The Busy Parents Guide to a Clean Home!

Life with kids is brilliant but incredibly busy, and at times chaotic. School runs, cooking, sorting packed lunches, homework, bath time- it’s all just a small part of any parent's life. So it’s no wonder that the housework can sometimes get skipped- when you finally get to sit down in the evening the last thing you probably want to do is clean the house. However, keeping a clean and organized home doesn’t have to be difficult if you go about it in the right way. It doesn’t need to mean hours scrubbing and sacrificing your weekend to chores. Here are some tips to make things easier.

Think About Flooring and Furniture

Kids are messy creatures. Drinks get knocked, food gets spilled, grubby hands leave marks everywhere. If you have carpets down or fabric sofas, it’s going to mean buckets of water, soap, and elbow grease every time an accident happens. Save yourself the hassle, easy to clean surfaces like leather furniture and wood floors will make things way easier. A quick wipe and it’s sorted, no more stressing about the house getting ruined or making a ‘no food or drink’ rule in certain rooms because it just won’t stick. These things happen, so having easy-to-clean surfaces is the way forward.

Get The Right Storage

Kids' toys everywhere can lead to the home looking messy and cluttered. Having some good storage in the living areas to put them in when they’re not in use can help you bring back the calm and serene-looking room you enjoyed before you had kids! You can buy storage cubes or wooden boxes that match your decor, and toys can quickly be put in there at the end of each play session. If you limit the amount of toys that are allowed to be kept in the living room it will make things easier. You can always rotate them with toys from their bedroom every few weeks. With the right storage, clutter doesn't build up and take over your home. It’s easier to keep things tidy because everything has a designated place.

Get Kids Involved

If you hang hooks at a level that kids can reach in a coat cupboard, teach them to hang it up every time they get home. Have a shoe cupboard nearby and let them know that this is where shoes go. They might not be perfect with it at first, but it gets them in good habits and means there’s less of a mess to sort every time the kids get home from school. Encouraging them to put things away after use is another thing to try. Depending on their age you could offer incentives for doing small jobs in the home, or just for keeping their room tidy. It could be anything from pocket money to an extra story at bedtime.

Do a Little Each Day

Instead of letting mess build up, do just a few minutes each day. Pick up and put away, wipe the worktops, bleach the toilets and sinks, and put a load of washing on. It will take you less than fifteen minutes but can help to keep things ticking over. Then when you do have time to clean properly, there’s far less to do so won’t take you as long.