When you get home from a long day at work, the last thing on your mind is cleaning up. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done! The more we manage our time and chores efficiently, the less stress will come with each nightfall. You may not have dishes in all of their glory every single day–but if you don’t let them pile high or make excuses for why they weren’t cleaned today because “kids are messy anyway,” then there’s no harm to let them go until tomorrow.
Have a Cleaning Schedule Handy
Anybody who has ever been in your home will know that if it isn’t written down, then it won’t get done. And not just because you forget or lose interest–even when we want to keep up with our cleaning schedule, a simple and easy-to-achieve one is key for keeping the house from getting overly grungy.
So what’s the secret? Start small! If there are only three things on your list today (half an hour each!), make sure those tasks can be accomplished within 30 minutes total before moving onto other items tomorrow’. Moreover, get in touch with professionals like cleaning services Philadelphia occasionally to keep everything in tip top shape every now and then.
Children Can Clean Too
I know that it can be difficult when you have little ones, but they can start doing simple things around age 2. Cleaning up after dinner is a great place to start! Make sure everyone has their job listed on the chore chart and make them responsible for one or two tasks each day so that mom doesn’t end up with all of the work.
Plus, this teaches your children about responsibility at an early age which will pay off in endless ways as they grow older.
Day Time Cleaning
A clean freak’s worst nightmare is coming home and seeing a mess everywhere. What happens when you have so much work to do that cleaning falls by the wayside? It feels like an uphill battle with no end in sight until it finally gets pushed too far back. The solution was simple; I just started doing a quick tidy-up after meals instead of waiting for all day to pass before picking things up off the floor or unloading dishes from countertops.
I think I’m onto something here.
I know there’s nothing hard about doing a quick clean-up, but just adding in one more (really short!) session during the day has made our evening routine much less challenging!
Wrap Up Before You Relax
Here’s the thing though…if you don’t do the clean-up before you rest for the night, it just won’t get done. Or at least it won’t get done well. Set a timer if it helps. Sometimes I do that because when I’m more focused on my work in shorter periods and end up accomplishing so much more than usual!
This is KEY: If you want to have an easier tomorrow by doing some cleaning today then set aside 15 minutes of your evening to tidy things up as best as possible – or better yet, turn off all electronics with a timer like mine (or maybe even let someone help!).
Start with the Kitchen
I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a dishwasher full of dirty dishes and empty the thing every night. I’m so lucky my husband does that for me so all I need to do is pack away the clean ones! Honestly, if you’re living at home with your kids then this tip will make dinner time easier AF.
