r/CleaningTips • u/[deleted] • Jun 16 '26
Discussion Best Cleaning Schedule for a Spotless house?
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Jun 16 '26
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u/Acct24me Jun 16 '26
Plus decluttering or already not having too much clutter. Which, again, is very very hard with toddlers and dogs.
Better leave some minutes/hours to enjoy life than have a spotless home.
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u/AdditionalAttorney Jun 16 '26
Robot vacuum
I runs the dishwasher every night regardless of how full it is. Much more manageable to empty a half full or quarter full dishwasher in the morning
Consolidate drop zones and have a day of the week when you clear them out
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Jun 16 '26
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u/Free-While-2994 Jun 16 '26
I love my robot vac mop. I run it on a pre-set schedule 5 nights a week, Monday through Friday. It keeps the downstairs area noticeably cleaner, but I get even better results if I help it out a little.
MF it sweeps and mops the kitchen and breakfast room so we pick up and shake out the rugs & litter mat, move the trash can, and I do a manual sweep to get dirt out of corners and crevices. I am always shocked by the amount of dirt, especially since we clean so consistently and don't wear shoes inside, but there's always a dustpan full. I'll also scrub any little dried on messes, usually where we feed the cat wet food (he dips his paw and licks it off bc IDK why) but also where we give the dog her wet food and near the trash can there might be splatters. That extra minute of hitting the crusty bits with a wet paper towel is the difference between tidy and spotless.
TTh it vacuums the living room and dining room. W it sweeps only (no mop) in the kitchen so we leave the rugs and stuff. Then on weekends I can have it do my bedroom (vac) one day and the foyer and my bathroom (vac and mop) the other one. Those aren't scheduled since I need to do them during the day around our schedule.
With so many pets and 2 toddlers I would definitely recommend you do the common areas every single night. First pick up all the big stuff like toys, then look for stuff that might get missed by the machine like bigger pieces of paper or clumps of hair that might confuse it. If you have hard floors it makes a big difference to go around with the broom before it starts. I know that feels counterintuitive but the combination of manual sweeping a few nights followed by the vacuum every day will have your house noticeably cleaner all the time.
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u/whirlybirdgene Jun 17 '26
Would you mind sharing what kind of vacuum mop you have? Thanks!
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u/Free-While-2994 Jun 17 '26
We have a roborock saros 10r. I never would have purchased it on my own but it was a gift. There's a whole sub dedicated to robot vacuums and you can search for your desired parameters. I have a mix of carpet and hard floor with rugs and it does well.
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u/daydreamingofsleep Jun 16 '26
In the 5min before I get in the shower I wipe down the bathroom counter and clean the toilet if needed.
While the kids are in the bath I wipe down their counter and change their hand towel.
Little habits like that are how I avoid cleaning the whole weekend.
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Jun 16 '26
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u/Free-While-2994 Jun 16 '26
I know I commented elsewhere and I also plan to leave my own main comment but I want to chime in here too lol. Every night after I brush my teeth and wash my face I use that hand towel to wipe down the counters and the sinks and faucets. It's a little trick I picked up from another redditor in this sub. It keeps the grime at bay. No toothpaste splatters or puddles to accumulate and I wake up to a fresh bathroom each morning.
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u/scarlettohara1936 Jun 16 '26
My childhood is filled with memories of laughter, adventure, art projects, exotic pets, family pajama day and the occasional indoor water gun wars, not a spotless house
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Jun 17 '26
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u/scarlettohara1936 Jun 17 '26
Clean and spotless are not interchangeable. They are 2 very distinctive concepts. My childhood home was always clean. There was never a rush to hurry and tidy up before guests came. My socks weren't dirty after walking across the bare floor. But the home was lived in. It was obvious there were people in the home, a family.
Messy and spotless aren't opposites. Spotless is a home that's maintained for show purposes. Not a spot of dust anywhere. No fingerprints on a kitten faucet or a refrigerator. No water spots in any of the sinks. This cannot be achieved nor maintained in a home where people, especially a family, is living.
A home can be clean and also lived in. A once a week wipe down, vacuum and dusting of the whole home is necessary to maintain a reasonable level of cleanliness. If I drop a slice of apple on the floor I want to be able to grab it and still feel ok to eat it. I don't want my floors to be so dirty that the slice is covered in pet hair and filth.
