For most mums, whether you are a working mum or a stay at home mum, housework is an unfortunate necessary evil.

But doing a little bit of housework every single day will ensure it won’t pile up and will help you get on top of it. Plus enlist the help of the family – it’s not just your job to keep a house tidy!

Here is a simple daily housework routine to try and whip that house into shape so you can enjoy the more important things.

1. Make the bed.

Do you know that your bedroom automatically looks 90% neater when you make the bed? So get cracking, hop out of bed and make it straight away because if you walk away and do something else – you won’t get back to it! Encourage your children to do the same before they walk out of their bedroom.

2. Clean the kitchen.

If you have a dishwasher, put it on last thing at night so it’s nice and clean in the morning. Alternatively, make sure the dishes are done and put away before going to bed so you wake up to a clean and neat kitchen. Unload the dishes first thing so all the dishes for the day can be loaded up to be put on last thing before bed. Wipe down the kitchen benches, the stove and any grotty appliances. Give your sink a quick wipe down and put your clothes in the washing machine and get new ones out daily. Train the kids to put their cereal bowls in the sink or even better, rinse and wash them themselves.

3. Don’t leave a room empty-handed.

This is more of a tip. Every time you leave a room, grab something that doesn’t belong and put it back where it does. If you do this all the time, your house will be clean in record time. If you have young children, you will always have something in your hands!

4. Clean your bathroom.

Grab yourself a squeegee for the shower. Train the last person who has a shower in the morning to give the shower a 30 second ‘squeege’. This is great for preventing water staining and helps keep your shower screens crystal clean. Give the toilet a quick scrub with the brush. If it is getting grotty, throw a cup of white vinegar in it at night, let it sit and give it a flush in the morning. This is good for getting rid of stains and odours. Wipe the basin down with a used towel (that will need to be washed anyway) and throw out any rubbish and you’re done! Once a week, give it a good mop and going over.

5. Pay the bills.

I like to keep my bills on a bulldog clip hanging up in the kitchen where I can see them daily. Have the ‘nearest due’ bill on top! When the due date comes around, pull the bill off the top and PAY IT so you don’t incur late fees and file it straight away! Paperwork is easy to let go and it makes such a mess. Try and deal with a piece of paper only once if you can (bills exempted). Getting into this habit will save you money because:

Your bills get paid on time.

You can find what you are looking for.

6. Organise dinner.

When putting the dishwasher on at night, get into the habit of taking something out of the freezer to defrost overnight in the fridge. Once the kids are off to school and the house is somewhat neat, do your preparation work – chop veggies, get out the dishes you need, pre-cook anything that needs doing. That way, by the time the kids get home, everything is organised. This is typically the busiest time of the day for mums so it pays to organise your dinner early! Remember too that slow cookers and freezer cooking is a mum’s best friend!

7. Throw a load of washing in the machine.

If you have enough washing for a load, put it on at night. Not only will you save in off-peak electricity, but it will be done and ready to be hung out in the morning. Take the dry clothes off the line before picking the kids up and fold whilst watching the TV that evening (or get hubby to do it). Doing the washing on an as-needed basis will stop the huge build up of clothes that usually happens on weekends. Weekends are too special to be spent washing, so take 5 minutes out at night to get the next day prepared for.

8. Lay out clothing for the next day.

Every night, before I go to bed, I get out the school uniforms or daycare wear and lay out the entire outfit for the children. If your children are old enough to choose something for themselves, you can skip this. I found mine were pulling out everything in their cupboard every morning which made more work for me! Now, they know how to finish their breakfast and to get dressed right away. It’s also a good idea to have the lunch boxes open and clean on the kitchen counter the night before so they are all ready to go. I like to add the items that don’t need to be in the fridge like fruit and muesli bars, etc, so all I have to do is make a couple of sandwiches and they are done.

This is a very general busy mums daily housework routine. But getting these done daily, if you can, will help the build up of housework that happens when kids are around!

What are the jobs you seem to need to everyday?