Communication is the key to making a cleaning routine stick – sit down and talk about it or just start delegating and teaching how clean around the house. Set expectations and provide plenty of encouragement and you’ll see quickly how the old expression is true: Many hands make light work.

QUICK TIP: Print out the free Homekeeping Calendar or use the Cozi + Clean Mama app to keep everyone on task and to share the routine without nagging.

There are 4 parts to the Clean Mama Routine – start with the Daily Tasks and add the Weekly Tasks as you are ready:

Teach your family the Daily Tasks – there are lots of ways to include them – here are some suggestions, pick and choose what works for your home and family. 

DAILY TASKS

These five tasks are essential to the Clean Mama Routine and the secret to getting started with your clean home; make the beds, check the floors, wipe the counters, tackle clutter, and do a load of laundry.

• My favorite one to include the family on is ‘wipe counters’. This includes the full kitchen clean up. In our home, we all contribute and get this done as quickly as possible after dinner.
• Kids can make their own beds – don’t go back and correct or fix, just let them make their own beds.
• Give everyone a laundry day – that day of the week is when their clothes get washed, dried, put away. Teaching kids to do laundry isn’t as hard as you might think!

Let them know what the Weekly Tasks are and have them help – if they have their own bathroom, they clean it on Monday, they can dust their own rooms on Tuesdays, etc.

WEEKLY CLEANING TASKS

These tasks should only take 10-15 minutes once you get in the swing of the routine – this gets easier every week, stick with it and you’ll see how the consistency is what makes it work. On Monday we clean the bathrooms, Tuesday we dust, Wednesday we vacuum, Thursday we wash the floors, Friday we do anything we didn’t get to and on Saturday we tackle sheets + towels. By having specific tasks for each day of the week you’ll take the guesswork out of what needs to be cleaned and when it needs to be cleaned – it’s wonderful!

If you’re looking for cleaning and laundry products safe for you and your family, check out the Clean Mama Shop. I love creating cute cleaning products that really work and that you can use without worrying about safety,

Want to learn more about the Clean Mama Routine? Head to the Start Here page!

The post Three Easy Ways to Include Your Family in the Clean Mama Routine appeared first on Clean Mama.

5 Things You Can Do to Simplify Thanksgiving

1. Plan ahead. If you feel like sitting down and making a plan will take too much time, set a timer for 15 minutes and make a quick list. If you’re reading this on the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving, it’s not too late to make a plan.
2. Choose what’s important. What are your top three things to complete before the big day. I’m guessing your list might read something like: set menu, shop for food, make food, clean house. Those things are the overreaching items typical for planning Thanksgiving but those are your categories – once you have established those, you’re ready to narrow down the list a bit and make it more specific. Details matter and it’ll definitely make it easier to plan the day. Look over your list and let go of anything that doesn’t need to be on the list. If you had wanted to get family pictures hung before Thanksgiving and haven’t gotten to it yet, it’s okay to table that for the weekend too!

   Legal Pads / Homekeeping Planner / favorite pens

3. Start early. Once you’ve gotten the lists out on paper, distribute them out on the days leading up to Thanksgiving. If cleaning your house is on the schedule, spread it out so you’re not trying to clean the house and roast a turkey at the same time. This just one of the many reasons I love the Clean Mama Routine – you clean a little bit every day and have a plan for cleaning. This makes hosting and opening your home so much easier because you are being proactive with your cleaning all the time instead of reactive.
4. Simplify everything. The Menu, the decorations, the plan for the day. It’s okay to keep things as simple as possible. If you’re having guests, delegate specific items for them to bring – beverages, dinner rolls, specific sides, desserts.
5. Set yourself up for success. There are a handful of things you can do in advance that make Thanksgiving a little easier and the event run smoothly. These are my suggestions, feel free to create your own:

• Start with an empty dishwasher and/or sink. The empty dishwasher will keep the dishes off the counters because it’s ready to load.
• Turn the thermostat down 2-3 degrees before anyone arrives. This will keep your home at a nice temperature when the house heats up from the oven and extra people.
• Dim the lights, turn on lamps – make it cozy!

The post Hosting Thanksgiving? Do These 5 Things to Simplify the Day appeared first on Clean Mama.

If you’re new here, you might not know that Thursday is Floor Washing Day for the Clean Mama Routine – it’s a day that we wash the floors of our homes. Every day CHECK FLOORS is a Daily Task – so we check and sweep or vacuum as necessary. See more about the Clean Mama Routine here.  Want to see my Favorites for Vacuuming?  Head to this post.

My recommendations are based on my own experience, testing and research, recommendations from readers, and ratings from retailers and Amazon.

MY FLOOR WASHING MUSTS/RECOMMENDATION CRITERIA:

• Durable
• Compact and easy to store
• Easy to clean after using – washable (not disposable) cloths
• Can use my own solution to clean with (not necessary, but my preference)
• Works without having to re-wash and leaves floors CLEAN

I’ve pulled together a couple favorites in 3 categories – these are floor washing methods and products that I recommend based on the above criteria in a variety of price ranges. I hope it helps you in your search for the perfect floor washing system!

Microfiber mops are great for weekly cleaning and quick floor washing or for washing small areas.

1 Full Circle Mighty Mop – Easy to use and effective.
2 Bona Hardwood Spray Mop – Great for wood floors and if you want a cleaning solution.
3 E-Cloth Deep Clean Mop – Love this mop, best microfiber mop pad!

Mop & Bucket floor washing is what I use for deep cleaning floors and baseboards. I do find that they leave more water behind than I like on my hardwood floors so I follow with a dry mop as I go.

1 Favbal Spin Mop – Great for deep cleaning and washing baseboards as you wash floors.
2 Bosheng Flat Mop & Bucket – Love this system, no mess and works great!
3 O-Cedar Easy Wring – Fan favorite!

Great for tile and linoleum and for other deep cleaning tasks. Steam mops sanitize without chemicals – love that!

