Being a mom isn’t easy, especially when it comes to juggling all the demands of motherhood and household responsibilities, like a clean home. As a busy mom, you already know it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the daily tasks of kid wrangling, running errands, and trying to keep a clean house!
Sometimes it can feel like a herculean effort to the point where you want to curl up in a corner and cry!
Believe it or not, there are quick cleaning tips for busy moms you can use to help you stay on top of house cleaning without becoming exhausted (or too frazzled).
I’m going to share my best quick cleaning tips for busy moms to help you have a clean house, WITHOUT sacrificing your time with the family! Keep reading for some of my best simple cleaning tips.
How do busy people keep their house clean?
As a busy mom, when it comes to keeping your house clean, you need to go easy on yourself. You will never have a picture-perfect tidy house because you have kids or you’re a working mom! However, with these quick cleaning tips for busy moms, you can have a clean and organized house that you can be proud of if someone drops by unexpectedly!
Check out my favorite house cleaning tips that will help you put a cleaning schedule together, make life easier, and have your whole house looking great!
#1 Attack the Worst Part First
I tend to do this all the time. I know I have to tackle a task that I absolutely don’t want to do, so I don’t! But then the mess niggles away at you, giving you no peace at all for weeks sometimes!
It gets to the point where I should have just done it and not stressed myself about it! But we working moms know that this isn’t always so easy without becoming overwhelmed with the desire for a clean home (but little time for it).
That goes the same for cleaning a big mess (within a time limit, which is even worse). Such is life, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Tackle the worst messes in your dirty home first, and I guarantee you will feel better almost immediately.
Don’t worry about all the rooms; just focus on the largest task at hand. This might involve cleaning the bathroom, doing four loads of laundry, disinfecting the trash can, or finally organizing the kids’ toys.
Once the biggest mess is handled, clean up time on smaller chores will only take a few minutes, and you won’t be stressed over the bigger stuff.
#2 Create a Routine and Stick To It
I can’t tell you how many times I look at the clock, and it’s dinner time, and nobody has cleaned up. Or I meant to put a wash on first thing in the morning, but I forgot!
As busy moms with a busy schedule, we need a house cleaning schedule or routine that we can stick to. Decide what the best time for cleaning works for you! Emphasis on works for you!
Nap time is not the time! This is the time when you need to chill and recharge. Or even take a nap yourself because the baby had you up in the middle of the night – AGAIN!
I see too many moms trying to get work done during nap time. Don’t; take a nap (or alternatively) make a cup of coffee, and put on your favorite show. This is a much better use of your time – no mom guilt needed!
Can you empty the dishwasher while the kids are eating breakfast or sweep the floor while cooking dinner? You can save time on smaller cleaning tasks by quickly doing them as other activities take place. This is one of the best multitasking tips at its finest, which we all know a busy mom excels at.
Even if it’s just putting away some toys and stuff after you wipe them down, just as the kids go to bed. If you accomplish this task at least a few nights a week, it will be easier to keep your floors and home clean no matter how busy you are.
#3 Creating A Cleaning Routine
The best way to tackle cleaning is to break it down into smaller tasks with specific times and days that you complete them throughout the week. Here is an example of a weekly routine:
- Monday/Wednesday/Friday – wash and fold everything in the laundry basket.
- Tuesday – clean bathrooms, clean garbage disposal, and empty trash can (if necessary).
- Thursday – vacuum and mop the floors, and wipe the kitchen counter
.Find a routine that works for you and stick to it! Bonus tip: include the whole family in your routine by delegating chores so there’s less stuff for you to do, and save valuable time.
#4 Set Aside 15 Minutes Per Day
If you simply find that you don’t have time to do a deep clean on your house weekly, find 15 minutes per day that you can tackle smaller cleaning tasks.
Use these 15 minutes wisely! Obviously you can’t attempt major projects, but you can easily do a quick clean of the fridge, or pick up the clutter. This will help ensure that small messes don’t pile up and become bigger headaches later on.
There are many things you can do in just a 15 minute time frame; wipe down bathroom surfaces, pick up toys, wipe out kitchen pantries, vacuum a whole room, or empty the trash can. The possibilities are endless, making this one of my favorite cleaning tips for busy moms.
Here’s another one of my bonus tips: after you empty the trash can, sprinkle some baking soda inside to absorb odors. You can also complete cleaning it using baking soda hydrogen peroxide!
