Cleaning Tips for Moms Without Maids

As much as I would love a regular cleaning service, I've chosen to do as much of the cleaning as I can so I can spend my money on bags and shoes.

As a busy working mom, there are times when it is hard to stay on top of the housework. However, I have found some ways to keep my house clean without losing my mind through trial and error.

NOTE - While I love a clean house, I have also learned to accept imperfection. There are seasons when life is busier, and the house is messier. If you are in one of those seasons, don't beat yourself up.

Here are the things I am doing to keep my house clean without a maid.

Create a Cleaning Schedule

One of the most effective ways to keep my house clean and presentable is to keep a cleaning schedule. So I planned out certain days when I could do regular household chores.

Monday – Living Room and Shared Spaces
Tuesday – Bedrooms
Wednesday – Kitchen
Thursday – Bathrooms
Friday – Floors and Dusting
Weekends – Deep Cleaning Needs

When we stick to this schedule, it takes away the pressure to do everything at once.

Enlist Family Help

Someone told me when my girls were babies that instead of waiting to clean while they were sleeping, to do the cleaning when they were awake and watching. This teaches kids the importance of cleaning (and how to clean).

As a result, my girls have seen me clean our home since they were little, and now they are big enough to help.

My husband and I have also talked about which chores we hate and which ones we love and delegated them accordingly. For example, my husband hates cleaning bathrooms, but he doesn't mind doing dishes. I hate doing dishes, so we trade these chores with one another.

Whistle While You Work

Cleaning your home is so much better if you find ways to make it enjoyable. When the whole family is cleaning together, such as Saturday morning deep cleanings, we play music and dance and sing as we clean. When I am cleaning on my own, I put on a podcast or audiobook.

Make a Quick Cleanup Part of Your Evening Routine

Deep cleaning Saturdays haven't been as bad or time-consuming since we started making 15-minute cleanups part of our evening routine. After dinner, we spend 15 minutes picking up from the day. Someone in our home is doing the dishes while the others walk around, pick up things, and put them where they belong. Someone else is busy wiping down the counters.

Embrace a Less is More Philosophy

The more stuff you have to clean, the harder it will be. That's why I've embraced the idea that "less is more." Years ago, I started following the idea of one thing in, one thing out – and it has made a huge difference! Whenever I make a purchase, I follow it with a donation. It keeps my closets from overflowing and my shelves from turning into mounds of clutter.

Get the Right Tools

If you don't have the right cleaning tools, you'll make more work for yourself. We have a robot vacuum and a robot map, and both were well worth every penny. But it's more than just fancy electronic gadgets. I also invest in quality cleaning products, such as Clorox. When I'm cleaning my home, I love to use @Clorox products, and I'm excited they've launched another sustainable option with the NEW Clorox Multi-Purpose Refillable Cleaners! With the recyclable pods, I can use my bottle up to 30 times, which means 80% less plastic waste - not to mention, it's easier on my wallet too!

Do you have any cleaning tips to share?

10 Ways to Spring Clean Your Digital Life

Spring cleaning is upon us. While I always strive to declutter and deep clean areas of my house, I realized another space in my life desperately needs a spring cleaning. I’m talking about my digital life.

Things pile up in our digital worlds just like they do in the real world, which is why I am going to focus on spring cleaning my digital life this year.

Here are the 10 ways I plan to spring clean my digital life.

Clean Out Your Inbox

Just like you declutter your junk drawer each spring, you need to declutter your inbox. If promotional emails have piled up, delete them. If you still have emails in your inbox from last year’s teacher, delete them. If you still have emails with previous vacation itineraries, delete them.

Hit Unsubscribe

After you do a big inbox purge, it’s time to think about how you can cut down on the number of emails you receive regularly. I’m a big fan of hitting unsubscribe at the bottom of emails as I receive them. However, I know of several people who really like unroll.me, which is an online program that unsubscribes you from an email list you don’t want to be on.

Delete Photos

If you’re like me, you take approximately 10 photos of your kids to get one good one. But, I tend to allow the other 9 photos to take up storage space on my devices or my cloud service. I plan to sit down one evening with a glass of wine, a good mindless TV show, and delete, delete, delete.

Curate Your Social Media Feed

Make sure you spring clean your social media. If you follow people that make you feel bad about yourself, unfollow them. Who you follow should bring you joy. Also, if you have people following you that you wish wouldn’t, remove them.

Say Goodbye to Contacts

I recently discovered that my Amazon Alexa connects to all my phone’s contacts – email and phone contacts. Since I have random contacts from years ago, it means my kids could accidentally call one of these strangers. Yikes! It made me realize that I really need to delete contacts of people I have no intention of ever speaking to again.

Cancel Spam Callers

Tired of getting spam calls or spam texts? Take just a few minutes to register with the National Do Not Call Registry.