1 Bissell Power Fresh – Great for tile and linoleum.
2 Dupray Neat Steam Cleaner – My must-have and only steam cleaner – you can use it all over the house on furniture, windows, etc. as well as on floors.
3 Bissell Crosswave Cordless – Great for convenience, doesn’t sanitize but cleans well – can be a little cumbersome to clean the parts.

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is about what tools I use for washing floors. I hope that this detailed favorites list is helpful! You can see all of my homekeeping favorites on my Favorites Page and you can also see my favorites on Amazon as well. Truth be told, one of my favorite methods is with a microfiber cleaning cloth – especially in the bathrooms because I think you can get a better clean but most weeks I only have time for a quick wash and mops are great for that! I split up vacuuming and washing floors on purpose in the Clean Mama Routine – this post will detail some ideas for making this easier. 

Try this DIY Recipe for ANY floor – this recipe is for a 16 oz spray bottle and is super easy to mix up. Use it in a spray bottle or in a refillable mop. With just three simple ingredients, this just might be your new favorite way to wash your floors. Mix up a batch today and mop away. Head to this post for the full how-to.

Glass Spray Bottle / DIY Cleaning Recipe Labels / Cleaning Cloth Kit / Essential Oil

If you’re new to DIY cleaning recipes, you’ll love this easy to make floor cleaner. It’’s so simple and a great all-purpose recipe that really works. 

My favorite application for deep cleaning is with a spray bottle and microfiber cloth but you can also spray and use a microfiber mop or spray mop or pour the solution into a small bucket and wipe up with a microfiber or cleaning cloth or with a mop.

Tip for Microfiber Mop Pad: Dampen the mopping pad before starting and add a drop or two of essential oil to give your home an uplifting scent as you mop.

Looking for mop and bucket cleaning solutions? This post shares some favorites.

What do you think? What’s your criteria for washing floors? Have a favorite to share?

Want to see all my floor care favorites? Head to my Amazon shop!

Daily Maintenance:
Every day of the week I have ‘check floors’ as part of my routine. This means that after meals we check the kitchen floor and sweep or vacuum as needed. If I see something on an another floor in the home, I do a quick sweep or vacuum. This checking of the floors is something that I do, my husband does, and the kids will also grab a broom and help out. It’s not intended to be a full-on floor sweeping or vacuuming, it’s a daily dirt clean up. With 3 kids and 2 dogs, this is necessary.

The post Guide to Washing Floors & Favorite Floor Washing Tools appeared first on Clean Mama.

Glass Spray Bottle / DIY Cleaning Recipe Labels / Cleaning Cloth Kit / Essential Oil

If you’re new to DIY cleaning recipes, you’ll love this easy to make cleaner. It’s so simple and works better than the blue stuff!

DIY Cleaning Recipe Labels

GLASS & MIRROR SPRAY

With just 4 ingredients, this DIY Glass & Mirror Spray is a super easy and effective cleaner. It’s perfect for cleaning glass and mirrors and will most likely surprise you with how well it works!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 ½ tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoons rubbing alcohol
• 3 drops peppermint essential oil – I use the Fresh Home Blend
• glass spray bottle
• measuring cup

Spray directly on windows, spray on cloth for mirrors. Wipe for a streak-free clean. Mix and store in a spray bottle. Shake before using. Use on windows and mirrors liberally This DIY recipe will last for up to a month.

The post DIY Glass & Mirror Spray for a Streak-Free Sparkle and Shine appeared first on Clean Mama.

Backpacks and lunch boxes CAN be cleaned – here’s how:

Empty the backpack and/or lunch box completely – open all the pockets and compartments and make sure that there isn’t anything hiding. Check the tags to double check that your item can be laundered in the washing machine. If it can’t follow the directions at the bottom of the post.

Place in your washing machine and wash on gentle with your favorite detergent. I use Clean Mama Laundry Detergent Spray – it works great on any laundry, including backpacks and lunchboxes. I used it to pre-treat a couple stained spots – my little guy has been using his backpack for fishing this summer and I didn’t wash it at the end of the school year. Remind me to never buy a white backpack again.

Add 1-2 scoops Clean Mama Oxygen Whitener (I added 2 large scoops to combat all the stains).

I washed this on the stain cycle to give it a little extra time to soak in the detergent, Oxygen Whitener and warm water.

Leave all the pockets open and hang to dry or place outside to dry in the sun. Check out this before and after! The bottom has a couple stains left but that side pocket is clean and the backpack is ready for another year.

Lunchboxes can be wiped out regularly (weekly or monthly) with a non-toxic all-purpose cleaner or a 50:50 water/white vinegar spray. This will keep the lunchbox clean and free from food spills and other lunch table germs. If your lunchbox is washable, you can launder it the same way you launder backpacks.

Looking for more back to school content? Head to this post for 3 Things to Organize Before Going Back to School.

The post How to Clean Backpacks and Lunchboxes appeared first on Clean Mama.

Backpacks, shoes, coats

This is an area that can quickly become a dumping ground – wherever you store backpacks, shoes, and coats, take some time to assess the area and items and see what fits and what doesn’t and clear out the space. You can see more about our mudroom here.

We took out the kids’ shoe baskets, cleaned out the shelves with a vacuum cleaner and a soft cleaning cloth with a little multi-purpose cleaning spray. While I was cleaning, the kids went through their baskets and kept out just the shoes that they fit into and will wear. Simply eliminating the excess helps to keep the clutter away and it makes it easy for the kids to find what they need.

School & Homework Stations

The older kids have a desk in their room for studying and homework. They did a quick assessment of the spaces and got them ready for school. I find that a clear separation of schoolwork/homework is helpful for all of us. Think in terms of are these areas easy to keep clean as well as easy to clean up? Does everything have a place? Can the kids find what they need quickly?

I like having specific areas that work for each child but sometimes it’s at the kitchen table and counter with a homework caddy at the ready.

