5 Tips On Housekeeping With A Toddler

 

5 Tips on Housekeeping with a Toddler 

My 16 month old is insanely busy, messy and is always taking toys from one room to another. I spend a lot of time cleaning up after her at the end of the day... everyday. I have found some helpful cleaning hacks that are so simple, take little time, and make your home feel more put together.

1. DIY CARPET POWDER

I live in an apartment, which means I have pre-lived in carpet. I almost never have time to shampoo the floors, wait for them to dry, and then put everything back where it belongs. This carpet powder traps odors, and leaves your home smelling amazing. 

Ingredients: 1c baking soda for every 100sqft, 5 drops essential oil of your choice

Just mix together, sprinkle over carpets, wait 10 minutes, and vacuum!

2. LAUNDRY REFRESHER

I have a lot of clothes, (probably too many), and I find that when they sit for too long without being worn, they begin to lose the scent of my detergent. So, I started putting car fresheners in the back of my closet to keep them smelling fresh. This really does work and they last a long time! I like to use the liquid ones because they smell a little better than the cardboard ones and they last longer too. There's a ton of different scents, I like to use the linen and sky scented ones. 

3. FRESH TRASH BINS

I have four trash bins in my home. Sometimes garbage just doesn't smell good especially the kitchen and diaper bins. I used to buy scented garbage bags, but that only does so much to mask the smell of food, waste, etc. The best way to make your trash cans smell fresh when you open them is to put essential oils on a paper towel, cotton ball, or pad, underneath the trash bag. The first time I ever did this I was extremely impressed with the results. If you want to take it even further, sprinkling baking soda in the bottom of your trash bin will also help trap odors. I would suggest cleaning the baking soda out every time you take the garbage out to keep it at its freshest. 

4. WHITE CARPET MAGIC

We have a big white rug in our living room that I refuse to give up on. I also have a one year old who spends most of her day time playing on it. The amount of times I have had to stain remove, clean, vacuum this rug, is insane. I used to use normal stain remover, but I found something that works even better. Spraying the stain with cold water, lemon juice and then scrubbing with a little bit of baking soda, will get that stain out almost instantly. I wouldn't suggest using this mixture on any other color of carpet just because baking soda and lemon both have lightening properties, so you could accidentally lift color out of a fabric with it. 

5. BEST TOY SANITIZER

This one is really simple, but it is the best and safest way to sanitize baby toys. A big sink full of hot water and about a tablespoon of bleach. Drop the toys in, let them soak for about 10 minutes, rinse with hot water then let them dry completely. Not only does it get rid of all the bacteria, but it also gets rid of stains and gunk that can be found on baby toys. It's also a lot easier than scrubbing each and every toy with dish soap. 

Thank you for reading, and if you try out any of these housekeeping tips please let me know!