I just don't know how people do it especially with kids. I work from home and have 2 kids under the age of 5 and my house is a mess all the time So what is your best tips for keeping a clean house. I really need to clean out and organize but I feel like I can't keep up with the day to day stuff much less organize and clean out. Give them to me....do you have a schedule if so could you share? What is your best advise for a girl who is no where OCD

I set a timer for 10 mins. right after lunch and go through the house and pick up and put things away. My kids pick up their toys right before supper every night. After I get the younger kids to bed I have the older kids help pick up for 10 mins. Another thing that has helped a lot is for every new thing the kids get they must get rid of something, we do this for toys and clothes. Having less of everything makes it easier to clean up.

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DS-16
DD-13
DD-5
DS-3

Drop your standards! I am serious, I have learned to live with a less than clean house. I just have too many much more important things I would rather be doing.

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~Happiness is a large family~

clean house whats that?????????/

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Kelly mom to 3 great girls A Peanut, a monkey and a little burrito.

I practically live by the House of Order Handbook by Marie Calder Ricks. She has excellent tips for everything, but the ones that work the best for me are:

**do one load of laundry everyday-first thing in the morning before breakfast I put it in and move it along and usually it is folded and put away by 9 or 10 before I get going on everything else
**I have put all the things out of my kitchen I don't need. For example-there are 4 burners on the stove so why do I have all the pots and pans I got from my wedding? Only having a couple pots makes me want to clean them and put them away instead of letting them stack up.
**Getting a set month to do something. For example clean out closets in April and October (also a good time to take out summer/winter clothes for those of us who use kids clothes over and over) This is applied to every area of your house.

I think the big key is simplify. (I swear though, easier said than done)

I don' t get it either , And I Swear My standards are not too high anymore And I de clutter weekly.

But Unless I Stay on top of stuff day in and Out - it all goes to Crap.

Relax today , and Pay heavy tommorow is the way it goes

Oh and I Hear you on , how the heck to find the time to do any extra housework when , the Basics keep coming undone.


I think the only way to keep it clean with kids around is to Be on top of everything constanly. How I Dont' Know .... But ....
I Don't see any other way.
I Have tried the timer thing and the time limiting thing too. Trust me I Don't want to spend My Life cleaning , but We do need Clean plates , and A Cleaned off Kitchen table to eat a Meal. So I try.
With My House there is always something going on ,
Ok , so i Have 20 mins to do all the dishes and Clean the counters.
Well About 5 mins into my Frenzy My 3 YO Spills his juice all over himself , And well there goes the kitchen , and here comes the hose down and changing clothes of DS -
Also During this time My Cat throws up on the floor ,,, so off to Clean that up , then the phone rings , then the doorbell rings , then I see its time to start dinner. Oh and the Kitchen Did not Get done.
It is stressful.

Most days the only clean things are my bathrooms , and a few loads of wash.

I do all my dusting, washing floors, cleaning bathroom, etc on Monday. During the rest of the week, I usually end up vacuuming twice a day, washing at least one load of clothes a day. Before I go to bed make sure dishes are done, I sweep the kitchen floor and go over it with my wet swiffer, wipe down toilet and bathroom sink. If I miss even one day it takes me several to catch up. And never fails that is when I get company.

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~Missy~

You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can only decide how you're going to live !!!

I've been a sahm for 2 1/2 yrs, wahm for a few months. I have not quite figured out how to keep my own house clean or decluttered. Something is always messy. I just have to think of what I have gotten done, not the long list that needs doing. If you have clutter in your home, (which I'm sure most of us do lol) it makes it harder to clean. I have this problem and am emotionally attached (don't know why) to things and feel guilty getting rid of them. If you can get the clutter cleared, cleaning would be so much easier and less time consuming. I should take my own advice.

I thought that when I became a SAHM, that my house would be spotless! WRONG!!! It is just as dirty as it was when I worked 50 plus hours per week. But the good trade off is I get to spend way more time with my kids than I did before. So if there is toys scattered around the house or a load of clean laundry laying on the couch, oh well. I figure if my dh gets sick of it enough than he will either do it himself or hire me some poor college kid to come in a hour or two per week.

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Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you want to do with your life, be passionate.
Jon Bon Jovi

Taylyn...i think we are living in the same house!!! You just described my typical day.

I have found that each day, I try really hard to do just a few things:
1. unload the dishwasher in the morning to make room for the dirty dishes all day
2. run at least one load of laundry, fold it and put it away
3. make the beds
4. cook dinner
5. pick up toys at end of day WITH kids. If all 5 of us are picking up for 5 minutes, the difference is huge. I have let go of the idea of things going "where they belong"...OFF the floor is good enough around here!!!!!

If I accomplish these 5 things, the house looks "neat" even though its not clean, and that helps a bunch. On really great days, I sweep the kitchen floor or even vacuum a bedroom or 2.

I also regularly toss broken toys, stained/torn/outgrown clothing, and unloved items as I put my hands on them. I keep a give away box in my laundry room, next to a trash can, and tape it up when it gets full and drop off while out running errands. I am a purger by nature and feel better when the house is not busting at the seams!

Little things do make a huge difference.

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Dottie

Mom to Michael 6, Matthew 4, Katherine 2, Ellen 1, and new baby EDD 10/29/08