Housekeeping and the Millennial Mom

My nana always told me that they’ll never put on your gravestone what a good housekeeper you were, but they will remember what you did with the children. I still hear stories about all the times she took the kids midnight bowling or how she’d drive really fast into a dip in our road making a rollercoaster effect. Needless to say, her house didn’t always look like she had time to do #allthethings. Yours doesn’t have too either. Here are 7 tips for housekeeping and the millennial mom.

1. Create a place for everything.

It’s much easier to put things away when you’re tired if you know where EVERYTHING goes. Of course, you may have to change it up every so often. My son realized that his food pouches were kept in a certain place so he’d open it up and ask for one 20 times a day. This obviously caused the packets not to last very long. Now, I’ve moved them to a new location until he figures that one out. It’s inevitable! I know I sound like your mom here, but sometimes she was right.

2. Keep toys to a limited space.

I’m too exhausted to clean every time my son takes out a toy. Read: 3 Reasons Millennial Moms are More Tired Than Other Moms. I keep the house looking tidy by having a place for everything major, and I let his toy clutter remain until the end of the day. I don’t apologize for it. Everyone who comes in my house knows that I have a child so they should be able to handle blocks and books along the floor. I merely keep the toy spread limited to a small corner of each floor.

3. Keep laundry hampers accessible to EVERYONE.

You’ll have to train everyone to use the laundry hamper but once they get it then you’re golden. Our son loves to put his clothes into it nightly. This means that all dirty clothes are in one place, and I can do laundry when I feel like it or when it’s necessary. I don’t have to do it every day, but it’s hidden away.

4. What are your priorities?

For me, I want a clean toilet and kitchen space more than anything in the world. If those two areas of my house are gross, I feel icky all over. It may be that for you, it’s the floors or the dust bunnies. It’s all about defining what is important to you. If you can live with whatever is messy in your house, you will feel more comfortable inviting neighbors over all the time.

5. Don’t leave dishes overnight.

There is nothing more disheartening in the morning than a sink full of dishes. You’ll wake up dreading dealing with them because they’re harder to clean than they were last night. If you finish this task before bed, you’ll wake up feeling refreshed and be able to enjoy your coffee.

6. Prep for the next day.

I love to pack lunches ahead of time. I love to get meals prepped for the next day because it means I won’t be too exhausted to deal with dinner. It also means I have a plan and that plan usually, involves cooking for 1-2 more people than I expect to be eating that evening. HEY LEFTOVERS and extra for guests who may or may not be expected.

7. Schedule it.

Any major pieces of cleaning that you need to do just need to be put into your schedule. You’ll be far more likely to get them done if it is in your calendar. You’ll especially want to do this for things like changing filters, switching fan directions, etc.

Those are my 7 tips for EVERY millennial mom to master her housekeeping conundrum.

Need help figuring out your priorities when it comes to your family and your cleaning routine? Download the free 5-page Family Mission Statement Workbook by clicking below.

— Yvonne