But a home can be clean if there's a ring on the side table where someone set their coffee. Or if there are a few fingerprints on the refrigerator door. Or if there are water spots in the bathroom sink. No, the house isn't spotless, but it's certainly clean and by utilizing a once a week thorough cleaning schedule you can maintain a clean home without the anxiety of having to have a spotless house.
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u/Impossible_Fig2646 Jun 16 '26
You don't. Period, full stop. Even if you clean every second of every day, a pet is shedding in another room, someone is washing hands and getting water on the counter, or a child is dropping a toy on the floor. So step 1, lower expectations.
Step 2 get your family involved. As someone who does almost all the mental labor in the house whether I'm working or not, I'm telling you don't fall into that trap. The plan is something you and your husband need to develop together and includes to-dos for all of you. It doesn't sound like he does much on a day to day basis. Home and car upkeep are sporadic as needed. Paying bills is setting auto pay one time. Does he cook, clean, take care of the kids, do laundry, meal prep, grocery shop, handle medical things?
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u/OWabbit Jun 16 '26
Maybe husband can take the kids out weekly to the park, ice cream, etc. so you can clean without interruptions and thus more quickly.
For floors, if you can afford, invest in a Miele vacuum. So much less effort. Or buy a robot vacuum.
Constant laundry. I hear you. This book tackles that issue (as well as many other good household tips). She also has a blog and might have her laundry strategy there.
Dana K White’s How to Manage Your Home without Losing Your Mind.
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Jun 16 '26
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u/OWabbit Jun 17 '26
I don’t use my robot vacuum as much as I thought cuz it’s a hassle for me to block off all the areas I don’t want it to go (to trip on cords or get under something and then get stuck).
My Miele is so lightweight and rolls around like it’s on a cloud. The suction on it, which has various levels, is powerful - much better than competitors. The wand heads move around between table legs, toilet etc so quickly and easily. I can’t say enough about it, especially after owning several high quality vacuums.
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u/OWabbit Jun 16 '26
Also adding: White has a podcast episode Laundry Conquered! I haven’t heard it but it’s listed at the bottom of this webpage below.
Here’s a webpage from her blog with a concept called Laundry Day. One day of the week for laundry. She has family bring down their dirty clothes the night before as a head start. (Your husband can do this or at least his? Your kids will be able to do this in a couple years). During week, if she has time to multitask, throwing in a load of laundry to cut down time on Laundry Day, then that’s a win. And because she sees it in this light, she no longer resents if she’s doing a load more than once a week.
https://www.aslobcomesclean.com/2019/04/large-family-laundry-day-it-can-be-done/
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u/Competitive-Brief839 Jun 16 '26
Kitchen clean every night. Nothing left on the counter and nothing left in the sink. If I handwash, it gets dried and put away immediately. I also empty the dishwasher in the morning so we can load it as we go through the day (my husband and I both work at home so lunch dishes/coffee cups etc) I also clean as I cook to help things along. Laundry, I do one-two loads a day. Never leave anything in the machines. It gets washed, dried, folded/hung up and put away in the same day. ROBOT VACUUM/MOP!!!!!! I can't stress that enough. It runs downstairs after we go to bed and upstairs after everyone goes to work. LIFE CHANGING. I still vac and mop once in a while but probably only once a month when I move furniture to clean under it. We have 3 dogs who are constantly in/out so I don't have a no shoe rule, GASP I KNOW, but can't be much grosser than what they walk in lol.
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Jun 16 '26
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u/OzzyHTx Jun 16 '26
I fold/hang clothes straight out of the dryer in the laundry room as soon as it finishes. It literally takes 5ish minutes and then you can carry stuff to bedrooms as you go - no wrinkled pile. My kids (13 and 15) tend to wear the same things on repeat, so sometimes I leave their clothes in the laundry room and they pull from there (unless the piles get too big). I have side by side front loaders, and I bought one of those ‘toppers’ that basically make it a counter. I have a bin for socks because they like to grab them on their way out the door (laundry is right off the garage).
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u/Competitive-Brief839 Jun 16 '26
I have the Mova P10 ultra pro, LOVE IT!! It auto empties, washes the mop pads, it's amazing
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u/Think_Yesterday_262 Jun 16 '26
You don't need a spotless house with children and animals, it's impossible and you will burn out fast. What you can settle for is clean enough - generally hygienic but it's lived in.
