A Simple Cleaning Routine for Busy Moms with Little Kids (To Keep a Tidy Home)

Are you that busy mom who is so tired of keeping your house tidy and organized? Do you think those surefire cleaning hacks truly exist to maintain a neat home?

Today, I am sharing with you the guaranteed cleaning routine I always come back to whenever I feel overwhelmed by clutter. I tell you, it works wonders every time.

We dream of having a clean house — but who dreams of actually doing the cleaning?

~ Marcus Buckingham

My Battle with Keeping Things Tidy at Home

I used to be one of those people who maintain a tidy, spotless home. The bed was always fixed, dishes were always washed, dirty clothes looked like they just got out of the dryer, and trash was always out of the house every chance I got.

It all changed when I got married and started having kids.

Chaos… That is the best word to describe my daily routine these days.

A million dishes sitting in the sink, a mountain of kids’ clothes waiting to be pressed, and a heaping garbage can begging to be taken outside are just some of the mind-boggling scenarios you may encounter in our home.

Having a 14-month-old and a 32-month-old, keeping things neat has been a constant battle.

My priorities have changed and the goal nowadays is to keep my kids alive (duh)!

My Surefire Home Cleaning Game Plan to Keep my Home Clutter-Free

So today, (on a plane to New York for my cousin’s wedding) realizing that I am slowly losing my old self, I decided to do something about it and started jotting down a fail-safe daily cleaning strategy that can help me keep my home tidy.

My alter ego can cease nagging me now!

Without further ado, let’s join hands in achieving a less stressful, cleaner, and more organized home filled with just playful giggles of happy kids.

Here are 7 surefire cleaning hacks that never disappoint for all moms with little kids to keep things organized at home.

Have you ever heard of Hilary at Pulling Curls’ FREE 5-WORD Organization Challenge? She is an outstanding teacher, I tell you! You can check out her free organization challenge here and see if it works for you. It is a challenge consisting of “five simple words that will get you on your way to an organized life.”

1. Fix the bed every morning.

There is this funny study going around for more than a decade now. Scientists that spoke with BBC in 2005 believe that “failing to make your bed in the morning may actually help keep you healthy.”

Dr. Stephen Pretlove said through BBC, “Something as simple as leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die.”

That is just a load of bull, don’t you think?

Good thing some physicians and scientists, especially those specializing in asthma and allergies, disagree with it.

As Professor Andrew Wardlaw of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology noted, most homes are sufficiently humid for the mites to do well and he finds it hard to believe that simply not making your bed would have any impact on the overall humidity.

He is absolutely right! I am with him 100%! I believe mites are inevitable. They will thrive wherever and however.

I’ll keep fixing my bed, thank you very much!

2. Do a load of laundry every day.

I just can’t wrap my mind around how little people can use so many clothes! I mean, it is just unbelievable!

So, early in the morning while daddy and the kids are still asleep, I wash 1 load of laundry to keep the pile to a minimum. (I guess it is just most mothers’ mindset to wake up before everyone does, huh?)

With this practice, I don’t have to worry about a massive pile of clothes sitting in the laundry area.

Not a morning person? Don’t worry. You can always execute this particular cleaning hack after your kids fall asleep.

Curious about what laundry detergent I use? I will definitely share it with you!

My husband and I love the Arm and Hammer Laundry Detergent. We have been using it for 7 years now and it has not failed us yet. So we will be using it until it does. It is a little pricey, but the quality is incredible!

Another laundry detergent I recommend is what my mother-in-law uses and we absolutely love it too. (I must admit, it is a tad expensive as well!)

Click here to check it out.

3. Wash the dishes in batches.

Now, I don’t think some of you will agree to this as not everyone has a dishwasher, but this goes out to the household with one. (Yes! You! I’m talking to you, sweetie!)

Let me explain a little further. There are just 4 of us in the household and 2 are little humans. Therefore, we only use a few plates and other dinnerware every mealtime.

To save some detergent as well, wait for the dishwasher to be full before starting it.

Don’t forget to (always) rinse off everything before placing them in the dishwasher though. Promise me that! Those dishes are going to stink in there if you do!

I use the Cascade Dishwasher Pods ever since. I have tried all other brands but nothing comes close to Cascade. So, I stick to it.

4. Do a quick wipe-down after cooking.

You can find cleaning hacks everywhere, but this one is the simplest out there!

Do you notice how spillage is unavoidable when cooking on the stove? It is just so irritating when that happens, especially when you just cleaned the stove not too long ago.

Having said that, I suggest you keep a container of disinfectant wipes nearby. That way, you can just do a quick wipe down of your stove every after cooking.

Just be certain to keep it a safe distance from your food and your children’s reach.

5. Dust as you go.

Do you see the dust building up on the shelf or the computer desk? Ugh! That just makes me want to sneeze!

I have this obsession to run my forefinger on every smooth surface and it just frustrates me when I see dust! Seriously though, does it frustrate you too?

[Dust is a major problem here in the country. No matter what I do, I can never avoid it. Those gravel roads are a pain in the rear!]

So, let’s grab some of those heavy-duty dusters to hopefully make our home practically dust-free.

6. Get a few of those storage bins.

Tell me I’m wrong! I dare you! (*winks) These little things are just lifesavers!

There was this one time, I was in a hurry to get to the bathroom and I stepped on one of my little boy’s wooden blocks (The ones with colorful letters on them? Ring a bell?)! Oh my gosh! It hurts like God-knows-what! I couldn’t even scream!

So, my husband bought a few of those clear, bigger-sized storage bins for my kids’ toys.

Every night before going to bed (my code for “pinning on Pinterest”), I pick up their toys and simply shove them all into the storage bins.

7. Clean the toilet every night.

Every night before going to bed, I give my kids their bath time. It just gets messy in there every time. They so love splashing the water (Most kids do, I know!).

So, when everyone is asleep, I clean the toilet (especially the toilet seat) and dry the floor. Then I take a shower.

Download these Free Daily and Bi-weekly Cleaning Schedules

Wrapping Up Cleaning Hacks for the Busy Mom

Try these cleaning and organizing tips out. Let me know if they work for you. I would love to hear it.

I strongly suggest that you check out Hilary at Pulling Curls’ FREE 5-WORD Organization Challenge and see if it’s something for you. As I mentioned, it is a challenge consisting of “five simple words that will get you on your way to an organized life.”

Thank you for taking the time to read my cleaning hacks. I really appreciate it. I am just hoping you enjoyed it and found it very helpful.

Don’t forget to check out other mom tips on here and share them with your friends. For a little nudge, I included a link to one of them for you below.

Here’s a related article of Mom Tips: 5 Natural Cures to Toddler Constipation

Talk to you later, guys! Time for a Pinterest party for mommy!

How do you maintain an organized home? Do you have a cleaning routine for busy moms like us?

Please share them with other moms in the comment section below and help us out! It will be much appreciated.