How To Keep Your Home Clean With Little Ones

We often host friends and family in our home.  I like to be ready and open for anyone to stop by at anytime.  So I aim at keeping the house mostly clean.  However, keeping a clean house when you have kiddos is difficult and can often seem impossible when you have littles.  It still really baffles me how fast the house can look like an F5 tornado blasted through it.  So, I thought I would share five things that help me maintain a picked up home throughout the week with multiple kiddos.

1.  Make all the Beds First thing in the morning- Have your kids do their best to make their beds before leaving their rooms in the mornings.  If they are three or under you may need to do this for them.  I’m sure you have heard this before, the bed makes for about 50-70% of the room in most cases.  So, if you make your bed.  The room is going to look mostly clean.
2. Ten minute pickup party in the living room before going to bed-All hands on deck.  Turn off the TV, pick up toys, straighten pillows, blankets, bring any cups or dishes to the kitchen.  I often do this in the early afternoon as well after the kids have been playing for awhile to make sure things don’t get too out of hand.
3. Ten minute pickup party in the bedroom-  Spend ten minutes cleaning up toys, clothes, school stuff, etc. before finally getting in the bed.  You can make this fun by making it a race, turning on some fun music, or by giving the fastest/best cleaner a prize at the end.
4. Clean up after meal time- We homeschool so we are home for every meal.  At meal time a mess is pretty much guaranteed with littles.  Have them take their dishes to the sink after eating, put away any condiments, and throw any trash away.  An older child or you can load the dishwasher or wash any dishes that were used.  An older child can spray and wipe down the table. They can also sweep up all the crumbs that found their way to the floor.
5. In the bathrooms- have them wipe down the counters and sinks after they brush their teeth and get ready.  When my kids are little I use a spray bottle of water mixed with dawn dish soap that my little kids can safely spray and clean up with.  Once they get older you can buy clorox wipes and keep them under the sink for quick and easy cleaning.

These steps really help me maintain a picked up home that isn’t necessarily perfect but is presentable if anyone just drops by.  Hope these tips are helpful to you.  I would love to hear any tips you may have.  Thanks for stopping by.