7 Daily Cleaning Tips for Busy Moms

The title ‘Daily Cleaning Tips for Busy Moms’ played on my nerves a little. I mean, what mom isn’t busy? Even if you are a SAHM, and you have one kid, housework will still kick your butt! Never mind all the other things moms need to do! Nonetheless, I thought I would share a few tips that help me stay on top of things around my house.

1. Make the Beds Daily

The biggest eyesore during the middle of the day is an unmade bed. But that’s not why you should make it. Whether the bedroom is large or small, it will make a difference. Plus, it is said that making your bed help with feelings of accomplishment. By completing the one, simple task, you will dive into your day much better primed for productivity.

I have found this to be quite true. It also has the added benefit of keeping out of that very well made bed, when you might be otherwise tempted to hop into an unmade one. This is very true for me, so who knows, it might be for someone else as well!

2. Cleanup as you Cook

Besides the fact that this is a personal pet peeve of mine, no-one wants to see a mountain high sink of dirty dishes that been used to prepare the meal. It is much easier to wash items as you go along. Some people may find it easier to clean up once they’ve finished, or during the final ‘simmering’. Personally, I am doing the dishes before, and as I cook. My kitchen (more like a kitchenette) is small, so there is never enough to space to go around. The last thing I want to do is serve dinner with a pile of mess in my way. And, it saves me looking at a mountain of it to do later on.

3. Pickup After the Kids Have Gone to Bed

One of the most galling lessons I have learnt as a parent is to have a messy house and be okay with it. This isn’t to say my eyeball isn’t twitching half the time looking at the mess, but I have learned to co-exist with it (and bribe my child with praises of being sooo helpful when she picks up after herself). But, it has to be done daily. But if you are like me and have a younger child whose life mission it is to undo everything you do, STAT. At night when she’s already gone to bed, I have peace knowing she will not be undoing anything until at least morning. You don’t have to go dusting or anything, but just picking up toys, putting things in their places and clearing tables can go a long way. If you can manage, a quick sweep it’ll be that much better and you can wake up to an already tidied space and feel lighter when starting your day.

I was even a little sad when my daughter went to send time with her grandmother over the holidays and I cleaned up her toys and they stayed that way for two weeks. Talk about a catch 22, eh?

4. Do Laundry Often

I hate dirty laundry! One of my more prudent cleaning tip for busy moms is, do laundry often. My family is three people strong, and the speed of laundry buildup in insane. Mind you, when Hubby and the little one are out every day, with everyone showering two to three times in a day, it adds up, fast! I hate putting them away and they’ll sometimes sit for days, but even more than that, I hate dedicating my whole day to laundry because I need to do three, four or even five loads, and I hate dirty clothes piling up in my house.

I live in the tropics, so we put them out on lines and all that, but if I had a dryer, I would definitely run a load at least every other day.

5. Clean and Clear Bathroom Counters Often

I hate a cluttered bathroom counter. Even worse than that, I hate a wet bathroom counter. But I have a four-year-old who is quite fond of her newfound independence and makes several trips a day to the bathroom to do her business, wash her hands, wash her face, brush her teeth. She’s even moisturizing. So every I make a trip in, I try to clear, wipe up, straighten and roll that tissue back up to an acceptable length. It saves me going crazy, and much to do in any one go when I am cleaning.

6. Vacuum/Sweep Daily

Whether you are doing it at the end of the day or at the start, your should do it daily. Dust is the devil’s work. Between what carried in through air, spills, crumbs and more, it will definitely pile up by the end of the week. It’s no good if you have allergies, have a child who loves being on the ground and too much dust can affect how fresh your home smells.

7. There is always Tomorrow

I know it can sometimes feel like you absolutely have to do everything in one go or just simply today, but with so many things and especially housework, we can sometimes be so consumed with ‘go-mode’, we don’t realize that if we do not get ti it on a perfect schedule, it’ okay. If you are too tired, have a million other things on your plate, or simply need to mentally rest, it’s okay to leave it for another day. They don’t tell us enough, but even superwoman needs rest.

Personally, I don’t have too many people coming to my house, but the people that do understand that since I have a young child, things are going to be askew sometime, and that is perfectly okay. Cut yourself some slack, Mommy. You are doing the best you can.

Xo, Shan

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