Cleaning with a toddler is no easy task.
It took me a while to figure out how to keep a clean home with a toddler and now both a toddler AND an infant!
It wouldn’t surprise me if a few people clicked on this post and thought it would be about how you CAN’T have a clean home with young kids.
Like “we should just embrace living in chaos.”
While those type of posts serve their own purpose, to me, having a clean home isn’t just about showing off to other people that I can “do it all.”
To be honest, we don’t have guests that often for that to even make sense.
You probably already know this, but the state of our homes is directly connected to the state of our minds. If I am surrounded by clutter, then my mind also feels cluttered and I can’t focus.
Are you like this too?
Well here is some good news! I have come up with some simple tasks and products that will really help you have a clean home with young kids.
Related post: 6 Simple Daily Tasks That Keep Your Home Clean
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How To Have A Clean Home When You Have Kids
1. Follow a cleaning schedule
First up is following a cleaning schedule.
I’ve seen all kinds of cleaning schedules from super detailed to very basic. You need to find what works for YOU and your family.
I have found having just one cleaning task to do each day makes cleaning much more manageable than letting it all build up and trying to tackle cleaning my whole house in one day.
If you’re looking for somewhere to start, you can download my FREE Cleaning Checklist and Daily Planner here!
Having a cleaning schedule written down is especially helpful during times of transition, like adding a new baby to the family.
Your mind gets filled up with lots of things as a mom and it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not remember what has and has not been cleaned. Write it down!
2. Get organized!
If you do not have any type of home management system in place, then now is the perfect time to start one!
Or if you do have a home management system but you don’t think it’s working for you, you should consider grabbing my Home Management Survival Kit to help you better organize your life and make managing your home a breeze!
3. Invest in time-saving cleaning tools
There are certain cleaning tools that are worth the investment because they will save you time, help you stay sane AND keep your house clean!
Here are a few tools worth considering:
- Cordless vacuum – Dragging out a clunky traditional vacuum with a short cord that can really slow down your cleaning flow. Plus, young kids can trip over the cords and “accidentally” unplug the vacuum while you’re cleaning which is frustrating. A nice upgrade from a traditional corded vacuum would be this INSE Cordless Vacuum Cleaner from Walmart due to it’s affordable price and lightweight design so that it’s not a pain carrying a heavy vacuum upstairs anymore.
- Robot vacuum – Anyone with small children can relate to the fact that our floors constantly have crumbs everywhere. You probably dread having to drag your vacuum out every day to clean up these messes. That’s why you should consider a Robot vacuum! So how do they work you may ask? Every night before you go to bed, you pick up all the toys and any clutter on your floors so there is a clear path for the vacuum. Then set your vacuum to run during the night while everyone in your house is sleeping. Then voila! You wake up in the morning to beautiful crumb-free floors. Shop the iRobot Roomba Vacuum at Walmart!
- Vacuum/mop combo – I have heard amazing things about vacuum/mop combos and they seem like great products. Just imagine being able to vacuum and mop at the same time?! If you have little kids, I’m sure your floors are sticky and crumby from your toddler’s messes. So being able to vacuum and mop at the same time would save you so much effort. If you’re ready to invest in one of these vac/mop combos, you can find the Tineco iFloor 2 Max on Amazon!
4. Every item in your home needs a “home”
This is a big one for me and it may even be more important than the cleaning schedule.
Every item needs a designated “home” in your home otherwise this inevitably causes clutter. If there are things in your home that you find yourself leaving out on the counter or shoving in a cabinet, then you need to just get rid of those items!
Like the saying goes “if you’re not using the items in your clutter spots, then you likely don’t need them.”
There needs to be a place for everything and everything in its place. Once you organize your home by doing this, you will be amazed the weight that is lifted off your shoulders.
5. Have designated toy storage
Do you easily get overwhelmed by an excess of toys? Yeah, me too.
If you’ve already gone through the toy purge process, then the next thing I suggest would be to have designated toy storage for them.
Set boundaries for your children when it comes to their toys and be consistent with those boundaries.
For our home, I really prefer that certain toys be played with in certain areas that way toys aren’t just taking over our house.
For example, toys with multiple pieces like Magnatiles are played with upstairs and not in the living room so that they’re not all over the couch where people are wanting to sit and relax.
Decide where you want toys to live in your home and then stick to that!
6. Use TV when needed
Sometimes it is easier to just have them sit still long for you to be able to tidy up without them following you around or creating more messes.
And in order for this to happen, you use the TV. In our house, that means Bluey!
You don’t have to use this tip of course, but I just want you to know that it doesn’t make you a bad mom if you utilize TV in this way.
7. Prioritize your cleaning tasks
The truth is, when you are raising young children, your time is extremely limited.
I’m not suggesting that you lower your standards. I’m simply suggesting that you figure out what messes give you the most stress.
Maybe it’s the never-ending dishes? The toys everywhere? The bathrooms?
Whichever cleaning task that looks like for you, you need to make that task your priority and then all the other ones can be done later.
Recommended next from the blog: Habits of A Happy SAHM
