10 House Cleaning Tips for Busy Moms

I’m not sure about you but I am not really fond of cleaning. I find it is one of the biggest thorns in my side. If I have just washed the floor one of my children or even both will immediately spill a full cup of juice on it. This is the life of a mom isn’t it?

Now I do have a lady that comes in to clean one morning a week and oh how I love Monday mornings. Not only do I get to send my kids off to play school but as soon as I get home my cleaning lady comes in and does an epic job of sorting out the damage from the weekend.

Nice as that is within an hour or bringing my kids home I often wonder why I bother with getting someone in to clean!

There are a few things though that can really make a difference at the end of the day and helps to keep the house relatively clean and tidy. I always prefer a general cleaning solution which makes things easier and simpler.

Put Non-Stick Baking Paper in your Oven

Cleaning the oven is one of the worst jobs. Instead put a piece of baking paper at the bottom of your oven, it withstands very high heat so it won’t melt.

That way if anything spills you can just replace the baking paper and not have to scrub your oven!

Wash Dishes As You Work and After Every Meal

Dishes have to be one of the worst household chores. It seems that no matter how hard I try there is always a sink full of dirty dishes.

Dishes come clean so much easier if they are washed immediately and don’t stand for any significant period of time. Wash dishes as you dirty them while you are cooking and as soon as the family has finished eating wash, dry and pack away all the dishes.

It will make the house look so much neater and it will prevent the dishes from piling up which happens so fast.

Scrub Off Casserole Dishes with Foil

Scrunch a piece of foil up into a ball and scrub your casserole dish with it and a little bit of dishwashing liquid. It will make the job so much easier.

Clean Cutting Boards with Lemon

Cut a lemon in half and squeeze some of the juice out onto your wooden or plastic cutting board, then rub the lemon over the surface of the cutting board and let it sit for about 25 minutes before rising it.

This will remove all the stains and leave your cutting board smelling fresh and clean.

Keep a Vinegar and Water Mix Spray Bottle Handy

Vinegar is so useful around the house. You can use it for cleaning, for getting rid of ants, for getting rid of mold and so many things. Keep a spray bottle with a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water in it with a few drops of dishwashing liquid for using all over the house.

Spray it in the shower when you are done to prevent mold from building up and use it as a general cleaning solution for everything. You can even use it on your car windows and it will keep your car windows fog free!  The vinegar also deodorizes any bad smells which is a bonus!

Buy Loads of Microfiber Cloths

Microfiber cloths can be used to clean just about anything, they are incredibly versatile and they are reusable. Keep a few stashed in every room so they are close on hand for any spills and quick clean ups.

Get Your Kids Involved with Chores

As soon as your children can move about independently start teaching them to tidy up and to do chores. Yes in the beginning it will take longer to get things done but the earlier you teach them to tidy up and to have certain task that they are responsible for the sooner you will have less work and tidying up to do after other family members.

You can start giving your toddler chores from a very young age.

Work Out A Cleaning Schedule

Make a list of everything that needs to be done and how often (daily, weekly, monthly and annually). Then make a schedule for everything and stick it up where the whole family can see it so everyone knows what needs to be done, such as take out the rubbish or using the garbage disposal. (Look at Helpfulforhomes.com for thorough reviews for garbage disposals.)

You can even mark off who is responsible for each chore. It is much easier to keep everything clean and tidy when you and everyone else is aware of what needs to be done.

Clean Out Clutter Regularly

Clutter just builds up of its own accord no matter what you do. Make a point to throw out all the clutter in your home on a regular basis.

All that happens with clutter is you have tidy it up all the time and it makes cleaning more time consuming. If you take a bit of time to clear it out regularly you will be saving a lot of time in the long run.

Those Kids Toys

Allocate an area where your children are allowed to play with their toys and they are not allowed to leave them lying elsewhere. Tripping over toys all over the house is not pleasant and trying to clean a house scattered with toys all over is impossible.

Get a big toy box and teach your children to pack away their own toys at the end of the day.

Pack away a lot of your kids toys and only let them play with a smallamount of toys for a period of time and then rotate those toys with some other toys so your kids don’t have all their toys out at the same time. This will stop them from getting bored of all their toys and also keep the mess to a minimum.