9 Tips Busy Moms Need to Know to Stay Caught Up On Housework

Posted by Sarah Marshall on December 29th, 2020

Do you feel like you are always behind on housework?  Do you have piles of laundry, a sink full of dishes, and feel like you are drowning in the mess?  This article will share 9 tips that busy moms can use to help keep their house clean.

1.  Identify the cleaning tasks that are essential to your household functioning efficiently.

The first thing you need to do is make a list of the tasks that are essential.  For me this includes things like laundry, dishes, and a relatively clean living space.  Think of the tasks that cause you the most stress when they aren't completed. 

For example, if you don't stay caught up on laundry, someone in your house may not have clean clothes to wear, however if I don't clean the baseboards, no one in my household is going to be too upset.

2.  Have realistic expectations.

If your household includes young children, you need to have realistic expectations.  Maintaining a perfectly clean household is nothing short of impossible when you have toddlers licking the windows or covering them in finger prints multiple times a day.  You need to set some expectations of what your idea of a clean house is based on your situation.  I encourage you to let go of perfection and strive for a goal of having your household run efficiently (while not spending the entire day cleaning it.)  

If you can walk into your kitchen and have enough dishes to make and serve dinner easily, then I would say your kitchen is functioning well enough.  However, if you can't cook a meal easily without knocking something off the counter, you might need to re-evaluate your vision of clean.

3.  You need to get rid of things you don't use.

One of the biggest tips I have for maintaining a well functioning household, is getting rid of things that are simply taking up space.  The more stuff you have, the more stuff you'll have to keep clean and organized.

If you can't easily think of the last time you used an item, it is time to get rid of it.  

The question you need to ask yourself is when are you going to use that object?  Do you have a definitive date in mind? AND can I use a different object I have to serve the same purpose?

For example, I received a Fondue pot as a wedding gift (admittedly, I did register for it).  After 8 years of having it, I NEVER used it, not once.  But in the back of my head I kept telling myself that I would use it one day.  I had no concrete date of when I would use it in mind and I realized if I wanted to make fondue, I could just make due with either a crockpot or a regular bowl.  I decided it was time to get rid of it. 

I would encourage you to slowly start going through your house, room by room, closet by closet.  Find all the things you no don't use.  Based on the object, you can either donate or sell them.  (I sell anything of value of Facebook Marketplace and suggest you do the same!)

4.  Every object needs a place.

Suppose you walk into the living room and find your kids' toys and dirty clothes everywhere.  You start asking them to clean up, but they adamantly refuse.  Although there may be several reasons for this, one big factor to consider is whether every toy an object has a clearly defined location where it belongs?

I have found that my kids would not want to help clean up, if every object didn't have a certain spot where it belonged.  After you declutter you need to get organized!  Every single object in your house needs a home.  

I like cube storage systems and Trofast storage systems from Ikea (especially for toy storage).

5.  Find a cleaning schedule to help you get started.

If you feel completely overwhelmed in regards to housework, I would encourage you to start using a cleaning schedule.  I've found that many of the cleaning schedules on Pinterest are completely unrealistic for most people.  If you are drowning in housework, this is the best cleaning schedule I've found (it's perfect for moms).

The reason that this cleaning schedule works so well is that it allows you to make a list of the household tasks that are important to you and allows you to decide how many times you want to complete that task on a weekly basis.  It allows flexibility (which I know all busy moms need).  And it allows you to check off the tasks as you complete them, which definitely provides a sense of satisfaction.

6.  If you feel overwhelmed with housework, don't overthink it, just get started.

When you're overwhelmed with housework, it's hard to know where to start.  You might find yourself gathering a load of laundry, but as you're doing so, you notice that there's a million dirty dishes in your kid's bedroom.  You gather the dishes to carry them to the sink, only to find the sink is overflowing with dishes.  You open the dishwasher to load the dirty dishes, only to find the dishwasher is full of clean dishes.

You have to focus on ONE task.  Put on your blinders.  Don't look at anything else.  Gather that load of laundry and focus on it.  When the clothes are in the washer, look for ONE more task.  Do that task until it's complete.  

If you look at all the tasks that need to be done at the same time, it can be paralyzing.  Just get started and focus on ONE task.

If you are paralyzed getting started, here's a post explaining how to speed clean your house.  If you are someone that works better with a list of steps, this will give you a list of tasks and the order to complete them in.

7.  Make the household tasks part of your daily routine.

If you don't start the laundry until all the laundry bins are overflowing, it will be a beast of a job to tackle.  If you start every day by carrying a load of laundry to the washer, you should never buried in mountains of laundry.  Folding one load of laundry every day isn't so bad, but folding 4 loads of laundry is a huge task.  

Using the clean schedule mentioned above, develop daily routines to intentionally keep your house clean.

8.  Give everyone in your household designated chores.

No matter how Type A you are, you cannot be the only one doing all the housework!  Have a discussion with your significant other and divide up the household tasks.  For example, perhaps you can in charge of washing and drying laundry, while your significant other is in charge of folding laundry and putting it away.

At a young age, I would also encourage you to get your kids involved in housework.  At a young age, you can get them involved in things like unloading the dishwasher, making their beds and helping you put toys away.  

9.  If you continue to struggle with housework, get help.

With young kids, sometimes its nearly impossible to stay caught up on housework.  No matter how hard you work, it just feels impossible.  If this is you, I would suggest you hire someone (even if its temporary) to help out.  

You could hire a cleaning person or company, but based on your needs, you might consider hiring a neighbor or high school student to help with menial tasks, like sweeping the floor, folding laundry, or washing dishes.  

There is no shame in asking for help.  

Conclusions

If you feel like you are drowning in housework, I would strongly suggest giving these 9 tips a try.  You are not alone in this battle and as your kids grow up, it will get easier to maintain your household.