We are all at home more than usual, so how do you keep the house clean and tidy? Routines can help reduce stress and stop chaos from taking over. And you probably don’t even need to clean as often as you think. Take what you want from these ideas. No-one is judging, just do what feels right for you.
And you find cleaning boring, then you need a simple system that gets it done.
These routines are not deep cleaning but they’ll get you by. You might want to spend a weekend tidying and decluttering before starting.
ROUTINE 1
Get up Early and Get it Done
I learned cleaning routines as an au pair for a Danish family with three small boys. The mum was super organised and we cleaned their 6-bedroom house every day. We started really early and was all done by 9 or 10 am.
This method is ‘a race against the clock’. You work really quickly, vacuuming and dusting all rooms every day and the house looks fabulous.
How
- Quick sink/loo clean, wipe the floor with a damp cloth.
- Change towels every few days.
- Make the beds, quick dust, vacuum the floor.
- Change linen once or twice a week.
- Straighten out hallways and living rooms, quick dust of surfaces, vacuum the floor.
- Clean the kitchen as you use it, vacuum/sweep and wipe the floor after dinner each night.
- Do at least one laundry- load every day
Consider having less ornaments on display while you’re all at home, it’ll be much faster to clean up.
And remember, a bit of dust isn’t harmful, so if you choose to dust and vacuum every other day, you’ll still have a very clean house.
ROUTINE 2
Saturday Morning Family Clean
My sister cleaned this way when her kids were young and both parents worked full time.
Children love to feel part of the team. Cleaning at the same time is far more fun than doing it on your own. We all have to clean and one person shouldn’t be expected to do it for the family. Practical skills and good habits build confidence and independence too. Maybe a chance for some life lessons.
How
- Each child makes their own bed after you’ve shown them an easy way.
- In the morning, they return glasses to the kitchen, clothes to the laundry hamper etc.
- Do at least one laundry-load a day.
- On Saturday morning, parents and kids blitz the whole house together at the same time.
- Everyone gets a job to do – *vacuum everywhere *wipe or wash hard floors *dusts each room *bathroom & kitchen clean.
- Young kids love to feel useful. Accept that their cleaning won’t be perfect and be ok with it.
- Make it fun and work fast so you’ve got the whole weekend free for other more enjoyable activities.
- Plan to have cake, pancakes or brunch for a joint reward to enjoy when you’re done.
ROUTINE 3
Keep it tidy and clean the dirt you can see
One of my friends has a beautiful home. Every corner is curated, she follows a seasonal theme with flowers and lots of decorations. She loves to cook, always got the house full, four daughters, a dog and a full-time career.
Her secret she is, she is ultra-tidy. Every object has a home and each person has their own room or space for their things.
How
- Number 1 house-rule is, everyone takes their stuff with them when they leave a room (she’ll call them back if they don’t).
- If it’s not their personal belongings, each individual has to return toys, clothes, reading material, papers etc. to the right home.
- Everyone helps clear up and put away after meals.
- Any visible dust or dirt is wiped away as you spot it.
- The floors are cleaned when it feels and looks like they need to be.
- Kitchen and Bathrooms are maintained as they’re used, to a standard, they’re all happy with.
How to make all the routines work better
- Agree as a family how you’ll tackle your cleaning routine and get buy-in from your partner.
- Have a vacuum cleaner on each floor.
- Keep lots of micro-fibre cloths in the bathrooms; use once before washing.
- Buy your favourite multi-surface cleaner; I love Method.
- A basket or any container that you can use to corral things to go downstairs/upstairs.
- Consider where your laundry hamper is placed and if you need several. Make it easier to use than not.
- Add music, it energises but TV distracts
- Decide a finish time to aim for (routines 1 and 2)
- Be consistent and patient whilst everyone gets in the habit of taking their stuff with them and learn to clean up.
- Declutter and reduce how much you bring into the house.
- Keep in mind the balance between the space available and volume of stuff.
- Recycle paper ruthlessly, go digital, use a Kindle etc.
- Deep clean when you have time, have guests to stay or you feel your house needs it.
If you’re home educating children, juggling work and always cooking, now might be the perfect time to set find your own Good Enough standard of cleaning. And once we are back to normal, either take a couple of days off for a major spring clean or get someone in to do it for you.
If you need to declutter, re-organise or even just re-set your home, I’m always happy to help.
