Cleaning!

[Cazz]

I am just starting out and trying to find out as much info as possible. Something I just thought of when I was mopping my kitchen floor is when do you all clean your houses? Are you allowed to do any type of house work while you are minding - ie if children are having free play time? I know you can't go off upstairs and change the beds etc but can you do some cleaning downstairs if you are within earshot/sight of the mindees?

I will need to keep on top of everything daily or my house will be a pigsty within a week (untidy hubby & 10 year old twins!) and then I will not be a happy bunny :( . I also have a 4 month old baby so by the time all three are in bed most of the evening has gone - am I going to have to spend that time tidying & cleaning? Obviously it is essential to have a clean and tidy house when you childmind so how do all you fantastic ladies do it?

[angeldelight]

I do it when I can - around the children - or before they arrive or when they have gone

I do it when they are playing or sitting reading or something - sometimes they even help me

They are very good anyway and put things away and even help tidy up after lunch or dinner

You will soon get into a routine yourself on what works best for you

Angel xx

[Noodles]

I do some of my cleaning whilst children are here and they love to help e.g washing in and out of machine, toy hoovers out if i need to hoover up mess they make, they really enjoy it :)

[miffy]

I tend to only do what I need to when the mindees are here to keep on top of things like hoovering up any mess they make, washing pots etc. I do peg washing out and they can help with that passing the pegs etc

I don't think there's any harm in letting them help you with things like dusting as children love to copy what you're doing and be involved

I wouldn't worry too much you'll soon get into a routine

miffy xx

[Rubybubbles]

I agree with everyone, a little bit of help from the children doesn't hurt!

I tend only to do little jobs like hovvering, dusting ect with the mindies, bed get stripped first thing, then made up straight away of a morning!! do get a bit of a rush on but things do settle down and fall into place (if you can keep yourself of here that is:p )

[crazybones]

I had to clean the house yesterday - because hubby had done it on Sat while I was at the exhibition. :rolleyes: I think he thinks that because he doesnt use the downstairs loo that it doesnt get dirty.

[Rubybubbles]

I had to clean the house yesterday - because hubby had done it on Sat while I was at the exhibition. :rolleyes: I think he thinks that because he doesnt use the downstairs loo that it doesnt get dirty.

hehe loves mens style of cleaning:rolleyes:

[sarah707]

Midnight works for me! :laughing:

Otherwise, sometimes with the children, sometimes when they've gone home if I've got the energy, often first thing in the morning. :D

[Straws]

I was told on my ICP course that you should not do cleaning when you have minded children, she said look at it like a 9-5 job you wouldnt be able do the housework if you had to go out to work:(

Straws xx

[Fandangles]

If we are supposed to be teaching life skills to children then surely cleaning is one of them. Obviously you can't expect to be able to do a full spring clean but getting the kids involved in a bit of washing, hoovering and dusting can only be a good thing. Otherwise they will grow up thinking that the fairies will come and do it - oh wait, mine do and they've seen me clean!:eek:

[sarah707]

you can cover lots of areas of the eyfs with a duster and dustpan and brush - fine and gross motor skills (PD), sense of belonging (PSED), communication skills as they listen then follow instructions (CLL) etc.

It's all about being sensible like Fandangles says - don't do it every day and make it fun! :D

[Fandangles]

I can think of loads of justifications for cleaning:
- teaches fairness (is it fair that x makes a mess and y has to clean it up)
- teaches hygiene (why do we do washing, germs etc.)
- teaches health and safety (what might happen if we leave all these toys over the floor, the food out of the fridge etc.)
- teaches sorting (washing into colours, toys into various categories)
- provides exercise
- teaches economics (how much would it cost to pay a cleaner to do this, if you don't want to clean, what do you need to do to get a job in order to pay a cleaner)
- teaches teamwork and cooperation

[Twinkles]

I clean the downstairs loo before they get here in the morning.
I do some tidying up when the children are here. I also load the washing machine ( sometimes they help ). I do the dishwasher as I go along throughout the day.
I would push a broom around if they make a mess in the kitchen.
But other than that I save the cleaning for when they go to sleep.

TBH I'm too cream crackered to do it in the evening.

[Jinx]

You'll soon find a way off getting everything done. Before I minded, I'd spend all day doing jobs that I now do in a fraction of the time. Now I look back and wonder why everything took me so long?!:rolleyes: If you have all day, you take all day, if you have 5 mins then it gets done then!!:thumbsup:

Jinx x

[deeb66]

I don't do cleaning as such when the minded kids are here.

BUT....as others have already said.....I do not see a problem with doing things like washing up breakfast and lunch dishes or hoovering up any mess they have made etc.

Yes....I do get them to help peg the washing out occasionally and help me dust.....this is how the children learn and are invovled with day to day routines.

The same as doing the shopping......I don't take them for the full weekly shop but should we need something for an activity or need some more fruit yoghurts etc then I take the kids along too......after all having to do shopping is part and parcel of life!

[tulip0803]

simple matching activity - get them to match all the socks. I always had pairs when childminding now no-one can find a pair:laughing:

light housework which they can help with, dusting, sweeping, mopping washing, light gardening. Cleaning up any mess they have made particularly if a safety hazard (spilt juice). Washing up has to be done or is a food hygiene issue.

You cannot ignore some things they have to be done and if you went out to work in a childcare setting certain cleaning has to be done when it needs to be and cannot be left.

Having said that unless it was a mess the mindees had made I did not vacuum until they went home and did not do anything upstairs as it was not registered for minding.

[Alibali]

Pay someone else to do it! :D

Ali xx

[donnahay0]

Sorry, I am not sure I understand the bit that said 9-5 job. Does anybody here work 9-5 cos I don't. My hours are 7.30 - 6pm and no time of for lunch. If I had to do my housework, cooking tea, ironing, paperwork and heaven forbid actually getting some sleep in then I would have collapsed within a week - well I just couldn't get it all done.

I, like most people, try and get bits done throughout the day. I can certainly get the washing on and cycled round. Sweep floors, just generally picking stuf up (in my house there is always a lot of stuff, I think the elves sneak it in right under my nose).

Trouble is you have to do a little bit as you go along anyway as working from home doing our job just tends to make a mess anyway. We also have to teach the children about every day life values and how will they learn to do matching, counting and colours etc without us doing our laundry.

[donnahay0]

Oh forgot to mention that I can't do my housework in the evenings as I am far too busy doing business stuff - research on the Childminding Forum of course.

[miffy]

Oh forgot to mention that I can't do my housework in the evenings as I am far too busy doing business stuff - research on the Childminding Forum of course.
:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

miffy xx

[Rubybubbles]

Oh forgot to mention that I can't do my housework in the evenings as I am far too busy doing business stuff - research on the Childminding Forum of course.

:laughing: :thumbsup: too right

[Straws]

Thank god you all do house work during minded hours, I wont feel so guilty about fitting some in during the day now:) I thought it was a big no no when on my ICP course

[Cazz]

Thanks for all the info! I feel better knowing that I am not going to up until midnight doing the housework - I will probably be up until midnight on here instead!

I agree that it is good to get children involved and teach them these skills - I think I let my 10 year olds get away with it too much when they were younger and thats why they are untidy now. Not taking responsibility for hubby though - mother in law obviously pampered him too much! If I make any comments at the moment I am getting "well I go out to work (actually has 2 jobs at the moment!) and you are at home all day!" (currently on maternity leave). I will accept this at the moment but if he thinks he is going to say that when I start childminding I feel the air could turn blue! :laughing:

Carole x