Cleaning Tips for Busy Moms

Let’s face it, cleaning and disinfecting your house is imperative in today’s world especially for families with children. Most often, cleaning lands on mom’s to-do list. You want your home to be a safe haven for your kids, and making sure it’s tidy and clutter-free can be a challenge for a busy mother. How does a mother with young children find the time to take care of her babies’ needs, take care of herself and her spouse, take care of meals, plus take care of other tasks like cleaning? 

We’ve researched the best ways for moms to clean their homes and maintain that calm-inducing feeling of an organized, tidy house. It all starts with the deep clean.

Deep Cleaning

Beginning a deep clean on your home may seem daunting at first. But, there are tips that make it doable for a mother with young children. Following these six important steps from Woman’s Day magazine can help you get the sparkle you’re looking for in just a few hours.

1. Dust Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Experts agree that starting with dusting from the highest points in your home (like bookshelves or ceiling fans) and moving across left to right using a high pole dry duster item like DocaPole’s 20 ft. High Reaching Dusting Kit found on www.amazon.com ($49.99) will ensure you reach all areas of each room. 
2. Clean Furniture and Fabrics: The next step in a deep clean routine is to strip all fabrics from furniture and beds that can be washed in your washing machine. Those that cannot be machine-washed can be hand-washed using a safe fabric cleaner, like Amazon’s Choice product – ForceField fabric cleaner ($13.99 on www.amazon.com). 
3. Clean Mirrors and Glass: Using Windex or a similar glass cleaning product on all mirrors and glass in your home to wipe away fingerprints and smudges will help your home shine. This includes picture frames and vases/decor. 
4. Touch Up Surfaces: Use a disinfecting solution and a microfiber cloth or towel to wipe down all surfaces in your home including doorknobs, light switches, and faucets. These are areas that are used often and contain the most germs.
5. Clean Bathrooms: There are many bathroom cleaning products available today to disinfect and brighten your bathroom sinks, tiles, and tubs. Pumice stones are excellent for “ring around the toilet” and other areas where mold/mildew accumulate. According to Business Insider, the best bathroom cleaning product on the market today is the Bucko Soap Scum and Grime Cleaner ($18.88 on www.amazon.com). 
6. Sweep, then Mop: Utilize a hardwood vacuum or carpet vacuum in every room rather than a standard broom. This will save you time in the end. There are many options available from hand-held vacuums to large floor vacuums with extensions to reach those hard-to-get corners and crevices. Swiffer has dry and wet floor cleaning mops with heaving dusting cloths that can be refilled after each use. This is much easier and just as effective as the traditional wring mop. If you are focused on being more sustainable, Rubbermaid makes a wonderful velcro dust mop with washable microfiber pads. You can choose a standard dust mop that you apply your own cleaning solution to or you can purchase a Rubbermaid Commercial Products Wet/Dry Mopping Pad with an ergonomic thumb-activated trigger from your local hardware store. 

Weekly Cleaning Checklist

Once your deep clean is complete, it’s important to keep messes at bay so they don’t become bigger disasters down the road, which will save you time in the long run. This can be done with a weekly cleaning routine or checklist. There are many weekly checklists that you can find on Pinterest or elsewhere on the internet. We suggest creating one that will work best for you and your family. By breaking down your cleaning tasks by day, they become more manageable and easier to handle. You decide what time of day (during nap time or when daddy is reading to your child) is most conducive to take on that task. Knowing you’ve checked it off your list for the day is rewarding and beneficial for your psyche. What’s more, it allows you to enjoy the quality time with your family that you deserve. 

Another great idea to integrate into your cleaning routine is a Cleaning Caddy. Grab a bucket and fill it with the following cleaning supplies to quickly attack a mess:

• Microfiber cloths (machine washable)
• Lysol Wipes
• Sponge
• All-Purpose Cleaner spray bottle

Place the caddy in a spot that you can get to easily and quickly. Wipes are a disinfectant and cleaning product that can mop up spills large and small, which are common in a mom’s household. Use the sponge and cleaner for tougher messes. It’s simple to take the caddy with you as you move from room to room with your child. 

There is no shame in delegating tasks, so don’t forget about your little helpers! Children love to help mommy around the house. And, although they may not clean as effectively as you, teaching your child the basics of cleaning is a fantastic way to make them feel like they’re contributing. Many children can manage a hand-held vacuum or clean the clutter in their playroom without much assistance. Assigning some simple tasks to your child educates him on the importance of family responsibilities and cleanliness. 

We know you’re a busy mom with lots of items on your to-do list. These tips can create a more balanced and stress-free environment for you and your household. We hope that integrating a deep clean twice a year with a weekly checklist that includes delegating tasks to other members of the family, will give you more time and energy to focus on your true passion – your family.  Let us know your cleaning secrets. What do you use? When do you find the time to make sure your house is clean and germ free?  Don’t forget to connect with us on Instagram @MapsCookingKids or on Twitter @MapsCookingKids. Until next time, Agape, be kind, and happy parenting.