I need some GOOD tips from CLEAN people

[Anonymous]

Our #1 is that we rewear clothes. It's less easy with kids clothes that truly get dirty though.

[Anonymous]

Start a donate bin (ours is in the laundry/mudroom) and preschedule pick-ups from your favorite charity that picks up. Anything that gets outgrown and is still in decent condition gets tossed after cleaned for its final time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the mindset of people who don't prioritize cleaning even when there are small kids. You don't have to be perfect/obsessive, but if your kids don't see you clean, and don't grow up in a relatively clean/orderly environment, who is going to teach them those good and healthy habits?

Cleaning is really important with small children in the house. Think of what they pick up or could choke on when they are scooting/crawling/playing on messy floors!

No need for anyone to become exhausted or crazy in the process, but there is no good reason not to have a decently clean and tidy home.[/quote

My sister and I grew up in the same household. She is a neat freak, I am not. My brothers just got stay at home wives to clean for them, LOL.

[Anonymous]

Op here. I just feel very stressed when things are not clean especially with a baby. I need clean burp clothes and laundry for him (he spits up a LOT sigh) and I want a clean sink bc after I feed him, I give him a bath in the sink, so I don't want to contend with dirty dishes or a dirty sink, and I want a clean counter to towel him off, a made bed to fold laundry, a clean floor bc he literally eats the floor etc. I'm home all day and for me it is miserable to be home all day in a dirty house.

[Anonymous]

I pick up, do dishes, and wipe down counters and the table every night, but besides that, I clean one room a night, after DS goes to bed. I vacuum, dust and mop on Saturday.

DH has a room to himself, his office, that is a disaster. When he leaves his crap laying around the house, I put it in there, and shut the door. It keeps our family room and kitchen (the major drop zones) somewhat organized.

I do a seasonal purge weekend and take things to Goodwill immediately.

I grew up in a messy, dirty house (my mother is a hoarder). I was embarrassed to have people over because our house was such a filthy disaster. Cleaning was a BFD, took all weekend, and left some pretty scarring memories. I prefer to do a little everyday and avoid having to do the big clean. If some friends want to come by after work, it's really no big deal, because my house is relatively clean and I usually have some kind of food to feed them.

I teach my son to pick up his things, and throw his trash away. When he gets older, I'll give him age-appropriate chores.

[Anonymous]

Remember that studies show that your kid will be healthier in the long run if he encounters a bit of dirt now.

[Anonymous]

Hire live in help.

[Anonymous]

I think you are going to have to have some awareness that babies are messy: they spit up, puke, and pee in very inconvenient times...

Here are my questions: do you have to bathe baby every day? Does it have to be sink where you wash dishes, versus a plastic tub in your bathtub, etc? Do you have t o use a clean burp cloth every time?

If the answers are yes, non negotiable, I think I know why you are tired and I don't have much advice for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the mindset of people who don't prioritize cleaning even when there are small kids. You don't have to be perfect/obsessive, but if your kids don't see you clean, and don't grow up in a relatively clean/orderly environment, who is going to teach them those good and healthy habits?

Cleaning is really important with small children in the house. Think of what they pick up or could choke on when they are scooting/crawling/playing on messy floors!

No need for anyone to become exhausted or crazy in the process, but there is no good reason not to have a decently clean and tidy home[b].

I am a clean freak and yet even I know there are plenty of good reasons people don't have clean and tidy homes. One being highly active or ADHD kids. I could spend my entire day cleaning up the messes my boys make in about 10 minutes flat. And even longer getting them to clean it up themselves, which I do do, but it is EXHAUSTING to be at it constantly, to be constantly on my kids' case to pick things up, throw things away, to be careful not to spill, get one thing out at a time, etc. And there are times I just throw up my hands and give into the mess so I can have a moment to myself to read or relax or read DCUM or to give them a break from the constant reminding from me to be neat. Which I doubt they ever will be.

I am certain others have just as legitimate a reason for having messy homes.

