Let’s be honest, we don’t all love housework, and with busy days, cleaning house is the last thing we want to do on a weekend. One thing that can help is taking an organised approach to housework so you can keep it under control and spend less time doing it.
Try these tips to keep your housework under control.
1. Set up daily tasks
Routines are a great way to manage your time. Across the week, it is good to allocate certain household tasks to certain day to lessen the Friday night housework panic. For example, doing washing every Tuesday and Friday or making sure you clean out the fridge every Saturday morning before your weekly shop.
Having set tasks each day also helps prevent time lost due to procrastination. The housework to do list is often quite long and can be overwhelming. When you feel overwhelmed, it is difficult to know where to start and easy to procrastinate about what it is you should do.
2. Involve your flatmates or partner
If you live with friends, it is a great idea to spread the cleaning chores amongst your flat. Have a dishes night each or a vacuum week so that is one last task you have to focus on at the end of a busy work day. If you live with your partner, have an open discussion about cleaning. Alternate jobs to keep it fair and employ the ‘I cook, you clean’ tactic that always works…well almost.
3. Make it convenient
Have cleaning caddies that make cleaning individual rooms easier. Keep your bathroom cleaning products in a little bucket in the corner of the bathroom or under the sink the same way you would in the Kitchen. Be sure to keep a laundry basket in your bedroom and in the laundry to save having to filter through your ‘floor-drobe’ when you need to do some washing fast.
4. Never leave a room empty handed
The idea is to always pick something up off the floor or table and put it back in its proper storage spot every time you leave a room. Before you know it all your shoes will be back where they should be and you’ll always be able to find a mug for a much needed cup of coffee.
5. Nightly reset
Have a quick walk around the house before bed each night to make sure everything is back in order. It will save you time in the morning when you can’t find your car keys and you’ll have a less stressful start to the day.
Housework is relentless – but taking an organised approach to it means you don’t have to think so much about how to do it each day as it becomes a part of your daily routine.
This article was written by Nicole Avery and has been adapted for herworld.co.nz
Oh man, I really need to get better at doing these things. Mainly getting my husband to do things as well regularly ha ha, but also if I could stick to a daily task I reckon the housework would be way less daunting than it currently is.
The night reset idea is good as it always feels like a rush in the morning – and makes a less stressful start to the day if you know where everything you need is in the morning.
These are 5 great tips i try and have washing day for sheets but find its weather dependant over winter and wash every day. When it comes to tidying the house i try remove things as needed from rooms to other rooms. I always do the nightly reset ensuring everything is ready for the next day.
Yes, good tips. I guess everyone has their different routines etc. My partner is stay at home Dad so he really does most of the housework etc during the week anyway. We both have a wee tidy up at night after we have showered and before we hop into bed, good way to have things tidy when you wake up in the morning 🙂
These are good tips. I love to put my washing on before I leave the house in the morning and have all beds made. I also make sure that lunches are made the night before and the kids clothes are in a pile folded for the next day ahead the night before so when I get up I just have to say right get dressed and have breakfast and I’ll put on the washing and have my breakfast with them then fill up with sink with hot water and do the dishes as we go in the morning. It makes life so much easier being that bit more organised. And yes that nightly reset where I make sure my keys are in my handbag and my lunch is ready for work in the mornings aswell and put in my handbag also.
The ‘nightly reset’ is an absolute essential for me. I cannot stand waking up to a new day and finding forgotten chores leftover from the day prior. Now that I am a working Mum I find it even more important to keep on top of things for my own sanity!