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Sometimes you just can’t find time to keep up with cleaning, so today I am sharing my best “quick-cleaning” tips that make life easier… and homes cleaner!
It can be so hard to find time to clean, sometimes. You would think that when the kids went back to school, you would have MORE time to clean, right? Wrong. I don’t know how, but the time just gets away from you. For me, having two kids home for the day (until 3:00 when the others get home) is enough of a GOOD distraction to keep me from doing all of my chores. On top of that, while I am cleaning the living room, they are playing with toys in the bedroom. When I get the bedroom clean, they have made a mess of their snack in the kitchen. When I clean the kitchen, they are back in their bedrooms playing dress up. The circle never ends.
Here are a few time to help when you can’t find the time to keep up with your cleaning:
- Get up 30 minutes before your kids and start your day (laundry in, declutter a room)
- Do one load of laundry every morning.
- Use rest time to clean. I also pick up everything before I go to bed. I never want to wake up to a messy house.
- Clean up the bathroom while the kids are taking a bath – this is the key to keeping our bathroom clean. I just keep our NEW Bounty with Dawn multi-purpose cleaning towels in every bathroom and use them. They are my favorite cleaning item! You just get them wet and they are already filled with Dawn, so they clean easily.
- Stay a step ahead of the kids… if possible!
- Be sure to have the dishwasher washed and the pots cleaned (again, I use the Bounty with Dawn multipurpose cleaning towels for this). Have these things put away before bed, so you don’t start your morning with dishes in the sink. OR… wake up early and unload it if you wash them while you sleep.
- Put papers away as soon as you touch them. My mom’s rule of thumb is to only touch them once. This includes mail, school work, artwork….
- Plan big projects, like cleaning out the van or garage, when the kids are playing outside already. They ride bikes while I organize the garage.
- Keep toilet cleaner, a brush and Bounty with Dawn multipurpose cleaning towels in the bathroom and kitchen, so you will be ready to go every day and won’t have to search for items.
- Follow a simple cleaning routine- print out a printable like this one and follow it daily:
- Be sure that your bed is made and the kids beds are made BEFORE you leave the house. The kids have to make their beds in the morning before they turn on the TV. They have to be ready to walk out the door before the TV comes on. We make our bed before we leave the bedroom.
- Wipe down counters daily. Just keep Bounty with Dawn multipurpose cleaning towels in the kitchen and bathroom for this and do it as soon as you wake up, right after the laundry.
- Have the kids help by giving them age-appropriate chores.
- Back out of a room (my mom’s tip), so you can clean up as you are leaving a room.
- Worst case scenario: ask your husband or a friend to take them to a park for a couple of hours so you aren’t constantly cleaning around them- you can just get it done quickly and move on enjoying your day!♥
PS- want to win??
Leave a comment about how you’re refreshing your routine to be more efficient this Back to School season for a chance to take home a limited edition dual roll holder with a Bounty paper towel roll and NEW Bounty with Dawn roll.MORE POSTS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
We just moved into a new home in a new state, with new jobs, new schools, new everything, so the present is the best time to get a ‘new’ cleaning routine as well!! I have a chart with all the kids chores (which they have been sticking too surprisingly well!), and I clean 3 rooms a day.. not to much, but enough to keep everything under control. It’s working great!!
babydjs_mom@yahoo.com
Sunday and Monday are the main cleaning days in the house…the rest of the week watch out because it’s probably not very pretty. We do try to clean out dishes and soak pans and things as we go to reduce the amount of scrubbing later on in the week tho!
I’ve been making lists and trying to accomplish at least one thing from the list each day.
I’m trying to designate each day to a room and the goal is, I have to at least do the basic cleaning tasks in that room before bed. Hopefully, our house will stay a little cleaner!
Alarm clocks upstairs and down to make sure we all get up on time this year!
I also like to pick stuff up before I go to bed as well, it always helps me sleep better. I like waking up to a clean house too! One thing I have been trying since school started is the waking up before the kids thing. My day seems to go better when I do this.
My daughter is out of school now but she would take out her clothes the night before. It made mornings a little bit easier.
I am getting everything cleaned and organized at once. Every Tuesday I do this and let me tell you, its easier to do everything at once then to do a little a time because it wont ever get don!!
I would like to do a little cleaning everyday, so I keep up with it
I have made a point to make my bed as soon as I get out of it and also, take laundry to laundry room in the morning.
We just moved so I’m completely refreshing everything I do to keep this new house spic and span! <3
My boys are a little older now and they are starting to make their own breakfasts and we have their school items organized the night before and they help with that as well.
I use my downtime to prep food for the week and keep frozen or in the fridge to tackle busy days head on!
Thanks for the tips! I’m always thrilled to find timesavers of all kinds. Now I must try Bounty with Dawn…sounds like a definite timesaver. 🙂
I just completely rearranged our bedroom and living room for the sole purpose of making things less cluttered and more efficient. I am doing away with a lot of the clutter that just gets in the way.