When you welcome a new-born baby into your home, you want the immediate environment to be fresh, hygienic and sparkling clean. But as a new parent, it quickly becomes obvious that keeping a spic and span home at the same time as taking care of your little one is tricky at best.
1. Outsource and save time
When you’re already tired and spending hours of your days (and nights) caring for a new member of the family, it’s worth forking out for the odd bit of extra help.
Think about taking the laundry to the laundromat, occasionally contracting the services of a nanny or babysitter and even getting prepared meals delivered to your home. For routine household cleaning, you can organise help via the phone or internet – a number of companies offer to drop off and fetch cleaning staff.
For expert cleaning of baby cots, prams and car seats – as well as carpets, rugs, curtains, mattresses and upholstery – you can give us a call at Chelsea Cleaning.
Outsourcing allows you to free up time you can better spend interacting with your little one or catching up on much-needed sleep.
2. Create a weekly cleaning schedule
With a baby in the home, routine is key to staying sane and organised.
Rather than attempting to tackle household tasks through the occasional, gargantuan effort that takes up hours of time and all your energy, allocate specific tasks to different days of the week. Monday may be laundry day, Tuesday house cleaning, Wednesday bulk cooking, Thursday a quick vacuum and so on.
Spreading the workload over the week and targeting your efforts makes it easier to get everything done in the time you have available.
3. Stock up on baby-friendly detergents
Babies’ skin, eyes and lungs are especially sensitive to toxic chemicals and vapours. So rather than using standard cleaning detergents, it’s a good idea to stock up on eco-friendly, hypoallergenic and biodegradable cleansers and sanitizers.
If you find these customised products a bit pricey, you can always fall back on tried and tested remedies your granny probably once used:
- baking soda and borax are effective deodorisers, for example for getting the smell of urine out of mattresses and baby chairs
- vinegar and baking soda together are ideal for removing urine stains
- hydrogen peroxide is a low-cost, multi-purpose cleaner that can be used to sanitise hard surfaces.
4. Bring nature into the nursery
A sunny, well-ventilated nursery is ideal for a baby’s health. During warm spells, open the windows to encourage the circulation of fresh air. You can also place a few indoor plants around the room to purify the air.
Aloe Vera, succulents, Spider plants, Gerbera daisies and Peace lilies are all popular options. They help absorb pollutants and may even help reduce the risk of a baby developing asthma, allergies or auto-immune diseases.
5. Sanitise baby toys effortlessly
Babies love to taste-test just about everything, including their toys. Soft toys, in particular, can become health hazards. They absorb dirt and dust, and especially when kept damp half the time, are potential breeding grounds for moulds and other pathogens.
The easiest way to sanitize baby toys is to pop them into a fine mesh laundry bag and into the dishwasher. The hot water and steam will work their magic. Once the cycle is over, place the toys in a warm, sunny spot to dry.
If you don’t have a dishwasher, tip plastic toys into a mild bleach solution, leave for an hour or so, rinse and leave to air dry. Most soft toys survive a gentle, cool cycle in the washing machine, especially if you put them in a pillowcase or laundry bag first.
6. Involve your baby in the cleaning routine
You’ll find your baby loves to be part of your daily routine. You can carry out your chores with your little one on your back, or you can pop him or her into a car seat, in a position with a good view of what you’re doing. This will free your hands and keep baby entertained until it’s time to nod off.
7. Synchronise vacuuming with nap time
This doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s worth trying! The humming of a vacuum cleaner acts like a sleeping draught for some babies. If this applies in your case, try to vacuum as close to nap time as you can.
8. Add charcoal to nappy bins
Adding a few pieces of charcoal to the bottom of a nappy bin is a cheap and effective way to neutralise odours.
What we offer at Chelsea Cleaning
Chelsea Cleaning offers professional deep-cleaning of car seats, prams and cots, as well as mattresses, carpets, rugs, upholstery and curtains.
