* GRACE *

10 Tips to keeping a tidy home

I’ve had several people tell me I keep a neat home (although they don’t usually see it on “normal” days…it’s not always as neat as they make it sound). That being said, I do have some things that help me with my upkeep. When I do them, I have more time for everything else.

1. Consistency – Be consistent in your cleaning or it will always be overwhelming. Working at gaining good habits are worth it in the end. Children will learn the habits right along with you and teach it to their children (think generational). I find that I feel more fulfilled when I consistently do something than if I only do it here and there.
2. Enlist your children’s help – Children are a part of the family and should have assignments and jobs that are age appropriate. After our morning devotional, I talk to the kids about what needs to be done and allow them to choose what jobs they get. I plan to implement a more thorough chore plan where they have more accountability, but for now I just know what needs to be done, they do it, or I’m reminding them about getting it done. They know if they get it done that they can do other things that they want to instead of always doing chores.
3. Clean up after every meal – No matter what you have going on, make time for meals and clean-up afterwards. I find that if I allow for clean-up time, I feel better about being in my kitchen. Sweeping after each meal helps to make cleaning consistent and more thorough. Crumbs aren’t accumulating on the floor all day/week, and I usually need to mop less. Dishes seem to be hated among all my kids. (Who likes to clean up icky food after their siblings?) However, I have my children bring their plates to the sink, clear them off, and put them into the dishwasher themselves. Making sure that all dishes are washed right after dinner ensures they’ll get clean. Waiting only makes me dread doing the dishes more. (I’m spoiled now, but my mom always said she had “3 dishwashers–Brandi, Cody, and Kevin!” I technically have 6 dishwashers, but I wouldn’t trust all of them to wash dishes.) Wiping off every counter and also the sink and stove makes the kitchen look like a meal didn’t even happen. The job only takes a minute or two to do, and keeping a spray bottle of cleaner nearby helps keep it a quick job.
4. Vacuum frequently – It takes just a few minutes per room, and it makes them look so much nicer! Even my small 7 year old can use the vacuum. (I have yet to allow my rambunctious 5yo son do it, but I bet he could.) Stairs are the most time consuming for kids to do, so we do them about once a week.
5. Do quick pick ups – Pick up toys in each room several times a day. Assigning one child to each room can help ensure less arguing, but rotate assignments because someone will hate having to pick up if they always have the most used room as their job. Picking up before meals can help motivate kids to do it fast because they want to eat. Again, the key is consistency. Doing it often gets children in the habit and they just expect it. It’s work to start it, but it’s worth it in the end!
6. Empty the garbage/recyclables frequently – Don’t let it pile up or you’re in for a disastrous mess, not to mention a smelly house. My 5 yo son’s job is to take out garbage, stinky diapers, and recyclables. He doesn’t mind the diapers (believe it, or not), and he loves the praise when he completes a task. Boys love high-fives and way to go’s and so do girls!
7. Find a place for everything – Organize your home to be simple. Don’t be a packrat. Have a place for everything that comes into your home. If it doesn’t have a place before you get it, don’t get it at all. De-junk your house at least twice year and reorganize what your have. If you love to buy books, make sure you have room on your shelves for them, otherwise go through and get rid of some or if you know you have space for another bookshelf, get that first. That’s just one example that I have issues with, but it’s the same for toys, clothes, hobbies, etc… If you need something new, make a space for it. Nature abhors a vacuum…the space will get filled. I promise! It’s a natural law.
8. File papers away immediately – Paperwork can bury you. Only keep what you absolutely have to, and get rid of the rest. This is an area I have to work on. I go through spurts of keeping up and not keeping up. Magazines shouldn’t lie around the house for months. Read/look through them, clip out what you want to keep (have a place for those clippings–eg. a binder) and recycle the rest. Some articles you can find online or scan in and keep it electronically–like on a backup cd).
9. Dish out extra chores – Don’t be afraid to give an extra chore for wrongdoing. Your house will be very clean for a while that way. For more info on this go to Teaching Self-Government.com
10. Utilize the mornings – Taking a few hours (usually less) in the morning to do chores frees up the rest of the day for quick pickups, meals, and especially time for family activities (in our home we do homeschool too). Mornings set the tone for the rest of the day. If I get up early and start working at getting things done, whatever those things may be, I tend to keep working throughout the day with small breaks here and there. Whereas, if my morning is slow in starting, and I don’t start it off right, I tend to stay that way all day and nothing of importance gets done. When I make my bed, kneel to pray, get dressed, and have devotional with my children, my days go so much better. I accomplish so much more than the days I don’t do that (yes, making the bed helps!). I’m working on getting up earlier so I can also have personal scripture study in the morning too, but my sleep-deprived self hasn’t been able to do it frequently enough thanks to my almost 8 month old.

I love having an organized home that is kept neat (yes, my kids still live in it though…and mess it up). It helps, for my family, to keep the Spirit in our home as well as mom’s sanity. (That’s what I get for growing up with a perfectionist mom who was very particular about cleaning–love you mom!)