• Home
  • About
  • Contact
    • Work With Me
  • My Shop
  • Start Here

A Mother Far from Home

  • Discipline
    • Character Training
    • Helpful Phrases for Kids
  • Emotions
  • Faith
    • Biblical Living
    • For the Kids
    • For the Parents
    • Finding the Time
    • Prayer
  • Home
    • Cleaning
    • Cooking / Eating
    • Essential Oils
    • Health + Wellness
    • Recommendations
    • Toss Downsize Organize
  • Motherhood
    • Books to Read
    • Encouragement
    • Far from Family and Home
    • How I Do It
    • Natural Childbirth
    • Pregnancy
    • Type A Wife and Mom
    • What I Learned
  • Routine
    • Kids Close in Age
    • Sample Schedules
    • Why a Routine?
  • Sleeping
Home » Practical Tips for the Home » Cleaning & Chores » How to Keep a House Tidy With Kids

Apr
2

How to Keep a House Tidy With Kids

4.2Kshares

My Rhythms, Routines, & Schedules book and printable routine cards are on sale for 50% off today. Grab yours now!

Here’s how to keep a tidy house with small kids. It ain’t easy, but it’s possible!


First of all, I don’t think it’s imperative that the house be tidy all the time.

As a general rule. However, for some reason, an untidy and messy house really drives me nuts.

I find it difficult to relax or work in a chaotic environment and pretty much would lose sleep over the fact that the house was a wreck.

If it was a constant wreck, that is.

Each of us grew up in houses that had a certain level of clutter, mess and organization. We got used to that.

More than likely, that is the standard to which we’d like our homes to be kept now. If your mother was very clean and tidy (as mine is) then a mess may be very noticeable to you.

If you grew up in a home where clutter, toys, or messes were common and not a big deal, then perhaps you don’t stress about the state of the house.

Whatever works for your family and you, keep at it.

turn off the lights

How to keep a tidy house with small kids

If you are like me (God help you) then having children only means that keeping the house clean will be more challenging. It doesn’t mean it can be forgotten for a few years.

Here are some tips for those of us who won’t let the idea that we can still keep a tidy house die. Perseverance and endurance to us all!

Read: Easy routines to help keep a house tidy with kids

(1) Revisit your definition of tidy.

First and foremost, we mothers need to revisit what it means to be tidy. Tidy used to mean everything where we put it since the last time we moved it.

It used to mean that surfaces were clear, things were in proper boxes and the house was almost always ready for visitors.

Tidy now will mean something different. It may mean there are a few baskets filled with visible toys. The toys are in the baskets, but still. You can see the baskets.

Here are some super cute baskets for kids rooms.

It may mean that throughout the day there will be times when the house is in full play mode which means, obviously, that the house isn’t always “company ready.”

Of course, most company we keep wouldn’t even notice anyway. Tidy will still look as though the house is in order and picked up.

But it will be a different picked up order than before.

(2) Work with your children not against them.

After my first child started crawling and pulling things around I was personally offended.

Does she not know that I want the house to look neat?

Is she doing this to pop my forehead vein?!?

After a while I realized that was not the case, and that I needed to figure out some good systems that let the kids be kids and let the house be neat and orderly, but still be home.

I let them throw around their toys, games and blocks while they are playing. When they are finished we all pick them up together.

Of course, some days this is me standing over them handing them a block telling them to put it in the basket. Some days they do it happily, some days they run away.

That’s life.

However, if I let them run wild with things then I make them put it back later.

Win win.

Here are some printable chore cards you can use to help you teach the kids to tidy up. These will teach responsibility, hard work, and contribution. 

(3) Downsize the knickknacks.

One way that I’ve managed to keep the house from looking like an indoor yard sale is to minimize the sit-abouts, tchotkes, and knick knacks.

If I want to put sentimental and decorative items on display I do so where they are above arms reach.

