Although parenthood is undoubtedly rewarding, at times your house can begin to resemble something that may have been hit by a hurricane. In fact, make that all the time.

If you are struck with despair every time you look at the state of disorder that your home has fallen into, fret not! When used together, these eight amazing tricks will transform your home into the spotless abode of your dreams. From now on, having children and a clean home need never be mutually exclusive.

Clean on a Daily Basis

There is an overwhelming amount of evidence which supports the fact that an organized home elevates the mood and improves health. This is why keeping your home clean should be high on your priority list.

Even though parenting is an overwhelming job, and you may go to bed each day feeling completely drained, cleaning every day will make life so much easier for you.

In fact, it should take you no more than 30 minutes to clean up, and the benefits are endless. Furthermore, doing this daily will prevent dirt and clutter from building up, and make cleaning a less intimidating task compared to if you did it weekly.

Restrict the Number of Toys Kids Can Play With

Tell your children that they can choose to play with some of their toys at a time instead of their entire toy collection. The fewer toys there are, the easier it will be to de-clutter them at the end of the day. Keep the rest of the toys stored away in another room.

Moreover, get a storage basket to store away the toys for the day. Instead of the brightly-colored plastic ones, go for earth-toned, rope-woven baskets which will blend nicely with wooden furniture.

Distract the Children with TV

Being able to clean properly when you have young children around can be incredibly difficult. The constant crawling, walking around, yelling, etc. can fray any parent’s nerves. To aid your cleaning process, use the TV to distract the children while you clean.

Although the TV gets a bad rep for negatively affecting the psyche of young children, limited TV time which involves educational content can actually enhance learning.

If your children still haven’t started walking and you don’t have time to hold them, put them in a baby jumper, which is a safer alternative to walkers. There are brands on the market that improve the baby’s muscles and come with fun games that develop your child’s brain while keeping them engaged.

Wear Your Baby

Separation anxiety in children starts as early as 6-7 months, is greatest at 10-18 months, and slowly disappears by the age of 2. This condition manifests as children getting extremely upset whenever their parent isn’t nearby.

Unfortunately, if your child acts up every time you aren’t around, it can hinder you when you try to clean the house. To curb this response, you can try wearing a wrap or carrier to carry your baby with you everywhere you go.

If you have never used wraps and fear injury to your child from amateur knots, buy carriers with attached straps. These are specifically developed so that they are incredibly easy to wear and use.

Pick the Right Vacuum Cleaner

Buying the right vacuum cleaner becomes even more important if your home is entirely carpeted. There are so many kinds of vacuum cleaners out there, such as stick, canister, handheld, etc. Moreover, each one has unique features that may or may not be relevant to your situation.

If the children are taking a peaceful nap and you decide to begin your 30-minute speed cleaning streak, you may not enjoy having to plug in your regular vacuum while playing twister with 5-10 meters worth of vacuum cords.

This is where cordless vacuums come in. Their lack of wire makes them incredibly easy to manoeuver. You can clean just about any surface using a cordless vacuum cleaner.

Dyson currently has three leading styles of cordless vacuums for every budget. Check out the Dyson V7 comparison list to learn about the different features of each style and which one is best for your lifestyle.


Use Child-Safe, Multipurpose Cleaning Chemicals

Cleaning chemicals on the market are loaded with toxic chemicals that are fatal if consumed. Young children have a tendency to ingest chemicals. This is why it’s very important to keep these out of reach, or better yet, not use them at all.

Opt for child-friendly cleaning products to prevent accidents. You can even try antibacterial microfiber towels to do your cleaning. Use water and just wipe. It’s that simple.

Do the Laundry as Often as Possible

Doing the laundry is a necessary evil no matter how annoying it is. Moreover, nothing is as demotivating as seeing dirty laundry piles strewn about the house.

Not only do they make your home look like it was struck by a tornado, but the smells are enough to make anyone gag. This only gets worse the longer you put it off.

Ideally, placing a gorgeously-woven hamper basket in each room reduces the clutter and makes you feel more inspired to wash before your basket overflows.

Train Your Children to Keep the House Clean

If you have older children, there are some cool tricks that you can use to coax them to help you with keeping the house organized.

Take Toys Away

Whenever your child keeps throwing toys all over the floor, take the toy away. Tell your child to complete a chore before they can earn back the toy.

You can also tell your child that if they leave their toys lying about, they will get sucked up by the vacuum cleaner and thrown away. This will make them more careful about being tidy.

Play Overseer

Another trick that you can try is to play overseer. You let each kid be the overseer for 10 minutes, where the overseer advises the other kids to organize as requested and then switch roles when the time is over.

Teach Children to Clean

You should try teaching children to clean up properly instead of playing pretend cleaning. In this way, they will learn valuable life skills as well as help you with the house.

Ideally, simplify cleaning tasks to a step by step process that’s easy to understand and execute. When it comes to organization, make things even easier by labeling boxes and teaching children what goes where.

Additionally, make cleaning fun by busting out some happy music to keep the children entertained.

Conclusion

Although it’s important to be consistent with cleaning to get results, don’t stress about the details. Your home may not be perfectly spotless right now, but it is a work in progress.

Parenting is a difficult job, and you should be proud of doing as much as you can. Keep going and don’t forget to be kind to yourself. Happy cleaning!

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