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

[Meglet]

My house is basically trashed now. It was lovely before I had DC's and when they were small. As soon as they stopped having naps I couldn't get on top of it again.

I last used the dyson 2/3 weeks ago as I simply can't get to the floor. We're moving to a bigger house soon so I can get organised again.

[Puppypoppet]

Think we clean less since DD was born - just don't have the time or energy. However we find we're doing more tidying up of toys etc. I have always liked anti bacterial products - like things to be really clean not just superficially. Still do both quick clean ups and the occasional deep clean. Do look for more convenient products such as wipes etc.

[ShatnersBassoon]

I used to have an immaculate house. It's still as clean, but I don't worry about things being out of place as much as I used to. I have Nerf bullets on my bedside table, for example.

[greathat]

I need to clean a lot more, but never find the time. I try to focus on things like kitchen and bathroom. I tend to grab an antibacterial wipe and try and give the bathroom a once over while the kids are in the bath. I really need to be better but what I want to do is train the 4 year old to do it for me while she actually wants to :)

[wibblyjelly]

I make sure ds's room and the kitchen is clear when I get home from work. The problem is this needs doing every day, as we are so tried once we finish eating dinner, that it all just gets shoved on the surface to deal with it the next day.
I keep meaning to have a good sort out in the dining room, and our room, but an overly curious 1 year old stops me...

[LentilAsAnything]

I clean about the same as before child. I think a few germs are good for them, and I certainly don't go crazy bleaching everything. Child is three and never had a cold, so maybe there is something to it! Life is too short for too much cleaning!

[adelinehillman]

Having kids means to keep some sense of cleanliness and hygiene in your home you need to clean on an hourly basis, whether its wiping surface, sweeping/cleaning the floors or giving the bathroom a much needed 'once over'. This was not the case prior to having kids, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!

[FlatsInDagenham]

Do you and your DP/DH (if applicable) find yourselves doing more cleaning since you've had children? Much much more. In fact our standards were pretty low before we had the DC but the responsibility of creating a family home for them has made us me step up to the mark.

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? I look for cheap but effective products. Our budget is much tighter than before so I'll choose cleaning products on special offer. if it's antibac too, so much the better but it's not essential.

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? Quick regular cleans. We deep clean maybe once every couple of months.

Are you now more likely to look for quick convenience products like wipes? No because they are too expensive compared to bottles and reusable cloths.

[InMySpareTime]

Probably about the same. Hard to gauge accurately as we moved into our first house from student digs 6 weeks before DS was born.

[Goldenhandshake]

Do you and your DP/DH (if applicable) find yourselves doing more cleaning since you've had children?
Definitely! Far more tidying up, and there are always fingerprint marks to wipe, spilled/dropped food or drinks, as well as the mess toys and activities such as baking and craft stuff create. When she was a baby (pre-crawling) it was great, everything stayed clean, then she began to move about by herself

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? I have always been partial to anti-bac cleaning products, particular floor cleaners.

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? I have stuff to tidy and clean every night,but these are quick 'once overs' of the kitchen sides, the hob etc. Deep cleans happen once a week, the bath and toilet are properly scurbbed, floors all cleaned and disinfected etc.

Are you now more likely to look for quick convenience products like wipes? I take effectiveness and speed into account, if something works well and is pretty quick, I am much more inclined to use it! However if it is something quick and gimmicky but isn't actually that great, and has received rubbish reviews (like the Vanish carpet cleaning powder packs) then I am unlikely to bother.

[ClementineKelandra]

In a nutshell, the house is now a shit tip.

[Akray]

Clean much more now

Pre DC would do thorough clean every weekend and it would stay clean and tidy all week cos me and DH out at work all day.

Now SAHM with 5DC and just clean and tidy constantly! Hoover and wash floors downstairs, go upstairs to clean, come back down and mess again ~ aaaarrrrrggg.........

I am a clean freak but don't get the time to clean like I used to ~ very rarely get the opportunity to do skirting boards, inside windows etc. Always looking for new products that might make cleaning quicker

[TheFabulousIdiot]

I clean about the same as I used to but I am much more careful with what I use. I don't want my DS sniffing loads of chemical cleaners so try to clean when he's not there. We tend to do a big clean up every week, I've never gotten into the whole cleaning routine thing and don't do regular sweeps of the house.

Generally though our house is dirty compared to other people who are fanatical, people would be horrified to see what we let DS eat from the floor considering that we rarely clean it. We have more children's stuff lying all over the place, drops of yoghurt, paint, snot and wee. This morning DS pooed on the rug, DH picked it up with a wet-wipe and that was it as it was solid.

I joked to DH this weekend that it was nice to have a clean room in the house but such a shame that we could only seem to have one clean one at a time.

[Fumnudge]

Don't mind a messy house after school but it all gets put away each night. Anti bac sprays are used but didn't think of wipes, always think they're a bit environmentally unnecessary.

[BananaPie]

I think I clean more now, and the house is probably cleaner than it was pre children - life has moved on from student style living!

Don't use anti-bac products apart from the loo and kitchen work surfaces - I'm a bit sceptical about the need for them to be honest, and think they 're overused.

