Day 16
Just like our relationships take hard work and maintenance, so do our homes. As we love on our homes, we need to remember that a maintenance schedule is vital in helping keep the love alive. As with relationships, we need to know what battles are important to fight for and which we can back away from. With cleaning, we need to battle the battles that make the most sense and let the others slide.
What battles are vital in keeping up your home? Each home is different, so you need to think what works for you. Today we are working on establishing a cleaning schedule. I know, how boring, but the more routine your cleaning is the more efficient you will be and the less effort it will take. Whether you have a full time maid or you are your full time maid, cleaning schedules help keep the flow of the home.
Take out a sheet of paper and divide the paper into four sections. Label each section: 1) Daily, 2) Weekly, 3) Monthly, 4) Half Yearly. Take each section and divide out what needs to take place in these time frames. For example, dishes and wiping off the kitchen counter would fall in daily and dusting and vacuuming the closet may fall in monthly. Walk around and inspect the home for things you would like to have done and how often you think it would need to take place. Evaluate if an activity like sweeping is necessary everyday (multiple kids and animals in the home) or if weekly is sufficient.
Once you have the chores broken down, now it is time to assign the when! For daily activities, map out the best time of day for these to take place. Don’t save dishes for the end of the day when you are exhausted…otherwise you blow it off and they pile up! For weekly, do you want to spend a portion of your Saturday doing chores or would you rather do a few a day. You have to think about what works best in your home and family situation. The same goes for monthly and half yearly chores. Set a schedule on the calendar to you know when it is expected to be done by. I know I will blow off vacuuming under the bed unless I remind myself it needs to be done!
After you have figured out the what and when of your cleaning routine, it is time to figure out the who. Yes I said WHO! Delegate your cleaning needs to those in the home. You will be a miserable camper if you are the only one doing all the work of the home. Get your family involved! Kids can do more than we give them credit for! We tend to do things for them because we feel like they are overwhelmed with their lives. What does this teach our kids when they flee the nest? Not always will you be there to clean up after them. Also, a family is a team and there is no I in team! Delegate activities so the home is running smoothly and efficiently!
Here are two related posts to help you get the family involved with ease!
What Are We Teaching Our Children?
How do you keep up with the cleaning in your home? Do you have any trick or tips to get your family involved? Let us know your secrets to success! Or, let us know what you plan to get help for in your home!
About Gail Gray
