What are your best cleaning & organizing tips for families?

I have a full set of cleaning supplies (sponges/cloths, gloves, cleaning solutions/products) - in each bathroom and the kitchen, so whenever I have five minutes I can quickly wipe down a sink, toilet, counter, etc without needing to hunt anything down.

Robot vacuum! We have a Coredy robot and it gets plopped in various rooms almost daily. I’ll section off an area periodically and let it do all of the work for me. Our kids love picking up for it so they don’t have to sweep so it’s almost effortless for me and even has a mop option for our model. It’s not amazing but helps tremendously!

I keep a spray bottle handy filled with a 1:1 solution of vinegar and distilled water to periodically clean our phone and tablet screens, which seem to always be super sticky and disgusting. I use a soft cloth (and if I'm being honest, sometimes just a paper towel) to wipe the screen with the solution, and/or one of those microfiber lens-cleaning cloths at the end to get it extra smudge free.

We have hanging sweater organizers in our kids' closets, and on Sundays we fill the cubbies with clothes for each day of the upcoming school week. Each morning, the kids grab their clothes from that day's cubby, no help needed. I love that we don't have to hunt around for missing uniform pieces anymore!

For sorting mail and other papers, I follow the OHIO method - Only Handle It Once. It either gets filed, recycled, shredded or if it is something I need to deal with (a bill or a follow up), it goes in the file folder on my desk so I don't forget.

I use bamboo "paper" towels to replace paper towels. After I use up my pile, I wash them and reuse them. A roll lasts for 6 months!

Store children's paperback books upright in shoebox-sized plastic bins for easy access in cube or other larger shelving units. I saw my kids' elementary school teachers doing this in the classroom and immediately adopted the practice at home, as it made it easier for the kids to easily see and access all their books, especially on deeper shelves where the alternative was to stack books behind one another.

I like colorful caddies, pencil cases, magazine holders (for coloring and sticker books) for kids arts and crafts and markers. On a rolling caddy. Labeled folders for stickers and papers. Baskets for toys. We are in a Lego phase so that is challenging, using a basket and sealable container at the moment. One more tip is baking soda to clean pots and pans.

We installed closet organizers from Home Depot in all closets to keep them more organized and purchased bins and labeled all of them. It helps to keep the house cleaner and easier to dust.

I wipe down the baseboards then go over them with a dryer sheet - this keeps dust and pet hair from collecting on them. Only need to wipe them down every couple months.

I keep a whole roll of trash bag in my trashcans so I don't have to keep getting one from the closet.

We use towels instead of paper towels. Costco or hardware stores sell them by the mass and we use them at the table, for cleaning up things, etc. I always wash on a bleach wash and it’s our 5YO’s chore to load the washer, move them to the dryer, and put away 1x/week or so (I do the buttons). He and our 2YO actually put them away under the sink together. 100% love it and it’s saved a ton on paper towels.

Believe it or not, suctioning your clothes to store away really leaves so much space for even more storage. I have packed tons of mine, my husbands and my daughters clothes away - as well as heavy comforters and the space left is unbelievable and very convenient!

For organization i used an old style tv stand put up against wall in a bedroom and used that to store boxes or extra stuff and i took a curtain and covered the whole thing and decorated the top with knick knacks and a lamp. Looks pretty while hiding extra items.

Portable/foldable totes. Costco sold these a few years ago and we bought four though they’re on Amazon as well. I keep them in the laundry but use them for SO much more. When we go on an outing, I load them up for the van and the kids know that’s where the things go so the van stays clean.

I created a cleaning list years ago. There are daily items, weekly items, and monthly items. I asked my husband for a few uninterrupted hours so I could create and used Pinterest lists from others. I then personalized it and made a four week cycle. It’s SO nice to just stop cleaning “all the things” because I look at my list and often decide “that’s tomorrow so I’ll wait till then”. It’s also awesome when older kids or my husband gripe about requests…. I just say, “it’s on the list and we all live here so I appreciate your support”.

I use Chuck pads (~3x3 waterproof pads) on my kiddos beds until they’re accident free for a long time so, should they set the bed, I’m not having to remake their entire bed- just need to wash the pad and comforter (and my kiddo of course)!!! I keep a few extras for everyone so if we all get sick, they’re nearby for traveling. They saved our couch one year when we all had a terrible GI bug!

I used hanging sorters in my kids' closets. They could put an outfit in each opening and have 5-7 days of outfits ready to go for the week. It helped the kids become more independent and made for easier mornings.

