To mothers...?

Question

What is more important? Keeping your house immaculate or just making sure that it keeps a semblance of order? Does any one have any tips on keeping your house clean everyday, and not going crazy?

Answer 1

I don't really care if it's spotless, as long as it is picked up and not dirty. Here is a website that a lot of women have used (they give you a lot of emails to go through!)...

http://flylady.net/index.asp

For living in Chaos. :)

Answer 2

You would not ask me this if you saw my house today! Looks like a freakin' tornado just passed through and dropped a bunch of laundry and dirty dishes everywhere! I've been a little lazy lately... it happens. I try to be diligent about getting the kids to pick up their own stuff ~ and by the way, isn't THAT frustrating?? Every time I ask someone to pick something up the answer is "That's not mine." Well, I didn't ask if it was yours, I asked you to pick it up!! Sorry, back to your question... what was I saying? Oh yeah ~ kids picking stuff up. We have "clean-up time". My kids are old enough to bathe or shower with limited supervision, so while one is in the bath the other two help me clean up. Then after they go to bed I finish the dishes, put in a load of laundry, and fold clothes while I watch TV. It doesn't happen *every night* but it does happen enough to keep a "semblance of order". That, my friend, is as close to "immaculate" as it gets in my house ~ and I'm only a little bit crazy! :-) Good luck!

Answer 3

I am a first time mom and have a nine month old and i have this wierd thing that my house is organized and as clean as it can be except im not goona go as far as to scrub the tile with a toothbrush. Here are a few tips I have discovered along the way. I work five days a week so I am all about saving time. I do the dishes after every meal. I vaccum at night after everyone has gone to bed less to manuever around. I dust once a week. I pick up the kids toys after they are asleep. I have a laundry basket in both bedrooms and the bathroom helps cut down on clothes in the floor. Everytime I walk by something out of place I pick it up. I dont know your laundry situation but I found it more time effective to wait and go once a week to the laundry mat. I dont know if this helps any at all but hopefully it does.

Answer 4

Keeping your house clean everyday, you must be living in a fantasy world. I've adopted the policy..................If I can still see the floor than the house is clean. I have a 4 and 6 year old, I'm just happy if the clothes make it near the hamper. But I do clean the house from top to bottom every Sunday, so for a little while it's nice and neat and everything looks good. Boundaries, they know they can't mess up my room and the living room and since I cook everyday I clean the kitchen and the dinner room everyday. They know to hang up towels and to wipe off the sink when they finish. It may not be immaculate but it's not dirty either. :-)

Answer 5

I know what you mean! Good God it's so hard, not at all like Little House on the Prarie, how did they keep those floors so clean!?!

I try to keep a few diluted cleaners around for quick cleanups...like amonia and water in a spray bottle, it works great for a quick mop up of a spill or swipe on the counter. I also spray down the a/c vent each day with fabreeze or an air neutulizer...having a fresh smelling house just makes it seem cleaner. Baking soda is great for sprinkling on carpets to freshen them up until you can drag the vaccum out. Oh, and get a toy box...dump everything in it to clean up and once a month go through it and throw the junk out. I rotate laundry...smaller loads are better for getting out of the dryer and put away. I throw kids clothes in on one day, towels another, my hubbys stuff the next, then start again...it's way easier to fold 10 or 12 things than 30 or 40 :)

When it comes right down to it, if your cleaning is taking away from your happiness and the kids attention, then you are cleaning and expecting too much.

Oh, and why not splurge once and a while... get a gal to come in once a month....just to do the touch up for you...it's not that much money and is so worth your sanity!

Answer 6

I split my housework up- doing something different each day keeps it from seeming so monotonous and boring. We keep a toy box in the living room- it's easier than running back and forth the the bedroom with an armload five or six times a day. I have a 2 year old and a 1 year old and nobody expects your house to be immaculate when you have tiny ones at home. Keep it straightened up enough where it's not a risk to your kids and let it be. You have enough on your plate!

Answer 7

I focus on my home not looking, but being clean. I don't care if there are dishes in the sink or toys everywhere. I have an 8 month old who crawls everywhere and puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. I just make sure I've vacuumed and washed the floors, keep things relatively clean elsewhere in the house. I load dishes into the dishwasher once a day, vacuum at least once a day (I also have a 3 1/2 year old who makes messes all day long) clean the bathroom and kitchen floor often- I just don't worry about toys or keeping things spick and span all the time.

Answer 8

I am a single mom, tring to keep my home as clean as i can, but i don't know what spotless means anymore, with having a 2 and a half yr old running around and making a mess with everything, everyday it's hard, plus i work during the day as a housekeeper at a hotel, so by the time i get home, i really don't feel like cleaning, I have been trying to be more organized with my important papers and bills, by useing the plastic drawer organizer storage bins i bought from a dollar store, (im thinking about buying some more storage bins, so i can be more organized with alot of stuff i have no room for) I get around to washing my dishes maybe 3 times a week and i do my laundry once a week, my daughters room is a never ending mess, which i will be cleaning out tonight and gonna get rid of some of the toys she don't play with, cuz we are haveing a yard sale tomorrow! my room isn't all that messy, my bathrooms are descent, and my livingroom is messy everyday with toys and my daughter wont help me pick them up half the time, so i end up waiting til after she goes to bed to clean up her mess! at least once a month i do try to clean my apartment from top to bottom, (includes: dusting and mopping, wipe the walls down).....but to make things clear, my apartment is not a pig stye or anything, im hopeing to sell as much as i can in the yard sale tomorrow, so every room in my apartment doesn't look crowded anymore!

Answer 9

Mine and my husband thinking is to keep the livingroom, kitchen, and bath clean. The kids rooms and the one you are not in everyday can wait till you actually have the time. Make sure you vacuum them when you do the rest. I make sure all toys and things are cleaned up and put in baskets at the end of the day. The kids have to clean on saturday morning or no going outside. I keep the rooms people will see if the come over clean. The rest, you can shut the door. Do not go over board. Let it looked lived in and have fun.

Answer 10

well im a clean freak so my house has to be immaculate or i will go crazy. if you have more than one child it can be hard to keep the house clean. what i do is every day after my daughter goes to sleep, i clean up a little bit. and then i set aside a day or two during the week to totally clean everything. if your kids are older you can make them help you.

Answer 11

I am the mother of three boys...it is almost impossible to keep my house 'immaculate' for even 10 minutes. I stopped worrying about it...I keep the house clean, but having clutter is just a part of having kids.