Grr! Parents of toddlers, how on earth do you clean?

[SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore]

I don't mean tidying I mean cleaning?

I have just tried to bleach our yard. I set dd2 off with 'cleaning' the kitchen cuboards with a little bowl of water and a sponge.

Turned around and there she was pouring her bowl of water into the yard and paddling in the bleach wanting to clean the way mummy was.

The toilet can now only be cleaned at night as she butts in and sticks her head down there to see what you are doing.

And if there is a spill on the carpet she will 'help' m clean it up by tipping the entire bowl of soapy water all over the floor and all over me

She doesn't nap, escapes her play pen and high chair with ease and can open doors with ease.

DD1 was not like this, she would happily amuse herself.

I put on ITNG.
Amazing what you can get done in 25 mins

Seriously though, I have no idea. Watching with interest

Ah good idea she is currently engrossed in it actually. Do you think she would sit sill and watch it?

I do most of it in the evening, which is a real pain. Do bits in the kitchen whilst they are eating, eg mop the floor, though only practical if your toddler can feed themselves, and do the bathroom whilst they're in the bath. Seem to be doing bits all the time and feel like I'm constantly cleaning though my house doesn't look that way!

ITNG always has DS completely engrossed. Daddy can come home and sometimes he doesn't even notice he's that involved!

He's a very active inquisitive boy, but Iggle Piggle is like some kind of off switch!

Ah yes - highchair in the kitchen is another one - DS can't feed himself dinner yet, but when he's having his snacks I can get the dishes washed and the floor swept. It's a start at least

Laundry gets folder while DP is bathing DS.

I think big jobs can only realistically be done when they're not there/asleep

How on earth can you ladies clean the kitchen floor while toddlers are in situ? Don't they catapult bits of food on the floor, with great consistency at that?

What BirdyArms said. Are we household twins?

Shaun the Sheep works for DS. I can normally get the vacuuming done, and bathroom cleaned, and then he 'helps' me mop the floors. I've bought him his own little mop and brush set last week, and he took great delight in putting his mop in the bucket and spreading water everywhere.

Apart from that, I just do a quick tidy of his toys when he's in bed, and the rest I leave until just before we have visitors over for dinner.

My mother would be so ashamed

I do those jobs when dd2 has her 2 hours sleep of an afternoon.

DS helps with a quick vacuum of downstairs, he has a mini Dyson, but otherwise everything is done when he's asleep, for 1.5 hours each afternoon or once he's in bed in the evening.

Any major jobs that require daylight are usually done at weekends.

Put the tv on

well i have ecover cleaning products which arent toxic or harmful so dont worry so much about dd touching them as say bleach (the multi surface cleaner is good and when i mistook it for rinse aid and poured a bottle in the dishwasher the customer care team said that it would foam but was perfectly safe on dishes)

i either have to barricade the kids out (to clen loo/wash floor) or involve them in helping (sorting laundry)

it isnt fun, for sure!

well i have ecover cleaning products which arent toxic or harmful so dont worry so much about dd touching them as say bleach (the multi surface cleaner is good and when i mistook it for rinse aid and poured a bottle in the dishwasher the customer care team said that it would foam but was perfectly safe on dishes)

i either have to barricade the kids out (to clen loo/wash floor) or involve them in helping (sorting laundry)

it isnt fun, for sure!

I put dd2 in nursery for half a day on Fridays so I can get mine done properly.

I usually spend a lot of that time on MN.

I blitz from 10-11 (preschool) and after 7pm. Otherwise it's TV/barricade myself in the bathroom etc.

PLaypen, highchair, quick snatches here and there, but its a losing battle anyway, always end up redoing it at night while Daddy does bath and bedtime!!

I just aim to do a little bit every day in the knowledge that my house will never look completely clean

I don't.

Well, I do, but not nearly as much as I should. Tidying I can manage while DS is otherwise engaged but proper cleaning is hard and only really gets done when he's out of the house, or occupied by DP elsewhere in the house.