Remove Unused Apps

It only takes a few minutes to remove the unused apps on your phone if your phone doesn’t do it automatically. But, I also think now is an excellent time to review the apps on your phone and see if they are time wasters. For example, this may be the time you decide to delete social media apps from your device and only check those sites from your computer.

Set Digital Reminders

Have you ever questioned when you need to go to an annual doctor’s appointment? If you don’t stay on top of it, these things slip through the cracks. This year, I set reminders for the month I need to see each of my doctors to call and schedule my annual appointments.

Use a Password Manager

Instead of forgetting passwords and having to reset them constantly, I am going to invest in a password manager this year. Password managers keep all your passwords and monitor them to make sure they are keeping your accounts safe and protected. Check out PC Mag’s The Best Password Managers for 2022.

What tips do you have for spring cleaning your digital life?

7 Ways to Keep Your House Clean with Kids Home All the Time

All moms have heard the saying, “Cleaning with kids in the house is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos.” But what are we supposed to do in 2020 when the kids are in the house all. the. time?

Within the first few weeks of the pandemic, our clean house was starting to show signs that it was lived in. In other words, it was messy.  Between virtual schooling, working at home, and the kids having nowhere to go and nothing to do except make a mess, things started to pile up. But the usual chore charts weren’t working.

Here are some of the things I am doing instead to keep the house clean with kids home all day every day.

1. Let Them See You Clean

I remember being told by a wiser, more experienced mom the importance of cleaning while the kids were awake. There are so many moms who do chores during their kids’ naptimes or after bedtime. All this does is put all the housework on you, and it keeps kids from learning how to clean a house. Instead, vacuum right under their feet, load the dishwasher while they are at the counter, and fold the laundry in front of them. Children learn by watching you.

2. Give Them Age Appropriate Chores

But don’t stop at just letting your kids see you clean – they need to clean, too! It is important to give your kid’s age-appropriate chores. And, the sooner, the better! Even toddlers can help out around the house. WebMD has a great list of age-appropriate chores for kids starting at age 2.

3. Reward Their Hard Work

And when the kids do their chores the right way, make sure you reward their hard work! This can vary from giving them praise and compliments to giving them an allowance. Consider your kid’s love language to know type of reward that will work best.

4. Offer Choices

We like having a choice, and so do our kids. Try giving them choices when it comes to chores, such as, “Will you clean the dishes or dust the living room today?” You are giving them a choice between two different chores – not giving them a choice between doing chores or doing nothing.

5. Create a Cleaning Playlist

We call cleaning a chore for a reason. It’s not exactly fun. But there are ways to make cleaning a little more enjoyable, such as creating a cleaning playlist of all the songs your kids love. Plus, you can use your cleaning playlist as a timer to get chores done. For example, tell your kids they have until the end of the playlist or a certain number of songs to get their chores done.

6. Make Them Work for What They Want

Many moms have found success by making kids work for what they want. In this scenario, you don’t let your kids do what they want until they do what you ask. For example, you withhold the Wi-Fi password or TV privileges until their chores are done.

7. Get the Whole Family in on the Cleaning Action

During the quarantine, I’ve had cleaning success by making cleaning a family affair. Every Saturday, we work together as a family to do some deep cleaning before we start to enjoy the weekend. Working together helps it get done faster. And, we are teaching our daughters that they can contribute to the family unit and help the household.

What tips do you have for keeping a house clean with kids home? Share in the comments!

Spring Cleaning Made Easy

A clean house makes me happy. But, like most working moms, it is not always easy to stay on top of the cleaning, which is why spring cleaning is so necessary. When our homes are clutter or dirty, we don’t feel our best. It’s true! Reader’s Digest has a great article entitled Who Knew? 7 Unexpected Health Benefits of Spring Cleaning that explains how clutter leads to stress and dust leads to unhealthy breathing.

If you are like me, you know spring cleaning is important, but it also seems overwhelming. I’m here today to share what I’ve learned that has made spring cleaning so much easier. After you read these tips, you’ll feel ready and prepared to take back your house this spring.

The Right Attitude

First things first – you must have the right attitude. For example, I’m not someone who loves cleaning, but I do love a clean house. So, I have to do the work. By focusing on the end reward, I am more motivated to get started.

Similarly, if spring cleaning feels overwhelming because you are thinking about ALL the things you have to clean, stop thinking about everything at once. Instead, focus on cleaning one area at a time. Prioritize what matters the most. For me, this means prioritizing the places that are used the most frequently and seen the most. Think about it. If you could clean one room in your house, which would it be? Okay. Now that you’ve named the room start there first.

You know the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”? This saying applies to spring cleaning. Too often, we think of spring cleaning as one day or one weekend in the spring to get everything done. That’s not always possible. And, for some of us, that feels like too much work. Instead, clean in short bursts of time. Clean one space or complete one cleaning task, stop and take a break. Then, do a little more. If it takes you a week, who cares?