Closets & Clothing

Last but not least, I like to go through closets with each kid, sorting and assessing what they have and what they need, what fits and what doesn’t. Catch up on laundry and make sure that clothes are easy to find. If you have younger kids you can even lay out a couple back to school outfits to help them get ready.

What are your must-dos before school starts? Share them in the comments!

Need a little help with a routine and knowing what to clean and when to clean it?

Do you need a mindset shift? A little direction and routine? I have always argued that regardless of how busy you are, you need a cleaning routine. Routine, even if it’s loose, is everything when things get busy. 

If you haven’t tried the Clean Mama Routine or even if you have but need a little refresher, the Start Here page is designed to help you get started. When you do the Clean Mama Routine you are already keeping your home CLEAN on a daily basis. The Clean Mama Homekeeping Planners and the Homekeeping Society Subscription are designed to take the GUESSWORK out of cleaning – everything is laid out for you with Daily and Weekly Tasks. I love sharing the Clean Mama Routine with you during the busiest of times because I know that’s when it really shines.

The post Three Things to Organize Before Going Back to School appeared first on Clean Mama.

This week is all about Cleaning with Kids – I’ll be sharing tips and tricks on the blog and on Instagram for making the most of the next couple months. I hope you’ll join me!

If you’re new here you might want to check out how I automate my laundry routine – I do at least one load of laundry daily and I’ve found that it’s a huge time saver.

The Laundry Schedule is a free printable – check out the post with all the details here.

A couple things to point out first:

• Each of my kids have their own laundry basket that stays in their bedroom closet. I find that this really helps because there isn’t any sorting to see whose clothes are whose. One basket, one kid, easy peasy.
• No sorting through the clothes and separating whites from colors – new outfits go straight into the wash by themselves on COLD to set the color. My oldest is 16 and we’ve been doing this she was a baby and guess what? No white t-shirts have been dyed pink or light blue. I do separate my husband’s and my clothes because we typically have enough whites and darks for two loads.
• I wash the kids clothes on COLD and rinse on COLD and I use this laundry powder and white vinegar for softener (this also helps keep clothes colorfast) and wool dryer balls to keep the static away.

Let’s Do Laundry – Simple Tips to Teach Kids

Here’s the process we use for sorting, folding, hanging and putting clothes away. My littlest one will help me as I fold and hang his clothes by putting away undies, socks, and folded clothes. Having your littles a part of the laundry process is a really easy way to inactively teach them how to do their own clothes. Now, my older two are old enough to manage the process, they already know what to do and just need some guidance. It’s a win-win!

Start with taking the clothes out of the laundry basket – as you take them out separate them out into piles – socks, undies, shirts that are hung up, pants, shorts, skirts, etc. Lay them out on a clean floor, bed, or table.

Once they’re all separated out, start by hanging up your shirts. This is the method we use for hanging clothes – it makes it super simple for kids too:

1. Grab your hangers – have them all facing the same way (it’s easier to quickly hang the clothes this way)
   
2. Put a hanger on the first item on top of the stack
3. Fold the hanger over so it’s still on the stack but not hung up
   
4. Keep going until everything in the stack is on a hanger
   
5. Hang up the stack

Fold pants, jeans, t-shirts and anything else that needs to be folded.

Once you have everything folded or hung, put it away! That’s it – a method to help tame the madness that is laundry!

Having the best laundry products to keep the stains away is also key – I use Clean Mama laundry products for everything and each load of kids’ clothes gets a scoop of Oxygen Whitener to keep the whites white and to hunt down stains.

Laundry Detergent Spray Glass Bottle

See all the posts in this mini-series:

The Just-Right Summer For Your Family
How to Teach Kids to Clean Their Rooms
Simple Summer Lunches
How to Add Responsibilities for Kids
How to Teach Kids to Do Laundry

The Responsible Kids Kit is on sale this week if you’d like to use it as a resource for your kids – it’s complete with checklists, responsibility ideas, how to clean your room, how to follow the Clean Mama Routine, and so much more!

Grab the Responsible Kid Kit

The post How to Teach Kids to Do Laundry appeared first on Clean Mama.

Whether you choose to use these room-by-room cleaning suggestions as chores or as incentives is up to you. These are some of the cleaning tasks that have been helpful and realistic in our home that I hope will inspire you to use them as a springboard for your family. I’m dividing them up by Preschool Age-Appropriate and School-Age Appropriate. You’ll see some similarities – preschool chores are building blocks for school-age chores and school-age chores are building blocks for life. Please note that this is designed to be a place for ideas, I am most definitely not suggesting that you make your kids do each and every chore.

This week is all about Cleaning with Kids – I’ll be sharing tips and tricks on the blog and on Instagram for making the most of the next couple months. I hope you’ll join me!

If you need a chore chart to help reinforce responsibilities, I have one for you on the free printables page. Just add your email address and I’ll email you a password and you’ll have full access to all of the freebies.

FREE PRINTABLE CHORE CHART IS HERE

PRE-SCHOOL HOUSEHOLD TASKS

Preschoolers are eager helpers and it’s hard to figure out just how to best harness their enthusiasm while giving them tasks that are actually useful. Depending upon the age and maturity of your child, there is a large variety of tasks that can be expected and accomplished by this age group. With this age group, modeling is especially important. For example, show them just how to dampen a washcloth and wring it out to wipe their face and hands or how to set the table appropriately with plates in the center and silverware on the left or right side. It will take multiple times for them to have it up to your expectations, so have patience as they learn the proper technique.

While not every child or age can be expected to complete every task in the list below, pick ones that fit your child or children’s age and maturity as well as your needs. After deciding ones that are good fits, use the blank list included in today’s download in order to make a checklist of sorts for your family.

With a little teaching and modeling, you will be surprised at just what your child is capable of. Every little bit of help counts!

