When you have just welcomed a newborn baby into your home, it can be challenging to keep on top of all the housework. Thinking about what you must clean, and then physically having the time and the energy, can leave you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. To get out of this state of mind, you need to use the time you have as effectively as possible.
Prioritize Those Cleaning Chores
Not all cleaning chores are a high priority like you think they are. There are going to be some chores that you can carry out the next day. So, what are they? For example, does the bathroom need scrubbing today or can it wait until tomorrow? Prioritizing cleaning chores and putting them in order of importance will help you keep your home clean, and free from nasty germs and bugs.
Do a Load of Laundry Each Day
Laundry piles quickly build, no matter how many people there are in your home. It is, therefore, important to do at least one load of laundry each day. When you do a load of laundry, fold it, and then put it away you complete a job from start to finish. A load of laundry each day will also allow you to get all soft furnishings and bedding clean (not just clothes). You will find you have time to wash your pillows at home and wash that duvet before you put clean sheets on the bed.
Useful tip: Try not to get obsessive with cleaning when your newborn arrives. As a new mom, you can find that your levels of anxiety begin to peak. To stop this from happening, make sure you are not obsessing over how clean everything must be – or perhaps even how clean it was before the new baby arrived.
Focus on One Cleaning Task for the Day
You want to spend time enjoying your newborn baby. You do not want to have your day consumed with cleaning. There are cleaning chores, such as wiping down the countertops, that you must do every day. Some chores need to be completed on a less regular basis. To make sure these chores still get completed, you must focus on one task alone for each day. This may be wiping down the skirtings and trims in the living room. Or, it may be cleaning one window. When you can get one cleaning task completed properly, you can then shift your attention to other tasks.
Set a Time Limit for Each Job
It is very easy to get consumed when carrying out a cleaning chore, and to stop this from happening, you need to set a time limit. A time limit will allow you to focus your energy for a set amount of time. For example, you could say that you are going to have 30 minutes of hoovering the house. Or, you may say that you are going to have 10 minutes to wipe down the countertops and surfaces in your home.
