I once read this quotation that said:

"A clean house is the sign of a boring person."

And I think that's true. For a home to be clean all the time requires two things: people who have few hobbies to mess it up, and someone else whose hobby is cleaning. Both of those things are signs that someone needs to get a life!

At the same time, a certain level of cleanliness is necessary in all homes. No one wants to fear catching a communicable disease upon entering a bathroom. When my oldest daughter was almost a year old, and teething, I found her in the bathroom. She had managed to lift up the lid, and was enthusiastically gumming the toilet rim.

Naturally, I freaked. And cleaned everything in sight.

But no one's toilet will ever be clean enough for a child to lick.

And that's the point. Nothing is ever truly clean enough when your kids are little. You just finish vacuuming and find out that a toddler has been following you while eating crackers. And is laundry ever all done? Nope.

We need to have a system, and we need to keep things as sanitary as possible. But let's face it. It's never going to be perfect. So don't stress out about it! Make it presentable so that you can feel comfortable in your home, but not so perfect that you're constantly worried about it. Here's what works:

Schedule Cleaning Chores

Pick one area of the home, or one task, that you need to complete for each day. Perhaps Monday is bathrooms, or Tuesday is doing all the vacuuming. That way, you know that over the rotation, everything will get clean. It may not all be clean simultaneously, but it will be cleaned in its time.

 

Then stick to the schedule! Often we avoid cleaning until company is coming, which results in us panicking three hours before they arrive. It's much better to do get into the habit of doing a little bit everyday, so that panic is unnecessary.

Decide What is Good Enough

We all need to accept that perfectly clean isn't attainable, especially when children are underfoot. Just remember that over our lifetimes everybody eats a bucket of dirt. If your child picks up a few crumbs in the kitchen, it won't kill them. Concentrate on keeping things sanitary, and clean in its time, and accept that the house will never be perfect.

Tidy Main Spaces

What do you need to have to feel peaceful? Does the living room need to be tidy? Does the kitchen need to have clean counters? I like my dining table set, rather than strewn with papers. Decide what your "must haves" are for feeling like your house is under control, and then do these things twice a day. It's amazing how key traffic areas collect papers, and toys, and even laundry waiting to be folded. Twice a day, ensure that your traffic areas that you worry about are tidy, and you will emotionally feel better about your house.

Recruit Help

Don't try to do it all yourself! Two-year-olds can be taught to put toys in toy-boxes. Three-year-olds can dust coffee tables. If you have a set time when everybody tidies, including the children, people will soon adjust.

So adopt a schedule, stick to a schedule, and watch your stress alleviate! Your house still won't be perfect, but it will be more peaceful and livable. And isn't that what a home is supposed to be?

Get your FREE household organization charts, including chore charts organized by day, week, and month, to streamline your housecleaning! Sheila Wray Gregoire is the author of four books, including To Love, Honor and Vacuum: When you feel more like a maid than a wife and a mother. She blogs at http://tolovehonorandvacuum.blogspot.com