Creative Cleaning Strategies

 We all have hectic days, but our homes don't have to reflect it. While many of us dream what it would be like to just have a maid, that may not always be possible. So to challenge a real life problem I will share 3 simple household cleaning strategies for busy women.

1. Clean a little each day. Doing chores is such a daunting task which becomes easier to tackle when broken into small sections .  Cleaning regularly gets rid of the dirt before it builds up and makes the job more complicated. Cleaning each day also reduces the chance that you will have to carve a significant amount of time out of another day to do it all. Cleaning each day allows you to focus on one task at a time which ensures that the chore is done correctly . This  also reduces  the likelihood that you will become overwhelmed.  Begin your cleaning process by making a comprehensive list of chores for your home. Next, on the list identify how often each chore needs to be done. Some chores need to be done daily (i.e dishes ), weekly (vacuuming) , monthly or seasonally (cleaning out seasoning closet, or the garage). Create a detailed schedule that divides your chores evenly . The best part about home cleaning is that most chores do not need to be done on a daily basis. An example of my household chores breakdown is as follows : Sunday- wash all towels, sheets and colored clothes, and does the dishes. Monday - wash all whites, and does the dishes. Tuesday- clean each of the bathrooms, and does the dishes.  Wednesday- vacuum the entire house, dishes. Thursday- sweep and mop the floors Friday- dust, cleans bathrooms again and dishes Saturday- chore free day!  Note some chores are done daily, the remainder of the chores are done once per week. I don't spend more than 30 min a day on chores.
2. Assign a task to each person in the house . Make home cleaning a family endeavor . This reduces the chance of you feeling overwhelmed or even resentful for being everyone's maid. Plus it reinforces the idea of teamwork. I know moms who refuse to let their kids clean because they feel like they don't do a good job.If you never let your children practice with cleaning they won't learn. My oldest daughter (age 7) has chores. She is responsible for cleaning our glass kitchen table daily and cleaning the mirrors around the house two times per week. She gathers trash around the house the day before trash day. Most importantly she makes  her bed and cleans her room daily without being asked! This is not something that happened overnight but after involving her in the cleaning process for practically her entire childhood she has become better and better with it. My 2-year-old is in the Vetting process and can make her own bed . It's not very neat, but she makes an honest effort.
3. Make it fun! I know I know ...How can cleaning possibly be fun? Some ways to make it fun would be to play upbeat music so you can dance while you clean. Another option is also to ensure that there is a reward when you are all done. An example would be a family movie night or maybe you ordered yummy pizza to eat when you are all finished. This last week I made cleaning fun by having a challenge. The most recent challenge that we did was "the person to collect the trash the quickest earns five extra minutes on tablet time". These small steps help cleaning to be enjoyable for our family.  I also have some friends who like to re-arrange their home while cleaning. These are just some suggestions to making cleaning less stressful. Feel free to use these ideas or create new ones. Practice becoming in tune with your creative side. Don't wait until your home becomes unbearable to look at. When it gets to that point it becomes overwhelming. This will cause you to feel discouraged and it will feel impossible to tackle this task.  So do not wait one minute longer, plan your first attack and  get started today. Comment below with strategies that have worked for you: