When you have a toddler, it is a constant challenge to keep your home safe and tidy. While you could spend your entire day running behind your child and cleaning up each mess as it happens, this is not a fun way to spend your time. Consider these four tips for keeping your home orderly and ready for your toddler to have fun.
Implementing a Safe Storage System
Having toddlers in the house means that you need to keep certain things out of their reach. Implement a safe storage solution for cleaners, pesticides, medications and other health and beauty products. Use cabinet locks and put things out of a child’s reach. For the things that your child can use, choose a storage solution that is child-friendly. Fabric or plastic bins or baskets allow your child to easily access toys, dolls and stuffed animals. Be sure to bolt any shelving units to the wall to prevent tip-over hazards.
Minimizing Clutter
Keeping an orderly home is difficult if there is too much stuff inside of the house. To maintain your home productivity, get rid of clutter. Toss out broken toys, badly stained kids’ clothes and expired baby products. If you are done with equipment such as cribs, bouncy seats, and baby rattles, pass them on to another new mom or donate them to a charitable organization. Sell your reusable clutter at a garage sale and put your proceeds to use by paying for a non-cluttering activity, zoo membership or visit to a kids’ science museum. Ask for a mix of experience gives and tangible gifts for your kids. This is important if grandparents and other relatives tend to show up at birthday parties and holiday gift exchanges with a trunk-load of presents. Less stuff in your house also makes cleanup time easier and more manageable for your kids.
Maintaining and Replacing Vacuum Parts
Vacuum parts are key to keeping your home’s floors clean. Moms know that children often leave behind a trail of dirt, crumbs, wrappers and bits of this and that on the carpeting. With replacement central vacuum parts, you can clean under the couch cushions, get the dust out from under the beds and reach the far corners of the closet. Maintaining your vacuum parts and replacing them as needed also makes it easier to lift dust, pet dander, mold spores and dirt out of the carpet fibers. Regular vacuuming may help to reduce your child’s sneezing by eliminating allergens inside of the house.
Performing Quick Cleanup Sessions
As a mom of young children, you likely do not have the time to conduct a marathon cleaning session for hours at a time. Even though you might not be able to clean your entire house all at once, you can break down the cleaning process into shorter projects. While your child is coloring or drawing, you can unload the dishwasher and hand wash some dishes. While your child is in the bath, remain in the bathroom and clean the sinks and toilets. If your child is taking a long time eating lunch, clean out the pantry and wipe down the cabinets. Doing a few 15 minute cleaning sessions each day helps you to get things done without needing a big block of time.
Toddlers are naturally curious and will get into all sorts of things. From regularly vacuuming your floors to performing short cleaning sessions throughout the day, you can maintain a orderly home that is also fun for your family. Each of these four tips simplifies your cleaning routine and helps you to eliminate wasted time and energy that you can instead spend playing together with the kids.