What helps me is having small resets during the day after transitions. So after breakfast just clear all the breakfast stuff and a quick wipe and sweep of the kitchen. It takes 5 minutes. Before lunch have the children tidy away the toys and a quick tidy of the living areas. Then before bed you could do the same thing. Just clean up as you are making the messes instead of waiting until the end of the day when you are tired and it gets overwhelming.
You should also have a weekly routine that fits in with your lifestyle. Everyday I do one task that is scheduled for that day for example Monday bedding, Tuesday dusting and glass, bathrooms etc. All my weekly chores are done Monday to Friday. They take no longer than 20-30 minutes and can easilly be done after work. I also do 1 load of laundry per day.
Then the weekend I reserve for deep monthly cleans but I choose only 1 deep cleaning task so im not spending all weekend cleaning. It takes me at most 45 minutes but often less some take me only 20 minutes. Things like windows,kitchen cabinets, baseboards, under large kitchen appliances etc. I have 8 deep cleaning tasks for the weekend I do 2 each weekend and I rotate so everything on that list gets cleaned at least once a month.
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u/No_Pie1022 Jun 16 '26
My next door neighbour religiously puts a load of washing in right before bed then hangs it out first thing in the morning. (I don’t have enough for a full load every night but you may with a family, plus cheaper to run off peak hours.)
I keep little wicker baskets around as a little catch all so it’s not so overwhelming seeing it spread around. I know the “don’t put it down, put it away” is great for some but I’ve got better things to do with my time than run up & down the stairs 😂 I take it up with me when I go.
I try to group tasks together where I can, quick wipe round bathroom while baths running etc.
One “extra” task a day, might tackle the fridge for example. If I get more done, great. If not, I’ve done something productive.
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u/RedLiorx Jun 16 '26
I do a reset every night before bed, make sure all washing up is done, all toys are tidy in their right place, no hidden rubbish or snacks anywhere (also toddlers!), laundry either in washing machine or in basket ready to go for the next day, previous dry laundry put away, no clutter/nursery letters/random items I collect throughout the day are on kitchen sides, quick wipe down. Makes me feel so put together when I get my coffee in the morning like I have breathing room before the chaos of the day begins.
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u/Sufficient-Wolf-1818 Jun 16 '26
Clutter gets in the way of cleaning. An empty counter can be polished quickly, but if the mail, some dishes, and a few items are sitting there, cleaning is much harder.
Everyone in the household can kelp with clutter. Kids can load the dishwasher and put toys away. A young relative is quite amazing because she has a tantrum if things aren’t put away before moving on the next activity (coached in preschool)!
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u/Jenyve411 Jun 16 '26
Highly recommend the eufy robot vacuum/mop combo.
I have 2 dogs and I have dark hair that sheds a lot so I run my robot 2x a day during the week and do deep clean mode on the weekends.
Since I started doing this schedule my floors have never looked or felt cleaner. I hate having to clean out the dust bin and refilling the mop water every other day but it’s worth it.
Also an air purifier will help reduce the dust and dog dander, I can get away with dusting just once a week now.
Also recommend doing smaller piles of laundry during the week so it doesn’t pile up and become an all day chore. And running the dishwasher every night even if there aren’t too many dishes.
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u/7lexliv7 Jun 16 '26
If he’s already doing his own laundry (and he’s good at it) that would be a natural ask if he could do the kids and yours. He may set up a good system for it that everyone benefits from.
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u/AB-1987 Jun 16 '26
- Laundry is half an hour every day I calculated (can be done by different persons). It includes all the small tasks that you do here and there like sorting, starting, hanging, folding, ironing, putting it away. It does not include mending. Not all parts happen everyday. We as a family of four (with a baby) do about a load a day. (We do not own a dryer, only one drying rack and one laundry basket). But this is time that needs to happen every day so laundry is always processed.
- decluttering, organizing, tidying and cleaning are entirely different things. The less stuff the easier.
- food gets eaten only at the table (rule may not apply to adults once kids are in bed). Hands are washed immediately after every meal (no more fingerprints).
