Are you a busy mom struggling to keep your home clean with kids around? Keep reading for tips on how to keep your home clean, tidy, and organized with kids.
Believe me, I know the struggle. With five kids in our home (and the youngest being a 3 year-old boy), it is rare that our entire house is clean all at the same time. There may be a bucket of toys poured out and not in the right place, shoes or socks laying around, or a sticky puddle of something on the floor. Things are definitely getting a little easier as the kids get older. But I’ve also had to be a bit more diligent about keeping our home in order. I’ve realized that more people in the house means more things. And more things means you must work that much harder to keep things in order.
START FEELING MORE BALANCED TODAY
Feeling overwhelmed by your endless “To Do” Lists? Our Balanced Mom Starter Guide will show you how to start feeling more balanced in just 4 easy steps. And it’s free for a limited time!
Why keep a clean home?
As busy moms, we all know the feeling when our house is clean and organized. Even if you haven’t felt that way in some time. When things are in their place, they’re easier to find. You spend less time searching through piles only to not find what you’re looking for. When your house is more organized, you feel lighter, happier, and less stressed. Of course, having a clean home means less germs and better health for everyone inside.
How to keep your home clean, tidy, and organized with kids
So, how exactly do you keep a clean home with kids? Is it even possible? Here are a few tips that work in our home:
1. Create a cleaning schedule that works for you.
Your schedule may not look the same as the next mom. You may have a different work schedule, other commitments and different needs in your home. Your “cleaning personality” may also be different. You may prefer to clean in small bursts vs all at once or vice versa). So, you must take all of this into account when creating a schedule that works for you.
2. Get your kids involved.
Even young kids (as young as age 2 years) can have chores. At the very least, your kids should be responsible for cleaning up their own messes. (I always tell my kids that if they’re able to make a mess, they should be able to clean it up!) Have your kids help you create a list of their chores – including daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. They can be responsible for keeping an area of the home clean, along with their own room. This helps to lessen your load and teaches them responsibility. You can choose to offer rewards (such as an allowance). Or simply restrict any other fun activities until their chores are done.
3. Declutter often.
With five kids in our house, I know how easy it is to accumulate “stuff”. Whether you’re buying new clothes and shoes and not getting rid of the ones they’ve outgrown. Or they’re being gifted more toys and things than they can handle. Things can really start to build up faster than you think. So it’s important to have a regular plan for decluttering.
Teach your kids to let go of things they no longer need or value. The less things you have around, the less there is to clean and put away. In our house, we usually declutter during Spring Break (March), at the end of the school year (June), at the beginning of the new school year (September) and just before Christmas (December). That means approximately once a quarter. These are times where we either have a lot to get rid of or want to start with a clean slate before starting something new. Again, make a decluttering plan that meets the needs of your home. And have your kids join in on your decluttering sessions.
4. Create a “donate” bin.
Throughout the year, have a bin set aside where you can stash things that you are no longer using. Then, make a trip once a month (or whenever it’s starting to fill up) to donate the contents of the bin. This really helps to ensure that things don’t pile up and you’re staying on top of decluttering.
5. Have rules about toys.
Be sure your kids know where their toys can and can’t be (what rooms) and how many toys can be out at a time. I know this can be hard to enforce. Kids will be kids and they don’t keep track of things while they’re playing. But remind your kids that it’s easier to clean up a few things at a time than to feel overwhelmed by a big pile of toys they need to put away. One rule we stick to in our house is that our kids must clean up one area before moving on to the next. It’s not a perfect science, but they at least know the expectation is there.
Keeping your home clean isn’t always easy. Throw kids in the mix, and cleaning can be 10 times harder. It’s important to set up a good cleaning routine and get your kids involved to keep your house clean, tidy, and organized (at least most of the time!) I hope these tips will help you get started.
Other helpful resources related to keeping your home clean with kids:
How To Teach Your Kids To Be More Responsible
START FEELING MORE BALANCED TODAY
Feeling overwhelmed by your endless “To Do” Lists? Our Balanced Mom Starter Guide will show you how to start feeling more balanced in just 4 easy steps. And it’s free for a limited time!
If you love these tips, be sure to check out my 170+ page digital library, filled with step-by-step instructions and the tools you need to create effective routines, manage your time, prepare meals, clean your home, care for your kids – and so much more!
Love these tips for keeping your home clean, tidy, and organized with kids? Pin this, and share with your family and friends:
