Keeping a Clean Home with a New Baby

By Sher Warkentin in Thinking Sustainably

As a mother of two, I know cleaning is the last thing on your mind when you’ve had three hours of sleep every night for a week straight. But once the fog of the first few days wears off, you’ll start to notice things around the house are a little amiss. You might wonder how you’ll ever catch up with the new messes that accompany a baby. There’s no magic trick to making it all disappear, but there are some simple steps you can take to make keeping a clean home easier when you’re a new parent.

Cleaning Safely

Once you have a baby, it’s more important than ever to ensure you clean your house safely. Many products contain chemicals that are considered harmful, and you’ll quickly discover, if you haven’t already, that babies will put anything in their mouths. It’s important to keep things clean but also free from unsafe chemicals, and switching to natural, sustainable cleaning products helps accomplish both. The key to safe, stress-free cleaning is to keep things simple. Try to find one all-purpose cleanser made with natural ingredients for cleanups. If you don’t have the time to research products and read ingredient lists, you can always make a simple cleaner with supplies you probably already have at home.

Get Your Priorities In Order

In the pre-baby era, you had the luxury of spending an entire day cleaning the house. Now you’re lucky to have a few free minutes throughout your day. Priorities are key to keeping a clean home with a baby. Whether it’s doing laundry, taking out the trash, washing dishes, or cleaning your most-used surfaces, focus on the essentials to keep your family safe and clean.

Making a schedule of cleaning tasks can help you prioritize.

When my second child was born, I started using a weekly schedule to stay organized. I picked seven cleaning essentials and assigned one task to each day of the week. Cleaning felt much more manageable once it was spread out rather than packed into few hours, and the schedule helped me keep track of what still needed to be done.

Take It One Baby Stage at a Time

From sleep schedules to tricks that stop the tears, you’ll adapt constantly to keep up with your baby’s changing needs. The same ability to change applies to keeping a clean home. Once your little one starts crawling, for example, your floors will be constantly under the cleaning spotlight. When your baby starts grabbing everything in sight, it’s time to focus on keeping counters and tables cleared.

A whole new cleaning phase begins when your baby starts eating solid food, but there are plenty of ways to prepare. Invest in a plastic or washable tablecloth that you can place on the floor under the high chair for easy cleanup. A rubber bib that can be easily removed and rinsed is a great way to spare yourself from extra laundry.

A few simple tricks can making cleaning up baby food easy.

It’s important to keep in mind that babies aren’t babies forever. As they grow and become more independent, you’ll have more time and energy to clean. Do the best you can until then, and don’t be too hard on yourself if things aren’t always perfect.

What are some methods you use to keep a clean house with a little one? Share your tips with us on Twitter!

Image sources: Pixnio | Sher Warkentin

This article was brought to you by Tom’s of Maine. The views and opinions expressed by the author do not reflect the position of Tom’s of Maine.

Why It’s Good

Transitioning to life with a new baby is hard enough, and keeping a clean house with kids in the mix is overwhelming. Simplifying things and focusing on safety and basics will make cleaning easier and less stressful so that you can enjoy time with your little one.
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