This post is sponsored by Bona® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I’m sure that many of you can relate when it comes to the struggle of finding time to clean your home when you are already stretched thin on time and energy. Our days are busy, but having a somewhat clean and tidy home definitely helps me feel happier, less stressed and eases the chaos.

Over the years, I’ve found a few key tips that have made a world of difference in keeping our home clean, even on the days when we are insanely busy.

How To Keep Your House Clean When You Have Little Time:

Have A Place For Everything

Having a set place for everything cuts down on clutter and chaos so much. I love using cubbies, decorative bins and boxes in our home to help hide toys, clutter and miscellaneous items. Try to encourage children to put toys away as they play instead of creating a huge mess. Each child has their own bin to keep their toys in our main living room. Not only does this allow them to know where to put toys when they are finished, but it also prevents us from having a toy overload (once the bin is full, toys either need to be taken to their rooms or into the basement).

Have The Right Cleaning Tools

The right cleaning tools make a world of difference when keeping your home looking spic and span. There are so many different cleaning tools and cleaners out there and it’s so important to be sure that you are using the correct ones for your needs and surfaces in your home.

I try to keep cleaning stations in each room (or at least easily accessible on each floor in our home). These includes: rags, paper towels, sponges, gloves, general multi-purpose cleaners, etc. Experiment with different cleaners and brands until you find the ones that work best for your needs. There’s no use in keeping a product that doesn’t work and forces you to work twice as hard.

One of my favorite features in our home is our hardwood floors. To keep our floors looking shiny and clean, I use the Bona Microfiber mop and Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner (safe for all unwaxed, polyurethane finished wood floors).

The unique formula provides a complete clean by gently and effectively removing dust, dirt and grime that leaves our floors sparkling (which helps take attention away from the toys scattered about)! I love that it also has GreenGuard Gold certification which means that Bona products have met some of the world’s most rigorous and comprehensive standards for low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into indoor air. This is a must for products that I use in my home. It dries fast and doesn’t leave streaky residue like some other cleaners that I’ve used.

Below is the hardwood floor routine we follow:

• Spot clean messes immediately (prevents spots, damage and makes it easier to keep up with).
• Dry dust floors daily with my Bona mop (microfiber pad picks up dirt and grime so well).
• Wet clean floors once weekly with Bona Premium Spray mop and Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner.

Clean Up As You Go

Instead of waiting for one time during the day or week to clean, clean up as you go. Many tasks around the home, have pockets of time in which you can switch in a quick cleaning session. As you’re cooking dinner, run a sink of soapy water to wash, rinse dishes and load the dishwasher as you wait for food to finish cooking. When kids are finishing breakfast, dust or wipe down cabinets, or wipes countertops and/or clean the toilet when supervising kids in the bathtub (as long as they are old enough, of course).

Enlist Family Help

Get your family involved! There’s no reason that mom should be the only one that does all the cleaning. Set aside tasks for your children to do that are age appropriate and ask your spouse for help!  Having a chore system with rewards is a great way to encourage children to help out. The earlier that they are involved and start helping out, the easier it is in the long run as they know it is expected that they contribute.

Clean Up Before Bed

I set a daily alarm (I use my phone) that goes off 15 minutes before bedtime. This alarm is a reminder for everyone in the family to take some time cleaning up before starting the bedtime routine. The sooner that our living room, kitchen and dining room are cleaned, the more books and stories we can have at bedtime. There’s nothing better than putting the kids to bed and walking back downstairs to a clean, clutter free floor and room.

Do you struggle with finding time to clean? Do you delegate tasks to others? Share your tips!