How To Maintain Your Home As A Busy Parent

How To Maintain Your Home As A Busy Parent

There are many reasons why your home isn’t as clean as you’d like it to be *raises hand as my own home is so messy right now! 

Between caring for your children, focusing on your career, and trying to cling onto some semblance of a social life, it can often feel as though there isn’t enough time in the day to clean! Keeping a home clean with kids is near impossible, it’s an endless cycle of mess, clean, mess, clean! 

In the long run, however, not being able to properly care for your home can lead to more stress. For example, it can cause lasting damage to your property while also putting your health and well-being at risk. 

With that in mind, here are some top tips I’ve picked up and try to stick to:

• Remember that you don’tt have to do everything alone
• Invest in a storage unit
• Try the 1-3-5 rule
• Deal with maintenance issues right away
• Create a cleaning routine
• Deep clean twice a year
• Spend five minutes decluttering each night
• Consider hiring a cleaner if you are able to
• Remember that it’s okay for your home to look lived in

Remember that you don’t have to do everything alone

Whether you’re trying to keep your bathroom sparkling or you simply want Lego-free carpets to avoid injuries (ouch), it’s important to note that you should not be doing all of the cleaning solo.  

Sadly, often mothers are lumbered with cleaning duties with the average mother handling 7 out of 10 household tasks, per a recent study. You can start to remedy this by asking everyone who is able to do so, to contribute to household maintenance. For example, you could easily assign your children age-appropriate chores, such as emptying and reloading the dishwasher, putting away their toys at the end of the day, or even hoovering. 

Of course, this does mean that you will then need to look into ways to make cleaning as fun as possible. For example, you could turn it into something of a competition by seeing who can complete their chores first and handing out a prize to the winner. Tidying and cleaning could also be a way in which they earn their pocket money.

You should then divide the rest of your tasks between yourself and your partner, making sure that you’re each taking on your fair share of duties. Of course, it may not always be a clean split, as you will both need to balance this around your schedules – just ensure you are dividing the load between yourselves. Here, my husband cleans and hangs the clothes and cooks more than I do whereas I put the clothes away and clean the bathrooms! 

Invest in a storage unit

Investing in storage rooms or units can help you to keep your home as clean and tidy as possible too, due to the fact that it allows you to eliminate clutter at its source. They are a great place to store everything from seasonal decor to sentimental items, and you can always swap out items as you move through the year.

If you run your own business from your home, you could also use storage to store stock, materials, and products until you need them. Not only will this free up much-needed space in your home, but it will also provide you with a greater sense of separation between your home and work life. 

Try the 1-3-5 rule

Not sure where to start when it comes to keeping your home in pristine condition? Try the 1-3-5 rule. This encourages you to focus on one big task, three medium tasks, and five small tasks each day. For example, this could include: 

• Big Task: Deep-cleaning your bathroom.
• Medium Tasks: Mopping your floors, vacuuming, cleaning out your fridge/cupboards. 
• Small Tasks: Taking out the bins, wiping down any countertops, doing a load of laundry, emptying and reloading the dishwasher, and making your bed.

This allows you to make the most of your time while also ensuring that you aren’t spending hours on end cleaning when you simply do not have the time to do so. 

Deal with maintenance issues right away

Dealing with any maintenance issues as promptly as possible is key to maintaining a happy, healthy, and functional home. Not only that, but issues are much easier (and cheaper) to address when they first arise, as the situation is likely to get worse over time.

Common household maintenance issues to keep an eye out for include:

• Clogged or leaking gutters and pipes
• Electrical faults or issues
• Damage to your roof or property’s exterior 
• Excess humidity or mould build-up
• Gas safety concerns, including the need for a regular gas inspection or boiler check.

You may also find it useful to note down the contact details of local handymen, plumbers, and electricians. This way, you can access professional help and support when dealing with maintenance issues, which is far better for your home than trying to solve issues through DIY.

Create a cleaning routine

Creating a weekly cleaning routine or checklist can also make it easier to stay on top of household maintenance. This is because you have a clear guide to follow moving forward, and you can make sure you are not accidentally neglecting any important tasks by letting them slip your mind. This, again, means that you can tackle a few tasks per day as opposed to trying to do everything in one go. 

While you’ll likely already have an idea in mind of the kind of tasks that you need to tackle on a weekly basis, you can find plenty of routine templates online if you’re in need of some help or assistance. 

Deep clean twice a year

While weekly or daily cleaning will help you to stay on top of your home, you should also deep clean at least twice a year. While a little more time-consuming than your regular clean, it allows you to turn your attention to tasks that are often ignored, such as dusting lighting fixtures or lampshades and cleaning behind bulky furniture. 

Again, this is a task that you should encourage everyone to get involved in. Not only will it speed up the process of daily cleans quite considerably, but it is also a great way to encourage your children to become more responsible. 

While the concept of deep cleaning may seem daunting, just think about how much better you’ll feel when it’s all done, and your home looks truly clean! 

Spend five minutes decluttering each night

Spending five to ten minutes each evening decluttering can help to prevent clutter from building up within your home. This is because you’re making sure that everything is in its rightful place before a new day begins. 

Again, this is another task that you should encourage the entire family to take part in. Doing so means that your kids are less likely to leave their toys or homework lying around, as it is drilled into them to put things away from an early age.

Consider hiring a cleaner

If you simply don’t have enough time on your hands to clean, or you feel as though your home is getting a little out of hand, don’tt be afraid to seek out professional help (if finances allow). Cleaners are both great at what they do and non-judgemental, meaning they’ll understand how hard it is to keep on top of your home. 

Furthermore, while it does come at an additional expense, it will relieve pressure and free up your time. It also means that you are less at risk of burnout by trying to do everything all of the time.

Remember, you may not necessarily need a cleaner to stop by every week. You may want them to pop by occasionally for a deep clean while you focus on basic maintenance tasks between cleans. 

Remember that it’s okay for your home to look lived in

There’s a difference between maintaining a clean home and a home that looks as though it was lifted straight off the pages of an interior design magazine. The former is realistic, the latter is not. It’s okay for your home to look as though people actually live in, and use it every day. In fact, this is often what gives your home its unique character.

Remember that you are only human, and there is only so much that you can do in order to keep your home looking its best. Sometimes, a little mess is unavoidable, and there is nothing wrong with that. 

Give yourself grace!