kids cleaning

Keeping the house tidy when you have kids.

by Cleaning TipsFamily Organising

If there is one thing that seems impossible to achieve when you are a parent, it is a clean house. Children have a knack for creating mess wherever they go. The last thing you want to do is spend your day scrubbing the floor and tidying up, only to find that you need to repeat the process come tomorrow. With that being said, read on to discover some secrets on keeping your house tidy while you have children.

Involve the children

Why not put your kids to good use and get them to join in with the cleaning too? Needless to say, it is not like your eight-month-old baby is going to pick up the hoover and give the house a good vacuum. However, most toddlers love helping out around the house because it makes them feel like they are adults. Kids love copying their parents, so why not get them their own children’s sized broom or mop and let them give you a hand? Head to Raising Children for some examples of household chores that are suitable for children or check out my top tips CLICK HERE

Get up before the kids do!

Waking up before your children can make a massive difference in terms of keeping your home tidy. You will typically find that you have a lot more time and, shockingly, more energy to do the dishes, laundry, and put their toys away than you would if you left this task until later in the day. I have a good hour downstairs before my 3 come down and I get so much done. The mornings are the best time of the day as you have much more energy too.  Why not give my 5 minutes challenge a go – JOIN HERE

Consider putting some items in storage

It’s crazy to think that one little child can end up having more belongings than you! One of the best ways to keep your house tidy and organised when you have young children is to put some of your belongings in storage – just until they get out of the phase whereby they want to cause destruction around the house. Plus, it will help to make sure some of your favourite items don’t end up damaged. Some great storage ideas from canningvalestorageunits.com.au You will see that there are plenty of different options available depending on the type and quantity of items you need to store.

Have a routine 

It is also pivotal that you have some sort of routine to your day. This does not need to be a stringent routine whereby you need to follow it to the minute. However, if you have a bit of a pattern to your daily activities it will ensure that you build in the time to tackle chores. Right down what errands you have, any shopping you may need and any household tasks you need to do and tick off as you through.

The fabulous Mummy of Four swears by a virtual calendar to act as you PA and its such a fab idea.  Read how she does this and keeps extra organised with her very simple simple.

As you can see, there are many different ways that you can keep your house clean and tidy while you have children. Of course, no one is expecting your home to be immaculate, but you can keep a bit of your sanity by following the suggestions that have been mentioned above.

Lynsey Queen of Clean xoxo

egg

The messiest stains at Easter Time

by Laundry

Who doesn’t love chocolate Easter Eggs?

The Easter weekend is a traditional a time to give out chocolate eggs and let the kids go crazy with Easter Egg hunts and mountains of delicious chocolate and Easter cakes.

As yummy as chocolate is, Chocolate will stain over the easter period along with other stains such as grass stains, mud, butter from delicious hot cross buns and sticky finger marks.  

If you catch the stains quickly they don’t tend to be a problem and my stain busting guide has most of them covered.

But when left untreated for a few hours they can become hard to shift as the stain will absorb itself into the fabric.

I have put together a few very simple tips to help you tackle those Easter weekend stains.

Grass Stains

To remove ground in tough grass stains from children’s clothes.  Simply add a Stain remover and leave to soak for at least 15 minutes before washing as normal.

 If you don’t have a stain treatment to hand then good old washing up liquid or using a liquid laundry detergent as a pretreat should work.  Once you have left the soap to soak into the garment then, get a toothbrush and gentle rub over the stain to work the liquid into the area. Finally add to your washing machine and pop on the highest temperature the garment will take.

If you are out and about when the stain hits, grab your hand sanitiser and cover as much of the stain as possible.

If your stain has not been completely lifted after washing, you may want to consider using rubbing alcohol or hairspray. The reason why is that the alcohol found in these products breaks down the green pigments in grass stains.

If you are using rubbing alcohol, dab a small amount onto a clean cloth, and gently sponge it over your stain. When you see the colour lifting, rinse your garment in cold water and continue with the usual removal process. 

To use hairspray, spray a liberal amount over your stain and wait for it to completely dry. Once it has dried, used a soft-bristled brush, such as a toothbrush to scrub at your stain. When you notice the colour begin to fade, flush out the hairspray with cold water. 

Butter 

Hot cross buns are complimented perfectly when topped with a generous amount of butter. If you accidentally drop some butter on your clothing, don’t panic, simply follow these instructions. 

If your butter stain has been caused by a blob of butter, begin the removal process by using a butter knife or spoon to gently lift as much solid butter as possible.

After you have removed any solid bits of butter, use a clean white cloth, or paper towel, to gently dab the stain. Make sure that you are dabbing and not rubbing, as rubbing will cause your stain to set further into your clothing.

Once you have removed as much excess oil from the stain as possible, sprinkle a generous amount of either cornstarch, bicarbonate of soda, chalk or talcum powder over your stain. Allow your powder to sit on your stain for at least 15 minutes to give it an ample amount of time to absorb as much oil as possible. After 15 minutes, gently brush the powder off of your item. 

Next cover the stain with either your liquid laundry detergent or washing up liquid and gently work into the stain using your fingers.

Finally, wash your item as you usually would. If your stain has not been removed, repeat the process. 

Mud Stains

Pre-soak the garment as soon as possible in a bowl of cold water with 3 heaped tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda for approx one hour.  Then pop in the wash as normal with the highest temperature the garment will allow.

Chocolate stains

Gently wipe as much of the excess chocolate as you can, taking care not to push the stain deeper into the fibres. You can use a blunt knife or credit card for this. Then flush out as much chocolate as you can using cold running water from the back of the stain. Make sure that you are using cold and not hot water because hot water will only set your chocolate stain further into your clothing. 

Soak in a solution of detergent and warm water for at least 30 minutes before washing as usual at the highest temperature allowed.

Want to learn more crazy cleaning tips then then grab a copy of one of my books and I will show you how to clean your house and tidy up your life