I don’t love to clean. There are a lot of things I would rather do, however I also don’t like living in a messy home.
I’ve had people ask me how we manage to keep our house so clean with so many little kids so I finally am taking the time to sit down and write out how we do it! I hope this helps you!
Everyone Lives Here, Everyone Helps Keep It Clean
The first rule is that everyone, at least by the age of 2, has to help contribute to the cleaning and care of our home. Of course, what is expected of a 2-year-old is going to be a lot different from a 12-year-old.
However, even a child who is 2 can learn to put their toys away or help feed the dog/cat.
No Chores, No Screentime
This one is a big help towards getting the chores done for sure. If my kids don’t have their chores done, they don’t get screentime until they do. It’s as simple as that.
Take the Time to Teach and Check Their Work
This one takes time but is very important. Just like with anything else, you need to teach your children how to do their chores and then you have to follow-through to make sure they are doing them well.
My children know that sloppy chores mean they have to redo them. Sloppy chores is just as bad as not doing chores at all and also results in no screentime.
One important reminder here though – remember your child’s age and abilities. Stay with them a few times to make sure they are physically able to do the chore you are asking them to do and have the ability to do it correctly.
One year I took the time to write step-by-step instructions for chores, laminated them, and put them together by room on a big keyring for my kids. Yes, it took a lot of work, but it eleviates children being able to say they didn’t know how to do a chore or forgot how to do it. It’s also good reminders for children since their brains can often wander off from the task at him.
Use The Index Card System
This system for chores is a lot to cover, so I actually made a separate post with all the details for that. I can’t recommend this system enough. It has revolutionized the chores in our house because none of my older kids can say they didn’t know what they needed to do and I no longer have to tell them throughout the day.
You can check it out HERE.
This system also works well for adults to help keep you on track with chores as well. I use it for myself.
Assign Rooms if You Have Multiple Children
This one has also been a big help for us. Instead of assigning one child with one specific chore for the whole house (for example, vacuum all the floors), we assign rooms. My son Gideon knows he is responsible for keeping the living room clean. My daughter Zellene knows that she’s responsible for keeping the kids’ bathroom clean.
By assigning rooms instead of chores, you don’t have to worry about one child not completing a chore that would prevent another one from doing their chore (ex., Maggie can’t scrub the bathroom floor because Jacob hasn’t vacuumed it yet.)
Now, let’s take the example of the living room. That’s Gideon’s room to keep clean, however, if Jacob is reading a book and forgets to put it back on the bookshelf, he will call Jacob and tell him he needs to put it away. However, let’s say there is a toy that “no one” was playing with (we’ve all been there, right?!). Well, since it’s Gideon’s room, it’s his job to take care of putting that toy away.
We switched to assigned rooms a few years ago and I will never go back. It’s helped so much!
Rooms that aren’t assigned to children are my job to keep clean.
All of the children are also responsible for keeping their bedroom clean and anyone over age 5 folds and puts away their own laundry.
Purge and Purge Some More
I’m going to be honest and say that this one is tough for me sometimes. I have a tendency to want to hang onto something we aren’t currently using, in case we need it one day.
We also have the challenge of 7 children all in different sizes of clothing and playing with a large variety of toys.
Still, purging is important for everyone so I ideally I try to have a good purge at least twice a year.
When I change out my boy’s clothes to their next size, if anything was in season but was not worn, I know I have too many of that type of item and purge some out.
Those who know me well know I’m a big The Office fan and I try to remind myself of Ryan’s line in The Office Olympics episode: I could throw this out now, or I can throw it out in a year.
The thing is, when I do purge out a good bit, I always feel so good afterward. When there are fewer items in the house, there are fewer things to put away and clean.
If you are really having trouble purging something, here’s an idea: put those things in a big garbage bag then tuck it away in the back of a closet or garage. Mark it down in your planner 6 months later to donate the items if you haven’t missed or needed them.