How to Keep a Clean Home with Kids (From a Parent Who Gets It) | DayMaker Cleaning Co.
I have two kids under 7. I also run a cleaning company.
People assume my house is spotless. They're wrong.
My kids make messes. There are toys on the floor right now. Breakfast dishes are still in the sink at 2pm. The bathroom counter has toothpaste smears.
But here's the thing: my home doesn't stay a disaster. And I'm not spending my evenings and weekends scrubbing either.
I've learned what actually works for keeping a clean-enough home with young kids and I'm going to share it with you.
Let Go of "Perfect"
First, we need to get real about expectations.
Your home will not look like Instagram. Kids live here. They play, they eat, they make messes. That's normal and healthy.
"Clean" with kids means:
Floors are clear enough to walk safely
Kitchen and bathrooms are sanitary
You're not embarrassed if someone drops by
You can relax in your space
It doesn't mean magazine-ready at all times. That's not realistic and it'll make you crazy trying.
The 15-Minute Power Reset (Twice a Day)
This is the single most effective thing we do.
Set a timer for 15 minutes, twice a day. That's it. Just 15 minutes.
Morning reset (before school/work):
Make beds (even badly made is better than unmade)
Dishes in dishwasher or washed
Quick wipe of kitchen counter
Toys/clutter off living room floor into bins
Evening reset (after supper or before bed):
Clear dinner dishes
Wipe down kitchen surfaces
Toys back in bins
Quick sweep of high-traffic floors if needed
Two 15-minute bursts per day keeps things from spiraling. You're not deep cleaning. You're just hitting reset so tomorrow doesn't start from chaos.
Make it a game for kids: "Can we beat the timer?" or play music and clean until the song ends.
The Two-Minute Rule
If something takes less than two minutes, do it now.
Spill on the floor? Wipe it immediately.
Mail on the counter? Put it where it goes.
Shoes by the door? Toss in the closet.
Sippy cup under the couch? Grab it on your way to the kitchen.
These tiny actions prevent small messes from becoming big projects later.
One Room at a Time (Not the Whole House)
When my house feels overwhelming, I pick ONE room and make it feel good.
Usually the kitchen or living room—wherever we spend the most time.
I ignore the rest. Just get one space to baseline. Then tomorrow, maybe tackle another.
This prevents burnout. Trying to clean the entire house in one go when you have young kids is a recipe for frustration.
Get Kids Involved (Even the Little Ones)
My kids aren't going to deep clean. But they can help maintain.
Age-appropriate tasks:
2-3 years old: Put toys in bins, throw trash away, help make their bed (pull up blanket)
4-5 years old: Set the table, clear their plate, wipe up spills, feed pets
6-7 years old: Load dishwasher, fold towels, vacuum one room, tidy their bedroom
Keep it simple. Give them one task at a time. Praise effort, not perfection.
The trick: Start this young when they actually WANT to help. By the time they're older, it's just normal.
Smart Storage Makes Everything Easier
If everything has a place, cleaning up is just putting things where they go.
What works in our house:
Toy bins by category: Legos in one bin, cars in another, stuffed animals in a basket. Kids can throw things in the right bin fast.
Low hooks for coats and backpacks: They can actually reach them and hang things up themselves.
Baskets for random stuff: Each kid has a basket for their "treasures." Keeps clutter contained.
Clear counters: Less stuff sitting out means less to clean around and less clutter magnets.
The easier it is to put things away, the more likely it actually happens.
Let Some Things Go
Here's what I've stopped caring about:
Toys out during the day. They're playing. That's good. We clean up at night, not constantly throughout the day.
Perfectly folded laundry. It's clean and in drawers. That's enough.
Spotless floors 24/7. With kids, floors get messy. We sweep/vacuum regularly, but I'm not mopping every day.
Guest-ready at all times. Real friends don't care if there are dishes in the sink.
Letting go of these things freed up SO much mental energy.
Outsource the Deep Cleaning
Here's the reality: the daily maintenance stuff is manageable. But the actual cleaning—scrubbing bathrooms, mopping all the floors, dusting everything, wiping baseboards—that's what kills you.
This is exactly why I started my cleaning business. Not just to help other people, but because I lived this struggle myself.
When someone else handles the deep cleaning every week or two, your 15-minute resets actually work. You're maintaining clean, not constantly trying to dig out from under chaos.
I'm not saying this because I want to sell you something. I'm saying it because it's what works in my own home. My team cleans my house too.
The time and mental energy it frees up is worth every penny.
The Realistic Weekly Routine
Here's what our week actually looks like:
Daily: Two 15-minute resets (morning and evening)
Monday: Laundry day (one or two loads, folded and put away)
Wednesday: Quick fridge cleanout before garbage day (toss expired stuff, wipe shelves if needed)
Friday: Bathrooms get a once-over (wipe counters, toilets, mirrors—5 minutes each)
Every other week: Professional deep clean (our team comes and does everything else)
That's it. Nothing elaborate. Nothing Pinterest-perfect. Just enough to keep things functional.
It Gets Easier (Eventually)
When my kids were toddlers, keeping the house even remotely clean felt impossible. They made messes faster than I could clean them.
Now at 6 and 7, they're actually helpful. They can pick up their own toys. Clear their plates. Make their beds.
It's still not perfect. But it's way more manageable than it was three years ago.
So if you're in the thick of it with babies and toddlers, hang in there. It doesn't stay this hard forever.
The Bottom Line
You can absolutely have a clean-enough home with kids. But it requires:
Realistic expectations about what "clean" looks like
Simple daily habits (15-minute resets, two-minute rule)
Getting kids involved with age-appropriate tasks
Smart systems that make cleaning up easy
Letting go of perfection
Help with the deep stuff so you're not drowning
Your home doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to feel good enough that you can relax, safe enough that everyone's healthy, and functional enough that life runs smoothly.
That's completely doable. Even with two kids under 7 who think the floor is a Lego storage system.
We help Greater Saint John families maintain clean homes without sacrificing time with their kids. You handle the quick daily resets—we handle the deep cleaning. That's how it should work.