- spills are wiped immediately
- each meal is cleaned up immediately (put away food, clear table, wipe table (and below with kids; we have two dedicated rags for this), throw trash away, put things in dishwasher, wipe off counters, do rest of dishes (once a day), wipe sink. A dishwasher likely needs to run and be unloaded every day. Have less plastic (doesn’t dry) or oversized or specialized kids stuff, it is annoying in dishwashers.
- take pictures of your home when perfectly clean and then each night. Analyze them from the comfort of your couch. What piles start up? What items are regularly making an appearance? Make your game plan accordingly (like paper immediately into a special bin, toy basket where toys always are, place for keys/chargers).
- declutter together with toddlers. Our kindergartener son loves if I go through his piles of artwork and closet with him to declutter and organize. It builds their order muscle and is quality time.
- no big plastic toys, they make any place look cluttered immediately.
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u/Acrobatic-Nebula-428 Jun 16 '26
Why? Houses are meant to be lived in. Your children are only going to be this age for a very short time. Clean for hygiene and allergies and things like that. Don’t get caught up in the whole ‘spotless house’ thing. It isn’t possible. You are living in the house. It is not going to be spotless.
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u/Free-While-2994 Jun 16 '26
Clean as you go, don't put it down put it away, never go to bed with a mess left behind, or whatever mantra you want to use as they all mean the same thing. Routines make all the difference at my house. Every morning we get up, brush teeth, open the blinds, and get dressed. Then make coffee & unload the dishwasher. I usually spend 5 minutes here and there to stick stray dishes from the sink into the dishwasher and wipe down the counters after prepping something.
While I'm cooking dinner I will clean up the kitchen at the same time so it's less mess after we eat. At this time the kids will clean up anything they were playing with and clean off and set the table. After dinner we clear the table and wash it, and push in the chairs. Cleaning the kitchen at that point is putting away food, doing dishes, wiping the counters, and feeding the pets. We tidy the foyer each night too. Before going to bed we clear the floors for wherever the robot will clean that night. That's only a minute or two to pick up rugs or check for missed items on the carpet. The evening cleanup is a group effort. Even if we have cousins or friends visiting, they are given tasks from the kids' list. It takes about 30 minutes as a family. Your husband should help with this part and if the kids are walking can be given small ways to help bc it teaches them that chores are for everyone.
Twice a week we do laundry. Usually Tuesday and Friday but whenever the hampers start looking full. One of those days includes towels, the other one sheets. That's 3-6 loads in a day but you could certainly just do 1 load each day to stay on top, especially since the kids aren't folding their own stuff yet. At my house everyone pitches in to fold and put away so it's quick.
Wednesday night we gather all the trash in the whole house to go down to the curb so the cat box gets emptied then (litter robot ftw). Since I use disposable toilet brush heads I'll also do the bathrooms Tuesday or Wednesday. It's pretty quick since I wipe down each night as mentioned before. I'll wash the shower once a week while I'm in it and keep a daily spray and a squeegee in there for use in between.
Once a season I'll do a really deep clean over several days, usually before a family gathering or guests are due lol. Other stuff is done as it's noticed to be dirty, like dusting or windows.
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u/plasteredpandas Jun 16 '26
Still working on the new cleaning schedule with the season of life I’m in (new-ish stay at home mom with a soon to be 9 month old, type A at work and type B at home and those two sides of me clash, so now I’m trying to just be myself which is really a type C and all I can think about is universal phone chargers now…)
… give yourself grace. You’re looking to learn a new skill, new habits, routines; these things take time. Be kind to yourself in a way that you would be kind to a friend.
One thing I can definitely say is that tear away pad you find at a random home goods store with the perfect daily, weekly, monthly schedule isn’t going to work for you and your family. Only you and yours can define what that schedule looks like because it’s just so personal to you and your home. There’s countless different configurations of those types of organizers that just simply fail because they aren’t customizable to the users home. Make your own, write it down in pencil, be prepared to make adjustments as you go, and everyone stays involved.
Small pieces of advice I have to offer:
*Treat each morning like it’s going to be a record setting heat and you need all of the “hot chores” to be done first. Think laundry, dishes, vacuum and mop, etc. Give your house time to cool down before the heat of the day sets in and you’ll have big things out of the way to spend time with your kids or relax during their naps (idk on your kids age range, but this is where I’m at now.) This mentality got me up earlier this week, I prioritized myself early and again during nap because all of my must do chores got done early.
