Keeping a Clean House with Children
Hi friends! So here’s a typical scenario for life with a toddler on “cleaning day.” We will call the toddler Little One. You can exchange a toddler for any age child(ren).
Cleaning Day Routine
6 PM: You walk in your front door, it’s clean! It smells fresh. The dust is gone, the beds are made, and the floors are shiny. You breathe in and savor it.
6:15 PM: Little One’s toddler destruction is underway. Toys are everywhere. Pots and pans are spread throughout the kitchen floor. Little One then asks for Cheerios. You put them in one of those cups that are supposed to contain them, nervous for what will happen next.
6:20 PM: Like clockwork, there are the Cheerios. All over the floor. You start making dinner. Grilled cheese and ham sandwich with a side of mashed peas and sweet potatoes. It’s calm as Little One begins reading a book as you re-organize the kitchen while waiting for the food to cook. Yes! You got this.
6:30 PM: You sit down for a nice family meal. Little One is eating great, you’re feeling great.
6:40 PM: You take your head away for one second, and there it goes. A biiiggg spoonful of sweet potatoes all over the floor. The remaining pieces of the sandwich? See ya plate, hello crumbs on the floor.
6:45 PM: You wipe Little One’s hands and body and the toddler exploration begins again. You try to not even notice.
6:48 PM: You spend no less than 3 minutes scarfing down your now cold meal. You look around at your freshly cleaned home. You haven’t even been home an hour, what just happened? You can’t even get mad because Little One is too cute dancing to the music in one of the toys.
Simple Tips to Stay Tidy
If this sounds familiar to you, we get it! Here are 5 tips for maintaining a clean home between cleanings when you have a toddler or any young kids.
1 — Get a handheld vacuum and keep it handy. It’s so much easier than a regular vacuum and works wonders for those Cheerios that are all over the floor. If you have multiple levels in your home, consider one for each level. Here is a picture of ours, notice the Cheerios.
2 — Keep your high chair in one spot (if you can). This may seem obvious but if you can avoid moving the high chair all around the kitchen and living areas, it will limit the spreading of inevitable stickiness and crumbs.
3 — It may be an eyesore but blankets on top of couches are amazing for peace of mind that your couch isn’t being destroyed nor smelling like YoBaby yogurt. It is much easier to clean a blanket than it is to constantly wipe down any type of couch. Rotate a couple of blankets through for convenience as they will, of course, get dirty.
4 — Foam tile play mats are very easy to clean. Use the handheld vacuum to vacuum crumbs and dust. Water and natural dish soap will work great for bits of food. The mat pieces come apart easily for as-needed deep cleans of one or all of the mats. We spot clean ours at home as needed then do deep cleans every 2-3 weeks. You can get all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors, and designs of foam mats.
5 — Embrace it! It’s exhausting but life with a toddler is amazing. Know that there’s a major difference between a home that is dirty and a home that is lived in. Sweet potatoes on the floor or bits of dust absolutely do not mean your home is dirty. It’s natural and normal. Just don’t go too long without cleaning!
Locally Owned House Cleaners
Best of luck!
Phil Harper
Owner / CEO, WellNest Home Cleaning
WellNest Home Cleaning is a local family-owned green cleaning company located in Arlington, VA. Visit www.gowellnest.com to obtain an immediate price, book online, or to read more about our services.