Being a parent who is on a budget is HARD WORK! Keeping your house clean and organized so that you can be clean and organized is a full-time job. Of course, if you can have a cleaning lady or a maid or a housekeeper, that would make life easier, but alas, we must do all the work ourselves for us poor folks.
If you have kids, then you know how incredibly messy things can get. If you add a pet into the mix, then you are in for some trouble!
87% of pet owners say their pet has a messy trait!
The top, given answers, were:
41% – Shedding pet hair on furnishings and carpets
19% – Getting mud everywhere
11% – Getting food everywhere
10% – Litter and toileting accidents
(Source: 2021 Pet Habits Revealed (beko.co.uk))
And that is just the pet!! Kids and pets together are double trouble! So here are some expert tips for cleaning all that mess without breaking your back or the bank!
Invest a Bit to Make it Easier
Choose a vacuum cleaner with a range of attachments to clean up after your pet. For example, the Mini Turbo brush on the PowerClean model is great for lifting pet hair from the sofa.
Mini cleaning stations
Instead of having one centralized cleaning supply center, create smaller mini cleaning stations via baskets or fabric cubbies throughout your home (bathrooms, mudroom, kitchen, upstairs/downstairs, etc.). That way, you can customize each one based on the specific needs of each space.
Put On Some Music
Pop in those headphones and turn the music up! Listening to music makes cleaning much easier and will make the time go by much quicker!
Involve the Whole Family
The best way to keep a home clean is to involve the whole family! Maintaining a clean home is a huge task for just one person to take on. If you have kids, assign age-appropriate cleaning tasks; this gives them a sense of accomplishment and teaches responsibility. Cleaning together is also a great and fun bonding opportunity. Create a cleaning schedule together and make it fun! Offer rewards and incentives, too, especially for the kids.
Keep Surfaces Clear
Pets don’t understand that the books you left out aren’t for them or that cozy blanket on the couch isn’t the best place to shed hair. Keep items away and in hard-to-reach places so that they stay clean and neat. It will make vacuuming and scribbling a breeze as well!
Take advantage of empty time.
For example, while the food is cooking, I rinse the dishes or do other quick cleaning tasks. While chatting on the phone, I put away laundry, and when walking from one room to another, I try to grab one or two things to bring with me.
Don’t Waste Movement.
Want to maintain a tidy house? Make sure not to waste a movement. I can always find something that needs picked up or placed back where it goes. For example, let’s say I am taking laundry to the washing machine. As I begin walking from my bedroom down through the hallways, I simultaneously pick up the random piece of trash in the hall and grab some toys on the floor.
Cleaning your house is necessary for a lot of reasons! Do you have any tips that can make cleaning your house with your pets a little bit easier? Hit the comments and let me know!
A Dime Saved
Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.