21 of the Best House Cleaning Tips for Tired Moms
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These 21 house cleaning tips just might change your life. Seriously, stick with me.
Do you love a clean home, but hate the actual cleaning that goes into it? Same here.
This past summer my family of 3 traveled around Europe and stayed in different countries for between a week and a month at a time. My favorite part was that I barely had to deep clean each apartment.
Seriously, it was almost like I preferred moving Airbnbs versus scrubbing a toilet. But, now that we are settled in Munich for a bit, I am back to a regular weekly cleaning routine. It's easy to keep up with, but I still love me some house cleaning tips.
Some of these are so ingenious that I just had to share them with you too. How could I keep all of this goodness to myself?
The following 21 house cleaning tips are gathered from mamas all over the world. These super easy hacks are perfect for exhausted moms who want to clean house quickly. After all, even though we want to live in a sparkling clean home with our families, I know we all have a million other things to do too. Sometimes a tidy, clean-enough house will have to do.
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Cleaning Hacks for a Tidy Home in No Time
House Cleaning Hack #1:
Wash Your Hands and Sink at the Same Time
Simple Living Country Gal has a great list of how she keeps her home clean in under 20 minutes per day. One of my favorite tips of hers is to wash the sink every time you wash your hands. As she says, it takes less than a minute and it’s amazing how many soap and toothpaste splatters build up everyday. By doing a quick wipe down while you are already soaping up your hands, your bathroom will maintain a neat and tidy look.
House Cleaning Hack #2:
Purge as You Go
A general theme of the tidy home experts is to do a little everyday so that you don’t get overwhelmed. That’s why I love the cleaning hack from Krista at The Happy Housie. She recommends you become a habitual purger. That means instead of having one BIG purge a year (or every few years), you get rid of things when you realize you do not need them.
I’d like to add that since you may not see the things you do not use, hiding in a dark drawer somewhere, pick one spot each month that you will declutter. It makes it much easier to tackle things in small bursts and makes you more mindful as you purchase new things.
House Cleaning Hack #3:
Play the 10-Item Game
I love the 10-item game suggested by Katie from My Sweet Home Life. I often use a laundry basket to tidy my home, but I love the twist she puts on it since getting started is often the hardest part about cleaning.
She recommends starting in one room and putting away 10 things in that room. Then gather 10 things that belong elsewhere - bonus if they all go to the same place. Then you will go to put those 10 items away and repeat the process. It becomes a circle of putting things away and before you know it, you are done. Kids would love to be in on this game too so ask them to be your helpers in finding the 10 things that are “out of place”.
House Cleaning Hack #4:
Focus on Food and Clothes First
When your home is so messy that you are overwhelmed and don't know where to begin, Amy from Simple Everyday Home recommends focusing on food and clothes first. Why? Because our families need to be fed and they need clean clothes to wear.
If we can tackle these two super important tasks, we can calmly find the best path to handle the rest of it. Thank you, Amy for your honesty and simple plan of action. Sometimes the stripped down version is the best one.
House Cleaning Hack #5:
How to Clean Your Top Loading Washing Machine
Jillee gives us some good cleaning hacks on how to clean a top loading washing machine. It might seem strange to clean something who’s job is to clean, but think of all the dirty items your washing sees on a weekly basis. She recommends filling the washing machine with hot water then adding bleach. After it soaks, run the cycle and then repeat with vinegar. For those of you who do not want to use bleach, hydrogen peroxide is recommended as the next best thing.
House Cleaning Hack #6:
Do These Four Daily Tidying Tasks
Lindsay from Organization Obsessed gives us four things that we need to do everyday in order to keep our homes clean. They are putting things away immediately, throw away junk mail as soon as you bring it into the house, never lay your bag or purse on the counter, and do a 5 minute sweep to straighten up before bed.
I am all for daily habits that become second nature as long as they lead to a better life. Ones that lead to a clean home, check that box, so I'm all in.
House Cleaning Hack #7:
Concentrate on the Most Used Areas
Jenny from This Tiny Blue House gives us a great house cleaning hack. When your home is messy, it is tough to know where to begin. She suggests focusing your energy on the most used areas of the home.
This will benefit you two ways. First, you will feel a sense of accomplishment from starting and second, by cleaning a frequented space, your mind will start to feel less cluttered. This will help create a snowball effect and encourage you to stay tidier.
House Cleaning Hack #8:
The 2-Minute Rule
Charlotte of Own Your Thought brings us the 2-minute rule house cleaning hack. The idea is that if it takes less than 2 minutes to put something away, you should do it immediately. It may be difficult at first, as it takes 21 days to form a habit, but it will soon become second nature and your home will be more tidy.
House Cleaning Hack #9:
Never Leave a Room Empty Handed
I absolutely love this house cleaning hack from Melissa at the Happier Homemaker. She recommends that in order to keep your home tidy without even trying you should never leave a room empty handed.
For instance, as I leave my desk to fill up my water bottle, I need to take something from my desk that is out of place and put it where it belongs (like my empty coffee cup). If it is something that belongs to my child, I can put it in front of their bedroom door for them to put away when they get home. Simple enough and challenge accepted.
House Cleaning Hack #10:
How to Clean a Dishwasher
Just like cleaning your washing machine, your dishwasher also needs some cleaning TLC for time to time. Maria from Pastels and Macarons shows us how to clean our dishwashers with just a few simple ingredients - white vinegar, baking soda, a dishwasher safe mug, gloves, and dishwasher salts (for those in Europe) or LemmeShine (for those of you in the U.S.A).