Not because I don’t want to teach my children to avoid certain things, but simply because the little ones only have so much willpower and 4,356 picture frames, candles and coasters are too much for them to resist day in and day out.

Plus, we can’t very well have them touch nothing in the house.

On lower surfaces I keep the bare minimum to be pleasing to my eye and it means there are less things strewn about the house.

Is it just me or can a child somehow manage to dislocate about 35 things in one trip to the bathroom?

Want some 15 minute projects that you and the kids can do to get the house in order quickly? Download and print here!

(4) Make daily sweeps.

We clean up after playtime and I do a major sweep after the children are in bed. That’s it. Those two things means that almost every evening (unless it is a particularly busy evening) the house looks neat and tidy before bed. And it really only takes around 10 minutes max each time to do it.

I put things back where they came from and that’s it. Two or three days of messes make cleaning and tidying longer so I try to do it every single day so that it doesn’t build up. Remember, it’s much easier to maintain.

(5) Organize well.

If things don’t have a place they end up on the kitchen counter. Or so it is at our house. And if toys don’t have a place they end up hiding where my foot finds them in the dark tempting me to yell bad words that I would forbid my children to say.

I have baskets and places for everything. I’m not saying they’re beautiful. I’m not saying everything is labeled – although I love my label maker – but simply everything has a place.

This makes tidying easy because each evening as you do a sweep (or as you have your children clean up after themselves with you) you can put up a pile of things quickly when you know where each belong.

Sometimes the house looks fabulous. Sometimes the house looks awful. Sometimes I see spider webs I ignore. Sometimes I have all the kids wiping down surfaces with me. It comes and goes. I don’t feel like a failure if it looks “lived in” but I do think that teaching our children to clean after themselves and tidy isn’t some form of child abuse.

It won’t kill them to clean up. It won’t kill me to clean up. While a perfectly tidy house won’t make all our dreams come true, I think it will help us not get too down in the dumps when we are nursing the “I’m-so-frumpy-all-I-do-is-the-dishes” syndrome.

Get Your Tidy Routines Printable Checklist

::

You are NOT lazy, disorganized, or unmotivated. The fact is, if your home feels chaotic,it’s your systems. With easy efficient systems, habits, and routines you can start to have the home (and home atmosphere) you crave without working yourself into a frenzy.

Take this quiz to see how well your home systems work then get free and easy hacks to help make your home more tidy, peaceful, and organized.

Rachel

New to this community? Start here, friend.

Filed Under: Cleaning & Chores, Practical Tips for the Home24

« 4 surprising predictors of adult success
Decorating + Organizing with Kids in the House »

Recommended For You From Our Shop

The Organized Mom Book Of (Editable) Checklists

A Big Fat Book Of Checklists To Decrease Stress & Streamline Your Routines

All over the world checklists save lives. ER doctors, airline pilots, and a whole slew of other professions use checklists to make sure they don't forget the important stuff. In the spirit of streamlining life and cutting down on stress, I've created a book of checklists (with your own copy to edit as you'd like) for all types of home life.

Click to Learn More

I'm Rachel, mother of 5 young kids living in the Florida panhandle with my Australian husband. I write about family culture, family rhythms and routines, and boundaries in motherhood and life. You can see snippets of my daily life here and visit my shop for baby sleep, organizing, and routine help.

“Inside my brain”

Geeezzz, it was like you were inside my brain today!  (and most days recently)  I needed this badly.

Thank you!!!
Andrea P.

“Nothing was working…”

I just wanted to say thank you for your easy peasy routine for 2 year olds! I day-weaned my 2 year old a month ago and have been trying everything to get him to go down for a nap without the nursing. Nothing was working and I was starting to think he would never have a nap again.

Anyways I started following your routine and we just sat in bed and had what I told him was “quiet time.” We sat and read and made a fort and had warm milk. Then today I told him it was quiet time again and he tried to escape the bed a couple times, but in the end he snuggled up after the warm bottle and fell asleep for 3 hours! I was almost in tears I was so excited! So thank you!