Go look at the plank in your eye before pointing to the speck in someone else's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. I just feel very stressed when things are not clean especially with a baby. I need clean burp clothes and laundry for him (he spits up a LOT sigh) and I want a clean sink bc after I feed him, I give him a bath in the sink, so I don't want to contend with dirty dishes or a dirty sink, and I want a clean counter to towel him off, a made bed to fold laundry, a clean floor bc he literally eats the floor etc. I'm home all day and for me it is miserable to be home all day in a dirty house.

I don't understand bathing a baby in a kitchen sink. It just doesn't sound like something a clean freak would do.

[Anonymous]

We don't have a bathtub, only shower. No other place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't have a bathtub, only shower. No other place.

http://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Infant-Toddler-Sling/dp/B000067EH7/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1441817547&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+bathtub

[Anonymous]

I keep storage baskets in my entry closet. Shoes go in here right away.

I keep a laundry basket discretely hidden on every floor. If something needs to be washed it goes right into the basket and out of the way until I get to the wash. I run a load of wash every night. Throw it in the dryer before bed. Wake up and fold.

De clutter de clutter de clutter. Donate/throw away frequently.

Storage ottoman/baskets in every room.

Sink and counter cleaned every night before bed (while my washer is running). I clean out my fridge before I grocery shop.

Cleaning company come at least once a month for a deeper clean. I can maintain the rest of the time but its nice to get that solid clean in every month. If you can afford 2 times a month.. even better.

Definitely teach kids as soon as you can. No, they don't get it right away, but they will. My 18 month old walks around with a wet towel and "cleans the floor." Its not really cleaning, but hey.. an extra wipe here and there helps a bit.

Dedicated mess room. We have a door on the playroom. Sometimes, I just close it. Sometimes, I actually clean. But being able to just shut the door and not worry about that one room helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the mindset of people who don't prioritize cleaning even when there are small kids. You don't have to be perfect/obsessive, but if your kids don't see you clean, and don't grow up in a relatively clean/orderly environment, who is going to teach them those good and healthy habits?

Cleaning is really important with small children in the house. Think of what they pick up or could choke on when they are scooting/crawling/playing on messy floors!

No need for anyone to become exhausted or crazy in the process, but there is no good reason not to have a decently clean and tidy home[b].

I am a clean freak and yet even I know there are plenty of good reasons people don't have clean and tidy homes. One being highly active or ADHD kids. I could spend my entire day cleaning up the messes my boys make in about 10 minutes flat. And even longer getting them to clean it up themselves, which I do do, but it is EXHAUSTING to be at it constantly, to be constantly on my kids' case to pick things up, throw things away, to be careful not to spill, get one thing out at a time, etc. And there are times I just throw up my hands and give into the mess so I can have a moment to myself to read or relax or read DCUM or to give them a break from the constant reminding from me to be neat. Which I doubt they ever will be.

I am certain others have just as legitimate a reason for having messy homes.

Go look at the plank in your eye before pointing to the speck in someone else's.

Oh, come ON. It is obvious the PP was talking about, generally speaking, for-lack-of-a-better-term "NORMAL" circumstances, not special needs and special cases. OP seems like everything is generally "normal," so the PP was responding to that.

But seriously, it does seem like a lot of the responses are "why bother?" and "dirt don't hurt"...so the question of why do people have those attitudes is a valid one!

[Anonymous]

Have places that you can dump stuff or allow things to be messy. I have a corner of the island counter top where I let things be out - and it's not used for food prep so it doesn't have to be wiped as often. I agree with the bins suggestion - that works for me, too. I have the Hoover stick vac near the kitchen so I can do a quick vacuum of crumbs. I HATE feeling crumbs under my feet while walking barefoot on the hardwood. The maid comes every 2 weeks for the deep clean. Things get worse before they get better - kids feeding themselves make a big mess and once they're really mobile, they can dump out stuff rather quickly. Teach them to help. Both my kids (3 and 1.5) know where the hand towels are for cleaning. So if one of them spills milk or water, they go get the towel and wipe it up themselves. I may have to help or finish the job, but they contribute.