By Richelle Villalta, Guest Columnist

After going through the home selling process, many people asked me, “How do you keep your home clean with a toddler at home?”

That’s a great question. I won’t say it wasn’t a struggle some days. Our home was on the market for about two weeks, and we had more than 30 showings during that time. Needless to say, we had to be on our toes to keep our home clean.

To help with this process, I made a small checklist that I would look at each day and before showings, if possible.

√ Hide Shoes

Keep a shoe bin that you can easily take upstairs daily to put shoes away, or keep a basket in the garage where they can be tucked away.

√ Keep Dishwasher Loaded/Sink Clear

Load your dishwasher with whatever is leftover in the sink every night before bed and after every meal. This way, your sink will always stay clean, and your dishwasher will be ready to go when it’s full.

√ Designated Toddler Space

This only applies if you have littles at home. Choose one room where all toddler toys will be kept and work on making that the play space for the duration of showings.

√ Empty Trash

Taking out your trash every day may seem a bit extreme, but if it’s over halfway full, it’s best just to take it out. Of course, this goes for bathroom trash as well.

√ Close Toilet Lids

As a good habit, start closing the toilet lid after each use. This just ensures it’s closed in case you have a last-minute showing.

√ Open Blinds/Curtains

Bright homes show better! Before a showing, ensure all your curtains and blinds are open to let in the natural light.

√ Turn On All Lights

If you have light switches all over the place in your home, it’s best to just turn on the lights before leaving for a showing, if possible. This way, your buyers can see how much lighting is in the home and not get confused with light switches.

√ Light a Candle

If you are home during the day, turn on a candle warmer or light a candle to make your home smell amazing. Lightly scented candles are ideal during this time. Be sure to turn it off or blow it out before you leave!

√ Quick Clean

It’s easy to overthink a quick clean, but my go-to’s are: wipe down counters, pick up pillows off the floor, quickly sweep or swifter the floor, and make sure beds are made.

√ Vacuum Daily

This is a constant chore in our home anyways because we have pets. But get into the habit of quickly vacuuming every night, so your home is ready for the next day!

Richelle Villalta and her husband, Jorge, moved to Colorado Springs 5 years ago. She is from rural western Kansas. She majored in Business Entrepreneurship at Kansas State University, where she met her husband. Together they have a 2-year-old daughter, Mila Vi, with another baby on the way on the way. She is also a dog mom to two hiking chihuahuas, Pongo & Perdita, who were both rescued from the Humane Society. Richelle owns her own business as a freelance operations manager and works from home every day so she can hang out with her daughter. In her spare time, you can typically find Richelle doing some sort of DIY craft, a home renovation project, or sitting on a patio enjoying a margarita. Richelle loves binging a Netflix series, listening to an audiobook, and hiking her way through Colorado.