Home Style - Collaborative Post
When kids come along it can be a bit of a shock to the system generally, but something we have struggled with until more recently has been the overwhelm of mess, constant cleaning, washing and tidying that just seems totally relentless. The lack of sleep combined with piles of washing, toys that need clearing away by the second and clothes that seem to just end up everywhere can be a problem and it can snowball easily. Without getting into good habits early on, you can soon find yourselves overwhelmed with a never ending to do list and a home spiralling out of control.
Although none of us need to be living in a show home, if left to linger, the daily jobs can soon affect your mood and even your mental health, so it's well worth trying to get things in order. I thought I'd share five tips that can help you keep your home a little cleaner and tidier if you have kids. For even more helpful tips particularly for cleaning, check out these fab ideas from Aroma Care.
1. Give yourself 3 tasks per day
Sometimes when you look around your home and see a million things that need doing, it feels all too much. This can often mean that you achieve even less as the tasks are just far too daunting and seem pretty much impossible. One thing I do when things get a bit hectic, is to write down three small achievable tasks to complete each day. These could be for example - put a wash load on, hoover the living room, sort the post pile, by ignoring everything else and focusing on those three simple jobs, I can get them done and feel I've made a dent in my workload. Quite often, once I get started I find I end up doing a few more jobs too, crossing off some from the next day or two as well. If you're struggling to keep on top of things, I'd really recommend this as a starting point for getting your home how you want it, even with kids in the mix. Maybe you could give them three little tasks too?
2. Get the kids involved
As much as kids 'helping' is sometimes counterproductive, when it comes to keeping the home clean and tidy, getting them involved can be a good thing and is a great life skill for them too. Choose jobs that are age appropriate and generally try and get them in the habit of putting one game or toy away before getting something else out. Sometimes kids enjoy things like matching socks, sweeping or even hoovering, so don't be afraid to get them to muck in as one day they will have their own homes to care for, so it's really good to get them into practise as early as possible.
3. Make sure you have adequate storage
One thing we all struggle with, particularly when kids and all their gear come along is finding the right storage. There are heaps of ideas out there to make the best use of your space available and keeping things away in storage instead of piled in corners or sat on floors makes for a much more relaxing and organised home. See this post for a few kid friendly storage ideas and try to replace furniture that just isn't helping your situation.
4. Declutter often
I do love a good declutter in any home post! But really, it is the key to keeping on top of things. Before things build up too much, I'd recommend getting in the habit of decluttering often, checking clothes fit and likely to be worn before hanging, re-home toys, games and decor that are no longer needed, loved or that your child may have grown out of. The less clutter we have, the less cleaning we will have to do. The less mess, the more kids will enjoy their space and it makes things so much quicker at tidy up time too.
5. Make yourself a schedule
When it comes to a cleaning schedule, it doesn't have to be rigid, there isn't a one size fits all. Whether you write a time table, a rota with your family or just a checklist of jobs that need doing, having an idea of what's needed and crossing off those jobs one by one can be really satisfying. Sometimes we veer towards the easier jobs or ones that are preferable, but by having some kind of schedule you can make sure that at some point everything that needs doing will be sorted.
These tips have really helped me get to grips with keeping our home a little easier to manage and far less stressful. What do you struggle with most when it comes to keeping the house tidy with kids around?
