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Next to raising kids, keeping my house clean is one of my biggest tasks everyday! Especially when it does seem like for everything I do, my kids undo it times 10! Here are some of the cleaning games I have found that help me keep my house tidy! Yes, that’s right these are cleaning games for MOMS!
Time the Job
You think I’m kidding, but knowing how long a job takes can help you get it done! I know it takes me 1 minute to make my bed, and between 3-5 minutes to unload the dishwasher.
So when I am totally dreading doing a job, if I know it’s going to only take 4 minutes, it’s more manageable.
If you have simple tasks you don’t enjoy doing, try timing the job. Then the next time you do the job, you know the amount of time you have to commit to the job beforehand!
Seems super simple, but this is a big remedy to dreading particular tasks! And as an added bonus you can schedule in various tasks knowing beforehand how much time to plan for!
Race Your Time
Once you know how long a job takes see if you can do it faster, and race your previous attempts!
Surprisingly this is super motivating and I have found that I don’t dread jobs as much! This is because I’m ultra competitive. Add in a little competition, and it gives me something to focus on besides the task at hand.
This is true even for longer jobs, like folding laundry. (Which at my house, is usually mountains of laundry, cause it’s my least favorite chore!)
But if I know that last time I folded my mountains of laundry it took me 2 hours, I can try to beat that time!
Sometimes I even go as far as setting a timer. Then trying to see if I can finish before it goes off! I’m not above bribing myself, and occasionally reward myself with something small when I do beat my time!
Race the Clock
While we are talking about timing things, the other game I play is to race the clock! I either choose a time, or set a time limit and try to have a job done within that time frame.
This is especially helpful at night when I want to have a clean house, but also sit down and hand letter. You can read about how I find time for my hobbies here.
The more you race the clock, the better you will be at judging how much time you need. Or if you timed your jobs and know how long it should take you have a better chance at beating the clock!
This also helps you to stay on task and not get distracted with other things!
My goal every night is to have the kitchen cleaned and the family room picked up by 9:00 so I can do something I want!
Room by Room
Start in the corner of one room, and work your way around the room, until you’re back where you started. Don’t move onto other areas of the room until you have accomplished where you are at.
Once you accomplish all the way around one room, move to the next. This is typically how I clean when I have company coming! It makes it easy to make sure I get everything cleaned and organized.
The nice part about cleaning this way is you can start on the rooms that you want clean most. That way if you run out of time, the most important areas get finished!
I swear the last room that ever gets cleaned is my master bathroom. Visitors rarely go in there, and it’s usually last on my priority list when cleaning for company!
Cleaning Room by room is also helpful when you’re doing a deeper clean. And want to make sure all the nooks and crannies get some attention!
Organize into Piles
This is my go-to way of cleaning most days! We have a landing on our staircase that I have a pile for each of the kids to put away.
When I’m organizing rooms, or drawers, I make piles of things that go together, or rooms they go to. This makes it easier to put everything away where it goes, without having to go to the same place 10 times!
For example a pile that goes in the kitchen, one that goes in the laundry room, and one for each kids room!
I actually have a dresser with a designated drawer for each child’s belongings in our family room. So when I find their things, or have a pile of their stuff, it goes straight into their drawer. When the drawer fills up, they get to go through it and put everything away!
My one word of caution is to avoid having a pile in a place that doesn’t frequently get cleaned. This will lead to a pile getting large and looking cluttered. Yes, I’m speaking from experience.
Get Cleaning!
These 5 cleaning games for moms really do make a difference in cleaning! They have helped me maintain a (relatively) clean home while also making it somewhat enjoyable! If you haven’t tried one of these out before, try one, and let me know what you think! Any other cleaning games I’m missing, send them my way! I’m always open for new ideas!
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