Having the kids home over summer holidays looks different to us all. For some it is slower mornings, for others the mad rush to get to holiday programs and work fill the summer days. One universal truth in all family homes is the mess increases! I can’t believe how many times I am washing dishes and do they really need to use the toilets so many times in a day?!
For me a messy house is a messy mind. With the kids, back at school I cannot wait too tidy, organise, deep clean and reclaim my home. Are you looking forward to reclaiming your home? Here are six tips using effective, natural eco cleaners to make things easier for you.
1.Start in one room and stay in that room!
Have you ever found yourself starting to clean the bathroom, then you need to take the clothes laying on the floor to the laundry? While in the laundry, you notice the benches need to be cleaned, so you do that quickly, but there are toys that belong in the kids’ room so you head there to pop them away and next thing you know you are cleaning out their drawers? I think you know how this story ends, a bunch of half-finished jobs and nothing really accomplished.
Start a pile of ‘things’ that need to find their way to different parts of the home BUT, as hard as it is, start in one room or space and do not leave! You will accomplish more, every time.
2.Organise spaces, having a place for everything makes finding it again so much easier.
Our mud room is one of my success stories (my house is a total work in progress). With two rows of hooks, one is for bags and the other for jackets. No running around looking for backpacks in the morning.
The kitchen pantry:
- take everything out (scary I know).
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wipe out all the shelves, our favourite is the Good For Everything Spray by Santosa Lifestyle. It turns cleaning into a moment of self-care with the beautiful essential oil fragrances.
- decant all the open packets into clear storage containers.
Your kitchen will be sanitised and smell beautiful. You will be able to see at a glance what’s in ther pantry, helping reduce food waste because it is kept fresher. It also stops you from buying more seaweed (nori) when there are eight packets there already, speaking from experience! Once you have the containers, it really doesn’t take much time and is a game changer, being able to see what you have in the pantry makes life so much easier.
3. Keep on top of the washing.
Do you remember when you could just do laundry one day a week? Before kids Saturday used to be my laundry day. Now every day is laundry day!
Rather than having Mount Washmore a permanent fixture in your home, tackle it daily. It may still take the same amount of time but you won’t have the angst of the pile growing by the minute playing on your mind. We love beautiful smelling Santosa Soak Up The Moment Laundry Powder to get the mud and food off our kiddies clothes. It’s hard working, natural recipe provides peace of mind that there are no nasty chemicals sitting against their skin all day.
4. Embrace the kids stuff.
Right now the toys laying around the house may be unsightly but one day soon the kids will be grown and you’ll wish you were tripping over toy cars again.
Placing baskets around the house means the kids can keep some of their toys/books throughout the home but also help keep the house tidy. My preference is baskets you can’t see into, it means they can race around popping their toys away and you don’t have to look at them, it certainly makes tidying up a lot quicker and evenings more relaxed.
5. There’s no judgement in getting help. In fact, I highly recommend it.
Life is busy, messy and at times chaotic. We all wish we had more free time. One of the best investments I ever made was hiring a cleaning service to come fortnightly. Working full time, raising three kids and running a business, it allowed me to reclaim the little free time I had. It means that deep cleaning bathrooms, the kitchen, mopping floors, vacuuming, and all the other cleaning tasks that would take up family time were no longer required. It also allowed me to stop thinking about what needed to be done and the feeling of resentment over having to do these tasks that brought me no joy. One of the best investments I have made because it gave me back several hours of my time.
6. Find simple moments to take care of YOU!
Bring products into your home that you love, that make you feel good just for using them. The whole reason we started stocking the Santosa range is I received one of their beautiful Peppermint + Eucalyptus Foaming Hand Washes and every time I use it I can’t help but inhale a little deeper because it smells so good! It brings me joy when I wash my hands. Similarly, I chose my body wash bars based on how my body feels after I use them, nourished and soft, my fave is the No Nasties Home Lavender + Bergamot Solid Body Wash Bar.
Changing out chemical laden cleaning products for ones that are just as effective and natural is like food for the soul. We have a one-page guide to making these swaps even easier to beautiful, hardworking natural products to keep your home clean and your family healthy.
