Working moms have it tough between juggling work at the office and taking care of their household. When you have a jam-packed week in the office, often all you needed is to come home and unwind. But staring at a messy kitchen sink and toys everywhere doesn’t provide a calm atmosphere. Sanity is at the brink. Handling both work and family life can be daunting.
Balancing office work and household chores is challenging but doable. It all boils down to proper planning and execution to keep your sanity at bay. Remember your aim is not to have a perfect house but a tidy home where you and your family can sit back and love.
Create a system or routine.
When you have a pet, toddler, teen, and husband up in your sleeves, the amount of tidying up you have to do in a day is baffling. Creating small habits will help you over time. Stick to the routine as much as you can.
Lay down rules for you and your family should adhere to have a peaceful and manageable household.
- Make your bed first thing in the morning.
- No unwashed dishes in the kitchen sink before sleeping.
- Garbage must go straight to the garbage can.
- Dirty clothes in the hamper and not on the floor.
- Do a 15-minute tidy session in the evening before hitting the sack.
Schedule cleaning days
You do not have to complete everything all at once. Set one specific cleaning goal for the day. Create a schedule for yourself and your family. Put it somewhere people can see, like the fridge or your home office desk. Doing so will help you focus on one task at a time without being stressed out all the time. Create a list and check them as you go.
Example of Weekly Tasks:
- Tuesday – Clean the bathrooms
- Wednesday – Vacuum stairs and floor
- Thursday – Laundry day
- Friday – Dust fixtures
- Saturday – Laundry day
Monthly Tasks
- Wash beddings
- Wash couch cushions
- Clean the car inside out
- Dust the walls
Purge unused belongings
One reason the KonMari method (Marie Kondo) became popular is how it drastically altered the atmosphere of each home by organizing your house. A key thing that must be relived in this method is to only keep things that spark joy.
A house filled to the brim with unused belongings scattered all over the place can take a toll not only on your housekeeping but also on your relationship with the family. Here are a few tips:
- Categorize all of your stuff to what you can keep, sell, or donate.
- Make it fun for the family and let them join in the garage sale or donation drive.
- Encourage them to sell or donate old items in exchange for 1 or 2 items they have been wanting to purchase.
- Let everyone take part in organizing what you kept. This will help each family member remember where they kept their things rather than looking for you all the time.
CLAYGO or Clean As You Go
Small messes become enormous over time. Practice cleaning up as you go from wiping the dining table after eating or picking up items as you sweep the floor. And even washing the dishes while you cook gives you a sense of accomplishment. Hitting two birds with one stone.
Delegate some tasks.
No matter how many times they say it but the fact is you are NOT Superwoman or Wonder Woman. Your house can’t be cleaned in a snap. Share the load with your family members. Loads shared divide the burden and makes life easier for everyone.
Rotate the tasks among family members. Choose tasks that are age-appropriate.
For ages 2 to 3
- Put toys away
- Put clothes in the hamper
- Wipe up spills
- Dust
- Pile books and magazines
For ages 4 to 7 – Tasks of Children Aged 2 to 3, plus:
- Make their bed
- Empty wastebaskets
- Clear table
- Sweeping the floor
- Water flowers
- Remove dishes from the dishwasher
- Wash plastic kitchen utensils
- Sort Laundry
- Keep room tidy
For children ages 8 to 11 – Tasks of Children Aged 2 to 7, plus:
- Load and unload the dishwasher
- Vacuum
- Wipe table after meals
- Put away own laundry
- Mop floor
- Fold laundry
For ages 12 and up – Tasks of Children Aged 2 to 11, plus:
- Wash windows
- Iron clothes
- Wash and vacuum car
Use house cleaning hacks
Be innovative in house cleaning. Make use of any of the hacks listed below:
- Have cleaning supplies caddy available in various places so you can do quick cleans.
- Wash toys in a laundry bag.
- Use pillowcases on fans
- Use vacuums or get a robot vacuum to sweep the floor for you.
- Clean your iron to make ironing easier and faster.
- Remove pet hair using a lint roller
- Get rid of water stains using a few lemons in half glass of water.
- Scrub your oven with baking soda and spray it with vinegar.
- Clean your carpet with peroxide.
- Use peppermint oils mixed with a few drops of water to clean your granite countertops
Bring in the expert
The fact is, you are not an expert on everything. Running around the clock from office to house can be exhausting. Instead of pushing yourself to the limit, hire experts in the cleaning service to do the house cleaning for you.
Delegating menial tasks will take off pressure from your shoulder. Hiring a cleaning service to do these tasks will help you focus more on what matters most — your family and me-time.
For the best cleaning service, SAB Cleaning Service is the best option for working moms like you. They have years of service that make them a reliable choice to handle your household affairs.
A messy house only adds stress to you and your family life. The goal is to have a liveable house that is also presentable enough for guests to come in. Remember, progress beats perfection. Managing things one step at a time without beating yourself up.
As a working mother, you are the light of the house. You owe it to yourself and your family to live a comfortable and meaningful life.
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