How to Keep the House Clean with Kids: Simple Tips for St. George Families

Feeling overwhelmed with a messy house? Discover simple, realistic cleaning tips for families in St. George, including decluttering strategies and daily habits that make keeping your home tidy easier.
Feeling overwhelmed with a messy house full of toys, laundry, and endless crumbs? You’re not alone. Many busy families in St. George struggle to keep their homes clean with kids running around. While a perfectly spotless house may not be realistic, you can take simple steps to make your home more manageable, tidy, and stress-free. These cleaning tips for families will help you stay ahead of the mess without feeling like you’re cleaning 24/7.
Start with Decluttering
Less clutter = less to clean. When toys, clothes, and random items pile up, it makes keeping the house clean much harder. Set aside time each week to declutter one space—whether it’s the toy bin, a closet, or the entryway. Donate or discard items your family no longer uses. Take a look at our clutter tips to get started on decluttering areas in your home.
Pro Tip for St. George homes: With limited storage in many newer Southern Utah homes, rotating toys and seasonal clothes can make a huge difference in keeping spaces manageable.
Follow the Two-Minute Rule
Small tasks add up quickly, and ignoring them only creates more work later. The two-minute rule helps you tackle little messes before they spiral out of control.
How it works: If you notice a task that takes less than two minutes (like wiping down the counter, rinsing a dish, or hanging up jackets), do it immediately instead of putting it off.
By building this habit, you’ll keep your home cleaner without setting aside hours at a time for chores.

Create Kid-Friendly Cleaning Habits
Kids can help! Teaching them simple routines not only keeps your home tidier but also helps them build responsibility. Assign age-appropriate tasks such as:
- Putting toys back in bins
- Wiping down the table after meals
- Carrying laundry to the hamper
Discover a detailed list of each age appropriate chores here.
In St. George, where outdoor play often means red dirt and dust coming inside, encouraging kids to take off shoes at the door can save you cleaning time each week.

Complete Daily Chores
One of the easiest ways to maintain a tidy home—especially for busy families in St. George—is to create a simple system of daily chores. These don’t need to be overwhelming; in fact, they should be quick, manageable tasks that fit easily into your routine.
Think of small actions like wiping down counters, doing one load of laundry, or making the bed. By building these cleaning habits into your day, you prevent clutter and mess from piling up. Not sure where to begin? Start with these 5 daily habits for a tidy home and watch how your home feels more organized with less effort.
Quick Clean Before Bed
A few minutes at night can save hours of stress in the morning. Before heading to bed, involve your whole family in a 5–10 minute tidy-up session. Collect items that don’t belong in the living room, clear away toys, straighten up homework areas, and put clothes or shoes where they belong.
Don’t forget to scan for dirty dishes or crumbs that attract pests overnight. By resetting your home each evening, you’ll wake up to a fresh, cleaner start—making mornings less hectic and far more enjoyable.
Minimize Clothes
Too many clothes often lead to messy closets, overflowing laundry baskets, and endless folding. One of the best tips for keeping kids’ rooms neat is to simplify their wardrobes. Aim for about a week’s worth of outfits (8–9 sets per season), plus a couple of extras for spills or surprises.
With fewer clothes, laundry becomes more manageable—you can wash everything in a single weekly load instead of feeling buried in piles. Bonus: kids also find it easier to keep their spaces organized when they aren’t overwhelmed by too many clothing choices.

Rotate Toys to Reduce Clutter
Toys seem to multiply overnight, and keeping them organized can feel impossible. One of the best strategies for busy St. George families is to set up a toy rotation system. After decluttering, sort toys into bins or boxes by type—puzzles, cars, building blocks, dolls—and store most of them away.
Then, rotate the bins back into play on a schedule that works for your family—weekly, monthly, or even daily if your kids need variety. This keeps playtime fresh, reduces overwhelm, and makes cleanup faster since fewer toys are out at once.
Accept Your Stage of Life
No matter how many cleaning hacks you try, life with kids will always come with some mess. And that’s okay. A “clean” home looks different depending on your children’s ages and your family’s lifestyle. Instead of chasing perfection, focus on progress, not pressure. Create routines, do your best to stay organized, and let go of the rest.
For many St. George families, hiring a professional cleaning service makes all the difference—whether it’s tackling deep cleans during busy seasons or helping with weekly upkeep. Professional help ensures your kids grow up in a healthier, safer, and tidier environment while giving you peace of mind.
We are Here to Help
Keeping a home clean with kids isn’t about perfection—it’s about creating small, consistent habits that fit your stage of life. From toy rotations to daily tidying, every step helps you build a calmer, more organized home environment. And when the mess feels overwhelming, Better Home Cleaning is here to help. Our team proudly serves St. George and surrounding neighborhoods, giving families the gift of a home that feels fresh, comfortable, and ready to enjoy.
📞 Call us today for a free quote and let us help you take cleaning off your to-do list—so you can spend more time making memories with your family.