5 Habits for a Clean House while Homeschooling

We’ve all heard the saying, “You can either have a clean house or you can homeschool, but you can’t have both.” Well, there is some truth to that, but in today’s blog post I’m going to share 5 habits that will help your house be as clean as it can be, even if you’re homeschooling a house full of kids.

5 Habits for a Clean House While Homeschooling

Before we dive into the habits, I first want to say that it is important to adjust your expectations. If you are in your home all day with all of your kids, your house is never going to be perfectly clean. There will be clutter and mess that accumulates and there’s probably always going to be something that needs to be cleaned.

These habits that I’m going to share with you today will help you stay on top of the mess and will help you keep your home in order. Habits take time to develop, so you may not see instant results, but with a lot of implementation and a little patience, you will see progress.

Habit 1 – Reset Before You Begin

No one wants to begin the homeschool day in a mess, so habit #1 is to reset your space before you begin. This may mean you stay up a little bit and make sure your kitchen is put to bed and your school space is nice and tidy. Maybe you have to get up a little earlier if that works for you. But, you always want to make sure you begin your homeschool day in a clean space, so make sure you reset it before you begin!

Habit 2 – Keep a Go-Back Basket Handy

If you have little kids, you likely have “kid clutter” accumulating in various rooms of your home. One of the best things I’ve done to tame that clutter was implement the “Go-Back Basket.” It’s a large fabric bin that I keep in the main area of our home. These are similar to the bins I use and they are awesome! When it’s time to tidy up, I put miscellaneous kid clutter in the bin. Once the bin gets full and starts to overflow, it’s time for all the stuff inside to “go back” to where it came from.

It’s a super simple concept, but will help keep your space looking tidy in a pinch.

Habit 3 – Regular Tidy Times

You’ll naturally have breaks in the day and this is a great time to do a quick tidy. For example, we naturally tidy up after breakfast and before lunch. After breakfast we put away breakfast foods and clear the dishes and after lunch we put away school books and prepare the table for lunch.

I also have a big afternoon tidy in which I work on a load of dishes, tidy the kitchen, and then work on my cleaning routines, which brings us to another habit.

Habit 4 – Cleaning Routines Make a World of Difference

I’m a stickler for cleaning routines. I have a morning cleaning routine, an afternoon cleaning routine, and an evening cleaning routine, and my zone cleaning fits into my afternoon cleaning routine.

I explain in my video what these routines look like for me in this season of life, but I tend to have one free afternoon to do a house blessing. I try to clean my bathroom, do the vacuuming and mopping, quick dusting, and work on a few zone cleaning tasks. If you’re new here, I work on a new zone each week and I plan to deep clean that area. This cleaning routine has been revolutionary for me! If you’d like to try my cleaning routine, sign up for my free monthly cleaning calendars!

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Habit 5 – Everyone Contributes

I don’t run my household alone. It is so important to me that my family contributes. All of our children who are capable are assigned chores. These chore cards are great at helping kids learn how to do particular tasks.

I have kids who are assigned to unload the dishwasher and other kids are are to load it. I have kids assigned to take out trash and put away leftovers after dinner. I also have a child who is responsible for lawn care.

All of my children are responsible for keeping the main areas of the home clean, as well as their own bedrooms and bathrooms. Once my kids reach age 11-12, they are responsible for washing their own laundry.

My biggest piece of advice for this is to start assigning chores when your kids are young, and work on training them. They will likely not complete the task correctly for a while, but keep at it with them and they will get there. Don’t take tasks back just because they aren’t done to your standard.

Bonus: Regular Decluttering

Here’s a bonus tip, practice decluttering regularly! I’m not a minimalist by any means, but I know that having a lot of kids and homeschooling often comes with a lot of extra clutter. I regularly go through our homeschool papers and supplies and get rid of things we don’t need, or things that are used up or broken.

I also keep a bag for items I want to declutter in my closet, and once that bag is full I donate it. I put outgrown clothes and toys in this bag, along with other items we just no longer need.

If you need a jump start on decluttering, check out my 30 Day Declutter Guide, which just so happens to be a part of the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle this year!

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