The Right Tools

Next, you want to make sure you have the right tools to get the job done. I have found that by purchasing the right cleaning products, I save time and my sanity. Why work harder when you don’t have to?

For example, I absolutely love the Swiffer Dry and Wet Sweeping Kits. This 2-in-1 sweeper is perfect for my hardwood floors and saves me so much time and energy. When it comes to cleaning furniture and walls, I use my vacuum cleaner.

I also always stock up on safe cleaning products, soaps, disinfectants, and dusters before I begin my spring cleaning. But, by far, the favorite spring cleaning tool is a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. These things are amazing and can be used to clean practically everything. I have used them to clean my walls after my girls colored them and to clean my appliances.

When it comes to purchasing the right tools, you can’t go wrong with Walmart. Walmart has the best prices for spring cleaning products and offers free 2-day shipping. You can order all you need and have it in time for your weekend spring cleaning extravaganza!

The Right Plan

Finally, you want to have the right spring cleaning plan. While I already said you don’t have to do it all in one day, you should have a plan to clean it all. This is the time of year when it makes the most sense to clean those spaces of your home that are often neglected (such as baseboards and window screens). I’ve found using Taste of Home’s Room-by-Room Spring Cleaning Checklist helps me deep clean every area of my home.  

Don’t Miss This Spring Cleaning Giveaway!

You can win a cleaning bundle from P&G (Febreeze, Dawn, Swiffer, Tide, etc.) worth up to $100 by sharing a photo of your own Spring cleaning win on Instagram or Twitter and tagging me, #SpringCleaningWin and #Inrachelshoes

Head to my Instagram page to find out more!

How to Clean and Take Care of Light-Colored Shoes and Bags

Dior Saddle Bag

Ladies, why do we save up the money to purchase designer bags or shoes just to let them show wear and tear before the season is even over? If you are like me, you hate to see your most valued possessions lose their luster because of stains or scuff marks.

High-quality shoes and bags should be treated as investment pieces, but too often, we don’t take the steps we need to take care of them in the first place. I’m here today to help you out with some basic care and cleaning tips for light-colored shoes and bags.

Protect Your Valuables

First things first, you need to protect your valuable shoes and bags. You need to treat them with care! For instance, shoe horns and boot shapers were invented for a reason. These handy tools keep your precious shoes in great shape. The same concept applies to bags, too. If you are not using a bag, stuff it so that it maintains its shape in the offseason. Additionally, your designer bags come with dust bags for a reason – to protect the bags from dust. If you have a dust bag, then use it!

Take Prevention into Your Own Hands

If you have a pair of shoes or a bag that you absolutely love and hope will last for years, then you should invest in a protector spray. Protector sprays work to protect the material by creating a barrier against water and dirt. This is especially important for light-colored bags and shoes!

The Material Matters

I cannot emphasize this enough – the material matters! You will treat and clean leather very differently than you will suede. For example, you should avoid using water as the main cleaning agent for suede unless you want to damage your shoes or bag even more. Similarly, there are specific cleaning tools for different types of materials – i.e., suede protectors and leather protectors.

Read the Instructions

Next, after you have purchased care items, you should always read the labels and instructions. As I explained above, you should not use a suede cleaner on a leather item and vice versa. Additionally, some leather cleaners require water and others do not; therefore, it is important for you to read the instructions. If you want your shoes or bags to return to their original beauty, then follow the care instructions and cleaning product instructions.

Test a Small Area First

You should always test a small area first to be on the safe side. Some shoe polishes are designed to work with certain colors. Don’t make the mistake of applying a shoe polish designed for black shoes all over a light-colored pair of shoes. That would be a major shoe emergency!

Three Products I Recommend

You can google and find all sorts of home remedies for cleaning light colored shoes and bags. But, when it comes to my favorite possessions, I just don’t want to risk it. I’d rather not try to combine white vinegar and water and ruin my favorite pair of heels. Instead, I trust those in the shoe business to tell me how to clean and take care of my valuables. Below I am recommending three products for leather shoes which can also be used on leather purses. Even better – these products are designed to work on light-colored shoes and bags!

Apple Brand Leather Cleaner & Conditioner

The Apple Brand aims to preserve and restore leather – not to damage it. So, you can expect their products to be gentle. In addition to the cleaner, I love that the conditioner is easy to apply using a makeup sponge and works to moisturize and leave the leather feeling smooth.

Meltonian Boot and Shoe Cream Polish

As it is available in multiple colors, it is easy to find a polish that will match the item you love. The cream works to clean and make shoes return to their original glory. It goes on easily, and all you need to do is buff the shoes with a soft cloth.

Saphir Medaille D'or 1925 Pate De Luxe Neutral Wax Shoe Polish

Unlike dark shoe polishes, this one is wax-based, clear and designed to be used on neutral or odd-colored shoes. For those looking for a polish that does not have to match various colored shoes, this is an excellent choice.

See something you like? Shop My Style!