#5 Invest In the Essentials
Another one of my favorite tips; have a laundry basket in everybody’s room. As you walk through the kids’ bedrooms, you can easily throw dirty clothes in the hamper, or train the little kids at a young age to do this! I have something similar to this laundry hamper in our master bedroom, so when it comes time for laundry, I don’t have to separate clothes! This truly makes life so much gentler.
Having a hamper for every room (even the bathroom) means you can easily carry the laundry basket to your laundry room and dump it straight into your washing machine! This makes laundry much faster and easier!
Check out one of my most popular blog posts – Bedroom Cleaning Checklist (Step by Step Guide)
#6 Equipment Tips
Hands down, this is the best cleaning appliance I bought myself. When I don’t have time to vacuum a room, I will find 5 minutes in my day to get everything off the floor of a kids bedroom (with their help) and we will set Rover (yes it has a name!) off to do his work. When my kids were younger, I would set him off to do his job while the kids were in high chairs and out of the way!
Buying appliances that will help make your job easier is a no-brainer!
While electronic vacuums may not work for everyone’s lifestyle, here’s another of my cleaning tips for busy moms; it’s super simple to leave them in separate rooms if you have pets. This is so they aren’t destroyed while running through the entire house. Close the door and let Rover do his job!
#7 Cleaning Supplies
One of the best house cleaning tips I can give you is always ensuring you have essential cleaning supplies! There is nothing worse than coming across carpet stains or a dirty oven, than to discover you don’t have oven cleaner in the cupboard!
Take the time to go through your cleaning supplies and see what you need to stock up on. The next time you are at the store, you can fill up on everything you need, or if you are an Amazon shopper, I like to use the Subscribe and Save as much as possible so I don’t run out of essentials!
I use mine for laundry supplies, paper towels, toilet rolls, tissues and so much more! Great tips like this aren’t widely realized, so you heard it here first!
#8 Focus on the High Traffic Areas First
When cleaning your whole house, focus on the high-traffic areas first. These areas tend to get dirtier faster and need more frequent cleaning. So vacuum the foyer first, or the living room and kitchen. This way, you can tackle the dirtiest spots quickly and efficiently.
One of my great tips for this, is to segment your house in your mind. Go room by room for higher-traffic areas, Once the floors are done, if you’re on top of your weekly cleaning routine and able to keep clutter down, save time by giving everything in sight a quick wipe with a cleaning or dust cloth.
It’ll be less overwhelming than needing to completely deep clean the room later because you’ve been lax on dusting (you’ll thank me for these higher-traffic cleaning tips later!).
#9 Get The Whole Family Involved
Yes, it’s mentioned above, but this is one of those great tips that must be reiterated. As moms, we tend to try and take care of everything ourselves, and then get irritated because we’re exhausted (with no time for ourselves)!
It’s important that we get help from everyone in the family. Even toddlers can help out with putting clothes in their hamper and picking up toys. Your partner can help with washing dishes after dinner or folding laundry.
It’s a great idea to get the kids involved in house cleaning, so they understand that it’s everyone’s responsibility, and not just moms.
Here’s an idea; send your partner this post and tell them there’s a ton of awesome house cleaning tips inside to make life easier, so they don’t feel overwhelmed with the responsibility as well.
#10 Clean As You Go
This simple cleaning tip will change your life! As you are walking from the living room to the kitchen, if you notice some dirty dishes on a table, pick them up and toss them in the dishwasher.
If you are bringing laundry from upstairs downstairs, and you come across more clothes along the way, throw them in the laundry hamper.
8 years ago, we sold our home, bought an RV, and toured the US for five years! It was a blast, and we loved the whole experience. If you want to find out more, you can check us out here.
Moving into a tiny space really helps you to get rid of unwanted stuff and all that unnecessary clutter that you accumulate over the years. If you feel that you have too much ‘stuff’, find time during the weekend to get rid of clutter.
If you need help with decluttering your home, get my checklist and my 4-week decluttering plan. This will help you to get rid of clutter in under 30 minutes per day; some days it can be done in under 15 minutes!
#11 After Decluttering
Donating decluttered items that are still intact and in good shape is a great way to give back to your community. Supporting organizations such as churches, The Salvation Army, or Goodwill is an excellent way to make a positive contribution in your local area. These organizations rely on donations from generous individuals like you, so when you have the opportunity – donate those gently used items and make a difference! It is impactful and gives you more much-needed free space at home.
#12 Focus On One Room at a Time
Instead of trying to get all the windows in the house clean, focus on one room that you know you can clean in under 30 minutes!
