Today I welcome Emma from Even Angels Fall to the blog. Emma is an events planner by day and a blogger by night. She is a Mum to three gorgeous children and is planning her wedding for September of this year.
Tips for Keeping Your House Tidy with Young Children with Even Angels Fall
Ok, so I feel there should be a disclaimer to this post. I’m a firm believer that nobody, unless they’re super mum, can keep their house tidy the whole week through with young children. It’s just not physically possible (is it?!). However, I have worked out a few ways to ensure my house resembles more of a home than a pigsty for at least a third of the week. Disclosure: as I’ve fallen behind with my writing and am trying to catch up, my house definitely isn’t a good example of a tidy home at this moment in time…
Allocate Time
It may sound simple, but I find I manage to tidy much easier if I have a set time/day to tidy rather than deciding to do it on a whim. I generally go for twice a week, usually on a Friday or a Saturday and then again midweek. This means that at least some of the time I manage to feel like I’m on top of things and can enjoy my clutter free house
Ditch the Kids
Let’s face it, it’s hard enough finding the time to clean and tidy without having a mini whirlwind running around after you untidying everything again. If your children are old enough to be in nursery or school, aim for a quick tidy after drop off or before pick up. If you work, or have a child who doesn’t go to nursery or school, see if your partner or a relative is able to take them for a trip to the park, it’s amazing what you can get done in half an hour when you put your mind to it…
Speed Clean
This brings me onto my next tip… when allocating time for cleaning, only give yourself a small period of time and then go at the house like it’s your workout (cleaning is in fact good exercise if you put effort into it). I tend to set a time frame of 5 minutes to clean the bathroom, a further 5 minutes for the kitchen and then 15 to hoover the house. I spend the first five minutes battling to get the hoover out from under the stairs… Set an alarm and you’ll work hard to beat the clock!
Have a Bedroom Basket
I saw this on Pinterest and loved the concept. Each member of the family has a basket which is kept downstairs. Before going up to bed each night, you have to put everything that is yours in the basket and take it up to your room. This means that when it comes to tidying the house, valuable minutes are spared, and it helps teach children to help with the housework from a young age
Tidy Smart
I tend to get all the bins, and the random rubbish from around the house, and all the recycling and put it at the back door whilst I’m tidying. My last task is then to go and take it all to the outdoor bins. This saves time in the long run as it doesn’t mean constant trips to and from the bins. When the bedroom basket system has failed (as it inevitably will), I’ve also made sure to gather everything that doesn’t belong downstairs in a pile and then taken it all up in one go, again saving a little time and energy
Incorporate into Daily Routine
One of the hardest things I find about tidying is when I haven’t kept on top of things it seems a little daunting to get started. Cut tidying times down by incorporating tasks into your day. I tend to unload the dishwasher whilst I’m waiting for the toast to pop in the morning, I can then fill it back up throughout the day and stick it on again before bed. I make an effort to wipe sides and the hob down after each meal and I try and keep on top of the washing by doing a load or two midweek rather than leaving it until the weekend
Play Music
I always feel more happy and positive to be cleaning and tidying with some music playing. I usually opt for something I can sing along to as it distracts me from the mundane tasks in hand and keeps me motivated. My favourites lately have been the Chicago soundtrack and ABBA’s greatest hits.
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Thanks so much for the lovely post Emma. Some great tips here, it does feel like a never ending task though doesn’t it? We try to have a big tidy up time everyday at the end of each day when all of the toys get tidied away.