In a Hurry? These Cleaning tips are Perfect for Busy Parents Like You!
When you’ve got kids in the house, it’s a little tricker to keep the house clean.
We’ve scoured the web, asked our readers, and used our own experiences to offer you the best cleaning tips that help when you need to save time and stress!
It’s possible for busy moms to keep a somewhat tidy feel to their home.
These simple tips will help you get the job done.
It’s really not complicated!
Simple, Genius Cleaning Tips for Busy Moms
Genius Cleaning Tip For Busy Moms #1: Have Several Pick Up Times Throughout the Day.
Our home needs to be swept and mopped daily.
That’s just part of our life right now, no way of getting around it.
We also wash 3-4 loads of laundry a day.
We also homeschool our six kids.
No summer break, so we have all six kids at home with us pretty much 24/7.
Due to the above, we have to have many pick-up times during the day. We call these “house swoops.”
We clean up after breakfast, after lunch, before nap, before dinner and after dinner.
There are always toys to pick up, floors to sweep, and dishes to wash.
We have to stay on top of the mess, or it becomes overwhelming!
Genius Cleaning Tip For Busy Moms #2: Don’t Go to Bed with the House Dirty.
Let’s face it.
When the house gets messy, people get irritable.
That’s just the honest truth.
Whether you are a clean freak or a laid-back individual, if the cleanliness of your home gets out of whack, your mood changes.
You can’t find your earrings, your favorite socks or your child’s new toy.
Yep, that is definitely irritating — even for the messiest of people!
One of the BEST cleaning tips for busy moms and dads is to clean up before you go to bed.
This is not an invasive cleaning and scrubbing party.
Instead you just want to get things picked up off the floor, dishes washed and put away, kitchen counters and tables wiped down, and laundry put away.
If you want to give your kitchen a good sweep, that’s fine too.
Just make sure you do a little bit of cleaning every night.
Genius Cleaning Tip For Busy Moms #3: Repurpose Dryer Sheets
This saves time and money because you can keep the used dryer sheets in a basket in and grab them for the following simple tasks:
- Buff water spots from mirrors, bathroom/kitchen fixtures and shower doors
- Remove the ring inside the toilet
- Wipe baseboards clean
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #4: Set a timer.
I do this to give me motivation.
Maybe I am tired and would rather relax a instead of do a nightly clean-up.
On those days I set my timer (or watch the clock) and tell myself to speed clean for 30 minutes — yes, I do talk to myself.
Just knowing I have a time limit helps me get moving.
I can toss some laundry in the washing machine, sweep up, and wash some dishes.
After that, I can hurry and do some speed folding and put away the laundry — and then, ta-da!
I am done!
I get the reward of relaxing in a tidy home instead of knowing that there are still dishes to wash and laundry to fold.
My cleaning duties are finished and I can still make time for “me time.”
Life is good.
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #5: Throw it in a basket.
I know this gets on some people’s nerves, but it really does help me keep things clean.
I have a large family and a two-story house.
Instead of picking up each individual item and putting away items one-by-one, I toss everything that into a laundry basket.
After all the rooms are picked up, I return the misplaced items to their homes.
If it is a lot of kid stuff, I may leave the basket in front of their door for them to put away in the morning before breakfast.
That’s so mean, isn’t it?
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #6: Deodorize the Garbage Disposal
Add a fresh scent to your kitchen by placing a couple of small slices of lemons in the garbage disposal and running them through.
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #7: Toss Baking Soda into the Wash for Better Laundry
Just pour a cup of baking soda in with the wash and your clothes will come out even brighter and cleaner!
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #8: Place Dryer Sheets in Various Places to Freshen Up Your Home
This is a great way to use new, dryer sheets. I prefer these dryer sheets because the scent is stronger and lasts longer. Here are some examples of places you can easily freshen up with dryer sheets:
- Underneath TrashCan Liners
- Underneath Pillow Cushions
- Inside Drawers (as scented liners)
- In Toilet Paper Rolls
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #9: Clean Up Glitter the Easy Way
Some day in your parenting journey, a child will spill glitter.
When that day comes, here’s the easiest way to get it cleaned up:
Use a ball of Play-Doh or tape to pick up all those little glitter pieces!
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #10: Clean Your Microwave Quickly
Busy moms use the microwave frequently,…even if it’s only for heating up their forgotten cup of coffee!
Forget scrubbing and scrubbing, instead clean your microwave by using fresh ingredients in your kitchen and water!
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #11: Clean Stained Cookie Sheets with Baking Soda and Peroxide
Sprinkle the pan with baking soda to form an even layer.
Add hydrogen peroxide to a clean spray bottle and spray enough hydrogen peroxide to wet the baking soda.
Let the ingredients sit on the baking sheet for two hours.
Then, scrub (Use gloves to protect your skin!) the pan.
Rinse the baking soda mixture completely off the baking sheet.
Repeat if necessary.
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #12: Clean Sneakers with ToothPaste
Your child’s tennis shoes (or sneakers) are certain to get dirty some time!
Give them a good scrub with toothpaste (not the gel) and they’ll be sparkling fresh! :)
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #13: Remove Shoes Before Entering the House
It’s amazing how this one little tip keeps the house less messy and MORE clean without a busy parent having to clean!
I keep telling my kids, the secret to keeping in-house clean is PREVENTING the messes. :)
Kids can track grass, dirt, and even sidewalk chalk dust into the house often.
One simple way to cut down on all the sweeping, mopping, and carpet stains, is to have them remove shoes when they come in the door.
It is definitely one of the smartest cleaning tips out there…because it saves you from HAVING to clean!
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #14: Teach Kids to Put Dishes in Dishwasher and Not Sink
This does seem obvious, but most of the times families are in a rush and just toss dishes into the sink mindlessly.
When, the dishwasher is not even full.
Read the words on the screen…NOT. EVEN. FULL.
Instead of taking one step and plan ing dishes in the dishwasher, everyone’s dishes pile up in the sink, and normally one very unlucky person has to take ALL the dishes and arrange them into the dishwasher.
Instead, encourage your kids (and yourself!), to place dishes in the dishwasher immediately and NOT into the sink until the dishwasher is full.
Once the dishwasher is full, encourage family members to wash their dish and place it in the dish dryer dry it quickly, or place on a towel to dry, so that dishes don’t pile up into the evening!
Genius Cleaning Tip for Busy Moms #15: Organize Silverware When Placing in the Dishwasher.
Little ones, kids, teens and adults can ALL places forks in a certain place, and spoons in a certain place.
When loading the dishwasher, encourage everyone in your family to place forks in a specific holder and butters knives in one etc.
This saves time on unloading etc.
Always think ahead when cleaning because in the big picture this minimizes clean-up time and stress!
What are YOUR Best Cleaning Tips for Busy Moms?
Share them in our Parents Connect group on Facebook!