If today is the living area, you know you can clean all the windows in there! If you just need to wipe down bathroom counters, or clean toilets, it’s shouldn’t take any longer than 30 minutes, ideally. Doing this will prevent you from getting overwhelmed and burnout, which can make you unmotivated to stick to your weekly routine.
#13 Make Ahead Meals
During times when you know you have a lot on, if you know you’ll be short on time later in the week, it can be a great idea to make meals ahead of time. That way, when your schedule gets busy and hectic, you don’t have to spend long hours in the kitchen prepping and cooking. This is especially helpful for busy parents who may not have much free time for meal prep during the week.
Making meals ahead of time is actually quite simple. All you need to do is decide what kind of meals you want to prepare and then shop for all the necessary ingredients. To save even more time, some people like to make large batches of food that can be used for multiple meals or stored for future use. Additionally, try to choose recipes that will offer leftovers as well – these can be great for quick lunches or dinners throughout the week.
Once you have everything together, it’s time to start cooking! Set aside one day of the week specifically for meal prep and focus on making enough food that will last a few days or even up to a week. Make sure that whatever recipes you choose are nutritious and easy to store in your freezer or refrigerator so they last longer. Many parents find it helpful to label their containers when freezing food so they know what it is and when they made it!
#14 Easy Meal Options
For those looking for simple options, crockpot meals are always a good bet since they require minimal effort but yield delicious results when done correctly. Soups and stews can also be great choices since these dishes are often inexpensive, healthy, and hearty enough to get everyone through several days without getting bored with the same thing over and over again. As an added bonus, most soups freeze quite nicely so you never have to worry about running out of lunch or dinner options throughout the week!
By making meals ahead of time on your designated day off from work or school, you’ll find yourself with more free time during the week than ever before – not just for yourself but for quality family time as well! You won’t have to stress about getting dinner ready after a long day; instead, all you’ll need to do is warm up your prepared dishes and enjoy them with your loved ones at home.
#15 Make a Cleaning Caddy
Making a cleaning caddy that you can carry about the house is one of the best cleaning tips I can give you! So instead of making multiple trips back and forth to retrieve cleaning supplies you forgot, you have everything with you in your handy caddy.
A cleaning caddy is an essential tool for busy parents, as it helps them stay organized and keep their home clean. It should be stocked with all the necessary supplies to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Here are some things to include in a cleaning caddy:
1. Sponges: Sponges are indispensable for cleaning up messes quickly. Look for sponges that are designed to hold up against tough stains and can be easily washed and reused.
2. Cleaning cloths: Microfiber cloths are ideal for dusting, wiping down surfaces, and polishing windows and mirrors. They can also be used wet or dry to pick up spills on floors or countertops.
3. All-purpose cleaner: Choose an all-purpose cleaner that’s powerful enough to tackle a variety of tasks, like removing soap scum from showers, degreasing kitchen counters, or wiping down walls and other surfaces.
4. Window cleaner: Invest in a good window cleaner, so windows look streak-free after you’re done with your chores. There are plenty of eco-friendly options available these days, so you don’t have to worry about harsh chemicals while you clean your home.
5. Toilet bowl cleaner: A good toilet bowl cleaner will help keep your bathroom smelling fresh by removing germs, dirt, and build-up inside the toilet bowl without leaving any streaks or residue behind.
6. Brushes & scrubbers: Keep brushes or scrubbers handy for tougher jobs like cleaning grout between tiles or scrubbing away grease buildup on ovens and stoves.
7. Disposable gloves: Disposable gloves protect your hands from harsh chemicals when you’re doing heavy-duty cleaning tasks, such as degreasing oven hoods or treating mildewed shower curtains with bleach solutions.
8 . Trash bags: Have several trash bags ready so you can quickly grab one when emptying the wastebasket in each room of your home weekly. This prevents odors from lingering in the house, promotes hygiene, and helps keep pests at bay.
9 . Mop & bucket: Not only is mopping a great way to sanitize floors, but it also eliminates any dirt tracked into your home by family members or guests. A mop bucket allows you to fill it up with hot water mixed with the detergent solution needed for deep-cleaning hardwood or laminate floors.
10 . Vacuum: A vacuum is another must-have tool for keeping your carpets, rugs, furniture, drapes, car interiors, etc., looking spotless. Many vacuums come equipped with attachments that make it easier to suction pet hair out of carpets without having to bend over so much .
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Grainne Foley
Grainne Foley is a wife and mother of 2 great kids. During her 5 years of full time RV travel, Grainne learned to become very efficient at household chores, in order to make time for family adventures. Now, back in a house, she has continued to create tools and techniques to help others lighten the load of household organization and cleaning.
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