How has having children impacted on the cleanliness in your home? Share your stories with Cif to win a £250 Love2Shop voucher NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

Cif have asked us to find out whether having children has had an impact on your family's cleaning habits.

Here's what Cif have to say: "We all know that children see the home as a playground, and playgrounds get dirty. But we also understand how difficult it can be to clean up after your child, so we want to help make that process as easy as possible."

Do you and your DP/DH (if applicable) find yourselves doing more cleaning since you've had children? Or less? How have things changed post children in this regard? Do you find yourself looking for the anti-bac cleaning products now or were you always partial to this type of product? If your home gets cleaned more now, is it more likely to be a quick clean here and there to tidy up after teatime etc? Or is it do regular deep cleans as well/instead? Are you now more likely to look for quick convenience products like wipes? Or – has nothing changed?!

We'd love to hear your views. Everyone who adds their comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £250 Love2Shop voucher.

Please note your comments may be used by CIF on their pages on MN and possibly elsewhere (anon of course) please only add your comment if you’re happy with this.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[sharond101]

Everything is cleaned in small stages rather than in one go now. Eveything is cleaner I'd say but messier too if that makes sense. Finger prints are everywhere and DH is just as bad as DS!! We have a new bigger house so more storage space but DS takes up so much room you would never know it. I am very house proud and find it hard to lower my standards but I do little very often.

[manfalou]

Definitly messier. Yano, the washing on EVERY radiator, the pile of clothes waiting to go on the radiators... then the pile of clothes waiting to go in the washer...and the pile of clothes waiting to be ironed..ARGHHH. I HATE WASHING! The clutter from the (what seems to be) endless amounts of toys from train tracks to chalk, dinosaurs, rattles and play mats.

We try and tidy at certain points throughout the day such a dinner and tea but sometimes it doesn't seem to make much difference.

I saw a thing on FB a while back saying 'I get more tidying up done in the 10 minutes before the inlaw visits than what I do all week'

[Yakky]

I used to be really houseproud but now share my house with dust & cobwebs.
Since having DCs I seem to spend all my time cleaning toilets so everything else gets left.
Must admit though that, when the DCs have played with toys in the bath and left scratch marks, the only thing that gets rid of them is cream cleaner.
Plus, can you please go back to JIF. Hate CIF as it just doesn't sound right!

[theshooglypeg]

I find cleaning has to be fitted in between other things these days. So if I am in the bathroom, I'll give the sink a wipe before I leave. Or if my daughter is happily playing, I'll quickly get the hoover out. The days of major spring cleans are long gone!

[ScariestFairyByFar]

My house is just as clean but far more messy! And the mess now reappears behind me when i tidy it.

[kateandme]

i think its always more messy when there are kids around.but managing it is the key and also managing your expectations of how different life and your house will be now.accepting that and even getting joy from their clutter/your families soul is the key.
wipes are great to find.i have the biggest smile when i find a wipe or a spray that just lifts the worktops cleanliness.and a good floor wipe they seem so hard to find and when we find the brands that just lifts the dirt its great.

a good hoover make the place look much better.and just getting crumbs away can help.
i dont think there is ever going to be a clean house again.but its doing the bits you can.
getting the kids involved is a must,even if rewards have to be given.
"see how much we can clean in 10 mintues"is a ghreat way to have a spruce.
its about finding the proucts that make life eaiser.
anti bacterial is great but not as important as it used to.i think it becmae a bit of a fad,a buying/selling technique.
but clean is clean and thats what matters.

we keep wipes in every bathroom.its helps if they were flushable but not essential.

enviormoment friendly i think is beomcing more wanted or at least nice to see.

[AGnu]

We've always been quite lax with the cleaning but I'm definitely having to do more now that I have 2 under 2! There was a time when we only hoovered if we were expecting visitors, now we I have to hoover several times a week just to stop DS1 constantly bringing me "leetle fluffing" little bits of fluff! I make everyone take off their shoes the minute we get through the door now to avoid too much dirt getting traipsed around!

I do find that I'm actually more motivated to clean now than I was pre-DC. I used to have one or 2 days a year when I'd actively want to clean the kitchen/bathroom but now it's more like once month! Still pretty lax by some people's standards, I'm sure... We'll just have to have a few more DC & I'll become a cleaning machine!

We encourage DS1 to tidy his own toys every night. Mostly this involves him running around the living room while we tidy up! He will put things away if we specify an object. Now I just need to train him to clean the oven...

My poor washing machine doesn't know what's hit it! Somehow we seem to need to run it about 5 times a week! None of us have very big wardrobes though!

[Mamafratelli]

Cleaning has definitely changed. I used to be able to do a big clean and then just a quick wipe here and there and it would stay lovely. Now I still have to do a big clean but it only lasts a day and the picking up, tidying up, wiping off fingerprints etc is non stop.

I use a mix of products and a lot of floor wipes and bathroom wipes and dusting wipes but if anyone can tell me how to get rid of the mucky handprint that has somehow been branded onto my lovely fireplace I would be eternally grateful.

[skyeskyeskye]

My house is very untidy now that I have a child. There are always toys, books and clothes everywhere.

The carpet needs a proper shampoo clean after the amount of spills on it

I use antibacterial wipes in the kitchen and bathroom

[MMcanny]

With the kids at 6 and 9 it's prob the same as it was pre-kids. There was a time when they were younger, babies/toddlers, they were into everything and we got a bit paranoid and felt the need to clean like drones. Also switched from standard cleaners to more organic and less chemical - to hose down the highchair for example. Still use these as makes me sneeze less. Having two boys, I do find I'm cleaning the floor around the toilets more!