Meghan

“Thanks for your bundle!”

Thanks for for doing this Everyday Mom Super Bundle sale. I’m four months into my parenthood journey with a sweet and spirited boy.

I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated just yesterday, thinking if only I had the right resources and “trail guides” I could figure this all out. Your sale is serendipitous. I can’t wait to dig into my download materials and start learning from your tips.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Lauren N.

“It’s a breath of fresh air”

I just wanted to let you know that your blog and emails have been a tremendous help to me. Your practical, honest, and humble writing is a breath of fresh air!

With help and encouragement drawn from your writing, I have made some incredible changes in the order (and sanity) of our home, in just the past few weeks. My kids are doing chores daily, and I also have clearer expectations of myself.

My husband is in awe!

Which helps reinforce what you said- the problem wasn’t me; it was my systems. Our home is in much better order, and so is my mind. So, thank you!!!! You have made a difference for me and my family.

Ann S.

“We are slowly getting back to normal…”

I stumbled upon your blog one morning after praying night after night for God to fix my home! I had just had a baby this May 1st and also have a 2 and 4 year old and my home broke out in complete chaos!

Even my marriage seemed like it was on the brink of extinction and this had happened in 2 weeks! I read numerous amounts of your entries and applied them to my home life and I am happy to say we are slowly getting back to normal. Thank you Rachel! 

Madison S.

“You’ve been a life saver!”

I’m a first time mom to a 15 day old baby girl. I had no idea what I was doing and couldn’t get her to sleep in her crib until I found your blog.

You’ve been a life saver!

Candace R.

“Within a week or two our little girl changed!”

I tumbled into post partum depression/anxiety and didn’t know what to do anymore. I was a mess, baby girl was a mess and I don’t even know how my husband was dealing with it all… 

I googled everything I could think about but there was never really something that felt right, that felt genuine instead of just telling do’s and don’ts. 

And then I found your website and read your pieces about sleeping and eating. I carefully read through your schedules and decided to try it.

IT WORKED!! 

And within a week or two our little girl changed from a frustrated baby into this happy dappy smiling ray of sunshine, that is able to settle herself down by sucking on her fists, even in the middle of the night. At 12 weeks baby girl slept through the night and now at 20 weeks old she sleeps a good 10 to 12 hours every night. 

I just wanted to thank you for sharing your experience online. The way you wrote your experiences made it understandable, seeing it from the babys side but also the moms side. Maybe we were lucky that your way fitted our baby, but it worked and I tell it to everyone that wants to know!

Stephanie P.

“Had tremendous success from Day One!”

I just wanted to thank you for your sample routine.  I’ve been using it for a week with my 13 month old and had tremendous success from day 2! Wind down time is so important and so is consistency.  Thank you so much!!!

Sam M.

“In a few short days…”

I am grateful to have found your blog, as I do a great deal of searching on Pinterest when I am up against a parenting moment that I do not feel qualified to handle.

I will say though that since reading your blog I am really focusing on remembering that every moment is a learning \ experience for my son and I try to take a breath and count to ten. In the few short days that I have been exercising this method I truly have noticed a change for the better in his response to me.

Tami K.

Comments

  1. Pipi says

    An interesting blog. It’s important for children to use natural cleaning products without harmful chemicals. Since I use http://bit.ly/1f5ATC3 especially bit.ly/1fbDWsu house smells great and my kids are safe. I recommend to everyone, great clean and do not contain harmful chemicals.

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Definitely agree chemical free is the way to go. I make most of mine with natural ingredients, but when the kids help they are usually doing something that doesn’t involve either. Thanks for the input :)

      Reply
  2. seychellesmama says

    Good post!! Some nice tips there :)

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      I think I need to re-read it today ;)

      Reply
  3. Eva Russell says

    Good article. It is a difficult job to keep a house clean if there are small kids. I teach my kids to do small cleaning jobs so that they will know the importance of cleaning when they grow up. Also if the kids are a big and know enough to do the basics like making the bed , it will be a good help for us mothers. As you said daily cleaning is a must when kids are there. Even when me or my husband are not well to do the cleaning jobs, we call for home cleaning services to keep the home clean.

