All In: 5 Ways to Guarantee Your Family Shares the Housework
Set up a streamlined system at your place so housework is a task the whole family gets to enjoy
Housework should not be done by one person alone, but it can seem a losing battle when you try to get others involved. Will they do things the right way? Is it worth the arguments? I say yes! It’s time to start reorganising your house so everybody pitches in. Here’s how.
There are those among us who are naturally tidy. Some families seem to work seamlessly to create a harmonious existence, devoid of mess; I struggle to achieve such heady highs of housework perfection. In fact, most days, in between working, I find housework a big chore and I’d rather not waste my time doing it. However, it’s true what they say, a tidy house does help to create a tidy mind. Here are some tried and tested ways to get your family to work with you to achieve some semblance of tidiness and routine in your home.
1. Set up a simple system
Keeping chores simple and easy to complete will encourage your family, and you, to undertake them. Organise your drawers and cupboards so it is easy to find things, and consequently easy to put things back. This makes tasks such as unloading the dishwasher more appealing, especially for children. Simple tweaks such as keeping all of your crockery at their height, so your family doesn’t need to balance on kitchen benches or chairs to put things away, ensures that there are no excuses for tasks not done.
Keeping chores simple and easy to complete will encourage your family, and you, to undertake them. Organise your drawers and cupboards so it is easy to find things, and consequently easy to put things back. This makes tasks such as unloading the dishwasher more appealing, especially for children. Simple tweaks such as keeping all of your crockery at their height, so your family doesn’t need to balance on kitchen benches or chairs to put things away, ensures that there are no excuses for tasks not done.
Drawers such as these easy-slide beauties, where everything has a place of its own, invite order and tidiness into your kitchen, and encourage people to put things back where they belong. With everything at your fingertips, organised drawers and cupboard spaces also make cooking a joy.
A Kitchen Drawer for Everything, and Everything in its Drawer
A Kitchen Drawer for Everything, and Everything in its Drawer
This is such a simple but effective way to pack away those notoriously difficult-to-store items such as baking trays, odd-shaped platters and cake tins. A deep, partitioned drawer, nice and low allows everybody to easily help with cleaning up.
2. Keep tools on hand
Make sure cleaning paraphernalia is in logical places. Under the sink in the kitchen is usually the go-to area, but if you have little children, higher up is best. If that is not possible, invest in child locks; they can always be removed when the kids are older. Once again, having cleaning equipment neatly ordered and easy to locate encourages people to use it and put it back properly.
Make sure cleaning paraphernalia is in logical places. Under the sink in the kitchen is usually the go-to area, but if you have little children, higher up is best. If that is not possible, invest in child locks; they can always be removed when the kids are older. Once again, having cleaning equipment neatly ordered and easy to locate encourages people to use it and put it back properly.
While the space under the sink is often a tricky one, there are some fabulous solutions, such as these pull-out drawers that eliminate the need to navigate pipes and garbage disposals.
3. Delegate, delegate, delegate
Don’t be afraid to set tasks. Some children enjoy and thrive on responsibility, and it helps them in many other areas of their lives. Use a blackboard or whiteboard for them to tick off the tasks they complete; make it a competition if you have to, just don’t do it all yourself. Kids can wash and dry dishes, stack and unpack dishwashers, feed the pets, water the garden, tidy their rooms, make beds, organise themselves in the morning… the list goes on.
Tip: As for other adults in the house, everyone should be doing their fair share. If it is necessary to get it in writing, get it in writing, even if it is just on a communal blackboard.
Don’t be afraid to set tasks. Some children enjoy and thrive on responsibility, and it helps them in many other areas of their lives. Use a blackboard or whiteboard for them to tick off the tasks they complete; make it a competition if you have to, just don’t do it all yourself. Kids can wash and dry dishes, stack and unpack dishwashers, feed the pets, water the garden, tidy their rooms, make beds, organise themselves in the morning… the list goes on.
Tip: As for other adults in the house, everyone should be doing their fair share. If it is necessary to get it in writing, get it in writing, even if it is just on a communal blackboard.
4. Encourage good habits
Surely the quilt is the greatest invention ever. Simply pulling up the quilt and straightening the pillow and a bed can look wonderful. Demonstrate how it’s done, so everyone gets it right. Making the bed is the fastest and most effective way of making a room look tidy. It is a great habit for children to get into, and one that will stay with them for life.
Browse more beautifully organised kids’ spaces
Surely the quilt is the greatest invention ever. Simply pulling up the quilt and straightening the pillow and a bed can look wonderful. Demonstrate how it’s done, so everyone gets it right. Making the bed is the fastest and most effective way of making a room look tidy. It is a great habit for children to get into, and one that will stay with them for life.
Browse more beautifully organised kids’ spaces
Keep bedroom spaces simple. Provide good, out-of-the-way storage for toys and equipment. Empty floors create a great illusion of tidiness, so use under-bed storage crates, easily manipulated with even the laziest foot, or built-in cupboards if they are possible in your space.
While we’re talking bedrooms, this one is a no-brainer. If you don’t want laundry on the floor, put a laundry basket in the bedroom, even in the wardrobe as seen here. There are those people who find it almost impossible to walk the few steps to the laundry or the bathroom to deposit their dirty clothes. This eliminates that problem.
5. Clean as you go
A cloth and spray for the bathroom, actually kept in the bathroom, creates a quick and simple clean-up solution. Stow a small kit under the sink, or behind the toilet. If you can, encourage people to spray the shower every now and again and give it a wipe down before they get out, a job much easier done while you’re actually in there.
A clean bathroom is imperative when guests come around, and a simple wipe-over of the sink area makes such a difference. Having it all there in the bathroom allows for fast tidy ups.
Quick-Smart Guide to Cleaning Your House in a Hurry
A cloth and spray for the bathroom, actually kept in the bathroom, creates a quick and simple clean-up solution. Stow a small kit under the sink, or behind the toilet. If you can, encourage people to spray the shower every now and again and give it a wipe down before they get out, a job much easier done while you’re actually in there.
A clean bathroom is imperative when guests come around, and a simple wipe-over of the sink area makes such a difference. Having it all there in the bathroom allows for fast tidy ups.
Quick-Smart Guide to Cleaning Your House in a Hurry
A tidy bathroom is a sparse bathroom. Keep bottles and jars to a minimum on the sink. And ensure there are some storage drawers with clean lines, or some pretty baskets with lids.
The key to getting the family to pitch in is to keep things simple. Complicated regimes are best saved for spring cleaning, or if you’re really particular, for you alone. However, a family or a household made up of unrelated adults, should be an egalitarian affair. Once people become involved in household tasks, they will take more pride in their environment. A win-win for all.
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What are your tips on getting your family to share the load at home? Share them below. And if you enjoyed this story, don’t forget to like it, bookmark it and save the photos.
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Tell us
What are your tips on getting your family to share the load at home? Share them below. And if you enjoyed this story, don’t forget to like it, bookmark it and save the photos.
More
Read more stories about organisation