keeping house clean?

[DJWebb]

I love to have a clean house! And I spend 4-5 hours a day (if not more somtimes) cleaning! But with 4 young kids and me being pregnant and very very tired..do any of you have tips to make things easier? I am pretty organised though I could be more so. And my older kids help a bit..but still seems I clean all day long! Help!!! thanks

[punkbaby]

I am startingto struggle a little as well lately but to me now all i worry about everyday is my lounge, kitchen and dining area and bathroom i tend to give these a quick clean up everyday. I ignore the bedrooms if i didnt i would be cleaning all the time even though i feel like i am constantly picking up things. Washing i do everyday but i usually have that hung out before the kids are up and dh will pick it in for me although thats all he will do!
I spend one day a week just giving the bedrooms a quick clean and then one day a week i will scrub the whole house, usually on a sunday when the kids are home they all pitch in and help. The younger ones will wipethe benches or cupboards etc and pack up toys etc as well. I have designated toys to one room now which helps as well too

I dont think there is an easy way to keep things clean but i am happy if my main living areas are tidy

[Moorish]

Let it go.
I don't mean you have to live in filth or anything!
But I was a clean freak too but as I had more children I realised that it was just impossible to keep the house the way I wanted it - and I would nearly kill myself trying.

Now I try and get the "usuals" done each day - empty/stack the dishwasher, keep the benches clean and clear, clean the table, sweep/vacuum the floor if it needs it. Anything else is a bonus.
I also try and do 1 other job in a day eg. tidy a room, do a couple of loads of washing or bake with the kids etc.

My kids are 5.5, 4, nearly 2 & 9 weeks old. My eldest two have a rewards chart and when they do a job (clean their bedroom floor, pack up the lounge room toys, set the table, empty the dishwasher etc) they get a sticker on their chart. Once they get 10 stickers they get a treat that is pictured on their chart. They love it, it works well and I get a few little helpers during the day. It also teaches them responsibility and how they can help in our big family.

Another little tip - in our house 5pm is pack up time as dinner is usually ready about an hour later. This means their bedroom, playroom & lounge room must be packed up of their toys, their clothes folded neatly on their bed (or put in their dirty basket) and pj's on. DH or I usually wizz around and help them a little too.

I've recently announced Mon/Tues as cleaning days in my house. That means no computer until my jobs are done and I usually do 1 or 2 major jobs like mop the floors, clean the bathroom, vacuum the entire house (upstairs, and down), strip the beds etc etc. I feel really good when it's done because the house looks great and I can just do little things through the week to keep it "neat" if I have visitors.

I use to live by "A place for everything and everything in it's place" but I just can't now. There still is a place for everything, but I've learned that I need to let kids be kids and so long as they have their 5pm pack up time then I'm happy for them to pull their toys out during the day (in their room/playroom). Under their beds they each have 4 long containers with lids and each are labelled "barbies", "music", "plastic food", "Little people" etc so they can arrange their toys. They like it and they always know where their toys are.

I'm sure I have more suggestions but I've got to get back to the washing! LOL!!

Congratulations on your 5th! Tell me how to convince my DH to go again?!!

[MammaRose]

Theres a difference between clean and tidy.
I tidy every day, several times a day.
But do a big deep clean only once a week. eg: bathrooms etc.

[SuperMum10/12]

A clean house to me is very important I have 10 children and it is very hard l have 5 under the age of 5 you can teach them to put there things in the right place l have container that the children put things into for e.g a box for cars or a box for doll clothes the boxes have lids and have been labeled this helps because the kids know witch things go into witch box and can be stacked or placed under bed neatly you can do small things to get the little kids to help and they do enjoy it if you do it together.l try to keep my home clean all the time and little things can help l was once told that if l haven't used something in the last year you don't need it l use that eider a lot as l don't like clutter