GENERAL HOUSEHOLD

• wipe baseboards/cupboards with baby wipes
• help fold laundry – match socks, fold dishcloths and hand towels
• help sort laundry into whites and brights/darks
• help put away clean clothes
• clean windows with damp microfiber cloth
• pick up toys, put books in bookshelf
• help unload groceries
• water plants
• gather garbage
• vacuum corners and edges along baseboards
• wipe bathroom counter with dampened microfiber cloth
• dust lower shelves and items
• wipe doorknobs and switchplates

MORNING/EVENING CHORES

• brush teeth
• brush hair
• wipe face with a warm, wet washcloth after eating
• bath/shower when needed
• make bed- pull up comforter/duvet and put pillow at the top
• put dirty clothes and pajamas in clothes basket
• get dressed in the morning and pajamas in the evening

MEALTIME CHORES

• set table with plates, napkins and appropriate silverware
• bring dirty dishes to sink when done eating
• wipe down table
• sweep up crumbs using a small dustpan and broom or handheld vacuum

premium microfiber cleaning cloths / multi-purpose cleaning & freshening powder

SCHOOL-AGE+ HOUSEHOLD TASKS

GENERAL HOUSEHOLD CHORES

• wipe baseboards/cupboards
• help sort laundry into whites and brights/darks
• help start and switch laundry loads
• help fold laundry
• help put away clean clothes
• clean windows with damp microfiber cloth
• pick up toys and activities, put books in bookshelf
• help unload groceries
• water plants
• take care of pets
• gather garbage
• take garbage and recycling to the curb
• get mail
• dust surfaces
• sweep floors
• vacuum corners and edges along baseboards
• vacuum floors using a lightweight upright
• clean clutter from bathroom counter
• wipe bathroom counter with dampened microfiber cloth
• wipe doorknobs and switch plates

MORNING/EVENING CHORES

• brush teeth
• brush hair
• wipe face with a warm, wet washcloth after eating
• bath/shower when needed
• make bed- pull up comforter/duvet and flat sheet up and put pillow at the top
• put dirty clothes and pajamas in clothes basket
• get dressed in the morning and pajamas in the evening

MEALTIME CHORES

• simple mealtime prep help – eventual meal planning and cooking
• help put away groceries
• pour beverages
• set table with plates, glasses, napkins and appropriate silverware
• bring dirty dishes to sink when done eating
• put away leftovers
• rinse dishes before loading in to dishwasher
• load dishwasher (remove knives and sharp utensils until age appropriate)
• dry and put away dishes
• wipe down table
• sweep up crumbs using a small dustpan and broom or handheld vacuum

BEDROOMS

• Make bed. I use a fitted sheet on the kids’ beds paired with a washable quilt or duvet. This makes it easier for kids to simply pull up the cover and put the pillow at the top.
• Help put away clean clothes as they are able. Start with putting away socks and move on to other items as kids get older.
• Put dirty clothes in laundry basket.
• Put toys away. We try to use the rule that before a new toy or activity is taken out, the unused one needs to be put away. We do several sweeps a day and check them before a special activity (screen time, snack time, friend time).

BATHROOMS

• Wipe down counter. A damp and wrung out microfiber cloth with water works perfectly for cleaning up little spatters and spills. No harsh cleaners necessary.
• Clean mirror. A barely damp microfiber cloth is great for this task.
• Refills empty toilet paper and tissue boxes.
• Collect garbage.
• Wipe down baseboards and around the perimeter of the bathroom with baby wipes.

LIVING AREAS

• Wipe baseboards with baby wipes.
• Wipe light switches and door knobs.
• Pick up toys. Check under couch and furniture for errant toys and odds and ends.

KITCHEN

• Wash dishes.
• Help unload the dishwasher. Younger children can help sort silverware and older children can put away breakables, dishes and glasses.
• Set the table.
• Clear plates at the table, bringing dishes to sink.
• Little ones can be taught how to use a small dustpan and broom to gather up crumbs and other little odds and ends as well as emptying it in to the garbage.
• A handheld vacuum cleaner also works well for children to help with vacuuming up crumbs, small scraps, and kitchen floor debris.
• Wipe the table down.
• Help empty trash and sort recyclables.

LAUNDRY

• Help sort by color (whites, brights, and darks).
• Sort and pair up socks.
• Help make matches with pajamas and outfits.
• Put clothes on hangers.
• Collect garbage in the laundry room. I have a small trash basket in the laundry room for lint, tags, etc. that the kids take care of emptying when asked.

PET CARE

• Take care of water and food for pets. My oldest started this routine around 5 years old.
• ‘Help’ with brushing and bathing.
• Gather up pet toys at the end of the day to store in basket or container.

MY FAVORITE WAYS TO GET HELP IN A HURRY

• Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes and work to clean an entire area or trouble spot.
• Set up a kids’ bucket with kid-safe cleaning supplies. See my favorites here.
• Chore charts work well in our house to assure that kids have a visual reminder to check off daily.
• Use completed tasks as ‘rewards’: once your clean room is cleaned up you can go play with your friends, take something else out, have screen time, etc.
• Let kids help build a chore chart or responsibility chart. Taking ownership in the creation of the tasks will ensure a better success rate!

See all the posts in this mini-series:

The Just-Right Summer For Your Family
How to Teach Kids to Clean Their Rooms
Simple Summer Lunches
How to Add Responsibilities for Kids
How to Teach Kids to Do Laundry

The Responsible Kids Kit is on sale this week if you’d like to use it as a resource for your kids – it’s complete with checklists, responsibility ideas, how to clean your room, how to follow the Clean Mama Routine, and so much more!

Grab the Responsible Kid Kit

The post How to Add Responsibilities for Kids appeared first on Clean Mama.

This week is all about Cleaning with Kids – I’ll be sharing tips and tricks on the blog and on Instagram for making the most of the next couple months. I hope you’ll join me!

Breaking it all the way down, I looked at what created the mess and simplified that process. Of course, it’s preparing the meal, dirty dishes, dishes, leftovers, and messy counters.

