The easiest way to keep your house clean without losing your sanity

The easiest way to keep your house clean is to hire a housekeeper. Are you laughing yet? Yeah, me too. In a perfect world that would be great, but is not realistic for most families.

Yes, there is! Here’s 3 ways you can keep your house clean without losing your sanity:

1. Give up on perfection.

I have a Type-A personality, but when I became a mom I slowly had to train myself to give up on perfection. You may need to adjust your expectations of what is important. Is it really necessary to scrub the baseboards with a toothbrush so they are completely dust free? Do you really need every book on the bookshelf facing the same direction before you go to bed? Figure out your new idea of clean and go with it for a while. There will come a time later in life when the kids are all grown up and out the house when you’ll have the time to devote to cleaning…or sleeping in. 😉

2. Do a little every day.

Some families may be able to do a major cleaning every weekend and get the job done once a week. But most families are going to have to adjust to a different reality. If everyone does something each day, then it won’t be out of control. Make it a habit to check the laundry before you leave the house. Do you need to start a load of laundry, move one over to the dryer, fold a load of towels? When the kids bring in their schoolwork, go through it immediately so you can separate out what needs to be returned, signed, saved or tossed. In other words, don’t leave it for later when you can take care of it on the spot. Don’t know where to start? Download my free printable cleaning list.

3. Enlist the family’s help.

I learned the hard way that I can’t do it all. Even if I  tried, it’s simply impossible. So I had to lose my “super mom” pride and allow my family to help me. It was the best thing I could have done, not only for myself, but for my family as well. Now I have more time to enjoy my kids instead of stressing over a pile of laundry or a dirty house. In doesn’t matter how old your kids are (unless they’re really young), everyone can contribute to the home. Even toddlers can help by picking up their toys. Whether you do a chore chart, or just have the kids jump in when you ask, enlist the family’s help. Another bonus is that when the kids take ownership and help clean, they will eventually realize it’s easier to just clean up on their own so they don’t have to be told what to do.

How do you keep your house clean? What can you do to make it easier for yourself? Please share your tips and thoughts below, I’d love to hear!