Clean up after every meal.
Some details in how I plan to apply this rule:
- When asking myself "what needs to be cleaned", I will look around and answer that question for myself. Broadly, I expect the "public" rooms of the house - living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway, and probably front bathroom - to have everything picked up and surfaces wiped down. Bedrooms, basement, etc. are more optional. But anything that is irritating me probably needs to be cleaned.
I am allowed to make my kids help, but I can't sit down while they work; we all have to keep cleaning until it is all done.
I will make an exception if I have to leave right after a meal, but try not to make any other exceptions.
"After every meal" may seem like a lot. And maybe someone who doesn't have little kids could get away with a lot less and still keep a clean house. But I think this is a nice balance for us. It ensures that crumbs from meals will get cleaned off the table before the next meal. It means I have definite times (between meals) where I can engage in other activities without being nagged by the idea that I ought to be cleaning something. And cleaning up three times a day will mean that it never gets messy enough to take very long to clean up. That's the best part.
This method also ensures that the kids won't under-fill or over-fill the dishwasher, since I'll be helping and watching them. It forces me to take a more active role in guiding them through the details of how best to do it all, which I think is good for our relationship.
When we eat a meal, we're already taking a break from whatever else we might have been doing. So cleaning up "after meals" means that I never have to interrupt what I'm doing just for the sake of cleaning. (Although I do have to put off going back to it... but that is usually easier than breaking off in the first place.) Mealtime is also when we generate the most mess; preparation, eating, crumbs on the floor, and so on. So I think "after meals" is an especially helpful time to try to clean.
I don't have to keep a binder full of information on who cleans what when. I don't have to make a written cleaning schedule or progressively memorize a set of cleaning habits. I just have to look around after every meal and say, "Ok, what needs to be cleaned right now?" and then clean it.
Clean up after every meal.