Shortcuts pls!! | Imamother

thegiver

Tue, Sep 26 2023, 10:00 pm

Laundry
Dishes
Building a routine for kids to help without pleading from morning to night!
Bathrooms
Floors
I usually skip stovetops ovens and even counters (gasp)

And what helps you break away when your kids need you!! I want to be with them but there is always always always soooo much to do. I know I need to hire cleaning help iyH but right now need to pay off $$$$

amother

Eggplant

Tue, Sep 26 2023, 10:08 pm

Robot vacuum for the floors and it will make you pick up what's on the floor every day
For laundry everyone has their own hamper and their own time to do laundry. Makes life so easy no sorting. My 4 year old can pretty much even do his own laundry with a little help
Every night I do a quick wipe down of kitchen so mess doesn't accumulate
Kids clean their room on Friday afternoons
If you don't have a dishwasher use plastic

amother

Anemone

Tue, Sep 26 2023, 10:18 pm

We do a 5-minute timed cleanup of the main area every (or almost every) night. It makes a MAJOR difference! The rules are: Only pick up easy stuff that you know where it goes. Everyone has to help. You can complain while you're doing it.

After a meal, I tell the kids to do "5 things from the table" to clear it quickly. Kids are motivated to hurry and get the easy stuff! This works best if you do it too. And ignore kvetching, they don't have to like it, they have to do it. And I don't feel a drop guilty asking a child (starting age 4 or so) to bring a few things to the kitchen.

Agreed with the hamper per person thing! It is much easier to do a load where you don't have to sort it on the other end. I try to alternate loads, one person's load, then a load of towels, then another person's load, then a load of sheets, etc. This way nothing gets pushed off too much and it's easier for me to fold tablecloths than to fold clothes so I get a mini break every second load. (ETA that when I'm very overwhelmed I don't fold. Just put the stuff in the right place to look for it. I don't need a folded shirt in the morning, just a clean shirt.)

I have a reusable swiffer-type mop that makes it easier to do frequent floor cleaning.

Keep spray and paper towels (or even better, wipes) in every room you can. When it's right there, you can clean things at a moment's notice without having to make a whole production out of it. I like to clean one small area of the bathroom every time I go in. Takes an extra minute and means the bathroom is always cleaner every time I use it!

If you don't have a dishwasher... I suggest you get one. Finish Quantum dishwasher tabs or bust. Or plan B is use almost entirely disposables. Put a plastic table cover on before the meal. After the meal, remove any real objects, wrap up the whole tablecloth and dispose. Voila! Clean table!

I don't do a lot of deep cleaning though. I'm happy with a generally liveable space, and tackle the gross stuff as I see it.