There’s no doubt about it, having kids changes your life and your home!
And one of the biggest changes you’ll experience as a parent is that the level of “tidy” that you’ve grown accustomed to. Keeping your home tidy could be now out the window!
But the mess doesn’t start when our kids begin to crawl around and get into things. It starts before that. When we bring home all of the paraphernalia that goes along with kids. Like stacks of diapers, diaper bags, high chairs, etc.
Once you’ve found a home for everything you need it’s simply a matter of keeping the mess corralled to a level that’s safe for your family and your sanity!
Whether you’re expecting your first, or have a house full of kids, it is possible to keep your house “company ready” without resorting to nagging the kids or the spouse. Or driving yourself crazy in the process!
Here’s how:
Keep things picked up
When things are tucked away instead of lying all about the countertops, the floors and draped across the sofa, you’d be amazed at quickly a room can look clean. The magic to “company ready”.
Your visitors are probably going to be more interested in speaking with you than checking under the bed for dust bunnies. So focus on keeping things picked up on surfaces to help make your home look neat and tidy.
Get your kids to help.
There are many ways to get the kids to help. From paying them for getting their “chores” done with an allowance to putting on some music and dancing your way through the house.
After all, your kids – boy or girl – will be independent one day, so they might as well learn about keeping a house while they’re at home with you.
Clean the bathrooms
Bathrooms are important, so keep them as clean as possible.
If you don’t have time to do a deep clean then quickly do the following, giving yourself a time limit of 5 to 10 minutes:
- ⬥ Clean the sink, countertop and mirror
- ⬥ Swipe the toilet basin with a toilet brush
- ⬥ Wipe down the back of the toilet and the toilet seat
- ⬥ Quickly sweep the floor of any debris
- ⬥ Empty the trash can
Toy management
Ever notice how you can have a completely clean house, but when the kids have their toys strewn everywhere that’s all you see?
There are countless organization methods out there to help with containing kids’ clutter. But at the end of the day if you don’t use them, they’re pretty much an expensive gadget sitting there collecting dust.
Keep your toy management efforts simple.
Use brightly colored baskets or boxes, placed within easy reach and make it a daily routine for everyone to pick up their toys and put them where they belong. Try also keeping toys in one central room.
Details
Sometimes all it takes is dealing with a few details to make the appearance of a room tidy.
Following are some examples:
- ⬥ Make your bed. – It makes your bedroom look more tidy…instantly.
- ⬥ Look in every room for stray cups or dishes to put in the dishwasher (or stacked neatly in the sink ready to be washed).
- ⬥ Cull old magazines and papers from the living room.
- ⬥ A notorious hotspot, free your kitchen table from clutter to quickly improve your kitchen’s appearance.
- ⬥ Pick up all clothes lying on the floor, over chairs, etc. and put in the clothes hamper. (Note: be sure to hang wet towels somewhere they can dry to prevent mold and mildew.)
Mad dash
Sometimes, life happens and you’re faced with much less time than you’d like to get your house in good shape and company ready.
Don’t stress out when this happens…just set your timer for 20 minutes and do a quick declutter. Then wipe down all surfaces as you go to give your home a light facelift.
- ⬥ Grab a large box or basket and quickly go through every room in the house. You’re not doing a deep clean right now, you’re just looking for things that catch your eye because they’re out of place.
- ⬥ Starting from the doorway, work your way around the room counterclockwise and put the “offending items” in your container.
- ⬥ Before you begin in the next room, put any items that belong in that room away first. Then, follow the same procedure that you did in the other room, going from room to room until you’re finished and everything is where it belongs.
Finally, light a scented candle, fluff the pillows on the couch and sit down with your favorite beverage…it’s time to relax and wait for your company to arrive. Who says company ready needs to be difficult. With these tips they are easy!