My favorite summer lunch for the kids is in the spirit of a charcuterie board with a kid twist. Sometimes I’ll do leftovers on the board, sandwiches cut up into strips or triangles, and other times it’s just a broad mix of food that they want placed on a board. It’s simple, low mess, easy clean up and the novelty never really wears off.

Here’s what I do:

• To keep it really low-mess and simple I’ll put a piece of parchment paper on the board and place the food on the board. I’m using our charcuterie board here, but any large plate or cutting board will do.
• Place portions on the board – keep the foods separate for picky eaters and for ease of grabbing the foods.
• I use glasses for veggies and if there are any leftovers I just put the
• m in the fridge for an afternoon snack.
• Put out a variety of foods – protein – cheese, eggs, meat; fruits and veggies; crackers, sandwiches; something sweet – dried fruit, chocolate chips, granola, etc.
• Put out plates or just let everyone eat with napkins. Keep it simple!

Have younger kids? Use a muffin tin or divided lunch tray and put the foods in the muffin tin or tray.

What have you found that works? What are your favorite summer lunches for kids? How about for your lunches? Another time saver for me is to have my lunches planned out or pre-made.

I do a big garden salad and will typically give the kids the veggies from my salad on their lunch plates. Decisions take time and brain space – I like having this decision already made for me!

See all the posts in this mini-series:

The Just-Right Summer For Your Family
How to Teach Kids to Clean Their Rooms
Simple Summer Lunches
How to Add Responsibilities for Kids
How to Teach Kids to Do Laundry

The Responsible Kids Kit is on sale this week if you’d like to use it as a resource for your kids – it’s complete with checklists, responsibility ideas, how to clean your room, how to follow the Clean Mama Routine, and so much more!

Grab the Responsible Kid Kit

The post Simple Summer Lunches appeared first on Clean Mama.

This week is all about Cleaning with Kids – I’ll be sharing tips and tricks on the blog and on Instagram for making the most of the next couple months. I hope you’ll join me!

Build habits, not clean rooms. Think about little habits that your kids can work on over time and build on. These little habits will lead to clean rooms – eventually. If you concentrate on the clean room, you’re missing out on the little habits. After a couple messy rooms, we did a big clean after school ended.You can see from my youngest’s room that there were some piles and messes.

Here are the steps we followed:

1. Grab a garbage bag and toss everything toss-able.
2. Put the bedding in the wash.
3. Gather dirty laundry and throw in the washer/dryer or set it outside the laundry room for after the bedding is in the dryer.
4. Tidy up the room.
5. Make the bed.
6. Put away laundry
7. Vacuum.

It took an hour and a half for us to work on this together but the room has stayed clean since. You can see that the Lego table is still full of projects and if you saw the other side of the room there’s a bookcase with collections and picture frames – these are things that he loves and wants to keep in the room. I love the little collections

Pictured is a checklist in the new Responsible Kid Kit – on sale this week!

For comparison, here is a before and after of our daughter’s room (shared with permission) she is 16 and can run through the entire process by herself, right down to laundry, cleaning her bathroom, and changing sheets.

I hope it’s helpful to see that working with kids pays off in the long run. Do all three kids have spotless rooms every day? No, do we do our Daily Tasks and Weekly Tasks daily? We try to!

A couple more things that are helpful for teaching kids to clean their rooms:

• Show don’t tell. This is something I’ve found to be super helpful when it comes to any task I’m trying to teach. If I take the time to show how to do something the end result I’m looking for comes much more quickly than if I just ’tell’ them how to do something. The showing, taking the time, and helping through the process is when the idea really sinks in. Depending on the age, it’s helpful to walk them through a task multiple times and I’ve found that checklists is helpful. Then it’s not me doing the telling, it’s the list that’s keeping them on task.

• Give them their own supplies. Putting kid-safe cleaning supplies in a caddy or a bucket gives them the tools they need to help you. This works for kids of all ages – having supplies at the ready makes it easier to grab and clean. A duster, simple cleaning solution (even just water for the youngest helpers works!), scrub, soap, a scrub brush are all simple and easy tools for cleaning.

pictured: Cleaning Cloth Kit | Glass Spray Bottle | Mason Jar | Cleaning Bucket | Responsible Kid Kit

A visual checklist or step by step is helpful for younger kids whereas a checklist or chore chart might be helpful for older children that can read. You’ll find that in the Responsible Kid Kit I have a fillable checklist where you can type into the fields and print out your own list. This is great as tasks change with age and season.

What have you found that works? Are your kids ready for more responsibility?  I know mine are and we’re making this the summer of responsibility and follow through (for me) on getting things done!

See all the posts in this mini-series:

The Just-Right Summer For Your Family
How to Teach Kids to Clean Their Rooms
Simple Summer Lunches
How to Add Responsibilities for Kids
How to Teach Kids to Do Laundry

The Responsible Kids Kit is on sale this week if you’d like to use it as a resource for your kids – it’s complete with checklists, responsibility ideas, how to clean your room, how to follow the Clean Mama Routine, and so much more!

Grab the Responsible Kid Kit

The post How to Teach Kids to Clean Their Rooms appeared first on Clean Mama.

This week is all about Cleaning with Kids – I’ll be sharing tips and tricks on the blog and on Instagram for making the most of the next couple months. I hope you’ll join me!

After years of teaching, I know that most kids like structure and tend to thrive on the right balance of it. I make it my goal to strike that balance and make the most of their 18 summers at home. Curious how I’m going to integrate chores, planned activities, and summer fun for my three kiddos? I love creating that balance between simplicity and structure – I find it really helpful all year long but in the summer it’s especially helpful. Keep reading for some ideas and tell me yours in the comments…..

My kids range from the ages of 10-16 with one girl and two boys, so there’s definitely a mix of attention spans and interests to work around but I am up for the challenge. I know that every day isn’t going to be perfect, but when summer is over I hope we all feel like it was what we needed for the season.

Full disclosure: I can’t approach the summer without a plan for a couple of reasons, a.) a loose plan works best for all of us, and b.) I work full-time and even though it’s from home and for myself, this ensures that I spend oodles of time soaking up my kids but the business gets done too.

