Toddlers are a force of nature, and every parent knows that very well. Sometimes, reasoning with them is near to impossible, so it’s better to find sneaky ways to keep things under control, mainly when it comes to eating snacks or going to bed on time.
However, when it comes to your home and its maintenance, things are a bit different: your house needs to be clean and tidy, and with toddlers, that’s often difficult to achieve. Therefore, rather than going after them and picking up every toy or wiping every surface, it’s better to find your own way to keep your home clean. So, if you’ve had issues with maintaining your home with toddlers in tow, here are some useful ways to make it spotless and clean without difficulties.
Create secure playing areas for kids
Kids are naturally curious and inquisitive, with quite lively attention spans, which is why they often leave their toys everywhere for you to pick up. That can often lead to frustration on your part, but if you create a specific play area for your kids, it will be easier for them to learn some new rules. You can opt for any unused space or corner and turn it into a cozy playing area for your little ones. So, start with getting a few toy and storage boxes and put them in every room where kids spend time. That will show them to value being organized and teach them an important boundary as well.
Set up a cleaning schedule and stick to it
A cleaning schedule can take a huge load off your back, as you’ll know when to timely deal with a certain cleaning chore without guilt or impatience. Your cleaning schedule should consist of chores you usually do such as vacuum cleaning, laundry, dusting, and anything in between on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. That way, you want to have to worry about multiple chores at once. However, in order for this to work, it’s essential to stay disciplined and clean regularly, but there’s no need to be overly rigid either.
Use quality cleaning tools and products
Since cleaning requires a bit of effort and dedication and having a toddler means being perpetually busy, then it’s important to find quality cleaning products and tools that will help you be more efficient. For example, a hand-held vacuum cleaner is excellent for removing crumbs and dust on a whim. Additionally, it’s crucial if you could use cleaning products that can remove grime and keep the surfaces clean long after. This is especially important when cleaning surfaces such as windows, as they’re often neglected due to their size and location. Using some easy-to-apply hydrophobic glass coating will repel dirt while protecting the surface so it’ll say clean until the next wash. Adding these types of things to your cleaning cabinet will keep your home cleaner, even with toddlers running around.
Make some rules and stick to them
The easiest way to avoid the unnecessary mess is to set some rules regarding the behavior and practices in the households. These rules may seem harsh or unfair at first, but they can be of tremendous help, especially when your kids are still too young. If your little ones have trouble with dropping food and staining the furniture, then make sure they eat their main meals seated at the table. That way, they’ll learn how to eat properly, while you want to have clean and scrub that often. Of course, once your kids are grown and able to eat properly, feel free to let them eat in front of the TV, especially during fun family movie nights.
Include everyone else, too
Keeping the house clean isn’t a one-person job, which means it’s crucial to ask others to help you out. So, in this case, make sure that your spouse is on your side to some degree, and teach kids the importance of tidying after themselves. This habit is best taught at home. Still, remember that being too rigid when teaching them isn’t the smartest idea in these types of situations. So if your kids fail to do something, rather than yelling, it’s better to calmly explain and show them again, so they’ll realize that it’s about adopting a good habit, and not them.
Conclusion
Your home can be clean, but there’s no need to be too strict about every single rule. Instead, find a way to make tidiness fun and beneficial so your toddlers will learn to value it. Also, if you want to include your kids then keep in mind that letting your kids fail at first is fine because that’s the best way to learn about growing and adopting positive lifestyle habits that will help them grow into stable adults.
About the author
Lilly Miller is a freelance writer, who focuses on interior design, well-being and sustainable living. She loves to experiment on daring new home decor trends and write about it as a regular contributor to Smooth Decorator blog. You can find her hanging out on Twitter.
Lilly Milller
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