This post goes out to an old friend who has asked for some tips on getting stuff done around the house with a new baby. It can feel overwhelming when the new little love of your life arrives and you realise you still have to do the washing, cook tea, and clean up after others. I have the answers you are all looking for right here because I have been doing this for a while now and it works. Now don’t get me wrong I’m not suggesting you do this with a squishy new born, but once things settle this is a great way to roll. Let me introduce to you what I call the:
15 Minute Cleaning Frenzy!
I get it all done in 15 minutes, there is no way I am going to spend hours cleaning when it is going to be used/messed up/or played with again later that day. 15 minutes is all it takes and here is how:
BEFORE
Five Minutes kitchen/Dinning.
I put everything away, load the dishwasher (my best friend), chuck out the breakfast scraps, sweep the floor, wipe down any sticky finger marks, make all bench surfaces free of crap, put everything away where it belongs. If there is anything on your kitchen bench top that you don’t use everyday, put it in a cupboard, like if you have a juicer, or a bread maker out but never use it, put it away it is just clutter, you can even put the toaster away when you are not using it to make more space on the kitchen bench. Move to the dinning room, usually means putting my husbands things away that he has left on the kitchen table. Again make this surface clear of crap, everything on the kitchen table has a place so put it away otherwise it is just going to remind you “oh I still need to clean that”. Done move on to next area…..
Five Minutes Family Room/Lounge Room
Pick up any toys not in use, I have cane toy boxes all over the house (eg above and below pics show toy boxes) so pack up time is really easy. I don’t take the toys back to their bedrooms I just plonk them in the toy boxes and they know where to find them. Straighten up the throw rugs and cushions, put remotes, Playstation controllers back up on TV cabinet. Done move on to next area……
Five Minutes Laundry/Bathrooms
Do a load of washing everyday, yep everyday! Don’t let it pile up and do 5 loads on Saturday just do a load each day, that way you never run out of anything and you never have to face a huge pile of dirty washing. With the bathrooms, just straighten up, if the loo needs a quick clean have Viva disposable cleaning wipes on standby in the bathroom to wipe down the sink, bench and loo, then flush them. Done. That’s it stop cleaning.
AFTER
What you have done is enough for today. The house is back in order, for now! This is my kitchen with the surfaces free of crap, it didn’t look like this after breakfast/school run but after a 15 minute cleaning frenzy it does. And it wont look like this when everyone gets home, but that’s ok too. Do this everyday and you will stay on top of things and never get bogged down with the house work again. Don’t leave it all until Sunday do 15minutes a day. I’m talking run around the house like you are on speed, put some music on and just get it done. The key to making this work, is find a place (a home) for everything, don’t put things down, put them back, put them away right then, not later. Always keep the bench tops clutter free, once you lose your surfaces to junk mail, school bags, work diary, dirty dishes it looks like a mess and it makes you feel crap. Keep the bench tops, kitchen tables, coffee tables clear of crap and tidy and everything will feel in order.
How Do I Keep Things Tidy? Clean as you go. So if you are making breaky clean it up as you go, don’t leave it to go crusty in the sink. If you are cooking dinner, have the sink full of hot soapy water and clean the dishes/pots as you are done with them. Put baby bottles in a bowl next to the sink together ready to be washed all in one go. If you don’t wear shoes in the house you wont have to mop the floors all that often just a quick sweep now and again see my post of The Shoe Box. Teach the kids, and here’s a challenge your husband, to put things away when they are done with them. You have to create a place for everything that way everyone knows where it should be.
But I Can’t Put My Baby Down. Wrong, you can and you have to. A bit of tough love will get you past this hurdle. Put the little critter in a bouncer in the living/kitchen area where he can see you and get on with it. Don’t save it for when bug-a-lugs is asleep because that is when you need to sleep if he’s brand new, if not that’s when you sit on the couch and watch Dr Phill, bubs sleep time is your chill out time! There is no reason you can’t set him up in front of the tele with the Wiggles playing him some music and teaching him to dance and clap his hands, it’s ok, what ever works for you. But you have to teach that chubby bubby mummy can’t be with your or hold you all day, I promise you wont hurt him you will make him more independent! This is where my little guy hangs out while I get stuff done, he eats in here and watches tele, I call it his container.
Try and make this your morning/daily routine and you wont have it hanging over your head all day. I could go on all day about this so I am forcing myself to stop typing. Let me know if this works out for you!! Now get off the computer and I will se you back here in 15 minutes! Happy Cleaning Frenzies Ladies!
Renee
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