With a baby or toddler around, cleaning the home demands a more delicate approach. Your primary objective is most likely to ensure that the floors and other surfaces are clean so that you do not have to worry much about your little one’s crawling, falling, touching, and eating off the floor.
Babies and toddlers are super sensitive. Their eyes, skin, and airways are susceptible to infection. They also are easily irritated by things, thus the need to avoid using harsh cleaning chemicals. In so doing, you will eliminate the risk of diseases and ensure the safety of your little one. Below are a few tips on how to go about cleaning your home while you have toddlers or babies around.
- Clean More Frequently
The longer you allow oils, stains, dirt, grime, and scum to sit and go unattended to, the harder they become to clean. As a result, you will be forced to bring in the heavier itinerary that is harsher and complicated enough to get the job done. Therefore, you will avoid the need for such cleaning products if you clean often using mild baby-safe products. - Keep Dirt Outside
Complement your efforts of cleaning the home often with the adaptation of hygienic practices that will help keep the dirt outside of the house. For instance, shoes should be removed at the door, and pet grooming should be done outside. - Invest In Reputable Brands
The reputable cleaning brand may be pricey, but they have a reputation to uphold- that of being safe and effective. Such brands invest significantly in research and testing their products. Such standards can not be expected of many of the cheap, drab-branded cleaning solutions. - Read labels!
In as much as you will have the recommended products for cleaning the home when you are living with babies and toddlers, you still need to use them properly. For this, you must read the manufacturer’s instructions on the label.
Avoid any products that have terms such as hazard, poison control, or toxic. Also, do not pick cleaning products that have ingredients such as phosphates, VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), petroleum-based compounds, phthalates, SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) and fragrances among other substances hyped as antibacterial.
Moreover, terms such as environmentally safe, green, organic, or natural do not necessarily imply that the product you are using is safe to use with babies and toddlers playing around the house. But then again, the biodegradable cleaning solutions are a safe option.
5. Avoid Exposure
If you must use the harsh cleaning products, then you should not have your little ones in the house. Call a relative, friend, or neighbor to take the toddlers or babies out of the home when you are cleaning. Make sure the place is well-ventilated and let the fumes to dissipate before allowing your children to return.
6. Expand Your Regular Cleaning Task List
Lastly, you will have to review your cleaning schedule because some things will require you to clean them daily and others every week. Items such as the babies’ or toddlers’ toys teething rings, favorite blankets, pacifiers, and luvvies that will often find their way to the floor should stay clean. The same applies to the feeding chair and table, the diaper-changing area, pail, and playpen.
If you just aren’t sure and want to be extra safe with your little ones call a professional.
