Post your time saving and cleaning tips here!

LolaX2 · February 2015

We are all busy moms and I would love to hear what others do to save time on cooking, cleaning etc! Anything that makes life easier!

Mine are:

We usually we cook and prep a bunch of food for the week on Sundays.

Each week night I try to;

do one load of laundry

do dishes and wipe down counters in the kitchen

Pick up toys and any clutter for the evening before bed

pack lunches, work bag and diaper bags for the next day

lay kids outfits out for morning

Every 2-3 days

Kids get a bath together

While they are playing in the tub I do a quick clean up in the bathroom. Use disinfecting wipes to wipe down the sink and toilet. Clean inside of toilet.

I also have a rechargeable floor sweeper vac thing that I use for little messes and to pick up the animal fur from the floor every few days and vacuum on the weekend.

I feel like I am always cleaning and its never enough! This helps me manage it though so that I can just spend one or two hours doing the deeper cleaning on the weekend and not wasting a whole day!

Please share any tips you have!

BADASBKRCK · February 2015

I don't have anything to add quite yet, but I just wanted to say that this is a great idea for a thread! Good thinking you clever girl!

katy4128 · February 2015

I am a sahm so my cleaning usually involves a little man following me around.

I cook dinner before dh gets home and get out an extra pot and mixing spoon for lo to "help". He loves it and it keeps him occupied for most of the time. I tell him it is time to help make dinner and he gets so excited.

As far as cleaning my house..I feel as if I am less stressed by not having a schedule at all. I did before and when lo had a rough day and I didn't get what I was supposed to done, I felt defeated. I do what looks the worst first. Ha!

What helps me is making things fun for lo too and try to get him involved. I talk to him while I dust and fold laundry and have him hold things (socks, paper towels etc.) It may take a bit longer but it is fun!

LolaX2 · February 2015

Katy0525 - good tips! I have a full time job but its only 9 months a year so those are great things to keep in mind when I am home over the summer! I think sometimes I stress my self too much when I am home for those 3 months and don't get as much done in a day as I had planned. I always think if I am home all day that I should be able to get more done, but I am home with little ones and that complicates things lol!

Sporty1216 · February 2015

No real tips here, other than I do try to have a plan for meals for the week and usually make sure one or two meals are crock-pot or super low prep meals.

In terms of cleaning, I do my best to tidy as I go and that seems to make things more manageable. When I resist that and let things in one area pile up, it seems like the whole place falls apart!

lilac02 · February 2015

I recently purchased a roomba which has helped immensely with the pet hair. Otherwise, I just try to stay up on the cleaning so it never gets that bad. Dishwasher is emptied when it's done so new dishes can be added straight to it rather than piling up in the sink. I try to do laundry twice a week and fold it and put it away that night ( otherwise it sits there piling up!). DH does the cooking. Every night before bed we get everything ready for the next day and do a quick pick up.

My house is far from clean. I know this because I see how brown LOs knees are from the dirt on the floor (somehow even though it is below zero the dogs mange to get muddy outside!). But this is working for me and keeping me sane. I've lowered my standards

Talltrees82 · February 2015

Also love this thread! My house is far from spotless, with LO and the pets. I find that picking up clutter as I go really helps. Going to the kitchen? Take this coffee mug with you. Going upstairs? Take this toilet paper.

I don't often do deep cleaning (maybe one per season? Maybe?) but I use a lot of Swiffer products for quick cleaning. I can pick up the toys in the family room and wash the floor with a Swiffer mop in under ten minutes. Their dusters are amazing! And I use Lysol wipes.

Also I keep a stash of cleaning supplies on each floor. That way everything is right there for a quick clean and I have no excuses (but it's all the way downstairs!). I even have a Swiffer vac that I keep upstairs.

I do one load of laundry every day because I hate when it piles up. Today I got the day "off" because I couldn't fill a load!

Someone mentioned not having a schedule, and I agree with that. Then I don't feel backed up if I don't do any cleaning one day because we were out doing something fun.

Not sure what's going to happen when I'm back to work, DH and I have been discussing hiring a cleaning service and doing take out food Fridays.

BADASBKRCK · February 2015

@lilac02 , how much did the roomba cost? I know I will never be able afford one, but I'm curious.

lilac02 · February 2015

I found a refurbished on one Amazon for $250. It was a large chunk of money but totally worth it in my opinion. It doesn't do as good of a job as a vacuum but it extends the time in between vacuuming. I HATE cleaning
but we can't afford a housekeeper, so this was my compromise.

BADASBKRCK · February 2015

We have a long haired dog and two cats...I am quite possibly the worst housekeeper in the world so I tend to keep DD in her baby corral more than I should.

ScotchAggie · February 2015

I put Swifter pads on my baby's knees so she can mop the floor.

Just kidding! Anything needing chopped for the week is done Sunday. Pretty much one load of laundry a night. Any errand possible is done during my lunch break at work. I even try stupid small things, but they add up. For example, I load all the knives together, the spoons together, and the forks together in the dishwasher so I don't have to sort them later.

katy4128 · February 2015

Pet hair or hair in general is SO annoying to clean and deal with. I have a dog that barely sheds and when I started shedding after baby I thought I was going to lose it. Props to you ladies with multiple pets!

irisheyez7 · February 2015

I got this small lightweight red dirt devil vacuum that is a LIFESAVER for quickly cleaning crumbs, cheerios, cat hair, my hair off of the hardwood and kitchen floor! I just use it quickly once a day after dinner and it keeps my sanity! I also bought a knock off swiffer sweeper that has it's own microfiber pad and refillable canister and I fill it with hot water and vinegar to clean the floors! So much quicker than mopping and the floors stay pretty clean.

lilac02 · February 2015

Also the dogs pick up after DD eats. They are getting fat but the floor is split less around her high chair! I seriously don't know what people do that don't have dogs.

nycgirlkat · February 2015

I end up cleaning on the weekends since I work full time. I do lots of crock pot meals, some pre-packaged stuff and DH and I switch off on cooking and dishes. Bathroom and laundry on the weekends. I try to vacuum twice a week because we have a dog too and I'm convinced DD's intestines will be blocked from all the hair she gets in her mouth (gag). I try to wash the floors once a month and everything else is a crapshoot.

ScotchAggie · March 2015

One of my friends recently told me she got her husband to agree to a maid once every two weeks by telling him she would have more energy at night for sex if she wasn't so busy cleaning after work. Genius!

BADASBKRCK · March 2015

Bahaha...awesome...if we had the money I would love to try this

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