Not so tidy house?

Question

I am a mother of two toddlers my husband and I work two different shifts which is like being a single parent....I cant seem to keep my house in order if I clean one thing they mess up somthing else how do I watch them and clean to? Its not nasty dirty but I want it to look nice and it just seems so cluttered and the laundry is really behind how do I get ahead and stay ahead?

Answer 1

A woman's work is never done. But you can start by teaching the toddlers little by little to "help mommy clean up" Buy some plastic storage bins and teach them to put their toys in the bin at the end of the day as you go around and clean up too. My daughter is almost two and this does help. You cant expect a whole lot as toddler but you can train them. They learn quickly and love to please at this age. And you also have to let some things go (as hard as it may be). And just keep the major things clean, like dishes, garbage, bathroom. Also talk to your husband and ask him if he can do one thing when he gets in like gather up the garbage or vacuum or put the dishes in the dishwasher etc. Good luck

Answer 2

I am also a mother and I used to be so stressed out about having a clean house, yet it was so difficult to achieve and maintain.

STEP 1
I think the best way to get over this is try to get your kids out of the house for a day (stay with grandparents or someone willing) so that you can really give the house the good clean that you'd like without them messing as you go. Alternatively if you can afford it, pay someone to once off clean your house
professionally.

STEP 2
Once you have your house in the clean state that you would like, to maintain a certain level of cleanliness that will not drive you insane you need to speed-clean and do it often. By this I mean allocate 15 minutes to clean a room and nothing more and only do 1 or 2 rooms per day. The way to do this is to get yourself a big bucket or laundry basket and stick it in the middle of the room you are cleaning. Throw everything that is not meant to be in that room into the bucket. Remove the bucket from the room then proceed to wipe down surfaces, dust, do whatever you need to. Once this is done, walk around the house with the bucket of stuff and return each item to its rightful place.

If you do it this way, it's not overwhelming. Vacuum, do the floors as needed (eg once or twice per week). Do once small load of washing per day that is easy to manage and put away.

I find that if I simply nip things in the bud as they happen, it doesn't seem like there's too much to do and I don't get stressed out at the mounting piles of chores.

Answer 3

I hear you! What you need to do is have a massive down size. I did it 6 months ago and wow what a difference it made to my life.. Little things like the TV guide that I used to pick up off the floor 10 times a day. Now as soon as the guide arrives I throw it out. Yep, We don't even read it! We have a remote so we just actually look through channels and see whats on. Also I brought a storage box and packed away things that are just for show (like ornaments) I have nothing to dust everyday now. As for the laundry I try and do 1 load each day. When hubby gets home from work and kids from school. I have given up on soaking and now buy a detergent with built in stain remover. Make a plan and try to stick to it. I will share with you this great email I recieved and it may help.

Answer 4

pick one day a week to clean the whole house top to bottom . I do thursday because it gets me ready for the weekend. I let the kids get out playdough or paint something that is for sure going to keep them busy(Color wonder paint is great because their is no mess to clean up when they are done) I work my way from one end of the house to the kitchen because everthing I pick up ends up in the kitchen. I do my laundry the whole time Im cleaning just washing and drying and putting it on the couch. Then when my whole house is clean and the kids are asleep I put a movie in and fold all of my laundry
I lay out the kids clothes for all week I have a thing in the closet that has all the days of the week on it I put 2 sets of clothes in each day. This way I dont have to worry about laundry at all for a week. If you dont use both sets you are a step ahead for next week
to keep the house tiddy I pick one room a night that I clean pretty good. I have little decorative baskets at the door of each room right before I go to bed I pick up my living room and kitchen. I just put things in the basket to each room. And on the night Im cleaning that room I will put everything away and if I have not cleaned that room yet things are still easy to find
this works great if you end up with company because the rooms that most people see are clean and the rest of your house still is not a mess.

Answer 5

my husband works away i get to stay home i have 3 kids age1,3,12 no matter what you do when kids are younger they mess as you clean but a few things might be a couple of tips


buy a laundry seperater put a load in right before bed take out as soon as you get up put another load in and ask you husband to do the same you seperate he can't go wrong.

take a laundry basket with you from room to room as you clean this cuts down on extra trips and saves the time if something doesn't go in that room put in basket straighten move to next room and if something in the basket goes there place it there

let the kids help while your cleaning buy sponges dampen and let them scrub the kitchen floor they will think this is fun so they wont mess up too much while you straighten up

if your husband helps out leave him a note giving him a couple of things that will be off of your list

place a cup of water in the micro wave and put it on 2 or 3 minutes wipe inside clean no scrubbing

spray tub down with cleaning stuff while you do/put away dishes
then go back wipe/scub tub rinse

after you get done taking a shower tidy sort wipe sink top down
clean bathroom every morning

hope some if any of theses can help i have plenty of other short cuts if you need any

Answer 6

My son is 3 and he keeps his room clean. I do the laundry as soon as the hamper gets full. That way I don't get behind. I have a clothing rod in the laundry room and I hang the clothes as i go. Then all the folded clothes go into a different basket(one for each of us.)My husband is in charge of his and my son's clothes putting up and I do mine and the daughters. Kitchen clean up is done after dinner(luckily I have a dishwasher.)I do all the floors in the house at once, one day a week. You have to divide and conquer. If you try to do it all at once, you'll get overwhelmed. As for watching the kids, make your husband take them out on the weekend and do a blitz-clean for one hour. You will be surprised how much you can get done. This has worked for us for the last three years (adding of course more things to clean with a newborn)

Answer 7

I have a craft box I bring out when I need to do my thing. I set them up at the kitchen table and do what I have to do. Unfortunately it only lasts for so long, just like anything else, toddlers don't have much of an attention span. You could also gate them in the room next to where you're cleaning. I was in the same boat as you up until just before xmas when I lost my job, and even now, I can't keep up the housework! Having young children prevents anything else from getting your full attention. Good luck, and I'll be watching for the answers too!

Answer 8

Have you thought of asking your husband for a little help when you are not there? Yes it would be a good idea to get your little toddlers to help. Of course you would have to teach them it wont come naturally i know. Make it a game and make it fun. Also another good thing is try not to keep too much stuff in your house. If you ever get the chance try to clean out alot of stuff that you dont use and will make your house alot easier to clean. You wouldnt have to be scrubbing so much but pretty much just picking up here and there. If your little ones dont really participate keep them occupied with some games or toys or something to doodle while you pick up. Also with your laundry pick certain days to do your laundry so that way you dont really have to do it everyday. But try to get your husband to help you he should help too. Good luck:)

Answer 9

Just hire a maid for a day and take the two kids and yourself out for a day, it may cost a little but it will sure be worth it when you get home, I do that some times and when i get home all i do is take a bath and clean up after myself as i go along.... but things do come up and you do start to fall behind. LIKE NO ONE EVER HAS.... so ask friends for help to suggest one of their nieces or even one of their nephews and pay them a reasonal price..I do and i'm glad I did it's worth the 30.00 to 50.00... depends on how big of a job it is. you'll kno cause you know how much tyme you would have put into it your self. if you were to clean it....

Answer 10

It will get better! after the toddlers get a little bit older. I would just take sometime to see what actually you really need and what you could either donate or sell in a yard sale. You could use some of the money of the yard sale (if you decide to have one) to get a one time house cleaning service! if you won't have the yard sale, have some of your friends over and have a cleaning party!