Being a parent can be amazingly fulfilling. You get to watch a little person, or little people, grow and learn and become their own person and there’s no feeling like it, but it does come with its downsides sometimes, and the state of the house is often one of the biggest issues you’re likely to face with a busy family. I find it really hard to keep the family home tidy!
The good news is, there are lots of things you can do to help you keep your family home tidier. It may not always be spotless, but you can keep it in a generally decent state. Here’s how:
1. Don’t do it all alone
First and foremost, you’re going to want to delegate. If you have a partner and children who are old enough to help, they should all be pitching in because, let’s face it, a lot of the mess around the house will be down to them. Sit down with your family and discuss which tasks need to be done and which each of you would like to do. If your kids are young you probably can’t expect them to do much more than put their toys away, but it’s still something and getting them to help now will get them used to pitching in so it will be normal for them as they get older and more capable of doing chores to a decent standard.
2. Invest in storage (lots of it)
A lot of what makes a room tidy ios the lack of stuff like toys, games, books and plates, etc., lying around, so one really easy way of making your family home much tidier is to invest in lots of storage. From a rattan storage chest that looks great in the living room and allows you to hide your toys and magazines to a storage ottoman to place clothes in at the end of the bed, there are so many great hidden storage solutions around, and if you place them around your home in as many locations as possible, it’ll be so easy to put the clutter away and have a tidier home.
3. Declutter
Of course, not having a load of clutter than you need to deal with in the first place is even easier, which is why you should get the family together to go through all of your clutter, Donate or throw out anything that you don’t use regularly really need or absolutely love and you will instantly lighten your tidying load significantly. This can be tricky when you have kids because they are often loathed to part with their toys, even when they never play with them, but if you can frame it as doing a good thing, donating their toys to a child in need, it may be a little easier. Kids love to do nice things, and it’s not like you’re looking to get rid of EVERYTHING. You can also set a good example by getting rid of as much of your stuff as possible.
4. Tidy as you go
Clearing your plate as soon as you’ve used it, and encouraging the kids to do the same, putting away the toys once they’re finished with, dusting the mantelpiece as you move past it – all of these things and many more, make light work of cleaning Because you’re doing it as you go along and as you naturally move around your home, clutter and mess never get a chance to build up, which means that you never have to do a lot of work to maintain your home. That means more time for family fun, relaxing on the couch in front of Netflix and drinking wine, which is never a bad thing.
5. Set a timer
If you really struggle to get motivated to keep the home tidy, and who can blame you when you have a million other things to do, try setting a timer for 15 minutes and challenge yourself and the kids to tidy up as much of a particular room as possible. Make it a game and you’ll have a surprising amount of fun doing it, and because you know you only have to do it for 15 minutes, it’s a bit easier to get up and get going. Maybe you could even award a prize to the family member who cleans up thew most in the 15 minute period.
Keeping a tidy home when you have a busy family is never simple, but you can make it easier on yourself by incorporating the above tips into your daily life, Good luck!
*This is a collaborative post