The chaos of back-to-school is real folks. Goodbye lazy days in the sun. Hello lunch packing, nagging about homework, sport schedules, and rushed mornings getting the kids out the door.
Is there a way to make this change a little easier? Well, we can try. While we can’t help you or your kids emotionally with this transition, we can guide you to get your home in order and hopefully this can take some of the pressure off!
Please note that some of these products are affiliate links. Consider these brands our friends with benefits. When you buy from these links, we make a small commission at no extra cost to you. We use this commission to pay our staff, produce content, and of course, buy our cleaning supplies. Pretty neat, huh?
Drop Zones
As the kids walk in the door, they dump their backpacks, shoes, and coats in the entryway and it becomes a tripping hazard for the rest of the day. (Please tell me that’s not just my family) The best way to combat this is to have a place for everything, and everything in its place. Make sure you have some hooks (Canada) (USA) by the door or garage entrance for backpacks and coats, as well as a shoe rack (Canada) (USA) for shoes. Create a dedicated spot in the kitchen for lunch kits. If your kid is in sports, you will need to figure out a drop zone for all their equipment. Make it a habit to put everything in its dropzone before the evening craziness ensues.
Quick Pack ‘n Go Lunch
Whether you are the uber organized bento box lunch making type, or the throw-it-all-together 10 minutes before the bus type (no shame in that game), there are ways to make your life easier at lunch packing time. Try putting all the similar lunch items together into containers (Canada) (USA) in the pantry and fridge for grab and go. Then it’s a quick selection of one item per container and off you go. Another great way to stay organized is to keep an ongoing grocery list (Canada) (USA) to add to when you run out of things.
Homework Area
Wouldn’t it be amazing if every house had a dedicated homework area right off the kitchen for each child in your family? Unfortunately for most of us that’s not an option. Where do your kids do their homework? At the kitchen counter, dining table, home office, or their bedrooms? This might depend on how old and independent they are, as well as their specific needs. Some kids need a quiet place with few distractions, while others are able to focus amongst the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. Wherever they do it, is there a way you can organize the space to optimize their productivity? Think pen/pencil storage, paper storage, etc (Canada) (USA). Maybe they need a computer or laptop setup to get on google classroom. Evaluate the needs of your child and the spaces you have available, and then do your best to create the space required. If their homework space is in an open shared area like the kitchen, ensure that all their tools are readily available for them, and easy for them to put away after. (See our office faves here → Canada + USA)
Command Centers
Let’s talk about command centers. This can mean different things to different people, but basically it’s an area of your house where you can keep track of all of the things. In my house, I have the cleaning army calendar (of course!), a weekly whiteboard (Canada) (USA) to keep track of the week’s appointments and schedules, and a 3 slot wall file divider (Canada) (USA) (one slot for each kid). I use the file divider to quickly dump the kids’ schoolwork and forms until I have time to file them away into their keepsake box (or recycle when they aren’t looking… shhhh). Keep reading for more on keepsake boxes.
For you, a command center might include a meal planning whiteboard (Canada) (USA), a chalkboard or pegboard or bulletin board (Canada) (USA), a place for your keys (Canada) (USA), somewhere for receipts or coupons (Canada) (USA), a place to store backpacks, etc. Make a list of the things that get left laying around the house or by the door or on the kitchen counter, and try to come up with a plan to contain and organize them. If you don’t have wall space available, there are some great options for desk/counter organization (Canada) (USA).
Find all our top picks for your home command center right here → (Canada) (USA)
Keepsake Boxes
If your kids are anything like mine, they come home with a mountain of papers from school. Finding a good way to store the items you want to keep is essential. My go to method is to just recycle it all immediately but that doesn’t always work. An accordion file folder (Canada) (USA) is a great place to store all the papers you want to keep. Each kid gets their own folder, and there are 13 tabs, one for each grade. If you are the type of person who keeps more items than will fit into an accordion file folder, Amazon has some pretty great options for keepsake storage boxes (Canada) (USA). Alternatively, there are some pretty great customizable ones available on Etsy if you’d like to support a small shop.
Find all our our top picks for keepsake folders right here → (Canada) (USA)
While we know that we could never eliminate all the stress of back to school season, our hope is that these tips and tricks can help take some of the pressure off. Remember to go easy on yourself (and the kids) and give everyone some time to adjust to the new routine.
