What matters the most – a happy family or an impeccable house? If the house is impeccable while you have young kids, it might be because they aren’t allowed to play. Since kids learn through play, which makes play important for their cognitive development, it’s time to adopt the right philosophy. For starters, accept that keeping your house clean at all times might be difficult. However, if something is difficult, doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Just know that you need to lower your expectations, instil some habits in your kids and do everything together. We’ll give you some tips on how to keep your house clean, despite the creative mess kids are known to make.
First, differentiate between tidying and cleaning
Cleaning and tidying are two different concepts. These two are completely different, but the only similarity is that both should be scheduled. But, first, let’s identify the difference. Tidying is clearing up the toys and the entire mess. Everything should be put back in its designated space. Whereas cleaning is when the home is cleaned to keep a clean and healthy home.
Decluttering is the first step
The reason why we feel overwhelmed by the state of our home especially is because of clutter. Thus, decluttering is the first step to maintaining a sense of a tidy home. Moreover, when things are put back into their designated space after play or at the end of the day, cleaning is easier. Major decluttering should be performed with every season, while daily maintenance is required to simply tidy up.
Every object has to have its home
If you want to ensure daily mess can be sorted out in 15 minutes, teach your kids that every object should have a home. Home is a synonym you can use to illustrate that everything should be returned to its place. If books are kept on a bookshelf, they should be put back on a shelf. If there are storage boxes for toys, after playing, kids should put the toys away. If everything is put away by the end of the day, even small cleaning tasks can be done with ease and quickly.
Schedule cleaning like an important date
The fact that kids are messy all the time, doesn’t mean that you should go after them every day and clean your home constantly. This way you’ll end up feeling like cleaning is all you do, every single day. The key here is to schedule cleaning like any other important date. This means that you’ll schedule a date and time for cleaning. The common practice in Australia is to have help in this department. People rely on services by house cleaning experts Melbourne or anywhere else. This relieves the pressure and it’s a great way to not think about cleaning all the time. If you can, outsource this to a professional and you’ll significantly increase the quality of your life.
Communicate openly with your kids
Communication is the key to every area of life. If you want to keep your house clean or at least ensure it stays that way longer, communicate with your kids. Set up some rules that are easy to follow daily. For example, toys need to be put away after play. Next, teach your kids how to do some things without your help. If they spill something, demonstrate to them how to clean the mess. Open communication, some ground rules and small tasks will be helpful in the long run.
Build daily routines early on
Every member of the household should participate in daily house tasks. When you start with this practice at the right age, kids will slowly learn about responsibilities, habits and doing certain things for the sake of the entire family. Cleaning is one of those things because everyone will enjoy a clean home. Set up a list of daily tasks for the entire family. Make sure to do them at the same time, so no one will feel like they’re the only ones doing something. You can also rotate these daily tasks on a weekly basis, so kids won’t get bored by the routine. When they complete their tasks, praise them properly to encourage teamwork.
These six tips will help you develop your own plan of action. Just remember that it’s completely okay that your home will be a mess at times and that finding help is completely normal.
