Chores feel like they take all day to complete. It feels like when I finish, I need to start over. In order to make chores easier to manage, it is important that you have a system in place. Let’s look at few tips on how to organize chores and save time.
Include The Whole Family
The whole family lives in the house and helps make the mess in it. Everyone should be included in the chores to maintain the home. According to a study conducted by the University of Minnesota, the best predictor of a child’s success is the age at which he or she begins helping with household chores. It helps keep the house tidy, involves family interaction, and helps with your child’s success in life. You can’t beat that.
Make Chores Easier
A good way for you to make your house chores easier to manage is by using a chore chart or checklist for each day. This way, the task will already be broken down into smaller chunks and it will take less time for them to get done. Create separate lists for chores that need to be done daily, weekly and monthly. Ensure that nothing gets overlooked by assigning jobs to each family member. Check out Better Homes & Garden‘s great article, A Whole House Cleaning Schedule. It gives you step by step instructions for creating one for your home. A cleaning schedule has many advantages. It helps us to stay on top of chores, helps us save time, and keep our homes cleaner.
Chore Charts
Chore charts are a great way to keep track of what needs to be done in your home over time. There are many different kinds of chore charts that work best for different kinds of households. Pick whichever one works best for your situation and always make sure that the chores are divided by who will be doing them each day or week so no one is stuck with all the work. Check out Woman’s Day’s post, 12 Simple Chore Chart Ideas For Families With Kids. Get a free printable checklist for kids at Thirty Handmade Days.
Photo Thirty Handmade Days
Supplies
Keep it simple. Use cleaning supplies that have more than one purpose instead of one cleaning supply per need — you don’t need separate cleaners for the bathroom and the kitchen. Be sure to monitor cleaning products around small children. I would try to keep safer cleaners in my home. If I were teaching a small child to clean, I’d start with a spray bottle of white vinegar and water to clean a mirror. Any products that are toxic should be kept away from small children. Make sure that you have all of the tools you need to get your chores done. Start by designating one place to store all of your cleaning supplies. Perhaps have carriers for certain types of products that go together. Have a simple bucket or pail that’s easy to fill with supplies, yet small enough to cart from room-to-room. Then it can become more of a habit to grab the appropriate tools to complete a specific task.
Technology Can Make Your Chores Easier
New technology has made it easier to manage chores. For example, the introduction of robot vacuum cleaners is changing how people clean their homes. Similarly, robot lawn mowers, like the segway robot mower, are changing the way people cut their lawns. I like the vacuum robot running over the floor. Periodically, you still need to check corners or other spots to clean with a duster, but it does a good job helping maintain a clean floor.
Photo PC Mag
Should You Hire Help?
Hiring a professional cleaner and gardener will save you time and energy. Every person’s needs are different – that is why there are so many different people who can help you. You could hire help for cleaning, gardening, and other tasks around the house. It’s okay to do this if you have the budget. If you know that you don’t have the time, then this is a great option to consider even if it is a monthly helper in the home.
If you have children and work full-time, child care is another option. A housekeeper to help with chores and childcare is a life saver if it is in your budget. I know many of us grew up watching the Brady Bunch. Unfortunately, it is not always that easy to find an Alice, is it?
Photo NBC News
In conclusion. . .
I hope my tips have helped you in re-evaluating your chores in the home.
This is a collaborative post, but all opinions are my own.
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…or have someone else do them!
Good tips — but I wish I had a whole family I could include! Or the resources for a regular cleaner. It’s not my strong suit!
I used to have a cleaner who came every fortnight which helped me stay on top of things – I miss her, she was so good! I don’t really have a housework system but I try and do a little bit every day so that things don’t get too overwhelming. But the family help every weekend as well 🙂
sounds like a good system
Loved your tips, these are really spot on. When my boys were younger, a chore list worked so well and it helped me to make sure everything was getting done. I have also tried to cut back on the number of cleaners I use, and have found that it actually helps cleaning go faster.
that’s a good tip – I’ll have to remember that