[stephgr]

I do much more cleaning since I had children partly because I'm now really concerned about bacteria/germs - young immune systems aren't so strong. I tend to focus much more now on the bathroom and kitchen. I've been buying anti-bacterial products for many years so that hasn't really changed. I don't have much spare time nowadays so I always look out for products which I think can help me get the cleaning done faster and more easily.

[ILoveAFullFridge]

To my surprise the change in my home has more tidyness and less cleanliness - quite the opposite of what I had expected it would be.

I have realised that children need dirt and germs, and that we, as privileged Westerners, have a much lower diet threshold than is good for us. OTOH a degree of order is necessary for a functioning household, and, as a naturally fairly messy person, I need to make a special effort to retain a sense of peace and order in our home.

I have only ever bought anti-bac products for hands after farm visits and for cleaning up after bowel/bladder incidents or after preparing raw fish/meat. I do not think that a 100% sanitised life is healthy.

[ILoveAFullFridge]

dirt threshold, not diet threshold.

[Salbertina]

Oh not at all...

[DontmindifIdo]

The house needs cleaning so much more, but then before dcs dh and I would leave before 8, return after 8 most nights, often just met in town and ate out - we weren't here enough to mess it up. (as breakfast was often bought on the way to the station, I'd go days without going in the kitchen at all) Now, I'm at home and dh comes home earlier and works from home in the evenings (so he can spend time with the dcs), so the place gets much messier.

We do have a cleaner now too, best money ever spent!

[finzean]

having had triplets , being a bit more organised is a must, top priority are kitchen and bathroom areas , a steamer is invaluable , ciff has always been used in our house no other product compares. a house with kids is a home ....not a show house!

[gazzalw]

To our shame I would say that ours is much more of a tip then it ever was. DW is keen on decluttering but not so keen on the thankless, endless round of housework only to have the DCs make a mess as soon as everything is sparkling.

[ouryve]

I do a lot more cleaning, since having kids. It's disputable whether the house is cleaner, as a result, and it's certainly a lot untidier!

[pussinwellyboots]

I definitely spend more time cleaning because kids do create mess eg I clean windows more as children looking out of a window/patio doors leave finger print marks etc. I spend more time putting away as there's more to put away. So I agree with those who've said that the house is cleaner but more messy.

[gamerchick]

Well you're going to do more cleaning when you have kids. Mine are left home/at school. My youngest is autistic and likes things tidy or he gets stressed. I only work weekends so have the time to keep on top of the house.

Not a fan of anti bacterial stuff really when soap and water do the job just as well. I only use cif in the bathroom though I find the smell a bit overpowering for anywhere else.

[Happiestinwellybobs]

I definitely clean more now we have a child. There is more 'stuff' around, although I make sure we tidy everything away at the end of each day. As we have a dog too, I have been a bit more fastidious about cleaning dog hair up, so it doesn't get in her toys too much.

I use antibacterial products as much as I did pre-child. But I do often find myself using baby wipes to clear up spills, high high chair etc. as they are always to hand and therefore more convenient. Anything which is easy and quick to use is great.

I try and get most of the big jobs done (bathroom, dusting, hoovering, mopping, windows) on my afternoon off and then keep on top of things like a quick hoover round, kitchen worktops, loos) on a more frequent basis. Difficult on the days I work full days, but easier when I'm home with my daughter.

[Happiestinwellybobs]

I definitely clean more now we have a child. There is more 'stuff' around, although I make sure we tidy everything away at the end of each day. As we have a dog too, I have been a bit more fastidious about cleaning dog hair up, so it doesn't get in her toys too much.

I use antibacterial products as much as I did pre-child. But I do often find myself using baby wipes to clear up spills, high high chair etc. as they are always to hand and therefore more convenient. Anything which is easy and quick to use is great.

I try and get most of the big jobs done (bathroom, dusting, hoovering, mopping, windows) on my afternoon off and then keep on top of things like a quick hoover round, kitchen worktops, loos) on a more frequent basis. Difficult on the days I work full days, but easier when I'm home with my daughter.

[Happiestinwellybobs]

I definitely clean more now we have a child. There is more 'stuff' around, although I make sure we tidy everything away at the end of each day. As we have a dog too, I have been a bit more fastidious about cleaning dog hair up, so it doesn't get in her toys too much.

I use antibacterial products as much as I did pre-child. But I do often find myself using baby wipes to clear up spills, high high chair etc. as they are always to hand and therefore more convenient. Anything which is easy and quick to use is great.

I try and get most of the big jobs done (bathroom, dusting, hoovering, mopping, windows) on my afternoon off and then keep on top of things like a quick hoover round, kitchen worktops, loos) on a more frequent basis. Difficult on the days I work full days, but easier when I'm home with my daughter.

[MinesAPintOfTea]

More cleaning is done, and its about the same once ds is in bed. Whilst he's awake there are always toys everywhere.

[coffeeandcream]

Since having my DS, who is very active and I can't leave him alone at all as he gets into so much mischief, I just cannot maintain the standards I had before.

I tend to get the bare minimum done during the week and DH and I get a proper clean done on the weekends when one of us can keep an eye on DS.

Some things just don't get done now, like washing windows, cleaning paintwork and radiators.

I've accepted now that this is the case and make sure the home is hygienic if not tidy. I don't go mad with anti-bac products, except on the change mat and high chair.

Convenience cleaning products are by far the best, but only if affordable as being on maternity leave means we have less money available for expensive products.