By Ayuni Ayatillah
Keeping a home clean and tidy requires patience and consistency. And when there are children in the house, maintaining an organized house becomes all the more challenging, but also all the more fun!
But do not despair, running a neat and smooth running household is possible even when there are kids around. It may just take some time and cooperation from each member of the family. Teamwork is key!
Here are five excellent tips to start running your household like a boss.
Involve the children in house chores
It is never too early to start teaching your children life skills, so involving them in the house chores is a good place to start. To make it more appealing, make your chores fun and enjoyable family activities. Get them excited by making a list of each one’s chores on fancy paper, and post it where it is visible to the children so that they can feel involved and have a sense of responsibility. Create a point system for each chore completed, and find ways to reward your kids for their hard work.
A place for everything and everything in its place
Designate a place for every item in the house, and encourage everyone to keep all their things in their proper places. For example, keep clean socks neatly piled in a basket near the doorway for everyone to access easily. Prepare a folder or box for all the manuals so that it can be easily found when you need it. Get a nice box or fancy caddy for remote controls and get everyone to keep them in the same place after use. There are many ways to organize that you can get creative with once you have the system in place.
Do a 10-minute clean-up session
Do not wait until the weekend to do simple chores like sweeping the kitchen floor or housekeeping paper clutters. These simple chores can be done within 10 minutes. Aim to allocate just 10 minutes (not more) to do these kinds of chores and you will have a less cluttered and more organized home to live in. Try it!
Plan out a monthly MAJOR home chore.
Major home chores can be a nuisance but should not be procrastinated. Chores like wiping the windows and cleaning the ceiling fan may consume more time and energy, but you can aim to do them only once in 2 weeks, for example. Plan them out and try to stick your schedule so that you don’t have to live with the dust and grime all the time.
Use bins and label them.
Bins and labels are every mama’s answered prayer, so use them liberally. Have bins for toys, small items, toiletries, laundry items and if necessary, label them for everyone’s convenience.
Once you have bins and label your children’s toys according to category, you can also encourage them to “pack away” while simultaneously teaching them how to categorize and organize. The best part about binds is that they can be used anywhere and for anything in the home.