Need a refresher on our methods to keep your whole house in order? Look no further than our Basic Training. The GoCleanCo Basic Training course is a 75-minute interactive resource that shows you how to clean every room in your house from top to bottom. Click here to enroll today!
- Becky @GoCleanCo
We're big on Instagram.
Follow @GoCleanCo for seriously satisfying videos and top-secret tips. Don’t be shy, come say hi.
gocleanco
Feb 1
Dishwasher Filter 101 🤮 Whose ready for spring cleaning?! I’m gonna start psyching y’all up so you are READY FOR COMBAT. #springcleaning
gocleanco
Jan 19
How often to you mop your floors? Be honest cause I’ll come over and check if you are lying. #cleaningmotivation
gocleanco
Jan 18
Fancy New product Alert: Downy Rinse & Refresh is @downy ‘s biggest innovation in the last 30 years. Now, listen up because this isn’t like regular Downy, it is actually not a fabric softener, even though it goes in the fabric softener drawer! Rinse & Refresh helps with mega stubborn STINKY laundry by removing residue that traps in odour. It’s the perfect compliment to everyday smelly laundry like gym clothes, hockey clothes or that load of towels you left sitting in the washer overnight and actually removes odour three times better than laundry detergent alone. Come watch my stories today — I rounded up my teenage nephews hockey gear 😷and we will put it through the ringer. (Pun intended). What is your stinkiest laundry problem? Let me know in the comments and we can get researching 👩🏼🔬 #DownyPartner
gocleanco
Jan 12
Bleach, Pray, Love (and a little elbow grease) 💕 #cleaningmotivation
gocleanco
Dec 31
Wishing you a Tide-ey New Year. Fun fact about me: I live for Mondays. A fresh new week laid before me gives me motivation to get shit done. And January is the BIGGEST Monday of them all. Many people like to reflect on the last year but I like to look ahead and set some realistic and serious goals for myself. Take a deep breath and wake up from your Christmas haze and write down 5 things you want to get done in 2023…(or make a lock screen saver vision board like I do every year!) You don’t always have to join a gym you know. Maybe you want to clean your attic. Or take more naps. Be more present for your kids. Make your bed each morning. These goals can be small but impactful and have a domino effect throughout your life. Start small. The big stuff will follow. Thank you for sticking with me on this wild ride. We have so much in store for the #cleaningarmy in 2023 so buckle up! P.S. Lets pretend this photo was taken today cause I’m currently in my house coat cleaning everyone’s AirPods. 📸 cred @substanceyyc 💕
gocleanco
Dec 29
Are you team Boxing Day Christmas decor tear down or Team January tear down? I took mine down before we left and I’m currently feeling like it was hands down, my most genius idea of 2022. Now to tackle the worlds largest pile of laundry and prep my life for 2023 🎉 #christmascleanup
gocleanco
Dec 28
Have the itch to purge after the holidays? Me TOO! The team at 1-800-GOT-JUNK? can help you have a fresh start for 2023 by getting rid of any unwanted items - even Christmas trees (as long as they fit in the truck)! They are fast, efficient, and reliable making it SO worth it in my books. I would recommend 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed with too much stuff in their lives. They handle all the heavy lifting by removing your items right from where they are located, and they recycle and donate! There's no better way to ring in the new year than with a decluttered space! @1800gotjunk #sponsored
gocleanco
Dec 24
Wax removal incase your drunk uncle knocks over a candle tonight. #merrychristmaseve
gocleanco
Dec 17
Christmas Gift Ideas that don’t cost any money: 1. Clean the kitchen after Christmas dinner and tell the Chef to go sit down. They will refuse but you have to firmly tell them to GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN and you can figure out where the pots and pans go without their help. 2. Offer to watch your friends kids this week if you are one of those lucky people who did all their shopping in July are ready for 🎅🏻 . (No one will say no to this.) 3. Go clean someone who is having a tough times house. They will probably decline because they are overwhelmed or embarrassed. They should not be. Tell them it’s an Act of Service and you love them and want to help. Or just show up and kick them out. That always works. 😈 The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is vacuuming loud for all to hear. 🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄 You folks have any other ideas? I love a good act of service, let me know in the comments!