House Cleaning Hack #11
Split Your Home into Zones
As a work from home blogger, Elna from Twins Mommy seems to always have unexpected company coming by. Her ingenious house cleaning hack is to divide her home into front and back zones. The front zone includes her kitchen, living room, and guest bathroom. She makes sure these rooms are generally tidy all the time. If the back of the house is dirty, she can just close the doors. Brilliant!
House Cleaning Hack #12:
Use Old Dryer Sheets to Dust
I am a big fan of reusing things when possible so I love this house cleaning hack from Amy at Deliberately Here. She uses her already used dryer sheets to dust! Fantastic. I hate throwing away dryer sheets and now I can feel better about giving them a second life.
She also claims that the residue on the dryer sheets repels dust particles without leaving a film on your surfaces. It’s a triple win - give something a second purpose, clean your home quickly, and keep it clean longer.
House Cleaning Hack #13:
Unpack as Soon as You Get Home
Jen from Chronicles of Home gives us 9 daily tips for a clean home, but her tip about unpacking as soon as you get home is my favorite on the list.
Instead of piling your items in your entryway or mudroom, take a few minutes to hang up backpacks and put shoes where they belong. In the summer, take a minute to hang up wet towels and swimsuits. In the winter, have a place for snowy boots and wet gear so that you are not tracking water throughout your home.
House Cleaning Hack #14:
Clean from Top to Bottom
This sounds like a deep cleaning trick and not a house cleaning hack, but Sonya from At Home with the Barkers is onto something. Her cleaning trick is to start as high up as possible and work down - clean from ceiling to floor.
So if you have a ceiling fan, start with dusting it. From there you can move down and dust shelves, tables, etc until you finish by vacuuming the floor. This allows all the dust to settle down (thanks, gravity!) and you will not be left doing any double work.
House Cleaning Tips and Hacks for Life with Kids
House Cleaning Hack #15:
Limit Toys in the Living Room
Carly at Mommy on Purpose has 2 littles under 2 so if she can keep her home tidy, so can I. Her house cleaning tip is to limit the number of toys in the living room.
This keeps her living room from looking like a toy room and she can rotate toys out from the basement (where the real toy room is). By rotating toys out, her children are more entertained when they are playing with them and not board by routine.
House Cleaning Hack #16:
Work with, not Against, Your Children
Rachel from A Mother Far From Home reminds us that we need to work with our littlest ones to keep a tidy home. It seems obvious, but children do not know how to keep a tidy home and they learn through curiosity. That means that during playtime, it is okay to have a mess and then you can work together to clean it up when playtime is over. It’s a win-win. You get a cleaner home while teaching your children a valuable life lesson.
House Cleaning Hack #17:
Keep Storage Items Kid-Accessible
An awesome house cleaning hack with kids from June at This Simple Balance reminds us that if we want our children to help us maintain an orderly house, we need to make it easy for them. When possible, use a child-sized coatrack or place hooks at their height on the wall. Bins and baskets also make it easier for even the littlest family members to pitch in when it’s time to clean up.
House Cleaning Hack #18:
Put Things Out of Reach
Queen of the Household has a good house cleaning tip for when you're trying to keep a home tidy with little children. Simply remember to keep things out of reach from little hands.
We all know toddlers are curious so it’s best to embrace their curiosity and only keep child-friendly things at their level. Combine this with the previous tip and you can fill the lower shelves in your home with toy-filled baskets, games, and puzzles.
Heavy Duty House Cleaning Advice
Cleaning Motivation Tip #19:
Make a Tidy House Commitment
Sasha at Life’s Carousel has a great post about how to clean when you don’t want to. She discusses the cycle of stress cleaning - how stress makes you too exhausted to clean, but your messy house causes you stress, and the whole cycle repeats itself.
Her tip to stop this madness is to commit to yourself, your family, and to your home to keep a clean and tidy home. You need to make it a priority and form new habits around cleaning.
House Cleaning Hack #20:
Speed Clean for Last-Minute Guests
You get a call from a friend and they're coming over in 30 minutes. Do you panic because your home is a mess? No worries. Angela at Handling Home Life has a quick 30 minute plan to get your home clean enough for last minute guests.
She recommends using a bin, laundry basket, or those giant IKEA bags and working your way through the rooms that need to be presentable from left to right. She introduced me to the concept of a sticky mop - which is basically a giant lint roller for the floor. That sounds pretty amazing. But, my favorite part was to not forget yourself. Make sure to use the last few minutes to get yourself looking good for your company. Your friend probably won’t notice an errant pile in the corner (because they’re home is likely the same), but they'll notice if your teeth are not brushed.
House Cleaning Hack #21:
Stop Pet Messes at the Door
If you are a pet family, this tip is perfect for you. Just like with toddlers, it is often impossible to restrict areas of the home or pieces of furniture for our furry family members. That means you want to keep your pets as clean as possible.
Madeline from Accidental Suburbanites, shows us her amazing, but simple tip of how to stop messes at the door. By keeping a bin of clean wash cloths right inside the front door, they are able to wipe off doggie paws after coming in from a walk. Absolutely essential when your house looks as pristine as hers.
Wow! Thank you ladies! I have implemented several of these tips over the past few weeks and the results are impressive. My 5-year-old daughter loved the 10 item "game" and we tidied the whole house before she got bored.
Which one is your favorite tip or one you can't wait to try out? Do you have any house cleaning tips that I missed? Let me know if the comments below.
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Cheers!