The key to a simple summer? Having a plan.

I start with a summer calendar – you can find the 2022 summer calendar here on the free printables page. I print two – one for planning to sketch out activities and see where everything lands and then one for the things I actually sign the kids up for.

Then I sign the kids up for classes or sports – 1-2 things each works well for us. The two bigger kids have more activities closer to when school starts but if we need to add something as the summer is rolling we do but I really keeping the activities to a minimum because that’s just more running around than I’m up for. I love my Homekeeping Planner (available for preorder here) for keeping myself on task during the day too!

File the school papers and mementos

You know all the papers that come home the last week of school? Have a plan for it so it doesn’t sit in a pile all summer long. We have a bin and file folder for the kids’ special papers and a large file folder for the oversized pieces. This post details both ideas.

Summer is a great time to deal with toys and toy storage with your kids. Get them involved in the sorting, tossing, and donating process and take the time to teach them how to pick up as they go and to put things away once they play with something. This post details how we deal with the toys and toy storage in our home.

Everyone has Daily Tasks and Chores

Before school is out I update our daily checklists to make sure they still pertain to ability levels – our kids do chores and work around the house. We want them to know how to do laundry, cook meals, run a vacuum cleaner, clean their rooms, change sheets, and clean a toilet. Not only does this help them but it also helps us! Look for more on this later this week.

I like using a checklist or chore chart for the kids – this helps them know what to do each day. They can quickly glance at them during the day and check in on their progress. They have drastically cut down on nagging and reminding – I’ll take that as a win. You can find this Chore Chart free printable here  or check out the Responsible Kids Kit in the shop – it is packed with checklists and ideas for a responsibilities for kids.

After chores come fun and activities

Once we have them completed our tasks we see what we have going on for the day. Some days we just hang out in the morning and go to the pool in the afternoon. I typically work for a couple hours in the morning – in the past I’ve utilized a babysitter a few mornings a week but as the kids are older they will do their jobs, I’ll do my Daily and Weekly Tasks and work for a bit before we do fun activities.

We do the library’s summer reading challenge every summer – this means we go to the library every week or so, choose new books, and try to read every afternoon. This quiet time is helpful for me to do a little work for 30 minutes to an hour or just to read with the kids too. Put a basket out and keep it filled up with library books. I have the basket in our living room and the kids will independently grab books and sit on the couch and read. I find that just keeping the books available is effective in quietly encouraging them to read.

QUICK TIP: put on music that’s calming and quiet and have it in the background and it will settle the atmosphere most days

Stock up on supplies and activities that entertain the kids without cords. We have activity books and art supplies accessible all summer long. Yes, it’s definitely a little more messy but keeping these options open and available eliminates the electronics fight. We do have electronics but there are limits to when they can come out and for how long (it’s minimal and supervised). Come up with a plan that works for your family for the summer and do your best to stick with it.

Have an “I’m bored” checklist – have the kids help you make a checklist of things that they can do if they’re bored and then you can refer them to the list if they need something to do. Add some chores and fun activities so the list has 15-20 options and idea sparkers.

Keep meals simple and let the kids take a turn at helping with planning, prepping, and cooking. Summer is a great time to give them a lessons in the kitchen. My oldest loves baking and keeps our sweet tooth satisfied all summer long while my younger two like to come up with lunch concoctions or weird flavor combinations to try.

When we have classes and sports we keep things pretty simple at home and typically don’t do other activities. Fridays when we don’t have a class we choose a ‘Fun Friday’ activity to do. This is something that we put on a summer bucket list and can be as simple as making ice cream, having a cookie making contest, helping a neighbor, or an activity like going to the zoo or a fun park. Don’t think that you need to plan big activities to have a great summer – with just a little planning you’ll find that your summer can be fun and simple!

Tell me what you’re doing this summer – do you take the simple approach or keep the kids busy or are your trying to strike a balance too?

See all the posts in this mini-series:

The Just-Right Summer For Your Family
How to Teach Kids to Clean Their Rooms
Simple Summer Lunches
How to Add Responsibilities for Kids
How to Teach Kids to Do Laundry

The Responsible Kids Kit is on sale this week if you’d like to use it as a resource for your kids – it’s complete with checklists, responsibility ideas, how to clean your room, how to follow the Clean Mama Routine, and so much more!

The post The Just-Right Summer for Your Family – Create the Right Mix of Structure + Simplicity appeared first on Clean Mama.

FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE STEPS:

Fill a glass bowl or measuring cup with 3-4 cups of hot tap water. Cut a lemon into wedges (I do wedges for the one lemon) and place in the warm water. I like to squeeze the wedges prior to putting them in the water to give the water a little grease-cutting power.

Put the bowl of water and lemon/lemon juice in the microwave and run it until the water boils. This typically takes 3-5 minutes.  Keep an eye on it and make sure that it starts boiling before you stop the microwaving process.

Let the steam do its job – don’t open the door for at least 5-10 minutes. The steam will work to dissolve any grease, drips, and grime. Repeat if you don’t see steam on the inside of the microwave like this.

Take out the glass plate or tray in your microwave and wash it in your sink or dishwasher. I love this dish soap for washing dishes AND cleaning.

dish soap

Wipe the interior of the microwave clean. If you need a little extra cleaning power spritz with white vinegar or non-toxic all-purpose cleaner. Use a sponge or a cleaning cloth to wipe clean and rinse and wring as you’re wiping.

foaming scrubbing sponge

Wash and dry the glass plate and return it to the microwave. Stand back and admire your shiny and clean microwave! Repeat monthly or as needed.

The post How to Clean a Microwave appeared first on Clean Mama.

glass spray bottle | spray bottle bands | cleaning bucket | Oxygen Whitener | bar mop towels

Here are two simple All-Purpose Cleaning recipes – both can be used to clean multiple surfaces, my preference is the soap-based cleaning spray. These are multi-purpose and can be mixed up in larger batches for bucket-cleaning or used in a spray bottle. If you’re not sure what to use when you’re spring cleaning, use an All-Purpose recipe!

