How to Keep a House Clean With a Toddler

I like a clean house, I always have. However, as I’ve had kids I have had to make some adjustments. I’ve learned to let some of the small stuff go and not loose my noodles over things not being put back into there place. Nonetheless, I still keep a pretty clean house but keeping a house clean with a tornado toddler is a feat. Haha. I have survived one toddler and I am in the depths of toddlerhood with my second child so, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make the process a little easier.

Clean as you go.

This is without a doubt my number one tip to keeping my house clean. We take one toy out and when we are done with it, we put it away. Simple as that. I have done this the other way around and lordy my house looked like I threw up toys everywhere. Haha! Your toddler might not be able to put everything away at first but if you show them daily what it means to clean up after you play they will begin to get the hang of it. I think that this teaches children how to be responsible for themselves, which a very important lesson that every child needs to learn. Learning personal responsibility is essential to being a productive member of society.

Straighten up the house and Kitchen at Night.

I promise you that your morning routine will go so much smoother if you are not worrying about yesterdays dishes and mess. Mornings with toddlers are chaotic enough as is, do what you can to make it easier on yourself. If you spend 10 minutes at night doing dishes and straightening up the left over mess from the day before, your morning coffee will taste that much better. And that alone is worth cleaning up the mess. Ha!!!

Do something small every day.

Run one load of laundry. Clean one bathroom. Clean just the living room. You get the idea. If you spend 10-15 minutes a day you will have less bulk cleaning.

Include your toddler. 

They can’t do everything you do but you can make them apart of what you’re doing. If you’re doing laundry, have them put all of their clothes in a pile. It won’t be folded of course, but they’re participating. Have them move the clothes from the washing machine to the dryer. Let them sit on the counter while you do the dishes. My toddler really likes to rinse the soap off the dishes. Buy them their own play cleaning set. At this age they won’t necessarily really clean anything but they are in the mix and learning what has to be done around the house!

In the end, they’re toddlers so you’re not always going to have a house that’s perfectly clean but give these tips a try. Hopefully, your cleaning routine will become a little bit more manageable!