Here we are yet again with another blog centered around cleaning. Children love to make a mess, but cleaning? Yea it isn’t their strong suit. It can be a challenge to keep things clean, neat, and orderly when you've got young children at home, but it's not impossible. Start teaching your kids how to clean when they're young and you won’t end up cleaning their room for them when they're 17! 

The Basics 

When teaching your little ones about the world of cleaning you have to start small. Our bodies are amazing!  Day after day, they work hard to digest food, pump blood and oxygen, sending signals from our brains, and much more. However, there are tiny invaders that tend to make our bodies sick. We call them germs. Germs are found all over the world, in all kinds of places!  The four main types of germs being bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. They invade plants, animals, and people, and sometimes they can even make us sick. Once germs are inside of us, they stay there. They eat our nutrients and can produce toxins that can be harmful to us. So how do we protect ourselves from germs? Cleaning! Remember the words that germs fear soap, water, and disinfectants. Now that you know the facts about germs, let’s learn some ways to make your kids part of the solution, rather than the problem. 

Expectations 

 Little kids may not have the coordination or dexterity to neatly make their beds every morning, so a good first effort may be to have them pull the comforter up to the top of the bed! It is important to be proud of the little things and not to expect perfection on the first try. Give kids a timeframe to focus their attention and get the task done. 

Chores can be fun! 

Make housework fun by incorporating games into various chores. If your kids feel like 30 seconds is a lifetime when washing their hands, pick a catchy song to dance and sing to whilst they’re doing it as a distraction to make the time fly by. If your kids are a bit too old to believe the idea of “tiny monsters” that live inside your body, why not turn arts and crafts into a valuable learning opportunity. This will give an accurate enough representation of what germs look like underneath a microscope

Chore Chart 

Chore charts are great as they encourage kids to go above and beyond expectations in keeping the house neat and organized as well as being recognized and celebrated for kind, generous, or helpful behavior! Add a smiley face for every time they washed or brushed teeth or made bed and offer a fun reward at the end. 

No Redo’s 

The last thing you want is to send your child a message that their work wasn’t good enough. They can grow discouraged and defeated by the task leaving them less likely to attempt the same task in the future Try to be as supportive and encouraging as possible when teaching your kids how to clean. Even if the job isn't done precisely, you should thank them for their effort rather than insincerely praising them for a less-than-successful execution. Then practice the task again together and offer helpful hints that will result in more success! 

Welcome back to the second part of our housekeeping series of blog posts. We hope that you were able to utilize some of the tips from our first post. We have even more information to help keep your household neat and clean. Keep in mind, we are not professionals, but love to clean and have picked up tips over the years that we want to share with you. 

Declutter

Before you start cleaning, put away anything that isn't where it belongs. This will save you time before you clean instead of trying to do both things at once.

Tidy Up 

Heaps of garbage, dirt and grime would be overwhelming for anyone. It is helpful to pick things up as you go. Pick up after yourself and encourage other members of your household to pitch in and help. Start with shared spaces, clear counters, put food away, use a feather duster and take a vacuum to the floor. Don’t forget the dishes in the sink. Little things at a time help manage mega loads and eliminate stress. 

Deep Cleaning

One of the most wonderful times of the year. All jokes aside this isn’t something you’ll need to do every single day. Usually you’ll need to deep clean your household once or twice a year. This is the time to really roll up your sleeves and tie your hair back. This type of cleaning is the most thorough and may take a few days, so divide your home into sections and conquer one area at a time. Clean carpets, dust elevated surfaces and wash windows and window frames. It is also the perfect time to check for mold and mildew in damp places to avoid getting sick. Don’t forget to sort through clothes in closets and giveaway clothes that no longer fit or you no longer need. Last but not least, clean those baseboards and walls. They get dirty too!