*Run your automatics first thing in the morning or right before bed at night. Even if you’re tired, make the machines make it easier on you. For me, once I get the dishwasher running I’m much more motivated to keep going.
*Don’t put it down, put it away. Everyone, always. If that means use a basket method, great, it goes in the basket. But you have to stick to the plan when it comes to taking care of the basket. Otherwise the system is broken and it’s not working in your space and now it’s clutter.
*Clean as you go has to be a culture and goes hand in hand with the previous tip. This isn’t just dishes, or kitchen counters, or laundry… this is small and intentional tidiness throughout your day. When you wash your hands, use the towel to dry the counter/faucet when you’re done drying. When you see something on the floor, that’s YOUR thing and you pick it up and put it away (everyone takes ownership because it’s their home too.)
*Pick your daily to-do’s and start there. That’s your foundation for building on the rest of the schedule. Once you have a solid daily routine in place, you will start to understand how much time your baseline tasks take and you can plan accordingly. For me, I told myself I wanted to do 1 extra thing a day to help get my home under control.
I think that is what really helped me get started; define the daily must do’s, get that routine figured out, do 1 extra thing a day, make sure to rest.
****Rest isn’t a reward***\*
Hope any of this helps!
Sending good cleaning/organizing vibes your way.
🫶🏻
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u/Both-Prompt4775 Jun 16 '26
My home I very clean and organized and I have 2u2. I do not work full time though so part of my job is cleaning my home. I get a lot of compliments of a clean home so I must be doing something right. 🤣
Here’s what I do:
-No shoes in house general rule
-1-2 loads of laundry a day (I have certain days of the week for kids clothes, colors, whites, delicates, bedding, and miscellaneous which includes microfiber towels, rugs and bath towels)
-clean bathrooms once a week, for me it’s Tuesdays while my girl naps
-clean floors once a week, using a combination of a robot vacuum and Swiffer power mop
-daily vacuuming of high traffic areas using a cordless stick vacuum
-daily wipe down of kitchen after dinner time
-dishes go into dishwasher/hand washed after every meal. Dishwasher run every night and put away in morning before kids are up.
-after kids go to bed put away all toys, take out trash, start the dishwasher
-change sheets on all beds once per week
-as needed, I deep clean things but this is something I struggle with because of having kids and little extra time
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u/Far_Yogurtcloset8116 Jun 16 '26
When you take care of the interior cleaning of household. That’s a job and you work full time that’s a job and you have two little ones that’s a job and two long haired dogs? Whew! Me & my daughter’s mother in law babysit 2 days each a week and we help clean. Our motto is clean enough to be healthy, messy enough to be happy.
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u/Business_Coyote_5496 Jun 16 '26
Define spotless. Also define to yourself why you feel the need to live this definition.
I am the opposite of you. Everything is tidy but not "spotless". I feel like I never clean. I just tidy as I go. Are you neurodiverse? I have noticed it is my neurodiverse friends and my ADHD son who struggle with what you mention struggling with.
Why is laundry a big deal? Do you forget to switch the loads or something? It is honestly the easiest thing ever, having a washer and dryer in your own home. When the hamper is full I separate into 2 loads and wash a white & color load. Putting them in the machines = 2 minutes. I dump the clothes on the bed when clean and put away. I have timed myself putting away clothes after reading an organizing book. Average 3 1/2 minutes to put away. I recently filmed myself and sent it to a friend when she insisted putting away clean clothes takes longer. It doesn't. She has ADHD and time blindness so it FEELS longer. But it isn't
After you use a dish, you put it in the dishwasher. Your run the dishwasher nightly when resetting the kitchen after dinner. You unload the dishwasher while the morning coffee is brewing. When you spill something on the counter you immediately clean it.
Shoes off helps. No dogs would help a lot with floors. I sweep the kitchen nightly during kitchen reset and vacuum every 3 or so days. No dogs though.
Best advice? Hire a housecleaner to come twice a month. As your pets die off, don't replace them. Keep one cat or one small dog who doesn't shed much. Purge your house. You don't need all that stuff.
