how do you find time to clean house with kids?

**thecowgirl** · 06-21-2008, 11:16 PM

how do you find time to clean house with kids? this may sound like a stupid question, but i have a LO who is less than a year old and i work outside the home, and finding time to clean house is almost impossible sometimes... anyone have any pointers on how to get this done? thanks!

**forHISglory** · 06-21-2008, 11:26 PM

It's been a while since I've been in your shoes, but key for me was ways to hide stuff. Baskets, bins, boxes, shelves .... all made for putting clutter in its place. For me, the clutter was the worst. I didn't even want to start cleaning when kid clutter was everywhere. It was so much easier to have places to stash stuff and hide it.

My little one always wanted to help while he was a toddler, so I gave him a dusting cloth. It actually did help a little and kept him out of my hair while I vacuumed. He toddled around waving the dusting cloth at furniture, and then I quick swiped it later.

I gave bathrooms a quick swipe in the morning after washing up, and made sure that I put dishes in sink or dishwasher, with the goal to have kitchen tidy after breakfast and before leaving for work.

I had to set my goals lower than my normal preference. By not expecting as much of myself, relaxing a few standards, letting the little one "help" and simplifying clutter, life became easier.

**justpeachy92** · 06-21-2008, 11:43 PM

I also got creative with hiding the clutter.At about a year of age my kids were in bed for the night around 8pm, 90% of the time. So I did alot of my cleaning then.

**Peaches** · 06-22-2008, 01:07 AM

I do lots of little jobs that might only take 5 minutes each. It will only take me 5 minutes to dust the living room. It only takes 5 minutes to sweep the kitchen floor. If you do lots of little jobs here and there, you'll find you might be able to keep on top of things.

I also let my 2 year old help. He likes to help and there are jobs he can do. If I want to vacuum, he picks up his toys off the floor so I can vacuum, as long as I let him have a go with the vacuum! He likes to sweep, he likes to do dishes. I also find that he and I have the nicest conversations when we're tidying the house!

**Mamaof2rugrats** · 06-22-2008, 09:30 AM

I've just decided I'd rather spend more time with my kids than have a clean house. It's not a distaster but certainly not spotless. Just doesn't rank high on my list of priorities.
I do most of my cleaning after they go to bed at night, that's the only time I'm able to get any of it done although the next day when they wake up, you would never know I cleaned!

**AmyBoz** · 06-22-2008, 09:32 AM

I think that a clean house doesn't have to be a spotless house. I also work full-time out of the home and have 3 little ones. Everything gets picked up, but I'm not vacuuming and dusting on a daily basis. I get done what I can and don't beat myself up over the rest. That being said, I can have this attitude and keep it clean enough that I'm never embarassed if someone pops in, but I'm not a fanatic. My time with my kids is more important to me.

**nuisance26** · 06-22-2008, 09:40 AM

~My kids didn't get around well until 13/14 months old so I could just clean in whatever room they were in. Just clip them into a bouncy seat or jonny jumper and clean. Singing songs and talking to them while working helps cut down the fussiness. A few things(like vacuuming) had to wait for the weekend because my kids hated the sound of it. DH would just take them outside while I got it done. I had to lower my standards for a few years when they were younger and prioritize cleaning tasks. Clean floors and surfaces at their level were the most important, dust-free door frames and spotless mirrors and windows were the least important. I also second the idea of getting cleaning done after the kids are in bed. I was always very tired at that point but just 15 of cleaning up will make you smile in the morning. HTH!~

**LexTysMommy** · 06-22-2008, 09:48 AM

Duct tape works well. LOL.

I do daycare out of the house, so I have kids and lots of them here at all times. I find that by having bins for certain toys like dinosaurs in this bin, books go here, make it easier for kids to keep their area clean. Just a thought as your child gets in the older years. Now I would just have big toybox that toys get thrown in every night before bed.

As far as the rest, well I say clean the bathroom while you are showering, or using the bathroom. We all know that as moms we get very little quiet alone bathroom time but wipe things down after shower, tidy up as you are in there.

Kitchen just try to clean as you go, finish dinner,and put dishes in dishwasher before you even leave kitchen. Its easier then going back to do it.

Try not to stress about how unclean your house is, and focus on spending time with your little one. The house will get clean, little by little as you have time.

**suebeehoney** · 06-22-2008, 12:49 PM

Well, I have to say it gets easier as the kids get older (obviously), because they can entertain themselves or even (*gasp*) HELP with the cleaning!

I'll echo what's been said above - a clean house doesn't mean spotless all the time (said as I look around at still-unpacked boxes from our move in January, and piles of stuff to be listed on Ebay...). Mine suffers from CHAOS right now - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. But I'm working on it! It's a day by day effort.

