Homeschooling and Finding Time To Clean House

Just as I was struggling to find a way to keep up with the laundry while homeschooling, I also found that finding time to clean the house was tough.  When I finally found a few laundry hacks that helped me save time and keep our house looking neat and organized, I figured it was time to turn my attention to cleaning house.

Not only did I not have any free days to clean as I needed but I also had three boys underfoot all day long.  I found that even if I did find time to clean they were often making messes again within moments!

So what's a homeschooling mom to do?



I knew I couldn't live with a dirty house but I did need to relax my standards just a bit.

I used to try and keep our house photo worthy all the time.  But I quickly realized that with art projects drying on the dining table, building block creations spread across the rug, and science experiments on the kitchen counter there was no way I could keep that up.

But the house still needed to be cleaned; vacuumed, swept, dusted, etc.

I tried a few different Pinterest ideas for making up a cleaning schedule and they worked so well... until we had a field trip or an early morning class that meant we were out of the house for most of the day and had no time to clean.

As much as they protested, I found the best way to keep the house clean was to enlist the boys' help!

They were old enough to dust, vacuum, and pick up after themselves.

We started small with just a few basic chores for them to focus on each day.

Their chores all focused on the areas of the house that needed daily cleaning the most:
  • Sweeping, vacuuming and washing the kitchen floor after dinner each night
  • Making beds and cleaning their bedrooms each morning
  • Taking out the garbage each evening
Once they had those jobs down pat we added in chores that often make me feel pressed for time each day:
  • Setting and clearing the table for dinner
  • Washing down the tables and counters after dinner
  • Emptying the dishwasher each morning
We also worked together to clean the whole house weekly; vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, washing floors, and cleaning the bathrooms.    

We work together and in just 20 minutes a day manage to keep the house clean! 

Some weeks we each pick a room each day and clean for 20 minutes.  Some week's we'll pick a chore to do each day-- Monday dusting,  Tuesday sweeping and vacuuming, Wednesday toilets and sinks, Thursday washing floors, and Friday is a make- up/ catch -up day for anything else that needs doing.

It doesn't matter to me HOW we clean just the fact that we are cleaning something each day means that the house was cleaner than before we started.

We're getting so good at keeping up with it that we can even take a week off now and then without seeing a huge difference.

We do keep the house picked up though.  I find keeping clutter to a minimum goes a long way in making our house look neat and clean. 

Each night right before dinner (or just before bedtime) we go around the house and pick up anything that has been left lying around and put it in it's place.  And yes, everything does have place in our house.  I am a huge fan of bins, baskets, and other containers to keep the clutter and toys organized.


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Comments

  1. I homeschooled my four kids all the way through and they did chores every day. It's the only way to stay sane, plus of course they learn a lot from contributing to the team effort. Blessings to you!

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    1. Exactly! I feel lit's a win win; they may not thank me now but they will someday and I don't have to do it all alone.

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  2. When I homeschooled we made time for clean up. The kids' help, helped me so much. Although I no longer homeschool the kids still have their assigned duties, which is totally appreciated. :)

    www.mrsaokaworkinprogress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now that we've started in with all these chores I couldn't imagine going back to doing it all myself. Plus know that no matter how much my boys complain they are learning a lot of really useful skills.

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  3. Congratulations! Your post was my feature pick from my Commenters at #ThursdayFavoriteThings this week. Visit me at https://www.marilynstreats.com on Wednesday evening and to see your feature and grab your badge! All hosts choose their own features so be sure to return to my blog. I invite you to leave more links to be shared and commented upon.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am not a home school mom, but I am going back to school to earn my 4 year degree. My house has really taken a hit. I am constantly choosing schoolwork over housework. I need to utilize my kids more. Thank you for your post, it reminded me that I don't have to do the work alone. Have a great day!

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome and good luck on earning your degree! :)

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  5. This is so awesome!! I have often felt the same way as a homeschooling mom. You do not realize all the time that it is going to take! I have found that having MK help as been huge. He is part of the family and therefore needs to help. I think it is also very important to teach our children how to do all of these things. Thank you for you words of wisdom and encouragement.
    Thanks for linking up with #LiveLifeWell!

    Blessings,

    Amy

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    Replies
    1. My oldest is now starting high school and our state requires so many credits in life skills.. I looked at my husband and told him I had no problem assigning life skill credits since he can bake & cook, clean every room in the house, make a grocery list and shop the stores with me comparing prices... I just LOVE that I have been able to teach my boys so many skills that are really important life skills that I really am not sure how I would have taught them had they all gone to public school.

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    2. Wow! So true! It is such a great thing to be able to prepare them in this way!

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  6. Sounds like you've come up with a winning plan!! Thanks so much for linking up with me at A Themed Linkup 54 for Cleaning and Organizing. Pinned!

    ReplyDelete

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