We just moved into a house, from a tiny apartment. It’s our first time in our 7 years of marriage in more than 900 square feet. Since my husband works from home, we have been adjusting to our team effort to get everything done and stay in a groove, and we are slowly getting into a great pattern that seems to be working. Because our current kitchen is a lot better than our last, it means it’s more fun to clean. It’s new for us, so we were able to start a few new tricks out the gate that have helped us to keep tidy all day and I’m surprised at how well it’s working! Here’s a few house cleaning tips that have helped us a ton!
1) Toys stay in ONLY the toy room. Clutter has gone down dramatically because of that. Bedrooms can stay put together because toys are not in there to clutter them up, and once we are done playing, we can put them all away easier because they don’t have a million places to go. What doesn’t fit in the playroom has to go. I am also “toying” with the idea of rotating out toys so we have some put away and switch them out. I think that would help to have just less of them around.
2) I keep a mini vacuum plugged in nearby, and the kids love using it. So almost once a day, my floors in the family room get vacuumed, even if it’s just the corners or places with crumbs instead of the entire floor with the big vacuum. It makes a huge difference, and since I have a rug that shows everything, that matters a ton!
3) Set a timer! If it’s dishes right after dinner, or messy rooms, just say, “I’m setting the timer for 5 minutes!” And get everyone up. It’s like a game and gets everyone to help. My kids are always more likely to clean their rooms if I tell them I will set a timer or count to see how long it takes. It helps motivate me on days when it’s overwhelming. My husband and I will start in different rooms and set a timer and see who can finish tidying up first. It’s easier to play if it happens every day. And I hate when it feels like cleaning and tidying up are only my job, so this helps to remind everyone that we are in this together!
4) I keep Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes with Micro-Scrubbers in EVERY room. After dinner, I like to have all the dishes clean, and if I pull out the wipes, everyone helps and we usually “spot clean” the tile floors with a wipe under our feet. If I have them in the bathroom, my bathroom stays wiped down all of the time too. I rarely have to set aside a block of time to clean bathrooms because we have been able to generally keep them wiped down as we go {they are awesome on soap scum!}. I just jump in once a week or so to do the mirrors. I love Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes with Micro-Scrubbers in the kitchen the most. My mom had them and I LOVE them for counter tops because they have texture on one side to get the tough stuff off the counter and on my flat stove top. {Like after my son “helped” to make mac and cheese the other night and let handfuls of it bake on the stove top so it was a little tougher than normal. The rough side is perfect for that.} Also, they kill 99.9% of germs*, viruses, and bacteria and the germs that cause the cold and flu. We also had some sick kids last week, so it’s nice to be disinfecting, AND keep my house clean all the time. The smooth side makes wiping up quick and easy too. Check out Clorox on Facebook here! Pick these up at Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, and lots of other national retailers. *When used as directed
5) I now do laundry on Monday AND Tuesday. This is my first time in a place with a separate laundry room and I love it. I just bring in all the clothes, separate them, and wash/dry them on Monday, and then give myself until Tuesday to get them put away. If I feel like I have to do it all in one day, I get hyper stressed because it can be overwhelming!
6) I give my kids jobs. If my dishes are clean in the dishwasher, I will offer my 5 year old a coin to empty it out. He loves that job. We put all of the kid/plastic dishes down below so he could get to them and he helps set the table and put dishes away. He takes more pride in keeping “his cupboard” organized too, which is hilarious. He can also get a coin for vacuuming, or making his bed and his sister’s bed for when he comes asking for more jobs. I let him “buy” iPad time later with his coins. Each is worth one show. It’s been such a great motivation, and also helps limit his screen time!
What do YOU do to help keep clean and organized! I love new tricks!
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My tip is to split up the work. Lately I’ve been divinding the chores with my son and it has really helped.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/728264351090659329
I constantly look for items that we no longer need that can be donated. I find that it is easier to clean with Clorox wipes or dusting products when there isn’t a lot of clutter in the way.
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/728269559673802752
Here are some of my cleaning hacks:
I use salt and lemons to clean your chopping board without leaving any chemicals!
I use vinegar and baking soda can be a great combo for cleaning your oven.
I use lemons to remove stains from faucets.
I clean stainless steel appliances with cream of tartar. It really works!
tweet-https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/728275658443350018
I make sure to put things away back to their place ever time after I use it
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/728282883769565184
One of my cleaning hacks is to use Clorox disinfecting wipes in the kitchen and bathroom, I even keep them in the car.
YES! I completely agree. My new favorite thing about our neighborhood is they do a monthly bulk pick up day so we can leave things out on the curb and they take em away! Makes us dejunk once a month- win!
