I can’t keep a clean home (even if my life depended on it). I have dishes piled in the sink, a mountain of laundry to be folded, and toys everywhere. So, I asked The Mama Workshop community on Instagram how they keep a clean home and to share any tips, tricks, and hacks they might have that would help me and any mama in my situation.

You know what I found out?

Almost all the mamas that answered have the same issue as me (and over 40 mamas commented). One mama even said, “If we got report cards for cleaning, I would get a big, fat F.” We all need help in this area. The mess is never-ending. So, what do we need to do?

7 Ways to Keep Your House Clean

1. Give yourself a lot of Grace. That is going to be the main thing that keeps your sanity.
2. Don’t clean the entire house in one day. This is going to drive you bonkers (so refer to number 1). Break it up (like have Monday Vacuum Day, Tuesday Bathroom Day, and so on). Plus have your dailys (like dishes and 1-2 loads of laundry – 1-2 loads a day makes it easier to fold and put completely away; no more piles). Makayla from Sassy Sweet Tea says, “I’m a PLANNER girl…if it’s not in the planner it doesn’t usually end up getting done. So, I schedule laundry days (because it’s my nemesis 😂); and, then each day I deep clean a specific room and then a quick tidy of the rest.”
3. Get your kiddos involved. Start now while they’re young. Be consistent with it. Make it fun. When, I am folding laundry, I have my son match the socks. It’s a matching game and a learning experience. #MomWin
4. Clean up toys at night.  Have a bucket (or two) that you keep out in your living room for stray toys that stay out after bedtime. Do a sweep after the kids go to bed and put all the toys in the buckets. When the kids wake up you can have them put them in their toy box in their room.
5. Adopt the One-Touch Rule. Have a home for all of your belongings in your house. If the item is out of place and you walk by it, pick it up and put it in it’s home. Here’s an example from Mother’s Niche, “Let’s say you come in from outside and take off your jacket.  You then conveniently drape your jacket across the back of the couch and go about your next activity.  Next, someone comes over and wants to sit on our couch so you quickly move it to the counter.  Later you are making dinner so you finally move your jacket to your closet. How many times did you touch the jacket before you put it away?  3 Touches.  Let’s say you come home, take your jacket off and put it straight in your closet…how many touches would that be? 1 Touch.“ Jill from Shire Mama and The Mama Workshop community shares how the One-Touch Rule helps her, “One thing I try to hold to is the One-Touch Rule. I try to only touch something once and put it away (hang up a coat instead of putting it on the back of a chair). That type of thing helps so much.”
6. Load your dishwasher throughout the day & run the load at night. Then empty it in the morning. I need to replace a lot of my dishes with dishwasher-safe dishes. I have to hand wash most of them. Eek! So, if you’re in my boat (and until you can replace your dishes), wash as you’re cooking. If you can’t get to them right away, at least rinse them off. Sticky dishes are the worst and take up more time.
7. De-clutter your house. Donate stuff you don’t use. Heather from Arrows & Warriors says, “I feel like this one is a constant battle for me; but, one thing that I’ve found really helping me is living in my means and living small. That way I’m not overwhelmed as much as I would be.” If you donate the stuff you don’t use, it will help to have a home for all of your belongings (#5 would be easier to do).  Clean Mama has a 30-Day De-Cluttering Challenge that you can do (that I want to do, I am downloading the checklist now). You work on de-cluttering your home 10 minutes a day.

What I have been trying to do: I asked myself, “What areas in my house need to be clean for me to feel okay with the rest of the house being messy?” For me those areas are: my kitchen counter, the kitchen table and the coffee table. If I have those 3 areas clear, I feel fine with other things being out of place. But, I’m definitely going to adopt the 7 Ways to Keep Your House Clean. It will definitely help with my sanity and get me spending more time with my kiddos.

One of  the best things I have heard about having a clean home is from my friend Christina at The Whole Cook, “There’s no way it’s going to be perfect because we are living and playing in our home all the time; but, I don’t really mind that!”

Don’t aim for perfection. You’re just going to get frustrated. Our homes aren’t going to look like they are pulled straight from a magazine. Those houses aren’t lived in (or they just stayed that way for the picture and then became a disaster afterwards). Your kiddos are playing. You’re living in your home. Look at the mess differently. Those are your memories being made with your family. Clean up what you can so your house doesn’t look like a dumpster threw up in it. But, don’t stress about it being perfect.

Read the rest of the comments on Instagram.

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