Working
Mom’s Guide to a Squeaky Clean House
A
working mom’s job doesn’t stop when she
leaves the office – she’s got a full-time
assignment at home as well. There are never enough hours
in the day to get everything done, and cleaning house,
which has to be done over and over and over, can seem
like your own personal version of Mission: Impossible.
But if you set realistic goals it can be done, and here
are some hints to help every working mom on her own
path to a squeaky clean home.
|
Clean As You Go
Setting aside enough time to clean the whole house
from top to bottom isn’t always an option. One
way to help keep the house clean is to put things away
as you use them and clean up as you go. A great place
to try this approach is your bedroom. Make your bed
each and every morning. It only takes a few minutes,
but it gives the room a fresh, clean appearance. This
is also true for clothes: hang them up or put them in
the hamper as soon as you take them off. Wipe down the
bathroom sink and shower before you leave for work,
put away the things you’ve used there, and this
is one less room to think about when doing major house
cleaning. In the kitchen, don’t let dishes pile
up in the sink – the extra few minutes you spend
doing this in the morning will make dinnertime prep
and cleanup go much more smoothly, leaving you more
family time in the evening. Try to do one small cleaning
task before you go to bed – you’ll feel
much better in the morning, waking up to a clean house!
Clean Out the Clutter
Clutter is often a bigger problem than dirt in many
homes, and it’s hard to know where to clean when
there are big and bigger piles of stuff in every nook
and cranny. De-cluttering is an important step in house
cleaning, so set aside a week when every family member
throws away or donates at least one thing each day.
If you can, also go through one cabinet or closet every
week (and maybe an extra one on the weekend) you’ll
be clearing the decks for a cleaner house – just
don’t move stuff from one place to another! When
you receive junk mail, toss it right away in the recycle
pile. Try to keep flat surfaces (tables, counters) clear
of clutter – you’ll be amazed at how much
cleaner your home will look just by doing this! Set
aside a place for important papers (a nice basket should
do the trick) and go through them at the end of each
day, getting rid of anything no longer current. Give
away toys and clothes your children have outgrown, or
have a garage sale – but don’t bring anything
that doesn’t sell back inside the house!
Make Kids Part of the “Clean
House Crew”
As soon as your children are old enough, they should
be given regular chores that will help in keeping the
house clean. These can be specific to their own rooms,
or you can get them involved in more general house cleaning
tasks like laundry, after-dinner dishes or outside garden
and yard work. Make this effort to clean house a team
effort and a way to spend more time with your children
once you’re home from work. Teach your children
to put their own things away, and be certain to enforce
this important rule. Remember to praise them and, when
appropriate, reward their house cleaning efforts, which
will make it easier to get them to do it again.
|
