Do you hate house cleaning?
Do you hate house cleaning?
Like almost everyone these days, I’m constantly pressed for time. My whole day is a rush so getting the house in order and cleaning are the last things I want to do really. But at the same time, I can’t stand the sight of unwashed dishes and clothes lying around in heaps. It just doesn’t feel good to find an endless to-do list when I finally make it home.
That vicious circle is hard to break but it’s not impossible. I’m proud that I have more or less managed to find my home in a clean and orderly state every day without needing to spend much time cleaning during the weekend.
I have tried many different tricks over the years – and especially since our kids were born – and found these 5 fixes really useful:
1. Don’t procrastinate – the tasks won’t take care of themselves
I’m sure you’ve never seen self-washing dishes before and clothes don’t have a habit of flying into the wardrobe themselves. The best thing you can do is to prevent the tasks to build up. Don’t wait until the last glass is gone from the cupboard or until your last T-shirt lands in the laundry basket.
You can spare a lot of hassle by concentrating on two things: don’t go to bed in the evening as long as your kitchen sink is full and don’t leave behind a mess before going to work in the morning. You will surely find the time to close open doors and collect all the things lying around.
2. Don’t hesitate to get things done if they only take a few minutes
No one has ever been late just because they made their bed and washed a cup. Start your washing machine in the evening and hang out your clothes to dry in the morning – neither of those is a huge task, you can even get them done whilst brushing your teeth. If you spot something that bothers you, get it sorted quickly. Don’t push it back to the weekend when you already have a lot of other things to do.
3. Do one thing at any one time
Do you tend to multitask once you have got down to cleaning? Then read this carefully.
Try to carry off one task at a time and don’t start another one before you have finished. Find a system, a routine or logic that you will follow as you clean the room and don’t stop until the job is done. You can save a lot of time and you will be less tired in the end.
4. Got a new gadget or dress? Another one must go!
Are you at a loss getting rid of unused stuff? Do you feel you don’t have enough free space or shelf room for all the stuff you have hoarded up over the years? To keep your house in order you sometimes have to review your possessions – what you really need and what you really don’t. That’s true especially for cosmetics. It’s much easier to keep things in order if you don’t have heaps of unworn clothes in your wardrobe and old cosmetics cluttering your bathroom.
5. You don’t have to do everything yourself
If you don’t live alone, then you are not the only one responsible for order and cleanliness at home. Get your children involved in the easier tasks too. It’s going to take quite a lot of time in the beginning but it will pay huge dividends later on.
Finally, if you still feel that you struggle getting things done – especially if an important occasion is fast approaching – get professional help with cleaning. Believe me, it’s worth it.
Comments
Please log in to comment