We started to clean the bathrooms a few days ago. This is what it looks like right now. I didn’t clean it up after taking this photo. I just closed the door to the bathroom.
Having kids – multiple kids especially – sometimes makes your home… well, a disaster zone. Depending on the number of kids and their ages, that could be a mild-to-massive understatement. Typically, Hubby and I are pretty clean. We like our dishes to be done soon after meals (partially because we’ve had ants in the past, and THAT, my friends, is a terrible thing to deal with). We like our laundry to mostly be clean and put away. We do not like to feel grit on the floor underneath our feet. These are just a few examples of a perfect world at the Hsu house.

However, we’ve found those goals to be basically unattainable. Dishes? As long as they’re soaking, they’re good for several more days hours. Laundry? If you’ve got clean underwear, you’re all set. Grit-free floor? Yeah, right. Vacuuming happens every other day or so, and I still feel the grit. And what have we not even mentioned? Handprints on windows and mirrors, rings in tubs and toilets, dusting (who has time for that?!) and all the rest. My kids are like dirt bombs. I bathe them every single day (really, I do!) and somehow, they’re tracking food, dirt, and something that makes spots on the floors (Their sippy cups? Drool? The world may never know.) in and out and around the house all day long. Everything I accomplish during naps or after they go to bed seems to be undone within a matter of minutes. We’re thinking of quitting the housekeeping thing altogether.

Our normally lovely indoor garden, as redesigned by Joseph (with a measuring spoon and a small pitcher, I might add).

Recently, I’ve realized there are a few things help me stay motivated to keep things slightly nearer to under control:

1. Leave the vacuum out. If it’s already plugged in and out in the middle of the room, I’m likely to use it more often. (Not a suggestion. Merely an indicator of how often I need it.)

2. Put the laundry on the couch after taking it out of the dryer. If you put it in the place where you’re most likely to sit down, then you’ll have to fold at least some of it to be able to sit. (Not a suggestion. Simply an indicator of how much I dislike folding laundry.)

3. Order take out or eat at a restaurant instead of cooking. The more items you can throw away, the less dishes you have! (Not a suggestion. Just a dire straits situation.)

4. Eat outside. This helps with clean up after meals, especially if you’ve got a hose near your porch. Just brush everything onto the porch or the ground, and sweep/hose it off into the nearest grass or dirt. Done! (Not a suggestion. Unless you’re trying to enjoy the weather.)

5. Keep the kids in diapers as long as possible. Less people using toilets, toilet paper, and bathrooms in general means they must stay cleaner longer, right? (Not a suggestion. DEFINITELY NOT.)

6. Only bathe the kids once a week. Saves water, no ring on the bathtub, and less baby soap to buy. Makes even more sense when it’s summertime and the kids are swimming a lot. (Not a suggestion. But it would save water.)

7. Attach Swiffers to your kids’ feet whenever you’re at home. JUST KIDDING! Or am I?

What are your tips (real or not real) to stay ahead of the game and keep your house clean?