Im right there with you! it would literally give me almost like anxiety problems, thinking about what if a parent wants to walk this far and sees the dishes or the crumbs or the clutter or if licensing or food program came by! so the door bell would just basically send me into panic
So here are some MAJOR things that here I'm my little time out from home daycare and transitioning/moving to our bigger house has made me think about.
1. I've packed up all the stuff i don't need every day and stuck it in the garage, like EVERYTHING and then i did it again and again till I'm living on the minimum and my house looks like a model home so i can do showings and now i don't even remember what in the garage! i recommend this. I'm thinking of having my mom take it all and having a garage sale for me so i don't get tempted to bring it all back in.
2. a morning routine and mid day routine and after noon routine helped a lot with daycare. morning like make beds start a load of laundry and empty dishes and fill with breakfast ones or whatever. mid day before lunch kids tidy for you! joys of daycare
while you sweep, load dishwasher and wipe counters. nap time fold that laundry and put away.
end of day fill dishwasher, make dinner take out all those nasty trashes. sweep if you need to and again KIDS TIDY. if i have even one kid over 3 i don't pick up toys. yay me happy face
3. this is a big one ROOMBA. love my robot vacuum i don't know all the types i don't think it matters but i don't sweep or vacuum as much. id run my roomba in the daycare room or just turn her on and let her go where she wants and at the end of the week, one time a week id vacuum the daycare area real good cuz roomba does it everyday for me.
and i also love me rubbermaid reveal spray mop. or just use a swiffer with microfiber clothes pinched in a spray bottle with 99 percent water 1 percent dish soap and spray where you wanna mop and clean your floors in like 5 mins or less when you need to.
4. i take a cloth around my house now and time myself and spot clean, finger prints, dirty counters, spots on mirrors, dirty door knobs, sinks and faucets. toilet seats i do with paper towels. you can also time yourself and declutter an area each day or time yourself and go around your house and pick up the clutter in a hamper and put it all away the timer helps me or i just won't do it. idk why
routines routines routines though as well id say or my house can get bad even without the clutter.