So I have done the lemons on faucets, but those other ones are awesome! I’m going to try those out- thanks! 😉
I like to tackle one room a day. I completely clean that room. Tidy up the rest.
https://mobile.twitter.com/arress83/status/728377541958971392
My tip is to take one room at a time per day.
groogruxking40 @ gmail dot com
I like to create a calendar detailing specific rooms or tasks to be cleaned/performed each day. I also make it a rule to take something with my (piece of trash for instance) every time I leave a room.
https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/728546655079927808
I keep a a large plastic tote container in a special place (living room) and when I find something to donate I put it in the container. I then try to donate on a weekly basis to keep things from collecting.
What I do to keep clean and organized is having Clorox wipes in every room also the kids love to help clean up which I am thankful for my daughter has a tablet and she can earn more play time and money but doing chores without being asked being kind and cleaning up they definitely get rewarded for.
I struggle with clutter and stairs! Rather than go up the stairs 100x a day, I put the items that go back upstairs on the stairs. Any ideas for that? Pulley system? LOL.
I keep cleaning supplies in both our bathrooms and kitchen. When cooking, I clean up any messes right away and use Clorox wipes as a finishing touch when done with the clean up. Each morning, after everyone is dressed for the day, I wipe down our bathroom counters, faucet and toilet with clorox wipes.
I Tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/728725308090765313
Thanks so much.
I do specific chores on certain days of the week, with weekends as free time. Plus my family helps with certain chores.
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/728751985986539520
I manage to keep clean and organized in my home by doing a bit of cleaning and straitening up daily and enlisting the help of family.
tweet-https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/728920736409092096
I mostly use habitica, it’s an online site that helps you stay organized.
I try to clean up while I’m cooking dinner so that I don’t have to do it all once we eat.
https://twitter.com/mommysweetiepie/status/729035124847706113
To help me clean and organize, I like to take everything out of the closet and only put them things that I really wear and makes me happy. The rest get to donation. That’s the easiest way to “Spring Cleaning” my closet! 😉
amy [at] utry [dot] it
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/729121988065693697
amy [at] utry [dot] it
To keep clean and organized, I clean as I go plus always put things back after each use.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/729160958854070272
My hack is everyone helps! The kids have morning, afternoon and evening chores that are posted on S white board. It seems things get done when they can see what is expected of them.
We clean on a regular basis.
https://twitter.com/willgriesmer/status/730172074921177088
I’m a neat freak, so I have to have the kids clean up a few times a day.
chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com
We pick up the house and do the dishes every night and spend an hour or so every weekend cleaning the rest of the house.
I don’t have any cleaning hacks. I’m the worst & just came here looking for some to help me improve. Thanks for the tips!
We split chores between all of our children so they learn responsibility and lessens my work load. We have a household of seven, soon to be 8 in August. Cleaning gets overwhelming quickly so we have also gotten rid of al the extras that we don’t need to avoid this
On laundry day I separate each of my girl’s clothes in a separate basket and when I’m done folding they each take their own basket and go put their clothes away. It seems simple but helps me get through the piles of laundry!
My husband and I are living out of a very small space right now, but we find that if we have a home for everything then we are more likely to put it back when it comes time to clean up. Also, if something doesn’t have a home then it gets to leave…because there’s no where else for it to go!
Doing chores WITH my kids is my favorite thing. Gets us talking and makes the mundane task seem more fun.
Miss you Meg!
My house is NEVER clean. I need help!! Actually, I’ve been getting better though, and I’m actually looking forward to summer when I don’t have places to go every 5 minutes. It makes getting my chores done a lot easier!
I love these ideas! My tip is the motto “done is fun” – I usually get tired of cleaning up so I stop part of the way through (especially while doing dishes). If I remember that getting the job done is fun (more satisfying?), it’s a lot easier to keep at it. Basically a shift from thinking about short term fun vs long term enjoyment.
Thanks for the tips! I always need advice on house cleaning. I love Clorox wipes! They’re my favorite to clean the toilet with because then I can just flush them away instead of having to wash dirty toilet rags!
I try to clean as I go. I like things to be be clean when I go to bed. It’s more manageable when I cleanup after I’ve used things rather than wait till the next day. It piles up to quickly if I wait.
I struggle with organization! But, we have a hard time keeping toys in only the playroom. They always end up bringing them downstairs when I’m not looking! And they also like to play where I am (especially my little one, she has to stay near mama) So, they each have their own basket to put their toys in. Whatever doesn’t fit in the basket, can’t come down! And at the end of the day, they bring them up to their rooms with them (or you could do playroom, and empty them out 🙂
I totally do the small, handheld vacuum thing also! They each have their own (my older two)!
