Like most stay at home moms, I struggle with keeping a neat and orderly house. Our laundry has become a permanent accent piece on the living room couch and there are fingerprints on every wall, window, and furniture surface. Don’t get me started on the condition of my kids’ rooms either.
Our house is lived in. It’s just the side effects of six people being at home all day long.
In my defense, I do already have a small sign when you first walk in that says, “pardon the mess my children are making memories.” Consider yourself warned.
Things have gotten better since implementing a family chore chart. My kids are starting to better understand the importance of responsibility and teamwork. Better yet, they finally realized that there isn’t some cleaning fairy that comes along and magically makes the messes disappear.
Maintaining a clean home is hard work but sometimes very necessary!
Clean Your Space, Clear Your Mind
Many studies have been done to show the correlation between a cluttered home and your mental health.
Cluttered spaces can cause:
- stress
- anxiety
- depression
- poor concentration
- sleeping problems
- weight gain from stress induced eating
Not only do you experience the negative effects of having too much stuff, but so do your kids. So what do we do to fix it?
Have No Fear, The House Cleaning Expert is Here
I grew up sharing a room with my older sister, Jennifer. We often stayed up too late arguing, neither one of us knew what boundaries were, and did I already mention the arguing?
One time, we tried to make a curtain to divide our room because my sister didn’t like always having to look at my disorganized dresser drawers. It worked out in my favor though, because this also meant I didn’t have to deal with her odd collection of Monster Energy cans.
Fast forward to adulthood, and to no surprise, Jennifer now owns her own cleaning company. She LOVES helping relieve busy moms from their cleaning responsibilities and takes great pride in being the reason people can come home just to relax. Seriously, all she is missing is her cape.
If my sister didn’t live hours away from me, she would probably be at my house every week. But I still love using her as a resource for tips, tricks, and the best cleaning product recommendations. They say knowledge is wealth, right? So with Jennifer’s help, we have put together a list of expert advice to help you take back control of the chaos in your home.
Tip #1: Start with Your Dirtiest Room First
Have you ever had so much to do, you don’t know where to start? Jennifer recommends you begin in the most neglected room for two reasons. One, your energy is highest in the beginning which means you’re more likely to finish it, and two, seeing the worst room really clean will motivate you to keep working hard on the rest of the house.
Tip #2: Designate One Room for Each Day of The Week
Let’s face it, the house is a mess because we don’t have time to always be cleaning it. I get it! So make a cleaning schedule you can stick to. Bathrooms on Monday, Kitchen on Tuesday, etc.
Tip #3: Always Work Top to Bottom
Work smarter, not harder. You don’t want to clean the floor first, then wipe everything to the floor just to clean the floor again.
Start with light fixtures, blinds, dusting, etc., then clean any tables, countertops, cabinets and finally, finish with the floor
Tip #4: Cleaning Must-Haves
- Magic Eraser: Awesome for removing marks and scuffs on walls and baseboards but also any stuck-on messes on kitchen counters without having to use a ton of elbow grease.
- Toothbrush: Comes in really handy for those awkward spaces where a sponge just doesn’t quite fit; like your sink faucet.
- Dish Brush: Great for cleaning more than just dishes! Next time, use a dish brush to clean your toilet. It is much better at cleaning the top edge of the toilet bowl and also along the bottom where the toilet meets the floor.
- Microfiber Cloths: These are great for cleaning mirrors and stainless steel appliances without leaving lint and dust behind as well as any streaks.
This House Was Clean Yesterday, Sorry You Missed it
I’ve heard before that cleaning your house when you have kids is like shoveling snow while it’s still snowing. With everything else you are in charge of, I know cleaning can sometimes feel impossible to tackle. But, I hope these tips help make it feel like a much more manageable task.
Be sure to share your favorite cleaning hacks in the comments!
