and take 30 seconds to clean it up. Making just a tiny effort when you see messes will really help you stay ahead of things throughout your day.
- Use the time on the microwave as a speed cleaning timer. If you’re reheating something don’t just stand there and gawk at your food while it rotates. Take this minute or two to wipe down the counters, load a few dishes into the dishwasher or put any stray items back where they belong.
- Never leave a room empty handed. If something doesn’t belong (and there is always something) take it with you as you go and put it in the appropriate room/place.
Stick to your cleaning routine!
A daily cleaning routine can be so helpful for us stay at home mamas. Pick one room or area for each day and stick to it! A weekly routine may look like this:
- Monday: Bathrooms – Clean toilet, shower and sink. Wipe down mirrors and all surfaces. Wash floors.
- Tuesday: Kitchen – Clean oven, and stovetop. Wipe down fridge. Wipe down cabinets. Sweep floors.
- Wednesday: Living Room – Dust all surfaces, vacuum rug and under couch cushions.
- Thursday: Bedrooms – Dust surfaces, tidy shelves, change sheets, vacuum, etc.
- Friday: Catch-Up Day – take care of anything that got left behind during the week. The catch up day is critical to any success because lets be real, life happens and flexibility is a must!
- Weekend: Wildcard – you choose what goes here based on your availability. I like to save common areas such as the kid’s playroom, outside areas, or the basement for the weekend so the whole family pitches in.
By sticking to a routine and dedicating half an hour (or less!) to each space once a day, it makes cleaning your home so much more manageable. Having this simple cleaning routine has helped me stay on top of things as a busy stay at home, homeschooling mama with a baby/toddler in tow.
Add these home cleaning tips to your stay at home mom routine and check back in a couple of weeks, I want to hear how things are going for you! You’ve got this!!
