Summertime means always being on the go! It is full of making memories involving ice cream, swimming in the pool, water gun fights, friends over to play, make-believing, baseball games, and staying up later than usual. Summer also means the kids (and dog) are in and out of the house all day long, trekking in dirt, grabbing another Barbie to take on an adventure or bringing rocks in to serve as a chair for their little dolls. And that stick laying on your living room rug, that’s a sword meant to fight off the fire-breathing dragon that was lurking outside.
Do you struggle trying to keep a clean house in the summer? Keep reading to find 5 simple daily tips to help keep your house clean.
Before kids, I used to spend my Sundays cleaning. I would spending the whole day scrubbing, wiping and dusting. You know how it is with kids though, you can’t leave everything until one day or else the mess takes over and you begin to drown in toys, crumbs evidencing their favorite snacks, a trail of clothes leading you to where yet another pile of toys are, and ending with the real prize: half a juice box, squeezed all over the rug. Ahhh, summertime is so fun!!
I have since adopted a clean-as-you-go method that helps the house stay clean, and keeps the anxiety at a minimum if a guest drops by. By cleaning a little each day, it will help to stay on top of the task and keep your house clean (most of the time).
Here are 5 simple daily tasks to keep your house clean.
1. Clean as you go
Imagine if everyone in the house would pick up after themselves. The house would be spotless!!!! Ahhhh, that just gives me so much satisfaction. But, let’s be real. The kids do not pick up after themselves without you telling them to do so ….. multiple times. Keep on them, though! You don’t give up that easy, do you? Start doing this while they are young, that way it becomes a routine to them.
When making a sandwich, don’t leave the bread on the counter. Put it back in the bread drawer. Don’t leave your makeup on the bathroom counter. Put it away. Put your shoes in the closet instead of leaving them in the entryway. If you do this all day, by the end of the day everything will still be in its designated place.
2. Clear off the kitchen counters
The kitchen is the gathering place in everyone’s home. It is where the heart of the family is: food. It also inevitably seems to be where everyone drops everything, from their keys to the mail to homework and purses. At the end of the day, do a tidy up of the counters and clear them of any unwanted items. Have a designated basket or area for mail. A homework station is the perfect solution to backpacks and folders left on the counter. Hang up purses and bags. Do a wipe-down of the counters. Having the kitchen counters cleared helps to make your kitchen feel clean.
3. Do a complete load of laundry.
To stay up on laundry, you need to do one complete load Every. Single. Day. That means washing, drying, and putting it away. I know that it almost seems impossible when your laundry seems to multiply with every blink you take. Staying up on it though is the only way for it to not overtake your sanity. Start the load first thing in the morning. Throw it into the dryer at nap time, or as soon as you get home from work. Then fold or hang the load up as soon as the buzzer goes off. Have the kids put away their laundry. This is a perfect chore for almost any age. When they are younger, you may have to help them, but set them up for developing this as a routine and you will be sitting with your feet up, enjoying a peaceful moment by yourself while the kids put their laundry away each day (ha! What is a peaceful moment by yourself?!? But, it’s always good to dream).
4. Vacuum up messes as they happen
It is almost like a game my kids play that they have to get at least half of the food they are eating on the floor. As soon as they are done eating, grab your vacuum and clean it up. I have a cordless vacuum that has completely changed my life. Like, I almost think that it should have been written in my wedding vows: You will love, honor ….. and always have a cordless vacuum for your wife. Okay. Maybe it is not that important, but it ranks right up there in my life. Do a quick vacuum of highly-traveled areas, such as entryways or mud rooms where shoes are kept. Vacuuming up messes as they happen will help prevent the mess from being spread throughout the rest of your house.
5. Do one load of dishes
Before you go to bed, start your dishwasher or wash the dishes in the sink. Then, first thing in the morning put them away. Think about it, in the time it takes for your coffee to brew, you can have the dishes put away. This will help to always have a sink free of dirty dishes. The dishes are one task my husband does not take lightly. I always joke that he washes my plate before I am even done eating. And, no joke, when he is making supper, he washes the pans before he even sits down to eat.
By following these 5 simple steps, you will be able to crawl into bed each night knowing that in the morning you will have a clean house to start the day off right. Simple, everyday changes will help make your life easier, and cleaner!
What are some things that you do every day to help keep your house clean?
-Callie
