Check out our latest feature on Rent.com here where we share some of our favorite tips for keeping a clean house with kids.
It can be extremely difficult to keep a clean house with young kids and a busy schedule. In this article, I shared "One thing that I have found helpful when trying to get some cleaning done around the house is to turn on some fun music and include your kids in the tasks somehow. If you have an infant, you can put them in a carrier or a bouncer nearby and if you have a toddler or older child you can ask them to do some of the simple tasks with you! Kids love having a responsibility so it’s a great way to teach them about household tasks and give them a sense of self esteem.”
Some of the tips from other companies in the article we love are:
- Make a game out of cleaning! Kids love games and what better way to get kids in on the action!
- I love one contributor's recommendation of the acronym E.N.A.H. (Everything Needs A Home). You may feel like your house starts to fill up with all sorts of boxes and bins, but it can be so helpful for kids to know exactly where something belongs. And you get bonus points if the bins are labels with words or images depending on your child's age.
- Set realistic goals - know that your home won't be perfectly clean (or even relatively clean) all of the time unless you plop your kids in front of screens all the time. There are times when just tossing all the toys on the ground in a bin so I don't see the clutter is enough to not make me go crazy.
- Declutter your home and kid's spaces by purging or storing away and outgrown items or toys at the end of their life. Every few weeks/month I try to go through my kid's toys as I'm cleaning to see if there is anything I can put downstairs in our basement storage or maybe toss some craft project that is beyond use. It can be hard with a 3 year old and 7 year old who are at very different development levels, but even getting rid or storing a few things can feel good.
- Give your kid's age-appropriate tasks. My oldest now knows she should be bringing her dishes to the sink (and sometimes putting it in the dishwasher) after meals. We are still working on it with our toddler, but it's great that she has her older sister to show her some simple tasks like this!
What are some of your favorite tips for keeping a clean(ish) home with young kids? Please share in the comments below!