gocleanco
Dec 14
I always keep @swiffer on hand for a quick tidy up before company comes during the holidays (every person who comes over here white gloves my baseboards now—including my mother) or when I don’t want to drag out the vacuum. They are great for the daily tidy, they can get into nearly every tight spot! What many people don’t know is that @swiffer also picks up and removes 95% of allergens. My fave is the Swiffer Dusters Super Extender Handle Starter Kit which extends up to six feet so you can get those hard to reach up high (or down low) tricky spots! #swifferpartner #sponsored
gocleanco
Dec 10
@cfcanada is offering gift wrapping by donation at the following malls this holiday season. My 6 year old niece has #cysticfibrosis and @cfcalgary is near and dear to my ❤️ so please pop in and let someone else do your wrapping this year. One less thing on your plate. 🎁 Locations: Calgary: South Centre Mall and Northlands Mall Edmonton: Londonderry Mall Winnipeg: Kildonan Place
gocleanco
Dec 9
It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of @clorox_canada around here @gocleanco and we’ve been using it since the beginning. Clorox® Bleach is derived from sodium chloride - common table salt, and during household use this product breaks down to mostly salt and water. My mind was blown to learn that you could use Clorox® Disinfecting Concentrated Bleach to prolong the life of a fresh cut Christmas tree, so naturally I had to try it. You’ll need: 1.9 L hot water, 1/2 Tbsp Clorox® Disinfecting Concentrated Bleach, 1 cup corn syrup, ⅛ cup powdered chelated iron (check your local nursery). Make sure to protect your floor and work area before you start. Cut at least ½ inch off the bottom of your tree, especially if it’s been a few hours since it was cut down. Add ⅛ cup chelated iron and 1 cup of corn syrup to a large container (think juice jug), and then add 1.9 L of hot water. Finally, add 1/2 Tbsp Clorox® Disinfecting Concentrated Bleach and stir to mix. Once your tree is in its stand and you know it isn’t going anywhere, add the solution to the tree stand. Never let your tree dry out and mix up a fresh batch of solution when needed. #yeahbleachdoesthat, #ad
gocleanco
Dec 9
Polished up real ✨ nice ✨
gocleanco
Dec 6
The season has officially landed and we are here to help you through it! Reminder that we have tons of tips on the blog to get your home ready for guests and the holidays. But also: Real friends don’t care if your baseboards are dirty. 🤭
gocleanco
Nov 30
After the Fall Cleaning Challenge my team and I had a lot of stuff to purge! So we called 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and the fellas got to work. Did you know that they are a full service Junk Removal company that actually comes into your basement, garage, attic and you can just stand there and point out what needs to go and they’ll remove it right from where it’s located? ? They price based on volume so you only pay for how much room your items take up in the truck. Plus they then take the items to their warehouse and sort through what can be donated, reused and recycled! You can save money and space before the Holidays with my code: SARAH47 for $47 off your next Junk Removal. Create some space to breathe for yourself before the big guy comes! 🎅🏻 #sponsored @1800gotjunk Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer ends Dec 2, 2022. Offer not valid on standard item pricing or minimum loads.
gocleanco
Nov 23
Is your refrigerator running? 😆 Probably not very well if this is how the vents look! Reminder that your fridge has air vents that can get clogged up with pet hair and dust, when they are clogged, it hinders its efficiency. Before you load it up with food this weekend, pull it out (watch your floors!) and take a peek 👀
gocleanco
Nov 15
#sponsored @bissellclean has hooked the #cleaningarmy up with a bundle deal and you are gonna love it! The bundle includes The CleanView® Swivel Rewind Pet Reach, (one of my fav carpet vacs you see me using all the time), MyAir® Personal Air Purifier (a fav of the #cleaningarmy’s) and their new Pet Stain Eraser™ PowerBrush all bundled together for a cool 20% off. Check out my stories where I put some of my fav BISSELL® products to the test.
gocleanco
Oct 24
Cleaning is such a scary job I don’t even bother asking him to help anymore. #happyhalloween
gocleanco
Oct 21
Not me using Catch Up Week to answer emails and clean my suckers out. 😵💫 Reminder that if you have fallen behind that’s OKAY and you are only human and can only do so many things in a day. What did you use Catch Up Week for? Lemme know ⤵️
gocleanco
Oct 18
The 2023 Cleaning Army Calendar is here! This is a limited print run so get it while it’s 🔥. Who snagged one this morning? #cleaningarmy