SOAP BASED ALL-PURPOSE CLEANING SPRAY – use this for most surfaces, including stone and marble, no rinsing is required
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon castile or dish soap– if you find that 1/4 teaspoon isn’t enough soap based on your hard/soft water, increase up to 1 teaspoon. If you’re using the new Foaming Dish Soap (it’s amazing!), just use one pump
optional: 3-5 drops essential oil

Double, triple, or quadruple for use with a small bucket and cloth to clean doors, baseboards, or other large surfaces.

Combine ingredients, close spray bottle, shake, and CLEAN!

VINEGAR BASED ALL-PURPOSE CLEANING SPRAY – use this if you prefer vinegar or have water spots, mineral build up, or other stubborn stains, do not use on any stone surfaces.

50:50 water to white vinegar ratio – if you’re using a spray bottle, use these amounts:
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup white vinegar
optional: 3-5 drops essential oil

Double, triple, or quadruple for use with a small bucket and cloth to clean doors, baseboards, or other large surfaces.

Combine ingredients, close spray bottle, shake, and CLEAN!

If you want to get a sudsing and scrubbing action with this recipe, add a little soap to a scrub brush or sponge to use as you clean. Scrub and rinse.

TOOLS:

• measuring cup
• measuring spoon
• funnel – this just makes it easier to pour liquid ingredients into a spray bottle
• spray bottle
• bar mop towels for wiping surfaces – my personal preference are the Premium Bar Mop Towels and the Cleaning Cloth Kit, but I also like using a sponge or a Swedish dish cloth as well.

Have you seen the new DIY Cleaning Recipes Pocket Notebook?  It’s darling and includes 31 recipes plus pages to keep your own DIYs. At only $8, it’s perfect for your DIY cleaning adventure and makes a great gift.Looking for more? Here are all the posts on DIY cleaning in one place.

This March we’re spring cleaning together but in our own way!  Grab the free printable kit and join the challenge……

The free Spring Cleaning Kit has two different types of checklists – the first is the brand new Spring Clean Your Way checklist that has the tasks broken down by room and in a way that allows you to work in small increments through your home. With Spring Clean Your Way you can do a task or two a day, set a timer for 10-15 minutes, or work through it over the month. The simple Spring Cleaning Checklist is a traditional spring cleaning checklist. Use this kit as a guide to start spring cleaning and complete it in a way that makes sense for your schedule.

 premium bar mop towel | cleaning cloth kit | spray bottle bands | glass spray bottle

READY? HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

1. GRAB YOUR FREE PRINTABLE SPRING CLEANING KIT and print it out or have it ready to access! This guide is ONLY available through this month, it will not come back again. When you click that link you are heading to my FREE PRINTABLES PAGE – you only need to put your email address in ONE time and the password will be sent to your email address. Check your promotions and spam folders if you don’t see it right away. If you’re new to Clean Mama, you’ll be signed up for my emails once you get the free printables page access so you won’t’ miss a thing on the blog this month either!
2. FOLLOW @CLEANMAMA ON INSTAGRAM – I’ll be posting spring cleaning how-tos and tips the whole month of March (probably into April too!). Follow along and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss a thing.
3. Share, share, share!  I’d love it if you shared SPRING CLEAN YOUR WAY with your friends and asked them to join us. It’s going to be so fun!

I’ll be on Instagram quite a bit this month – make sure you’re following along over there too.

The post DIY All-Purpose Cleaner – perfect for Spring Cleaning! appeared first on Clean Mama.

If you’re trying to figure out if you are up for some spring cleaning, cleaning your home’s most-touched areas is the perfect way to start!

Kitchen & Pantry Towels | Notebook | Glass Spray Bottle

I find the most efficient way to clean those pesky most-touched areas is to batch them together. I go in order of the below list and do all of the light switches and switch plates, then move on to clean all the door knobs, all the kitchen handles, etc. This keeps me on task, I don’t miss anything, if a certain cleaner or cloth works better for an area I can use that for the whole house, and if I can’t get through the whole list in one go, I can come back to the list.

Premium Bar Mop Towel – white

MOST TOUCHED AREAS:

• light switches and switch plates
• door knobs
• bonus points for cleaning your doors
• kitchen appliance handles (fridge, dishwasher, oven)
• bonus points for cleaning your appliance fronts
• telephones (landlines + cell phones)
• staircase railings
• cupboard and drawer knobs and pulls in the kitchen
• cupboard and drawer knobs and pulls in bathroom(s)
• bonus points for cleaning your cupboard and drawer fronts
• TV remotes
• game controllers

HOW TO CLEAN:

Generally speaking, all you need is a little all-purpose cleaner and a microfiber cleaning cloth or bar mop towel to clean most of these most-touched areas. You can see my favorite DIY Cleaners here. All-purpose cleaner can be sprayed directly ON your cleaning cloth and then the area can be wiped clean. Spray, wipe, repeat.

All-Purpose Cleaning Spray

• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 10 drops of your favorite essential oil (lemon and clove is my favorite blend)

Mix in a spray bottle, spray liberally on surfaces and wipe clean with a soft cleaning cloth (I prefer microfiber or bar mop towels – you can find them here).

Door Knobs + Pulls, Light Switches, Remotes

When cleaning areas like door knobs, light switches, and remotes/game controllers, I’ll usually pour a little rubbing alcohol on a cleaning cloth or bar mop towel and wipe. This will kill germs and clean the area easily.

Doors and cabinets

When cleaning doors and cabinets I like to mix up a little cupboard and cabinet cleaner. This simple recipe will tackle most cupboards and cabinets but this post goes into a couple more recipes.