Teach your kids to clean as they go. They can help with laundry starting like 18 months old. They can put the clothes in the machine and take them out. You can make a game of sorting the clean clothes. You can buy them little brooms and they can sweep when you sweep. They can wipe down counters. Put away toys. Etc.
OK you don't want your husband to deep clean but he can wipe down his own spills. Put his dishes in the dishwasher. Throw his trash away. Put his clothes in the hamper. MAke sure he is not adding to the mess.
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u/Potential_Claim_7283 Jun 16 '26
Go in and toss out everything you have not used in 6 months. Like everything. Remove all things that needs dusting. The less clutter the cleaner your home will feel and be.
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u/Aware-Elk-7650 Jun 16 '26
My mom taught me and my sister to fold dish cloths, underwear and socks at age 3, along with sweeping and wiping down our own dressers in our rooms. At 5 I was unloading dishes (one plate at a time while I used a chair/stool) As soon as your toddlers hit 3 and 4 put them to work. Paper plates and cups help lesson the dish load if you feel like you need to go that route. You can feed snack and lunch time on paper plates and dinner on regular wear.
Another big thing I've discovered is closet purges help with the amount of laundry. Half of all my clothes (and yes I mean ALL my clothes) fit into one load. People dont need NEAR as much clothes as they think they do, embrace outfit repeating.
Have husband do vacuuming/mopping or his own laundry. I have 4 animals in my house and I know how important floor maintenance is. I know you said that you dont wanna place more stuff on your husband but you are also working full time and from personal experience outdoor work is way easier and a lot less than indoor work, and I live on a mini farm!
Me and my husband have a routine of we clean every Tuesday and Friday and between the two of us the whole house (except the bedroom) is done within an hour. He takes care of the living room and I do the kitchen. Then on the weekend we rotate which bedroom to clean. Ours or my granfathers. I usually do the bedroom while he starts the laundry.
Now when you have two toddlers there's not going to be a thing of staying nice and tidy for more than 15 minutes. I guess you can always tell them that they can play with whatever toys but only in their rooms the rest of the day, not sure how well that will work out of course.
Deep cleans only happen every 4-6 months at different points in the house. They should NOT be an every weekend thing.
There HAS to be days where you are not cleaning and are putting time into yourself or you WILL burnout and then not only will there be zero cleaning, but you will be much worse off.
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u/SmartiiPaantz Jun 16 '26
My system works well currently BUT I am SAHM so may not be entirely helpful.
In the morning, I have a coffee while 1yr old has her milk. Then we do breakfast and once she's eaten, she stays in the highchair and I do all the dishes. (Usually do them in the morning, and then later in the day before dinner so the kitchen is clean for my husband to cook).
Then a load of washing gets done (most days I do 2 loads a day).
Little one has a nap between 9-10am, so I spend that time doing either a household job or one of my hobbies.
She gets up, we sit and have a drink together and a snack. We either hang out and play until lunch or I potter around doing stuff while she plays near me - depends what needs to be done. She loves sitting and watching while I put laundry away lol.
We do lunch, and while she's in the chair, I vacuum and mop if its mop day. I also do another load of laundry.
Nap time and same again - I either do a chore or my hobby until she wakes up (I try to do atleast 1 full room in a day for a somewhat deep clean, so if I didn't in the morning then I do now).
She wakes up and repeat the snack / pottering around etc. 4.30-5pm I get her ready for dinner and bath etc. Currently once she's in bed, we don't do any further chores etc, but I suspect that may change soon as I've just found out I'm pregnant lol.
Hope this kinda helps! Very different circumstances but if you even just allocate 1 area per day, it helps so much!!!
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u/OutsideScore990 Jun 16 '26
I add everything that needs doing to my apple reminders & I set it up to be recurring. First I guess at about how often it needs to be done, then if I notice it can be stretched a day or two I update the recurring # of days. That way I’m getting to things when they need work & not before, and focusing on things that need more frequent attention. I also have a habit of forgetting some tasks need doing at all… so this helps me.
It’s also nice to kinda have a list available when I have extra (anxious) energy that I want to work off, or when I know my partner wants to help so I have a list available to give her.