With that said, my house is clean, but cluttered (for right now). But you know what? It's MY house. I'm a single parent, and I work on it as I can - so if I have some boxes of decor items I haven't put up yet since our move, so what? I'll get to it eventually. (hopefully some today!) The Ebay stuff - same thing - I'm working on it in my spare time - which I don't have much of - mostly after 10:00 p.m.!

As far as how to get the cleaning done with kids - young ones - I say naps are GREAT gifts - take advantage of it whenever you can and get as much done as you can while they're napping. And when they wake up, take a moment to lay down with them or hold them in a comfy chair and cuddle with them (if they enjoy that). Make it a special time for both of you, and you can get some 'down' time after your cleaning blitz! :-)

**coup** · 06-23-2008, 12:39 PM

As a mother of 4 year old twins, tidy works for me! It doesn't have to be spotless, but it must be tidy.

I'm considering implementing a "no shoes allowed in the house" policy. We have a sandbox for the kids; do I need to say more?

The daily things I do: I must have a tidy kitchen. Even if the dishes are resting in the sink, at least there is nothing left on the counters. And the counters get wiped daily. Or they get really gross!

I try to clean every weekend, or every other weekend. I do a lot of "a lick and a promise" type cleaning (surface cleaning). Laundry gets done every weekend.

I really don't do much during the week.....ony what I need to, like unload the dishwasher, take care of the rest of the clean laundry.

HTH!

**Tamerama** · 06-23-2008, 01:40 PM

awww yes, I remember those days well. My babies were 16 months apart and I feel blessed to have just lived through the early years..LOL...clean house? Nope....just did what i could do during those years..fortunatly my husband did not complain.

Now, they help...we are doing www.handipoints.com (check it out..its awesome for older kids) and they are rewarded for their complaint free help.

**tammy88** · 06-23-2008, 02:14 PM

when i worked and had my first son he was about 1..i usually got up early and cleaned what i could, came home cooked, and then the house was a mess again..usually i spent my evening taking care of the house the bills and the kids and then bed..now im a sahm of 2 and still have a hard time fitting in cleaning...been really lazy lately too so today i got up at 6 to clean and start a new week off better i was so happy to have the house pretty much cleaned by 11..never happends around here..still have some cleaning to do but nothing to stress over

**tammy88** · 06-23-2008, 02:15 PM

wanted to ad that when i was working and trying to keep the house cleaned i was miserable and i never spent time with my first son..now im home and get to enjoy my second son more..to the point that he is so spoiled i cant put him down wiht out listening to him cry the entire time and i might be busy for an hour or so at a time..

**Greebo** · 06-23-2008, 02:52 PM

Duct tape and a broom handle will let you spend time with your child AND sweep the floor at the same time! The kid will think its a wild ride, and YOUR floors will get CLEAN!

**shortstack** · 06-23-2008, 04:41 PM

I have 2 kids. A girl who's 7 and a boy who is 2. The 2 year old can take my house from clean to a diaster in about 15 minutes.
The few things I've learned about keeping the house clean most of the time is with the kids is....
-Have less stuff. The less stuff there is around here the less stuff there is to lay on the floor

About once a month I do what is called a black bag reconicence mission (I think I spelled that right). That is where I take a black lawn and leaf bag around my house and throw the junk my kids are no longer playing with in there. I then take it to Goodwill for the tax exepmtion ticket or put the stuff in my hidden yard sale pile. I have to hide it because if my kids see whatever it is all of the sudden its their favorite item ever and how dare I think about getting rid of it! If they don't see what goes in the bag they NEVER ask for it later. I think once in 5 years has my daughter asked where an item I've gotten rid of was.
-I've also learned to make my kids eat sitting at the dining room table. They are the worlds worst at leaving a crumb trail where ever they walk.
-Multi-task. While my kids are in the tub playing I clean the bathroom and also fold clothes. While I cook dinner (don't laugh) I put microfiber rags I made with straps on my feet and clean the floor as I'm walking
-I clean my car in the driveway with my son strapped into his car seat watching a movie in our car DVD player
-When my son falls asleep in his car seat on the way back from somewhere thats when I go into the garage and put laundry in or pull weeds near where my car is. My car is parked in a shady area and the windows are completely down so it doesn't get hot. I can also see him. My daughter usually plays in the yard while I do this.

I guess after looking at all of these tips my main tips is to be creative.
I'm sure I have tons of spelling errors in this but I can't seem to find spell check anywhere on here.

Andrea