Written by: Phindile Le Bris Sithole-Spong
As a mom to a little one, I know full well how difficult it is to keep any space tidy for longer than five minutes. With our 10 month old, things tend to be thrown about the house more often than not. And the demands of being a working mom also plays its bit in ensuring that our home almost always looks like a bomb went off. Whether its dishes I’ve been meaning to get to. Or toys thrown around the house. The idea of keeping a clean house seems almost impossible at times. Which is why over the past ten months I have come up with a few ways to keep our home and space as tidy as possible. Whilst these tips and tricks are in no way fool proof. They do help keep things in check most of the time.
- Have baskets or boxes for toys: One of the first things I bought when I could was a set of baskets to store our daughters toys in. This has been a huge help when tidying up at the end of the day as I often just throw all her toys into one place and it makes the nightly clean up that much easier.
- Have a 20 toy rule: Whilst on the subject of toys. Having a 20 toy rule is a must when you have children. As any parent will tell you, most kids and babies play with anything and everything. Which is why keeping an edited number of toys is important. When loved ones and relatives buy toys, donate some that you little one barely uses to charity. When they are old enough, encourage them to come with you to donate. This will also teach them the importance of charity.
- Tidy up before bed: Whether you have children or not, it is important to tidy up for a few moments every night. Do the basics like putting dishes that are lying around in the sink or dish washer. If you have the time and energy give them a quick wash too. Put pillows back to where they belong and files, papers, and computers away. Get your whole family involved in the process and it will go much faster.
- Put things away as you go along: One way to ensure your nightly clean up goes faster is by putting things back as you go along. This means putting dishes in the washer or washing them. Juice back in the fridge. And any paperwork or office stuff in its rightful place.
- Make your bed in the morning: This may seem like an obvious one. But take it from someone who rarely makes the bed in the morning. When I do finish this little task, I find I can start my day off on a good foot. Not only that but nothing feels better than getting into a tidy put together bed at night.
- Open the windows every morning: This last one is not so much about keeping your space clean. But it is.a good way of ensuring that you breathe some new life into your home every morning. Personally I never did this until I met my husband who insisted on opening windows every morning even in the dead of winter. Getting that fresh burst of air helps to refresh the energy in your home and takes little effort. Just open your windows and doors for 15 minutes and voila. You have clean energy to live with throughout your day.
