If it sometimes feels like you are spending more of your time on housework than anything else, then something needs to change. Life is supposed to be fun, and unless you’re one of those people who makes cleaning and tidying a habit, housework does not fit the bill!
The good news is, even if you feel like you are drowning in housework, there are things you can do to simplify the process and make it a whole lot more manageable, and maybe even a little more fun…
Get rid of things
Before you do anything else, get rid of as many things from your home as you can. This will mean you have fewer things to clean and put away, so immediately your housework load will be a little lighter. Declutter, declutter, and declutter some more!
Invest in storage solutions
For anything you do not want to declutter, having enough storage, whether it be wardrobes, drawers or baskets is a must. When everything has a place, it is much easier to keep the home tidy and clean.
Create a cleaning checklist
It’s easier to stay on top of the chores and reduce the mental load of doing so if you have a set routine in place. So, take some time to sit and jot down all of the chores you need to do, from vacuuming to washing the windows, and list how often you need to do them whether that is daily, weekly, or monthly. Once you have done this, you can create a cleaning schedule to follow each week.
When you know what needs to be done and when you need to do it, it doesn’t feel nearly so overwhelming.
Lower your standards
Yes, really. As long as your home is relatively clean and tidy, it does not have to look like a show home or be Instagrammable. This can be difficult to do if you were brought up to believe that a completely clean and tidy home was the only way to have a hygienic home, but you can learn to relax a little if you really want to.
Use modern technology
These days, we don’t have to undertake backbreaking labor like our ancestors did to keep the home clean, nor do we even have to inconvenience ourselves much, all thanks to modern technology. From robot mops and vacuums to window vacs and self-cleaning litterboxes, there are so many products that will wholly or partially automate many of our chores for us. Use them.
Get the kids to help and make it a competition
If you have kids, then you can easily lower your housework burden by getting them to help as soon as they are old enough to do so. If you want them to really make an effort and clean up as best they can without complaint, run a weekly competition where the person who does their chores first/fastest/the best gets a prize. They’ll love it and so will you.
Housework really doesn’t have to be hard work!