I clean sheets on Saturday. Then no matter what else is clean in my house, I have a clean bed on Saturday night. Makes me feel somewhat productive and clean 🙂
I have a daily list of chores that need to get done so my house is somewhat clean all the time. I have little kids that can make messes faster than I can keep up, so it’s my only chance for survival! And even though it takes longer, I have them help me clean (even and 3 and 1!) so they are learning how!!
I can’t give cleaning tips because I’m so not a cleaner…I constantly just trying to keep up with everything. I do my best to capitalize on child labor and pay my kids to do things like clean the baseboards and dust the blinds.
My tricks? I have none. Just keep everyone alive. I’ve got oodles of unfolded laundry, an office that doubles as a dump, and dishes in the sink ALL. THE. TIME. I’m in school, so that’s my excuse! But I do try to “straighten up” daily. I also find if I do the dishes at night after dinner, I feel a lot better about life in general.
Would be nice if hubby would do the dishes more often, but that’s a conversation for another time.
Cleaning with a newborn is a challenge! I’m a crazy cleaner and I’ve had to be super organized. My husband does bath time and that’s when I get 20 minutes to fold laundry, do the dishes, and clean up around the house. On Saturdays Im not lucky enough to sleep in while they do so I get a ton done. I also keep wipes Everywhere!!! Life savers. I feel like I can spot clean when there isn’t enough time for everything else.
I have this issue to. We have a stair basket (specially shapeed to fit over two stairs) so that makes your pile of stuff look more tidy. Then you can bring everything up once.
My tip is to clean messes as they are made so you don’t have so much to clean later on.
Thanks for the chance to win
allisonrsdswain(at)gmail(dot)com
I’ve found that “putting the house to bed” each night makes my day start better and the messes stay under control because I tame it every day. Do dishes and run the dishwasher (also, try to only do dishes once a day), clean up the toys, pillows, and blankets, wipe down the bathroom counters, and do the occasional spot mopping. My house feels mostly clean even if it gets messy.
To stay on top of laundry if you do 1 load a day it will keep you caught up. That way you don’t get to the end of the week and have mounds of it to do. It’s easy to fold the one load while watching your favorite show in the evening too!
I tackle one room at a time.
I totally agree that setting a timer enormously helps to stay on track while cleaning. Thanks for nice tips. Debbie
Well, our house is a friggin mess most of the time, BUT my tip is to give your kids chores. I mean, lots of chores. They can do so much more than people give them credit for. If you are putting their clothes away, you are wasting so much time
I love the Clorox in the bathroom idea! My tip is making the bed each morning- it only takes a minute and I find our small apartment feels less cluttered when that’s done!
We like to use microfiber cleaning clothes, and follow the 1-touch rule. Rather than moving something from place, to place, if you put it directly where it goes–it only gets touched once!
Your house always looks great! We keep our house clean by just doing a little at a time. Usually in the evenings we do a quick pickup and wipe down and it helps reduce the big messes drastically!
I got a Robot Vacuum and it was the best purchase I’ve ever made! We have really dark floors that show every single crumb, and this little robot has saved my sanity! My kids love to push the “on” button after eating and watch it sweep up the floor. I sometimes do the dishes while it’s going and the vacuum and I have a race. 🙂 it doesn’t do enough to clean a really dirty floor, but it keeps a clean floor clean for weeks! I love it!
Laundry is my least favorite thing to do, probably because with 7 people in our house it is never-ending!! I would be doing laundry all day both Monday and Tuesday if I limited myself to 2 days, so my goal is to wash, dry and fold one load a day (except Sundays). If I do this I can stay on top of it and don’t feel so overwhelmed, plus it gives me a chance to catch up on a show once a day while I fold. ?
Love those Clorox wipes! We use shower gel instead of soap because it repels soap scum buildup making shower cleaning much faster and WAY easier! AZ has hard water and I loath soap scum/calcium buildup that’s not to say my showers are free of it but Whatev’s
I feel like any house looks/feels 10 times cleaner when dishes are out of site .. We try to rinse our used dishes after using them and then put them in the dishwasher. When it’s full we start it usually at night and then empty it usually in the morning.
I made a deal with my husband that if I had the dishwasher emptied when he got home, he had to fill it after dinner. Gives me some motivation because I HATE doing dishes!
I always clean the room before I leave it, I won’t leave a room messy!
