Keeping a Clean House with Multiple Kids
We are all looking to have the spotless clean homes we see on the sitcoms. You know the ones, big families having silly and relatable situations while their home seems to always look like something out of a magazine.
Shows such as Full House, Big Bang Theory, Seventh Heaven and more.
Yet no matter how hard we try to get our house in order, it always seems to look like a tornado hit it the following day.
So did I turn rooms that look like this,
Into rooms that look like this with little rugrats in the house?
Well, you’re in luck. I’m going to tell you. I turned my cleaning process into a series of steps that allowed me to get some organization in my life. Once I did that, and the room got clean, I then move forward with a set of rules that allowed the room to stay clean.
Let’s start with the cleaning process:
Trash: I always want to make sure to clean out the room of anything I wish to throw away. This could be actual trash, broken items, clothes that don’t fit and even furniture that is no longer a need.
Empty: Next, I want to be sure that the room I am working on gets completely emptied. Having an empty room to work with allows me to act as if it is the first time, I am decorating that room. I can look at the clear space and get an idea of how I want it to look.
Vacuum: Before moving items back into the empty room, I always want to make sure I have vacuumed the entire area. Even if you see nothing on the floor/carpet — it doesn’t mean there aren’t things lurking.
Separate: Now it’s time to get all items into the right rooms. If you’re like me, you probably find scissors, medicine bottles, pens, toys and various other things randomly scattered throughout your home. Now is the time to separate those things into piles based on the room they belong in. Make sure that you take the items to the appropriate rooms before continuing with the one you’re working on. (They may get in your way if you don’t)
Setup: Yay! It’s time to move the items back into the room! Start with the larger items first and then move onto the smaller things. This allows you to create a layout that works for you before you begin to decorate your space!
Decorate: Some of the smaller items normally fall into the decorative stage of the cleanup. Small knickknacks and sentimental items that you want to hang or sit around your space. I try to go for a minimalistic approach to rooms because I feel it is more difficult for my children to destroy but feel free to be create and make the space your own!
Throughout the cleaning process I like to play some of my favorite feel-good music to get me moving. I would highly recommend it!
Now, I mentioned that there are rules that I keep in place so that these rooms stay clean and organized. I think I may have gone a bit overboard with them but so far, the room has remained clean.
Put things back where you found them.
If it’s not yours, ask before using it.
If you make the mess, you clean it up.
Only take one at a time. (Pencils, pens, crayons, Markers — ETC)
If I find it out of place, it’s in “jail” for a week. (We use a clear tub for our jail held items, but you can use anything you wish.)
Be careful with the things you use so others can use them too!
These rules are our specific rules for the craft room I have shown in the above photos. We try to teach our children to understand organization can be a positive because it allows them to always know where to find things, keep things undamaged for a longer timeframe and gives them more space to learn and play.
My methods are not perfect, yet they’ve given me positive results. I hope they are able to help you as well!
🧡Shine Bright, Kayla