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02.07.19

How We Keep our Space Clean with a Baby and Dogs

Crystalin Marie living room

For those of you who follow me on Instagram Stories, you know how clean Mike is. Many of you have asked to clone him for you, lol. After 13 years of knowing him, I can say, his OCD clean tendencies are both a blessing and a curse. Mostly a blessing, but there’s instances like the other day, when he threw away a homemade soup my aunt made me because he was cleaning the kitchen, ugh! I’ve received countless messages asking how we keep our house so clean with a baby and 2 dogs and today I’m spilling our secrets. The truth is, we’re very clean and particular people and sometimes, it’s not the easiest. We laugh about it all the time, but sometimes we say, “we wish we just didn’t care.”

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At the end of the day, you’re either clean or your not. It’s hard to be something you’re not. So, while we can share our tips, just know sometimes you have to just accept it, lol. Keep in mind, I’m clean, but I’m also notorious for leaving my personal spaces a mess. Mike has allowed me to leave my office and the guest room however I want. They’re my 2 spaces to just do me. And the truth is, they’re not always clean. Work takes over, I’m always trying on a bunch of outfits, I have to deal with the baby bag and all of Harper’s things, contracts, receipts – so you can see how it can get out of control. I know Mike likes the house to be clutter-free, so I do my best for the most part to organize the rooms at least once a week. Every other room in the house is very organized and clean 90% of the time. I have to give all the credit to Mike, though. Our house looks the way it does because of Mike. I decorate and he keeps it looking perfect.

How We Keep Our House Clean

  1. We don’t wear shoes in the house
  2. Our cleaners come every 6 weeks (although it would be best every 4, but it’s a little inconvenient with dogs and a baby).
  3. Mike will vacuum once every week (although lately it’s been once every 2 weeks).
  4. We clean our dog’s paws every time they go outside to potty or on walks.
  5. We don’t have excess – every room is decorated to what it can handle. We don’t like clutter.
  6. Mike has a rule (that mostly he follows) – if it takes less than 2 minutes, just do it. He’s very good at putting things away right in the moment, so rooms don’t get messy and cluttered. I’m really bad at leaving things downstairs and I’ll always see him bring them upstairs for me.
  7. We wash and fold laundry the day of – clean laundry NEVER piles up.
  8. We eat our meals at the dining table (snacks sometimes on the couch) – we don’t have a no food in the living room policy per se, but it has prevented any accidents on our white coffee table and white rug.
  9. We donate or sell anything we no longer use. All of Harper’s infant equipment has already been sold.
  10. We use blankets in the designated dog areas – they mostly hang out on the couch or on the bench in my office.
  11. We keep all of Harper’s toys upstairs in her play area or in her room. We don’t “play” downstairs.
  12. We maintain, so that the house is never really “dirty”.  We pick up after ourselves and we clean up messes right away. That way it never feels like we need a day or weekend to clean the house.
  13. We go to bed with every room organized (except my 2 personal rooms). We clean the kitchen and dining room after dinner, we organize the living room and fluff the couch, and tidy up the play area upstairs.

If you’ve made it to this point and you’re thinking we’re crazy, you’re right. Like I said before, we’re very particular people and often times we wish we weren’t so crazy. But the upside, we have a very clean house, lol.

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