Keeping the house clean when everyone is home all day long is something I have battled with for so long. But when my youngest was a toddler and we moved into our new house, I started a couple of systems that help me manage the daily mess. Systems, schedules, and organization has been a game changer. I always thought my brain thrived on the "organized chaos" as I called it, but really once I set everything up, it is so much easier to keep up than I thought and has made everything look nicer as well. Now that the kids are home for the summer, getting them involved in the cleaning process and making it fun is essential.
1. Set Up a Cleaning Schedule. Download our weekly cleaning checklist. Pick your days you want to do certain chores, for me laundry is an almost daily chore, but for example, Wednesdays is my bathroom cleaning day. I adjust it as needed depending on what we are doing during the week, but setting up a schedule make sure I get to everything that needs a weekly clean.
2. Set Up an Age-Appropriate Chore List. I believe in chores for kids because teaching them basic skills will help them when they are an adult. Chores can teach them time management, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment. I'm honestly surprised at how much critique I have received from the older generation for this. But my daughter started helping me clean up her room when she started walking. You will be surprised at how much they can do if you give them the opportunity.
3. Declutter and Organize. Purge all the things! I need to one day sit down and write a list of things that people keep piling up in junk drawers but are really things you can purge. I have special bins for my children's special artwork, so please don't think I'm heartless when it comes to all things. For the things I do keep, I have an organization system that I created in my drawer, and it has been a game changer!
4. Start Utilizing "Stair Baskets". If you have stairs in your house like we do, then you know the hassle of taking things that don't belong up and down stairs all day. So, I started keeping baskets at the end of the stairs for each child and as part of their daily chores they have to clean out their basket. If by the end of the week they don't do this chore, I go through and purge items in it because at that point they have made the choice that they don't really need what is in them. I would clean them out when they were younger and just take things up as I was going upstairs.
5. Invest in a Neato D8 Intelligent Robot Vacuum. Robot vacuums are super convenient. You can schedule a cleaning routine from the palm of your hand through their app whether you are home or not. The Neato D8 has 100 minutes (covering 750 square feet) of run time but will auto charge for larger jobs if it needs to. It has a large dust bin to effectively hold more dirt, dust, and dander from carpet, hardwood, or tile floors. It also has an Eco or Turbo mode, Turbo increases suction for those extra tough jobs in each nook and cranny. You can also make "No-Go" zones within the MyNeato app that is easy to set up with Bluetooth enabling. You will also have access to in-app customer care as well.
What are your cleaning hacks while kids are home for summer break?
You have some great ideas. I always had weekly chores as a child.
ReplyDelete