I used to stress myself out trying to keep my home impeccably clean. This was before I had children (that were mobile) and when things actually stayed put when I put them somewhere. When dirt didn’t ‘magically’ appear on floors and upholstery or when epic messes happened in other people’s homes.
Now, with three littles, epic messes happen in my home. All.The.Time. And while I still like my home to be clean and in order, I’ve long given up on perfection. These days, we keep a ‘clean enough’ home – a ‘neat enough’ home and let the kids be little. I’ve let go of perfection and that’s cool with me. One day, the kids will be grown and will leave the nest. Neat and clean will prevail. But somehow, I suspect I’ll miss those epic little messes along with the disorder and chaos that sometimes comes with raising happy, playful kids loaded with good memories. {Get a great printable quote below!}
For now, let me share my tips on getting a CLEAN ENOUGH home, so you can focus majority of your time on your family vs. housecleaning. The trick is to keep it simple and consistent with these 3 steps:
Begin a Daily Routine
I’m not going to lie. It takes a daily commitment to keep a ‘clean enough’ home. I know what you’re thinking – you want to do LESS housework, not more. But, doing simple, easy cleaning tasks EACH day will help you keep your home cleaner! It’s so much easier than attempting to clean after not doing so for a couple of weeks. We’ve all been there and it’s not pretty!
Daily Do’s for a Clean Home * Make Beds and change sheets once a week. *Keep a Dishwand filled with a gentle dishsoap in the shower. Do a gentle scrub down after your shower. Instant clean shower every day! * Keep Pre-Moistened Cleaning Wipes in the bathroom and wipe down sinks/surfaces daily. It takes just a few minutes. *Clean Kitchen Sink out nightly * Vacuum high-traffic floors – see more about this below!
Perfect the 15-Minute Clean-Up
Once a day, do a quick, fast-paced clean of the house. I like to do mine at night – once the kiddos are in bed. This quick clean is possible because of the daily tasks. Once you perfect this – it’s easy to add in those bigger (and dreaded) jobs every now and then! Start by walking the house with a basket and clearing all the clutter. Toss or put away items. Use baskets and bins to create a place to store toys, organization supplies, crafting and more. Always keep a basket near the stairs so clutter can catch a ride up. Next, walk the house with a rag for a quick dusting of surfaces. Clean the kitchen counters, wipe up any spills inside kitchen appliances. Clean Floors & Handle Epic Messes Clean floors will instantly will make your home look clean! Use a vacuum like the Eureka SuctionSeal 2.0.
This vacuum is your key to a ‘clean enough’ home because it does all the work! The Suction Seal has plates that raise and lower against the surface maintaining suction and seal without scattering! The Automatic Cord Rewind on the Eureka SuctionSeal 2.0 is one of those features you won’t know how you lived without – and helps you get the job done faster. No tangled cords! You can use this vac on all your floor surfaces : carpet, hardwood, tile, laminate, stairs and more! The Eureka SuctionSeal 2.0 will help you handle everything from crumb clean-up to the inevitable epic messes – like this one:
The culprits: Two year old twins
The situation: An open pantry.
Obtained: 1 Box of Coffee Pods
Result: Epic Mess – coffee granules all over the carpet!
I was surprised that there was no scattering of those little coffee granules! The SuctionSeal 2.0 got up every last granule.
BEFORE
AFTER
I was able to get my Eureka SuctionSeal 2.0 at Walmart – on Rollback for $129 – price was $148.88. That’s a great deal for such an important item in your quest to keep a ‘Clean Enough’ Home!
Want to see more of the Eureka SuctionSeal 2.0 vacuum in action? Check out this video:
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What epic mess would Eureka help you to clean up?
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Free Printable
Tired of explaining to your mother-in-law why your home looks the way it does? Get my free printable that reminds everyone, including yourself, what is most important.
Click on the image to download.
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You are amazing!!! Great tips. You are an EXCELLENT homemaker. “Clean enough” is more than you’d ever see at my house!
I’d be embarrassed compared to you because I’d never measure up.
I’d be too lazy and let the dirt accumulate until the kids went to college and then I’d say we had to sell because the house had 18 years of mess accumulated!
Thanks, Jody! Believe me, there’s times when the dirt does pile up around here! Inevitable with the three kiddos!. 🙂
That sounds like a great vacuum. I need one with my two messy boys.
My kids are grown so I haven’t had a messy house in a very long time. I remember though how hard it was to keep it that way for long though. My daughter recently had twins so I can only imagine that it won’t be lasting for much longer.
Yes, Rena – everything is more difficult with twins. One is enough to make a mess – but two? ..they help each other make a mess! Congrats on your daughter’s twins!
I love this post. I’m a big fan of “clean enough”.
Clean enough, that made me giggle because it is so true. I am the queen of “clean enough”.
That vacuum looks incredible. A good vacuum goes a long way.
This is probably the most useful blog post I have come across today! Lol I am definitely going to be implementing these tips! Hurricane toddler lives in my house and I’m soooo embarrassed when people randomly come over!
I love your quote poster. Clean enough is what our house is most of the time with 3 kids and a puppy.
I love the idea of making a daily cleaning routine! I need to do that!
My house is always a mess! haha i definitely need a daily cleaning routine
This sounds like a great vacuum. I seems like I am always cleaning up after my son and his friends.
My house is such a mess these days! Definitely need these tips!
I always attack it on the weekends, these are great tips!
This is such a fab post, I’m a neat freak and my daily routine is what you mentioned! I change my sheets at least twice a week.
My house always seems to be messy, even after I have JUST cleaned it. We really need a new vacuum and this one looks great.
That is a great price for the vacuum. And oh no on the coffee pods, my heart was aching for those lost cups of coffee. 😉
Great tips and advice. I know when I can tame the clutter and vacuum my home always looks much better and it makes me as a mom feel better. Our big problem is wood chips. We burn wood and it makes a huge mess. A good vacuum would cure this!
A daily cleaning routine is really a good idea. Then you get a little done everyday and do not have to feel overwhelmed by doing it all at once.
I agree with all of your tips! Keeping up on the daily clutter doesn’t take long and it helps a ton!
I don’t like a dirty and messy house. I think I am a neat freak. 🙂 I would love to have that vacuum.
Wow. Now that’s one tough vacuum. really recommended.
It is such a powerful vacuum! I love that printable. I need to hang it in the playroom!
This looks like a great vacuum and does a great job cleaning up. I’m in the market for a new vacuum, will have to look into getting one.
LOVE your easing cleaning tips! Looks like your kiddos had a lot of fun with the kcups! good to know they can easily be cleaned up!
These are such awesome tips!!!! I’m a neat freak so I will be trying some of these out 😉
I have been needing a new vacuum lately. This one sounds like the one I need!
We needed a good vacuum – we already bought 2 ones but having troubles with it.