“New House” Smell

There’s nothing quite like the smell of a new house. Too bad it doesn’t stay that way for long, or can it? If you use all-natural cleaning products, your place shouldn’t smell like chemicals, post-cleaning. Making your own cleaning agents at home can help with this too. Using cleaning agents like vinegar, baking soda and adding some essential oils will get rid of grime while keeping your home smelling fresh and new. 

The Proper Tools 

You can’t clean a house with a toothbrush. Having the proper cleaning supplies will make your home drastically cleaner. You don’t need to have fancy supplies either.  All you really need to keep your home spotless are; quality microfiber cleaning cloths, sponges, a scrub brush, a plastic scraper, a vacuum that can clean hard floors and carpets, a microfiber feather duster and mop. 

Pet Odors

We love furry friends, but their fur and dander doesn’t necessarily love us. Use a lint roll to remove excess hair from surfaces. To remove pet odours from carpets, use a spray bottle with white vinegar and spray the carpet. Cover the vinegar-soaked area with baking soda and let it dry. Sweep and vacuum up the excess soda. The mixture actually pulls the odour out, leaving your home fresh. 

Don’t you hate it when you think you’re done cleaning, only to find a mess on the floor? It’s frustrating and disheartening to see a never ending mess of clutter. Just when you think you're done cleaning, get down on eye level and examine your home. By getting a new angle, you can see if you still have any crumbs or dust that needs to be cleaned up

Hopefully some of these tips will help you and your household keep your space clean.

Keeping your home clean and organized is no simple task. However, there are plenty of amazing tips, tricks, and hacks that can help you keep your house clean and tidy. With all these tips available, we’re going to take a closer look at the problem areas within the house. These places get extra dirty and stay that way without your intervention, but we’re here to share with you some practical cleaning tips to destroy germs and keep your home tidy. 

There are likely times when cleaning is just overwhelming. It is beneficial to break your tasks up into smaller chores so that they seem more manageable. Take into account the space you will be cleaning. Start with one room at a time to separate tasks and make your chores more manageable. If this isn’t your thing then break it down more by focusing on specific tasks. Sweeping floors, dusting shelves, wiping down counters, or removing grime from bathroom surfaces are ways to separate your cleaning routine. 

Capturing Dust 

This is easier said than done. Feather dusters and rags pick up some of the dust, but most of it just settles elsewhere. Using products that attract and hold onto dust like Swiffer actually works. The same goes for cloth products that use waxes or oils to trap dust. Microfiber rags are great, they work well and can be reused over and over again. 

Polishing Surfaces 

Microfiber cloths also excel at putting the finishing touches on countertops, mirrors, and even tile and fixtures. For shining, spotless results consider the type of surface when choosing a furniture polish for the cleaning task at hand. Not all cleaners are universal. One might work great for marble counters but be terrible for wooden tables. Make sure to do your research on the type of finishes that are on your household items. This will dictate the type of cleaner you should use. 

Mopping Floors

Similar to the previous section, you can’t just mop every type of floor in your home and expect the same results. Mopping floors can prevent a buildup of grime. The art of mopping a floor is a simple process, but you can always get the job done faster. Always sweep the floors prior to mopping. This may seem redundant but is crucial to the process. Once you are prepared to mop the floors, use warm, soapy water and mop in sections. Remember to wring out the mop, this gets rid of the gross stuff. Let the floor air dry, there’s no need to wipe it down yourself. Remember to always dump your dirty water into the toilet and not the kitchen sink. 

The Bathroom

Possibly one of the germiest rooms in your home, it’s incredibly important to keep this area clean. When the time comes that you need to give your entire bathroom a makeover, we’re here to help. When cleaning your toilet bowl generously apply a toilet bowl cleaner.  Wipe down the toilet seat and handle with disinfectant wipes. Remember that toilet brushes need cleaning, too. When it comes to the tub, there's no room for mildew and mold in the place you rely on for clean hygiene. Get ahead of the grime by cleaning your tub on a regular basis

Hopefully, this tidbit of information helps you with your cleaning process. Check back here for the second part of our housekeeping series.