Cupboard + Cabinet Cleaner

8 cups warm water
2 tablespoons liquid Castile soap or dish soap
3 drops lemon essential oil

Mix all ingredients in a bucket. Work from top left and scrub your way down to the right using a microfiber cloth or bar mop towel. Be sure to wring out your cloth frequently and well.

Ready to get started? I’m pretty sure if you start with a little spring cleaning you’ll find that it’s not as hard as you thought it might be to get started!

You can see all of my Spring Cleaning Favorites here on my Amazon Favorites page too! Looking for more Spring Cleaning content?

GRAB A CHECKLIST TO GET STARTED:

• FOLLOW: Make sure you’re following along on Instagram @CLEANMAMA
• SUBSCRIBE: If you haven’t subscribed to the blog – you can do that by putting your name and email address in the FREE PRINTABLES PAGE
• DOWNLOAD + PRINT: Once you get the password (you only need to enter your email address in ONE time), grab the Spring Clean Your Way Checklist on the FREE PRINTABLES PAGE – this is what we are following for the month of March.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS: Spread the word on your social media and tag me so I can share too! Cleaning is always more fun with friends!

WATCH FOR SPRING CLEANING CONTENT ALL MONTH LONG:  Make sure you’re following along on Instagram for DAILY updates from the Clean Mama HQ (my house).

The post How to Clean Your Home’s Most Touched Areas appeared first on Clean Mama.

Instead of throwing yourself into a panic, you need a plan. Print off a few checklists and put them on a clipboard and pair the checklists with a few microfiber cloths, a duster, disinfecting cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, and a lint roller. Go here to see my favorite cleaning products. Put the items you need in a simple kit to quick clean, anytime.

Print off a couple of these quick clean checklists and the minute you get that phone call grab the checklist and start tidying up and cleaning. Thirty minutes later you’ll have a quickly cleaned home and you’ll be able to welcome your guests without a second thought.

Go to the free printables page to grab these free printables and many, many more!

If you’re new to the free printables page you’ll need to enter your email address ONE TIME and I’ll send you the password you can use to access the free printables page. If you already have the password, simple enter it and grab these goodies.

I also have a whole section in the shop with printable kits designed to make your life easier. They’ve all been updated with the new color scheme AND they are all fillable so you can type in your own info or fill it out by hand. You can find them here in the shop.

The post How to Do a Holiday Prep Quick Clean + Free Printables appeared first on Clean Mama.

Typically paper towels are used for:

• Drying hands
• Wiping counters
• Cleaning surfaces

I think that the key to finding a swap for paper towels is finding just the right switch for your home and cleaning needs. I use a variety of paper towel replacements in our home and I’ll share what I use for what purpose. Think about what you currently use paper towels for and then think about what would work for you to swap out. In the case of paper towels, the switch is worth it for a number of reasons. You won’t run out of paper towels, it’s more economical (if you go through 4-8 rolls a month, you could save up to $20+/month), and you’ll be making a step towards sustainable and reusable home goods.

Here are my favorite paper towel swaps and the ones that I use every day in our home:

I get a lot of questions from readers regarding what cloths in my shop I use to clean different areas of our home. I thought it would be fun to share all the ways I use the Clean Mama cleaning cloths and towels in our home. After years of using, testing, and manufacturing textiles I am still finding new ways to use reusables in our home – these are just the ways I use Clean Mama cloths and towels, you might have other ways – if it works for you, keep doing it!

BAR MOP TOWELS – MY FAVORITE PAPER TOWEL REPLACEMENT

I started using bar mop towels years ago as a replacement for paper towels in the kitchen. I keep a jar by the sink where a paper towel holder would be and then I can just grab one instead of a paper towel to wipe down counters.

They were the the first item I wanted to carry in my shop. I use these in place in of paper towels – simply roll them up and put them in a container by the kitchen sink. I exclusively use the Premium Bar Mop Towels in my shop (they won a 2021 Good Housekeeping award!) and absolutely love the texture and feel and effectiveness of this towel. I also have a 100% cotton bar mop towel as well – they work great too!

I use them to wipe down counters and the kitchen table.  Put a damp one by the stove while you’re cooking to wipe up spills to keep things neat and tidy. I also use them for general cleaning like baseboards and doors as well.

How do I launder kitchen towels? I rinse them out after using and let them dry over the kitchen sink overnight and then put them in a bin under the sink. When that bin is full I toss this load in the washing machine. I use Oxygen Whitener, Laundry Detergent Spray, and 1/4 cup of white vinegar in each load of any kitchen towels. The Oxygen Whitener removes any stains and keeps white white and the Laundry Detergent Spray deep cleans those cloths. You can find the Clean Mama Laundry Products in the shop.

SWEDISH DISH CLOTHS – WIPING COUNTERS, WASHING GLASSES AND DISHES

Swedish Dish Cloths are eco-friendly, quick drying kitchen cloths. Each Swedish Dish Cloth replaces 15 rolls of paper towels. They are like a sponge in that they transform when wet and they can be used to wipe counters and dishes. I love that they are thin in shape and can fit into tight spaces to clean. Bonus: they’re safe on all surfaces.

At the end of the day and when we’re done with the dinner dishes, I put any sponges or Swedish Dish Cloths in the top rack of the dishwasher, ring out the water when the cycle completes and let them air dry.

FOAMING SCRUBBING SPONGES – COUNTERS, APPLIANCES, SCRUBBING, DISHES

FLOUR SACK TOWELS – DRYING DISHES, BAKING, GENERAL CLEANING

If you aren’t using flour sack towels, you’re missing out. These old-fashioned towels have so many uses but my favorite is for laying out on the counter for dishes to drip dry. I also use them for hand drying dishes – they are so lightweight that they dry in about an hour. They’re also lint-free and great for cleaning windows and large surfaces.

You can find all of these Cloths + Towels in the Clean Mama Shop.Are you trying to cut back on paper towel usage? Have you already cut back on paper towels?

What’s your favorite replacement towels?

The post Using Too Many Paper Towels? Three Easy Ways to Cut Back appeared first on Clean Mama.