Clean Up Epic Messes in the House

I have been, or can be if you click on a link and make a purchase, compensated via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value for writing this post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

This shop about how I clean up epic messes in the house using #EurekaPower, has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias

Homeschooling most of the boys means that we are actively living in the house and messes are a part of it.  Sadly, there are times when the house starts to look just a wee bit shy of ready for an episode of Hoarders.  Not that long ago, I shared photos from two of the hot spots in our house.  Progress is slow going, but with winter settling in and our spending even more time inside, I am cracking down and spending more time on getting the epic messes in the house under control.

Simple Steps to Clean Up Epic Messes in the House

Overtime I have found that there are a few key items that contribute to the house becoming one gigantic mess.  The boys do not like the cleaning process, but they sure appreciate having the space to play!

Years ago, it might have fallen on mom to do all the cleaning around the house.  I have found that not only do I not have enough hours in the day to do that as well as homeschool the boys and manage my own ventures, but I firmly believe that the kids need have the skills needed to run a household.  I might have all boys, but there is no guarantee that they won’t be living the single life for several years or possibly marrying someone who is not the “model housewife.”  So, I am continually mustering the troops around here to help keep up the house we are blessed to call home.

Step One ~ Pick Up Trash and Toss it Out

This is something that should be simple to do, yet my boys are notorious for leaving wrappers of all sorts and broken pieces of toys just scattered around the house. When we have a massive clean up, I usually have them walk through and pick up the trash first.

Step Two ~ Walk Through Collect Clothing Items

Along with trash, the younger boys are consistent in their habit of changing clothing in just about every room of the house.  Socks are the prime offender, but my 5 year old will completely change in the ‘big room’ leaving behind either pajamas or dirty clothes tossed about.  This is something that we are slowly working on correcting, but it is slow going.

Step Three ~   Get Control of the Clutter

The need to stay on top of the clutter that seems to multiply in short order is something that we struggle doing well.  This includes regular purging of what we have, tossing things that are damaged out and blessing others with items we no longer need but still have plenty of life in them.  Given my younger sons propensity to take out games and then leave them in place with the idea that they are going to go back to them, I am also considering a return to having only a handful of toys available and the others boxed up for future rotation.  We all know how much fun it is to step on a little pieces while walking in a dark room. Given we are entering the ‘dark’ season in Alaska, I really do not want to injure my feet on a regular basis.

Step Three ~ Gather Tools for Cleaning Effectively

I have found that inferior tools mean an inferior finished effect.  Our schoolroom is completely carpeted and that flooring can hold a LOT of debris.  Our older canister vacuum was becoming less effective and the disposable bags fill up rather rapidly. So, I went on a search for a new vacuum that the boys can easily operate and does not need me to replace bags that hold the debris pulled up.

A trip to Walmart had me leaving with the Eureka SuctionSeal 2.0 vacuum which not only promises to do an incredible job with vacuuming, but also is a rollback item with the new price set at $129 instead of the original $149.  I was excited to have the system filtered (to help with my allergies), yet with a canister that collects the debris which is easily dumped directly into the garbage can.

Putting it together took just minutes and I let my eldest son who is planning to study engineering in college do the honors.  He did reference the quick start guide in the process to make sure everything lined up perfectly.

Step Four ~ Supervise and Assist as Needed

My teenage boys are quite versed in operation of equipment such as a vacuum cleaner.  However, I elected to have my 11 year old son tackle the vacuuming of the ‘lounge’ space and stairs with me supervising and assisting as needed.

The vacuum collected a lot of debris and I was quite pleased at how easy it was to dump it into the garbage.

As vacuuming is usually the LAST step of our cleaning process, once it is done you can sit back and enjoy the calm, clean space.

Now that one section of our large school / play room space is under control, I am working with the boys to get the rest done in time for the holidays. And, I am eager to see how it does on our laminate flooring in the main living space as the boys leave a lot of debris under the dining table.
Check out the Eureka SuctionSeal 2.0 vacuum in action:

How do you clean up epic messes in your house?

What chores do assign your kids?