Mums what are your cleaning routines!

[Alisonn12]

Just wondered does anyone with multiple kids manage to keep their home clean?? If so what are your habits/ routines please share!

Get the dads doing their share.

I only have 2 but my house is always 'presentable'/visitor ready. Mine as also 8 and 17, when I had little ones the house was a tip and I have no shame or regret in that! As they get older the toys also get smaller!

• Kids keep their own things tidy
• I spend 10 minutes morning and night pottering in the kitchen to keep on top of things
• I use timers (2/5/10 minutes) to challenge myself to do quick resets every now and then.
• I spend a solid 2 hours every weekend properly cleaning - DH takes the kids and the dogs out for breakfast, I put an audio book on and everyone is happy!
• I have massively decluttered so there is less to keep clean and tidy. We all have fewer clothes, toys, toiletries etc. I'm ruthless about binning/donating things that will get no use now.

I agree with this too.

My DH is good at hoovering (especially the stairs!) and getting the washing done. When I say he takes the kids out to let me clean, this is what works best for us - if there was a week I didn't or couldn't do it he wouldn't mind swapping with me!

This! I’m currently on mumsnet whilst DP is tidying the kitchen (unprompted because I cooked so he wouldn’t expect me to do it).

Generally though:

washing - as and when needed but all school clothes on a Friday and bedding weekly (usually a Saturday and tumble dried then back on beds at bedtime). Kids have wash baskets in their rooms so other washing is done by room and returned upstairs in bundles that match rooms. I tend to put stuff away at bedtime.

kitchen - every night except Friday which is date night and we just chill out. DP tends to mop it a few times a week.

bathrooms - I clean while they’re in the bath and not often enough tbh but something has to give..

Hoovering - we have a robot for that.

window cleaning - kids love helping as a fun job whenever we remember.

dusting - once in a blue moon.

sorting and organising is my biggest job really but I do it most weekends to some extent.

First thing I do before doing anything else is clean kitty litters, I have 3 of them. Then I don't do anything else cleaning wise until all the older kids are on their buses for school lol I just bask in the madness haha then I start by picking up everything off the floor and putting it away, tidy the dining table, start the washing, tidy the play room which use the be the loungeroom, tidy the bathroom, I do a big scrub of the bathroom once a week but do general tidy and wipe over the toilet daily well most days haha then I get started on the kitchen and give it a good scrub every morning. All up everything takes me about 2 hrs if I'm quick at it and the babies allow me to do what I need to do. I sweep floors daily, and mop maybe twice a week depending on how they are looking. Kids keep their own rooms clean and 3 of the older kids do their own washing and folding for the most part. Hubby cleans the windows whenever they get bad enough. When hubby is home he helps out a lot without asking so it definitely helps to have your partners involved. My house is usually visitor ready but I must tell you it's alot to keep on top of and I never get a break from cleaning. Saturdays I try to give it over to hubby and the kids and then sundays I do a big clean and organise amd get started for a new week ahead.