Maintaining a clean home during the summer can be a tough job. The kids are home and unless all they do is play video games, that means they will be constantly bringing dirt into the house. As daunting as this task is, these helpful tips will help you keep your house clean in summer.
Keep a Schedule
The easiest way to make sure that your home stays clean all through the summer season is to keep a cleaning schedule. If you don’t deliberately schedule the cleaning, you can easily get overwhelmed when the mess suddenly gets out of hand.
Break up cleaning tasks into daily “to-dos” and schedule them around your family’s activities. This will greatly reduce clutter and all the cleaning will go smoothly. But be flexible and be prepared to adjust the cleaning schedule if there are any changes to your family’s plans.
Use Shortcuts
You don’t need to spend excessive amount of time cleaning your house. There are easy ways to keep your home clean in summer, so you can spend more time having fun with your kids.
For example, it will be a lot easier to clean your bathroom if you spray a leave-on cleaner each time someone uses the shower. This prevents grime from accumulating on the tiles and tub. Wipe down the bathroom and kitchen counters daily with wet wipes. You can also use an automatic toilet bowl cleaner which gets activated whenever someone flushes the toilet.
Involve the Kids
Assign age-appropriate house chores to your kids to help them understand that everyone plays a part in keeping the house clean and orderly. Even a three-year-old can do a simple task of sorting socks or dusting low surfaces. Older kids can be assigned to empty the trash or they can wipe doorknobs and furniture. If you have a pet, you can assign someone to feed them or take them outside if your child is old enough.
When kids are taught to do some house chores at a young age, they grow up to become more responsible adults than those who are not.
Spend Time Outside the House
Your house can get untidy very easily if everyone is just at home all the time. The carpet gets dirtier with heavier traffic and the dishes pile up. Make it a point to go outside the house every once in a while. Go swimming, take the kids to the library to encourage them to read, or let them play in the park in the afternoon. It is summer after all and you should try to enjoy the warm weather while it lasts.
If you set a budget, you can also go out for meals on some days. It doesn’t have to be in expensive restaurants. This will give you a break from doing the dishes and variety is always good for everyone.
Help Your Kids Develop Healthy Habits
While your kids are young, it will be a great advantage for them if you help them develop healthy habits of being organized. This is different from assigning them house chores. Teach your kids to return their toys to their proper places whether it’s a toy box or a shelf after they play with them.
Be warned that attempting to teach them to be organized will not be easy and they may need some time to get used to it and develop the habit. Habits need a few weeks to be completely instilled so be patient. Do not be too angry when they fail to do so at certain times.
When kids are taught to be organized at a young age, they become better-adjusted adults and perform better later in life.
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