Clean Your Home for a New Baby

There is no better reason for deep cleaning than getting your home ready for a baby. Once the baby arrives it will be better to spend those fleeting precious moments paying attention to your new family member than to be busy babyproofing a dirty home.

In those rare and unpredictable moments when you aren’t monitoring every move your baby makes, most parents worry that their new arrival is more prone to getting hurt, getting exposed to bacteria, or ingesting harmful substances. With such worries in mind, here are definitely some effective measures you can take to minimize the risk and your worry.

Getting your Home in Order Before the Baby Arrives

Here are some helpful tips:

Give Your Home A Safety Exam: Babies open kitchen cabinets and have access to possibly toxic substances such as cleaning fluids and detergents. Prepare now before you become worn out from a lack of sleep. Remove all cleaning products (like laundry and dishwasher pods), and any substances such as medications from the possibility of being accessed by a child. Find an out-of-reach cabinet and keep it locked. Other dangerous objects like knives or firearms should also be in an impossible-to-access location.

Clean Floors: They will learn to crawl before they learn to walk. For that activity, or for just playtime on the floor, making sure your carpet or floor is deep cleaned, will ease your mind.

Clean the Nursery: Be thorough. This is not the room for a cursory cleaning. You could bring in someone to help you, like a spouse or friend, that way you may get it done in half the time. The best way to begin is to remove all objects from the room, including from the closet, making the cleaning job less complicated.

Clean the Bathroom: Since you don’t know the hour of arrival, the timing of a major bathroom cleaning is difficult. So, if you do a thorough cleaning, even if you’re not quite sure when you’re due, it will be easier to keep it clean from there. The bathroom can also be a place for you to revitalize yourself after the baby arrives, so create a basket of nice things you’ll need to relax.

Germs and Touchpoints Take Priority: One would think that the surfaces with the most germs would be doorknobs or light switches. But the list of the most likely germy surfaces are things like toothbrush holders, dish rags, stove knobs, cutting boards, or sponges.

Prep for Visitors: There will be visitors. Everyone from family members to good friends will want to spend time with your new family member. Prepare for overnighters. So, spend time ahead of time to prepare for their visit. Launder bedsheets and put out towels. Make sure to stock up on toilet paper and extra soap. Get those accommodations ready, including maybe a fan in their room for white noise.

Kitchen Preparation: Rethink your kitchen priorities. Your counters and drawers now have a new function. You can keep your coffee maker but move your vase of flowers. Make room for bottle racks and baby food preparation. Do a little reorganizing in the frig as well. Make some room for formula or breast milk, and for food donations.

Laundry Procedures (and stains): Do the baby laundry now. Many items will need laundering, from baby clothes and sleepwear to towels and diapers. Use only a detergent that is free of dyes and perfumes or labelled as being okay for infant use. Then, get ready for the mess, from spit-up, urine, and poop, to formula and baby food. If you can’t do the wash right away, put on the stain remover and soak in cool water until you can machine wash.

The Daily Grime: Keep your home organized as much as possible but go with the flow. There will be some chaos. Here are the top points:

• Welcome, help from family. Older children are ideal. Mix up a soapy spray bottle to keep their hands clean and let them help. They’ll feel useful.
• Replace paper towels with microfibre cloths. They are reusable, absorbent, and dry fast.
• Have a place for your baby to enjoy themselves, like a jumping seat, while you do dishes. You might also try wearing them in a carrier.
• Bringing your baby up and down the stairs increases the chance of injury. Keep a basket at the top or bottom of the stairs for tossing things that will be making that journey.

Cleaning4U and Your Baby

If anyone you know has just had a baby, a great idea for a baby shower gift is a coupon for a maid service to come to their home for a house or apartment cleaning. This gift will give them a good idea of the convenience and benefit that outside cleaning help can be during these times.