The average individual spends around 2 to 4 hours cleaning their house each week. When running a family household, this is time that could be spent on quality activities together. So how do you cut down on all that lost time?
When you have finished work and settled the children, cleaning is often the last thing you want to do. Yet by putting a few easy systems in place, you can make the process much simpler.
Read on as we give 10 essential tips for a family clean.
- Declutter as You Go
Children accumulate items much quicker than adults. All it takes is a birthday or Christmas and your house can suddenly be cramped with more clothes, toys, and games. Add this to your items and it starts to get hard to move.
Many people choose to declutter as part of the spring clean. However, it is much easier if you declutter as you go.
Get on auction sites and sell off items you are not using as a habit. Collect it for a few weeks then take it to a thrift store. This way you won’t end up having to move about large amounts of unused items in one go.
- Create a Schedule
When you have a family, doing a full house clean in one go is impossible. Should you find yourself with time you should be spending it on yourself. If you create a schedule, the process can be broken down into smaller, easier-to-digest tasks.
You may do it by week and assign a room every day. Tough jobs like bathroom and kitchen cleaning may be on the weekend as they require more attention. Save large tasks for the end of the month or assign them quarterly.
- Add Storage
The more items lay around the home, the more they can accumulate dirt and dust. Having a place to store them tucks them away until needed, though finding where to put things can be a battle in itself.
Go around your home and find any nook or cranny that can be turned into a storage option. Check unused cupboards, under beds, and empty shelf spaces. Invest in boxes to use as storage and make sure everything has a place.
- Use Soap Dispensers
Children often forget to wash their hands before meals and when coming into the home. You can help remind them by placing soap dispensers at water outlets, such as in the kitchen and bathroom. This kitchen soap dispenser is an ideal solution.
You can improve their ability to clean by combining it with hand sanitizer. Place some at the door for leaving and entering the property. This should help cut down on bacterial infections.
- Always Vacuum Then Scrub
When cleaning bathrooms it can seem logical to scrub then vacuum. As you are removing dirt, you will want it sucked up after. Yet it is not always the best method as the moisture can cause dirt and dust to clump.
Start with a vacuum to get up loose pollutants. Then use a soft-bristled brush to scrub the areas. You can follow this up with a second vacuum and you won’t have to deal with a wet mess of dust and hair.
- Instill Good Habits
If you can still good habits in your children (And maybe other adults who live with you) it can make cleaning much easier. This is because they will end up doing house cleaning for you. It could be as simple as putting toys away, placing dishes in the machine, or dropping dirty clothes in the basket.
You may even go one step further and reward older children for chores. They may get pocket money or screen time if they take the trash out daily for example. With younger children, offer praise and tell them how grown up they are helping parents around the property.
- Let Children Organize Their Systems
Nothing empowers children more than giving them responsibility. One way to do this in the home is to allow them to organize their own spaces. When you do it yourself, it just may not make sense to them and result in a mess.
Buy storage and assign areas for it to go. Now ask your child to decide what will live in each box. Tell them to place it back here whenever they finish, modeling good behavior for them.
- Choose Organic Cleaning Products
Standard chemicals may work well but they can be extremely dangerous and be detrimental to family health. As well as being less than environmentally friendly, they are often items you don’t want lying around the house.
You can buy organic cleaning supplies but it is just as easy to make your own. Stock up with household vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, and lemon juice. They will often fulfill many of the jobs shop-bought cleaners can.
- Make Storage Accessible for Children
None of this will work if your children can’t get to the storage. Make sure all baskets they use are at the right height and all bins are accessible. This will ensure they have no excuses.
- Wait Till the Kids Go to Bed
You won’t want to do your cleaning late at night. However, use the post bed silence and calm to do one last run around the home. Wipe down worktops, pick up any clothing and toys then set washing machines and dishwashers.
Organizing a Family Clean
Now you know how to cut down on the time doing a family clean: create a schedule. Instill good habits in the family then stock up on storage. Within a few weeks, you will see your time spent cleaning cutting down.
If you found this article helpful, we have many more to help. From managing a home to organizing finances, we can help run your property in the coming year.