I keep a small trash can (found on Amazon) in my car. I have trained my kids to clean up their messes in the car and put into the trash can. Surprisingly my car remains somewhat clean thanks to the help from my family.

Stay in one room and finish cleaning before being distracted by another mess, that way at least one room is clean.

Toothpaste and toothbrush to clean the seal on your refrigerator/freezer. Magic eraser to clean glass cook top.

I add a pour of vinegar along with some water to stainless steel pans (not the non-stick ones) that are greasy and hard to scrub and leave them soaking overnight, or at least for a few hours. Once the vinegar is done with them they are so much easier to wash!

We wash sheets on Thursdays after school. I like to start the weekend with big chores done. Doing it on Thursday makes me do it all between getting home from school and bedtime. We try to get chores done throughout the week so we don't use an entire Saturday doing everything.

we make a rule that the kids cannot leave a space until they clean up what they played with/

We use the really small (mini)buckets that the dollar store sells to put our ink pens, pencils, markers, scissors in. We tend to never lose them because we always place them back in the bucket. They come in all sorts of colors and we place them on the desk or in our kitchen area. A total life saver.

I use sandwich bags for everything in our house. I store my child's loose items; such as marbles, puzzle pieces, stickers, etc. I always label what's inside and what it's for.

Visible list posted for dinner clean up each evening. Kids have to clear table and load dishwasher. I have posted a list of all items that need to be completed. It is laminated with check off boxes. They complete each task and when all done, we close the kitchen for the night.

Masks go into a washing machine bag hanging on the basement door. When it is full, it gets washed. Keeps us from scrambling to wash masks last minute.

We have a nine cube organizer with totes inside to store the kids toys/games/books and on top is larger board games. They will pull out the totes for the items they want and return it when finished.

I personally love Norwex products. One of my favorite items are the enviro cloths.. no chemicals needed. Just water 💦 it’s a microfiber cloth that cleans really good and doesn’t spread the bacteria and germs 🦠

For our littles (2-8) they put away their socks/PJ’s/undies in the drawers and I don’t have them fold (except socks are pre-done for them). For their other clothes, I make outfits and hang a full outfit on the hanger so I can just pull one and choose shoes each day. I have four kids (three with executive function delays) so ANYTHING I can do to make choices easier for them and me makes our home a happier place. Our older kids (8+) do their own laundry and they have a designated day to help them learn responsibility and life skills. On their day, they need to have it all done (put away) on the same day. Less laundry makes me a more pleasant mama.

I clean our ceiling fans with the blue handi wipes (reusable/washable) and use Endust so dust doesn't build up.

Honestly having a cleaning lady come every other week is my cleaning hack. Of course I still have to clean between. But if it is financially possible, it is the best investment. Time is so important and I love that I can have extra time with my kids rather than have to scrub toilets.

Clean as you go, that way things stay neat and tidy!

About every 6m or as needed for younger ones changing sizes, we do a mass purge of things that don’t fit for each kiddo. All of my older kids have ADHD so we assist but do offer the teens a compromise of “you can do it solo and if we still notice things that need donated, we’ll set a time to assist”. It’s a big endeavor but helps minimize the clutter. We also do this with misc items in their room if we’ve noticed they’re having a lot of issues keeping it moderately clean over a long period.

I also do a final kitchen counter clean before going to bed. Everything is put away in the space it belongs and now during Covid issue the counter is sanitized including faucet handles, etc. Having a clean space when the day starts is wonderful.

The dollar store hand sanitizer has colorful cases so they're easier to find in your purse than a clear bottle

I set a timer and make it a race against the clock. That works for me because I am very competitive.

I have these awesome slippers meant for cleaning the floor that I like to wear when I am in the kitchen. The floor there gets wet and gross so easily it drives me nuts, but when I wear these slippers (like when I’m washing dishes or cooking) it is easy as can be to wipe the water and contain the mess!

When needed, I wash my kids' stuffed animals in mesh bags in the washing machine.

Laundry baskets make great organizers. I use them for shoes by the door, for winter gear in closets, sports equiptment ... they are much cheaper than plastic crates and work just as good.

After folding the laundry clothes, I use the dryer sheets that came out with the clothes to dust off tables, TV stands, etc. It really picks it up well.

picking things up as you see them in places they don't belong

Fun baskets and labels to have a home for everything besides on your countertop and stairs to eliminate some of the clutter.

We spend the weekend as meal prep days. I have a days of the week board and we write our meal ideas (with kid input!) This helps organize shopping and cooking.

Robot vacuum are the best for keeping this tidy