[jojane]

Before children I would clean the house once a week, couple o hours max.. It would then stay fairly clean and tidy until the following week. Now I have 3 children it's in a constant state of mess, toys, discarded clothes, sticky finger marks on the walls, illicit biscuit crumbs on the sofa, no matter how much cleaning I do!

[TheFutureMrsB]

The amount of cleaning we do is huge! I find myself having to clean up pretty much constantly, the washing machine is always on the go and then there's the cleaning of the rooms to just to keep on top of things! We have four children and they do make a mess, I wash the floors every night, I polish every other day, the kitchen is cleaned around three times a day, it's a never ending cycle.

I do opt for anti-bac sprays for the cleaning of the little one's high chair and to wipe over the work tops inbetween cleans. In the living room area I clean this on a daily basis but then do a deep clean once a week to get anything that's been brought from upstairs down to back up!

The passage is a dumping ground for the kids school bags/coats/shoes so whilst it's clean all day when they are in school, come 3.30 it's a mess so that get's done every evening too.

The bathroom get's cleaned everyday, with three of the children using the loo, all boys they like to aim anywhere but the actual toilet so I clean in there a few times a day but once a week it gets a deep clean where I bleach the floors rather than spray and wipe.

I find myself buying cleaning products every week and we do get through them all.

My house has always been this way, I had my son young and moved into my house just before having him, I like to think it would have once been effortlessly clean and maybe when they are all grown up it will be :)

I'd like to say it's easy but it's not really, it get's done but it does seem like a repetitive waste of my time ... Imagine the mess if I didn't do it all though!

[Dylanlovesbaez]

The kitchen surfaces, floor and highchair are cleaner than before dd came along and we both tend to clean more but it never feels quite tidy! I love the lived in look though!

[StarsAboveYou]

My house is cleaner than its ever been since having DS, not what I expected!

I clean floors & bathroom properly twice a week and in between times I do quick cleans to keep on top of them. Kitchen is done daily.

I'm not fussed by anti bac sprays as I think some germs are good for building resistance. I Sometimes use wipes, it depends whether I have any handy, but only for a quick blitz and not a proper clean.

The house is clean & tidy at 6am everyday and looks like a hurricane has gone through it by 6pm!

I tidy it again once DS has gone to bed so its ready for a fresh start the next day.

[Dolallytats]

Since having children I tend to look for antibacterial products. I'm actually horrendously messy and am the least house proud person, but I like things clean if not tidy. Although, I have found that the older I get the more tidy I am becoming!!

I love antibac wipes as they can be used for so many things.

[rowrowrowtheboat]

Do you and your DP/DH (if applicable) find yourselves doing more cleaning since you've had children?
Oh yes! Dirt gets carried in and spread around all the time, crumbs and food get spilt constantly. I would love to deep clean regularly but rarely do it, I often settle for a quick once round in most rooms, with a better clean in bathrooms and kitchens. Having been both a working mum and SAHM, more mess and muck is created the more the children are in the house. It never ends!

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? I don't buy different things, just more of them. in fact, I go down the cleaning aisle less as my husband does the weekly shop. I find out about new products by word of mouth or advertising. What I have to buy more of, is carpet cleaner. Something quick, easy and effective is always welcome.

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 Definately a quick clean here and there. I used to be able to do 30-40 mins every day before the school run but now school has started, I seem to not have a set time to clean, and when I do, I focus on the kitchen and bathroom. I desperately want to deep clean.

Are you now more likely to look for quick convenience products like wipes? If I use a wipe, it will be a baby wipe, and for wiping marks on walls and skirting boards. I don't like the idea of using wipes and throwing them away. If they are easily degradable and environmentally friendly, I would use wipes every day on taps and toilets.

[LaTrucha]

How have things changed post children in this regard? I definitely hoover more but that's life with a 3 year old. I think I clean in general about the same as I did, but I do much, much more tidying.

Do you find yourself looking for the anti-bac cleaning products now or were you always partial to this type of product? I'm not an anti-bacterial cleaner kind of person. I try and use products that are non-toxic to children, as DS often likes to take his deaner and eat it, well, elsewhere (carpet? windowsill?)

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? The constant little jobs do get int he way of deeper cleaning. This does get done, but not as frequently as perhaps it should. It tends to get pushed to the weekend.

Are you now more likely to look for quick convenience products like wipes? I do use wipes for the toilet, but nothing else. I tend to look, as I said, for non-toxic products. I probably wouldn't have bothered before.

[threefeethighandrising]

My house is much cleaner and tidier since I had kids. Both DP and I are pretty messy people. But I grew up in a clean, tidy house (with a healthy amount of clutter IMO). I think the DC deserve a nice house (of course!) so its way tidier & cleaner now.

[YonilyDevotedToYou]

I agree with the previous poster: actually since DSD went to uni, our house has become less clean. Not because DSD did loads of cleaning (we wish!) but because when it's just the two of us, DP and I bother less with cleaning!

[Ikeameatballs]

I clean more often but probably less effectively. I try to tidy as I go and then clean afterwards.