Yesterday was the first day of Spring and I don’t know about you but I am ready to Clean. All. The. Things. Today I’m sharing with you some of my favorite cleaning hacks. I even have a free printable that will help you get a handle on having a clean home. This cleaning hacks for busy moms post contains affiliate links, all opinions are completely my own.

easy cleaning hacks

work smarter not harder

The word “hack” is really all about this concept, right? How can we save time or energy doing an everyday task? To be completely honest and transparent, I used to feel like I was constantly scrubbing our hall bathroom toilet. It seemed like no matter what I did the bowl would look yellow. I got so tired of constantly cleaning it that I finally tried the Clorox tablets and haven’t looked back. These sit in your toilet tank and with each flush deliver some cleaning bleach to your bowl. I also love to use Clorox wipes for quickly wiping down a bathroom or kitchen counter when I don’t have a lot of time. They’re especially great during cold and flu season to wipe down light switches and door handles.

Ask yourself–what are you doing the hard way and how could you take a shortcut and make your life easier?

| Read: Spring Cleaning Tips |

clean while you sleep

Let’s face it, as much as we would love to have more hours in the day to get things done, that’s just not going to happen. So why not get some things done while you’re sleeping? What machines do you have in your house that can clean for you with just the press of a button? Here are three things that I like to start each night before I go to bed:

• The washing machine: If I can at least get the washing cycle started before I go to bed then I only have to switch the laundry over to the dryer in the morning. Then I’m in good shape to get the laundry folded and put away in a timely manner the next day. It’s even better if I have time to start the drying cycle before bedtime. However, I’ve never had an issue with damp clothes sitting in the washing machine overnight.
• The robotic vacuum: It might not be perfect but I notice such a difference when I run the vacuum each night. Not only does it get the floor pretty clean. It also saves me time sweeping or manually vacuuming. I also notice I don’t have to wash the floors as often because dirt isn’t getting tracked everywhere as much. I do still have to sweep ad manually vacuum, but much less often than I used to. I’m also amazed at the things our vacuum picks up–a child’s sock and a marker, just to name a few.
• The dishwasher: I almost always start the dishwasher at night–as long as it’s at least 2/3 of the way full. I don’t like to waste water, but if I’m able to have the dishwasher going while I’m sleeping then I can wake up to clean dishes. Then I can put them away first thing in the morning while my kids are eating breakfast.

set yourself up for success

Have you ever noticed what a difference it makes to your attitude or your day when something is clean and organized? When you begin to clean and organize it has a trickle down effect. It makes a difference in your entire day!

Let me illustrate with the following example: I clean my kitchen and start a load of dishes before I go to bed. When I wake up the kitchen is clean and I have time to quickly unload the dishwasher while my kids are eating their breakfast. Because the dishwasher is now empty they can load their breakfast dishes in right away, meaning that the sink is still empty and the counters and table are still clear. The kitchen is clean and it’s one less thing that I have to do later during my busy day. When I make dinner later the kitchen will be clean which means that I don’t have to clean before I can cook, and I can instantly load  my dirty dinner dishes into the dishwasher.

Set yourself up for success–what extra step can you take that will make all the difference later?

| Read: Organization BINGO Game |

some of my favorite cleaning hacks:

• Having potty training troubles? Vinegar does wonders to get rid of the smell of urine, just pour some in your fabric softener compartment of your washing machine when you wash your load.
• Is vacuuming your least favorite chore? Swap out your vacuum for a cordless one. It’s amazing what a difference it makes now that we don’t have to lug around our heavy vacuum and deal with plugging it into different sockets. And it’s so easy for my kids to use!
• Need to pick up in a hurry? Grab a basket or box (the bulk-sized diaper boxes work perfectly for this) and fill it with anything that’s on the ground. Sort through it at the end of the day when you have a spare minute. If your kids are older you can even make them earn their things back!
• Overwhelmed by laundry? Wash it everyday! This might seem counter-productive, but by washing it everyday you have smaller loads which makes it more manageable to fold and put away. Washing everything together in cold also saves your hot water.

What is your favorite cleaning hack? Have you started Spring cleaning yet?