    Reply
  4. Megan says

    My son is 2 and have trouble keeping it clean and it’s so hard

    Reply
  5. Regina says

    Pop up was quite annoying. Got off site because it wouldn’t go away.

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      YES I JUST SAW THIS. I’m turning it off, some type of technical error. Sorry :(

      Reply
  6. George Garcia says

    Thanks for this article – it is very helpful especially for those who are just starting a family. The guidelines are easy to follow and not only will make your house tidy but also can make your child responsible.

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Thank you, and yes!! It’s so nice to have a tidy home.

      Reply
  7. Hollie says

    Need all the help I can get . Im in bad health with 4 kids, ages 1 to 15

    Reply
  8. Julia says

    Thanks for this nice, down to earth article. Makes me feel like I don’t have to give up on tidy just because a baby’s on the way!

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Nah you can keep it under control, don’t worry :)

      Reply
  9. Maria says

    Your blog is great, I’ve learned lots of ideas. Thanks for sharing. :-)

    Reply
  10. John says

    I’m a Single Older Dad, I had to search how to keep my apartment clean. I Feel so bad. But your Blog Has help me to do things I didn’t think would ever happen.
    I can see the floor again and I don’t trip on toys going to the restroom at night.
    Thanks’

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      ha, non tripping!

      Reply
  11. Ben says

    I am a stay at home dad, my wife works full time and I am not a good house keeper. You have some great ideas, I am more than guilty of letting the mess “pile up” and the thought of only taking 10mins to clean sounds great to me, I am definitely going to use most of your ideas.

    Reply
    • Rachel Norman says

      Hi Ben, it’s SO TEMPTING to let the mess pile up. Good luck!

      Reply
  12. Rebecca says

    So, so encouraging! Great tips, and best of all the advice to remember it’s a process… 🙂

    Reply
  13. amol joshi says

    Cleaning house is something that we do when we decide to thoroughly clean every little portion of our house. It is absolutely necessary for us to deep clean home at least three times in an year to make it as beautiful and clean as we want it to be. It is more than just the normal dusting and sweeping of the house that we do every day; home deep cleaning involves many little things. It is easy to get confused and to miss out on one of those little things while we tackle the big problem. So, to help you tackle these things in a more organized way here are few steps that we should follow while deep cleaning house.Target this main area like kitchen, bathroom, sofa and carpet electrical appliances and furniture.

    Reply
  14. Nielsen Rosella says

    Good article. It is a hard job to keep a house clean if there are small kids. I instruct my kids to do small cleaning jobs so that they will know the importance & valve of cleaning when they mature. Also if the kids are big and know as much as necessary to do the basics like making the bed, it will be a great help for us mothers.

    Reply
  15. Julie says

    Great tips! It took me two year to realize I just needed to get rid of Knick knacks or just out then away for five years. When I took this off surfaces it helped. It also helps to frequently toss things including toys they aren’t that interested in

    Reply
  16. Mark William says

    Rachel,

    Thanks for the nice tips on – Keep a House Tidy With Kids.

    Would you have any plan to give a detailed post on bathroom cleaning with time management? Bathroom cleaning very difficult for me.

    Reply
  17. Ari says

    This was nice. I truly appreciate the ” you are not lazy, disorganized or unmotivated” part. Organization and positivity are key in these situations.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hey y'all, I'm Rachel Norman, BA, MS, Language of Listening® parenting coach, cancer survivor, and mother to 5 babies in 5 years on 3 continents, no multiples. I love Birth Order, am passionate about parenting and motherhood, and family culture Join me in parenting without losing your mind. Read More >>

Search

Copyright © 2019 All Rights Reserved | A Mother Far From Home | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

4.2Kshares