Tips for Keeping a Clean Home (With a Toddler)
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When I had my baby (now a toddler) I had such a hard time staying on top of the housework the same way I did before I had a baby. This is somewhat to be expected, but I had high hopes that I would be able to stay on top of it. Over time, I have slowly begun to learn different things and accumulate different products that have helped me keep my house clean without having to spend hours a day cleaning and trying to juggle everything else.
Tips
Focus on one room at a time. This was a hard one for me because I was so used to spending one day cleaning the whole house and having the whole house clean all at once, however, once I decided to give it a chance, it was a game changer! This has, by far, been the biggest thing to help me keep my house clean. My personal cleaning schedule is as follows (however, you can obviously tweak it to fit your own needs!):
Monday- kitchen (dust, clean out fridge, wipe down cabinets, clean out microwave, and do a general deep clean of the kitchen)
Tuesday- bathrooms (pretty self explanatory. toilets, tubs, showers, sinks, dust, etc.)
Wednesday- bedrooms (wash sheets, wash rugs, dust, etc.)
Thursday- Living room and office areas (dust, wash throw blankets, and whatever else needs to be done in those rooms)
Friday-Sunday- rest (other than general daily upkeep like washing dishes, picking up clutter, laundry, and other stuff like that)
Include your toddler. I know what you’re thinking. “Isn’t that going to take forever?” And the answer is yes, it will at first. If you need to get something done quickly, then don’t include your toddler, however, if you have the time, include them! (For context, my toddler is about a year and a half). They will learn valuable life skills, they will likely enjoy hanging out with you and helping, and personally it takes a lot of the stress off of me. Instead of feeling guilty for cleaning instead of playing with my kid, I am cleaning while spending valuable time with him. Some of the things I include him in are laundry (example: “help me toss the socks in the washer/dryer”, “can you press the start button”, “can you close the dryer door?”), cooking/baking (dump the premeasured ingredients in the bowl, cut the butter, stir the ingredients), and dusting/wiping surfaces with a dry or damp (with water) cloth (this is probably his favorite haha).
Set a timer. On the days I feel the most burnt out, exhausted, and unmotivated I set a timer for 10 minutes and get as much done as I can in 10 minutes. When I do this, one of two things occur. I either feel more motivated to continue cleaning (starting is usually the hardest part) or I stop cleaning after 10 minutes, but I at least got 10 minutes of cleaning done. In 10 minutes you can put away some laundry, load/unload dishes, hand wash a few dishes, or wipe down some surfaces. It may not seem like much time, but you can usually check one thing off the to-do list (or at least make a dent in it)!
Make a time-lapse video. This is something I have been doing since high school when I had to clean my room. I like to do it now with laundry or picking up clutter in the living room. It may sound silly, but if your problem is being on your phone, taking a time lapse of yourself cleaning will force you to get off your phone (because it’s recording) and you’ll have a satisfying video to watch when you’re done. It also tends to make me work faster and focus more because I don’t want a bunch of empty time being wasted in my time lapse haha!
Give yourself some grace. Ask for help if you need it. Realize that this is probably just a season of life you need to get through (especially if you are a new mom or have multiple young children) and you just have to find your new rhythm, which takes time. As long as your home is a safe place for your children, don’t let the housework bare down on you. You’ll get back into a routine in no time!
Some of my favorite products
IRobot Roomba- By far the most helpful product I’ve gotten is the Roomba. Letting it vacuum for me while I either clean another room or just sit back and hang out with my toddler has been so nice. It takes a huge weight off my shoulders and saves me so much time. It’s so easy to have clean floors when you have a little robot that does it for you!
6 ft. Swiffer Duster- This is my favorite duster. The tip of the duster as well as the length of the pole are adjustable, so it is easy to dust ceiling fans, blinds, walls, ceilings, and anything else that needs to be dusted. You can either use the Swiffer 360 duster refills which are the most convenient or just regular Swiffer refills which are a little more cost effective.
Dirt Devil Grab & Go- This has been so handy for vacuuming up crumbs under my toddler’s high chair after each meal and for vacuuming the insane amounts of fur that my golden retriever leaves beside his crate every day. It is easy and convenient to grab and clean up messes quickly and it has completely taken over the broom’s role in my house.
O’Cedar mop bucket- This mop bucket is one of my favorite things ever. It always picks up so much dirt and leaves my floor looking and feeling so clean! The pedal on the side of the bucket spins the water out of the mop head for you so you don’t have to touch the wet mop head and you can adjust how wet you want the mop. I also love that the mop head is detachable and machine washable for an easy clean! I like using Murphy’s oil soap when I mop. It works for our hardwoods, laminate, and tile and it smells so good!
Air purifier- I want one of these for every room in my house. If you have a pet that sheds a ton or if your house is a dust magnet like ours, an air purifier is a must have! We have one where our dog sleeps and that room doesn’t get nearly as dusty as it used to and our dog’s fur doesn't fly through the air like it does in the rooms without a purifier. It has also helped so much with my allergies!
Diffusers- Diffusing essential oils is the way we like to make our house smell good and what’s better than a beautiful diffuser to do that job? We have this large diffuser in our bathroom as well and it lasts 3 days before needing to be refilled (and it’s remote controlled which is super convenient).
I hope this was able to help you at least come up with some ideas of ways you can tackle the housework. It is hard getting back in the swing of things after having a baby, but with a little practice, you’ll get back to a new normal and the housework will follow along. Give yourself some grace!