7 Tips To Keep Your Household In Order
Are you a stressed-out mom who is tired of being stressed? So many of us are. But, it feels like you can never escape the multitude of stressors that impact you every day, especially if you need to rush out of the house to get to work and then rush back to make dinner, only to return to a messy home.
This is the last thing anyone wants, but it doesn't have to be this way. A messy home can cause much more than just stress, so consider these tips to help you keep your household in order.
A Day Per Chore
Chores and mess pile up throughout the week, so you’re even less thrilled to tackle it once you finally have some free time. Doing everything at once is not the solution, though. Instead, you can use this household chores list to determine which chore to do each day. This could be a load of laundry or wiping down the mirror and counters in the bathroom. It doesn’t feel like much, but it means you’ve ticked off one thing today and can focus on something else tomorrow. If you realize you’re still motivated, maybe you can vacuum the living room, too.
Deep Clean Twice A Year
You can also keep on top of the trickier parts of the house by deep cleaning. But you don’t want to unpack everything from your closet or move the sofa away from the wall every week, which is why it’s better (and more convenient) to deep clean twice a year.
A spring and fall deep clean can prepare you for the holidays, whether your kids have time off school or the winter festivities. You might discover you have a lot of stuff you don’t want or need, so donate it to local shelters or other families.
Find Meals Everyone Loves
While you might love cooking, it’s stressful to come up with new recipes every week, especially if you’re too busy at work to go grocery shopping. You can use meal kits that offer everything you need, but even that can cause unnecessary drama between you and your kids.
Instead, think about meals everyone loves and are easy to make. An au gratin potatoes recipe is great when combined with pork steaks or chicken, while pasta bakes are filling and versatile because you can put anything in them and feel assured it will be a hit.
And Wash the Dishes While You Cook
The last thing anyone wants after putting together a big and delicious meal is to do the dishes, especially if your kids aren't old enough to take that responsibility. You can make things easier for yourself by washing the dishes as you cook.
Why not leave them overnight, though? Some experts suggest you shouldn’t leave the dishes to soak overnight and you still need to clean them tomorrow. So, washing everything you use to prepare the food, like pots, pans, measuring cups, and utensils before serving, minimizes your job and means you can settle down much sooner.
Encourage Everyone To Help Out
While your kids might not be old enough to handle some chores, they can still do their bit around the house. Cleaning up after themselves when they’ve finished playing or keeping their bedroom tidy is the least they should do. The older they get, the more you can trust them with other chores.
Stop Being So Sentimental
When you’re cleaning out your closet, you may come across items you used to love but haven’t used or worn in years. Still, these pieces contain a million happy memories, so why would you get rid of them?
You’re being far too sentimental, and extra stuff just creates more clutter that becomes more challenging to manage. You don’t need to go full minimalist, but you can stop being so sentimental to make household management easier.
Remember A Few Daily Essentials
Coming home to a tidy house is one of life’s great joys. You can make this easier by focusing on small essentials to do every day before you leave the house. One of the most effective tasks is making your bed every morning and opening your curtains.
When you get home, hang your jacket up, put your shoes on the rack, and keep your keys somewhere you won’t lose them. You can also unpack and repack your bag ready for tomorrow.
In Order
Keeping your household in order isn’t easy if you do it all yourself. So hopefully, everyone will see the effort you put into making the property as beautiful, calm, and tidy as possible. These tips can help you manage your chores and encourage everyone else to do their part to ensure you don’t spend all your free time cleaning up after each other.