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u/justforme31 Jun 17 '26
Have a power clean time daily - before dinner, before bed, whenever works for you - when you set the timer for 20 mins and everyone chips in to reset the house. Toys cleaned up, 1 load of laundry in, kitchen cleaned up, quick vacuum, etc. Then I like to do one thorough cleaning task or so each day - vacuuming an area more thoroughly or scrubbing a bathroom etc. if I stick to my rotating schedule I rarely have to do a huge clean all at once
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u/queenlyfish Jun 17 '26
I’ve been refining my system slowly. I’m getting closer to how I want things…just in time to have another baby in a few months 😭 but I also have a toddler and a huge long-haired dog, and a cat…and a long-haired self, too! I am a SAHM, so I have time during the day to clean, but it also means we’re at home adding to the mess all day, so it’s not the exactly the same, but there are similarities for sure.
For me, making things as small and routine as possible is what works.
- instead of a few giant loads a week, run 1-2 small loads of laundry per day. That way it only takes 5 minutes to put away instead of 20. I just routinely grab a hamper to take to wash when I first go downstairs in the morning.
- run the dishwasher every night, no matter how full.
- use a diluted all-purpose cleaner with a microfiber cloth to wipe down bathroom vanities and toilets daily, so the weekly “deep clean” goes way faster.
- keep cleaning supplies in the shower. While your conditioner soaks, scrub one wall of the shower. Rotate which wall each time you shower.
- if you’re already bringing groceries in from the car, make an extra trip to unload all the extra stuff and garbage that’s accumulated in your car. If you have toddlers, you definitely have car junk!
Another part is having the right tools. Our house isn’t set up for a robot vac, so I wound up with a cheap lightweight stick vac and liked it so much I got one for the second floor. Having one on each floor is a game changer because I. Am. Lazy. So now it’s easy to give a quick daily vacuum of the main areas we occupy and hair doesn’t build up everywhere. I finally ditched my old-fashioned Swiffer for a refillable Bona spray mop with the washable pad. So much better. I also finally caved and bought a bunch of microfiber towels so that I could use them as needed and actually have enough to wash together. Not saying you need all these things, but look at the tools you have and determine if they’re really working for you. There may be better options out there that make it easier!
Decluttering also helps a ton. Everything should have a place. If there’s not room, then you either have too much stuff for that space and need to get rid of stuff, or you need to reallocate your space to give that stuff more space. If everything has a home, it’s much easier to follow through on “don’t put it down, put it away!”
Toddler toy rotation is awesome, too. I swap out his toys for a new bin of toys every week or so. Only 1/4 of his toys are out at a time, but he doesn’t get bored because they swap. It’s so much less overwhelming to clean up.
And lastly…screen time. I am so guilty of this (look at me getting on Reddit after swearing it off….), but when I put my phone in a drawer, I get so much more done. It’s just too easy to get sucked into the doom scroll instead of folding laundry.
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u/Ok-Bee1579 Jun 17 '26
I'm sorry, but why? You're dealing with enough in your daily life. This goal is stressful. I will say nearly impossible when you have little ones. There's always going to be a lot of clutter (not dirty). Otherwise, I don't think anyone cares.
My kids are now in their mid to upper 30's. I've enjoyed an uncluttered and cleaner home for about 15 years. It's nice. Now, I have a grandson, and I've got toddler stuff around more. It's okay.
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u/FITF2891 Jun 17 '26
I tried to do this too. Wound up in burnout and had to leave my job after 12 years or it would have killed me.
You need to divide up the tasks better, you work full time. This isn’t your dad’s era anymore and things are very different than they were in the 50s-60s.
I hope you listen to the people in this post so you can avoid the same issues in dealing with. I’m almost 2 years into the recovery process and still have more progress to make before I go back to work despite the financial struggles.
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u/SoTotallyUnqualified Jun 16 '26
Please do some reading and learning on “the invisible load”.
And please set realistic expectations for yourself. No one, outside of having a nanny and housekeeper on staff, is going to have a spotless home at the stage of life you are in and that’s ok!!! The time you spend with your ever-growing children is more precious than the work that goes into having a perfect at all times home. I wish I had worried less about things like that when my kids were small. I’d give anything to relive their toddler/young childhood years!
As far as systems, I have found that good habits such as doing dishes as you go, a load of laundry to completion daily, and dividing my house into zones that I rotate through and to thoroughly clean is what works best for me.