House Cleaning and Homeschooling

Cleaning has been a big issue for us this year. Last year I cleaned every two weeks or so and didn't worry if I missed a week. Since my six year old's Leukemia treatment began last summer her immune system has been low to non-existent. It is critical we keep the house as germ-free as possible.

My super-clean mom followed by my spotless mother-in-law each spent two months with us helping us to adjust to Leukemia treatment. They set a precedent for cleaning. Since my daughter is doing well, we are afraid to back off on the cleaning. Luckily my husband does more than his share of the work.

Now we effectively clean the house three times per week. It takes my husband about 45 minutes to clean the bathrooms and mop the hard floors each morning. It takes me about 2 hours to dust and vacuum the entire house each Wednesday and Friday morning and another 1/2 hour to vacuum each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night. Monday mornings I usually bring my daughter to the hospital while my husband and two older kids clean again.

Since towels need to be washed after each use I do between two and four loads of laundry each day. On Saturdays I wash all the bedding too.

A few times during the past nine months the older kids have caught colds. When this happened they were confined to their rooms and we cleaned even more. Thank goodness this method has worked in preventing my six year old from catching their colds.

I have learned many things going through this experience. I like living in a clean house. My husband is capable of helping a lot. I clean better on a schedule. Since I ask the kids to pick up their things before vacuuming three times per week the house is much less cluttered with projects. I don't really like cleaning, but it is possible to get it done and still have time for school.

The other bloggers participating in the Homeschool Help series have a much more normal balance between homeschooling and cleaning than we currently do. Be sure to check out their tips and recommendations.

Bernadette at Barefoot Hippie Girl - Three Strategies to Not Drop the House Cleaning Ball
Savannah at Hammock Tracks - Practical Tips to Maintaining your House while Homeschooling
Hwee at The Tiger Chronicle - Managing House Work Using Rotation
Chareen at Every Bed of Roses - Is it possible to keep a clean house and homeschool?