I buy lots of containers to hide any clutter.
https://twitter.com/RachelGriesmer/status/731652194336833537
My kids are still little so everyday after I put them to bed my husband and I take 20 minutes to blitz clean. Helps us stay track and keep up with the day to day stuff.
I keep organized by throwing obvious junk mail into the recycling bin even before I enter the house. the junk never enters the house.
I like to keep things clean by keeping these microscrubbies handy in the kitchen, bathroom and car.
We have bags in the garage for recycle and also for things that can be brought for donation and those that can be brought to a resale store. This allows me to go thru the home to make sure there is not any clutter as if the place was new.
I like to schedule out cleaning projects.
I clean a little bit each day to keep things organized and I have a lot of storage options like bins and shelving units so everything can be put away and has a place.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/PrettyHotPink6/status/734050747927527425
I don’t have any great tips but just to keep on top of everything. I feel like if I let one day slip, everything goes downhill.
https://twitter.com/whittikere/status/734178152885297153
I hate to tell you this, but I am terrible at cleaning!! Now, I TRY to clean as I go, so as not to leave any real mess to get later… but sometimes there isn’t enough time! So, I need some tips too lol 🙂
Tweeted 🙂 – https://twitter.com/Enter_Now/status/734187029085327360
https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/734212373289013248
We remove a lot of clutter from our house. The less stuff we have around the less we have to clean!
My wife is the organizing Queen and one thing I’ve learned from her is to not over buy products. The more you have to store the harder it is to keep things in order.
I posted a tweet: https://twitter.com/FireRunner2379/status/734533045806567425.
https://twitter.com/mitadav/status/734845943787466752
I try to clean one room at a time.
My sister told me once that she always tidies the bathroom while her kids are in the tub. So I try to do that too. Keeping all of the supplies under the sink in the bathroom makes it so easy and you don’t have to leave the kids unsupervised. Quick wipe down of the sink/counter and toilet makes such a huge difference.
We have a play room upstairs. But toys always come down. We recently got buckets, one for each kid. They are filled up each day and then emptied out by the bucket “owner” otherwise their things go into moms pile. Moms pile goes to donations unless they earn it back. 🙂
I like to do a quick cleanup before bed so that I don’t have a huge job to tackle in the morning.
https://mobile.twitter.com/Michael64263870/status/735986704868335616
My simple cleaning tip is to start by making your bed before you leave your bedroom in the morning. It’s so nice to return to a neat bedroom and helps set the time for the day!
I have a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly schedule. I love to see a clean and neat home.
https://twitter.com/sodahoney/status/737837809688412160
Tweet entry https://twitter.com/kytah00/status/737937680630091776
Pick up here and there a little bit at a time everyday
I like to clean one room tcompletely and tidy up the rest of the rooms each day. I can usually spend an hour by doing so.
https://mobile.twitter.com/arress83/status/741972461604986880
I do specific chores on certain days of the week and declutter a couple of times a year.
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/742866531030171648
Everybody has chores to do.
I keep the same cleaning supplies in both bathrooms so I don’t have to always go looking for them.
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
Tweet
https://twitter.com/MsCarolsueA/status/743594019503079424
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
I clean a little bit everyday and I use baking soda to help me clean the house.
I spend about 30 minutes everyday cleaning something, so I don’t get totally overwhelmed. This helps me stay on top of things.
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/743911889315467265
We always had a “daily checklist” posted on the fridge with jobs listed for everyone in the house. It was great!!
https://twitter.com/suburbsanity/status/743984282612400128
My tip is to get your kids involved and start young. Make chores more fun!
tweeted – https://twitter.com/dmarie824/status/748195789248167936
The easiest but also, sometimes, the hardest thing is to clean up the messes as they happen. Sometimes, it is hard to make yourself do it when you know it could just say that way a bit and no harm would happen but, if you do it, it is over.
My tip is to clean and organize a little every day so it does not get out of hand.
I have decorative baskets in family areas to collect everything that gets left there that doesn’t belong there. At the end of the day I put everything back where it belongs.
I try to clean a little daily and wash dishes immediately instead of letting things get out of control
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
https://twitter.com/Natashalamoreu1/status/748334072187985925
I don’t really have any tricks but I do clean a little a day so not to be overwelmed with a huge mess.
https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/748325693193326592
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I keep duplicate cleaning supplies in both bathrooms so I am not always running back and forth
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
For heavy cleaning I enjoy cranking up the music and making it a party. I usually choose the 80s channel.
tweeted: https://twitter.com/tinawoo21/status/748410017515188224
My girlfriend cleans the house so I just try to pick up after myself