Cleaning the house with kids sounds like a contradictory statement doesn’t it! The reality is that you will never find a time to clean the house kid-free and if you do, that just means you have no downtime for yourself. So these are my quick 3 tips on cleaning the house with kids:
1. Get your kids involved
If you haven’t involved your kids in cleaning before, you will be quite surprised by how much they like it. My nearly 2 year old loves to help out in packing away and putting his toys in order. He also loves getting a cloth and cleaning down tables or windows.
My 5 year old can help with putting the dishes away, using the hand-held vacuum cleaner to clean up areas of the house that the big vacuum cleaner can not reach and she also mops.
Different age groups can handle different tasks but it can ensure all kids are involved. Involving them not only teaches your kids important life skills but you won’t feel like you are neglecting your kids because you are cleaning since they are involved with you in the experience.
2. Break down your cleaning
What I mean by this is to break down your cleaning tasks over a week or fortnight (depending on how large your house is). I don’t want to spend all day cleaning the house. I break down what needs to be done and will allocate a day to do it. For example Monday will be dedicated to vacuuming the house, Tuesday is my day to mop, Wednesday I will clean the main bathroom, Thursday is the kids room and Friday is our room.
Those will be my weekly cleaning routine but then I might have monthly routines like cleaning the oven, cleaning all the windows or doing the lawn. This will make the whole process not so overwhelming and leave time for you to enjoy with the kids and have some well deserved me-time.
3. Use easy cleaning products
There is nothing worse than using cleaning products that really make you work hard to clean! A couple of products I love using since our whole household is carpeted is the no vac range – Instant Spot & Stain Remover and the Sanitiser & Deodoriser.
You can use both products with no need to vacuum up the product! The Instant Spot & Stain Remover cleans deep down into your carpet that helps prevent future soiling and leaving no messy residue.
The Sanitiser & Deodoriser inhibits the growth of odour causing bacteria, leaving your rooms feeling fresh. A little goes a very long way! A thin layer of foam is all that’s required. No odours. No stains. No fuss!
Written in collaboration with no vac