Whether you work full-time, are self-employed, or are a stay-at-home parent raising a family, your schedule is no doubt packed. Cleaning is something that we all need to do, but fitting it into a busy schedule in a practical way can be tough. Here are a few tips to help you “keep up” instead of always feeling the pressure of needing to “catch up” if you follow a simple and easy cleaning routine.
Working 9-5 and Cleaning
This may seem like a daunting task, but a simple schedule can make cleaning just a regular part of your routine. By taking as little as five minutes before leaving in the morning and another five minutes after getting back in the evening, you can leave your weekends for relaxing. Just schedule certain activities for each day. For example, Monday can be bathroom day. Scrub the toilet and sink in the morning before work and the tub when you get home. Maybe Tuesday is the day you dust and Wednesday is for vacuuming. Before you know it, you get home from Friday with only five minutes of cleaning to do before you enjoy your weekend. Just think of the few minutes of cleaning as starting your workday a little early and ending it a little late.
Working from Home
If you work from home, you probably take breaks throughout the day. Instead of spending your breaks watching TV or snacking on junk food, try making one of your 10-minute breaks a cleaning break. Again, divide activities by the day, so that you only have to clean on work days and your days off can actually be days off.
A Stay-at-Home Parent
You may feel like all you do is follow the kids around and clean. The secret here is to get the kids involved by giving them small chores that they can handle without supervision. That gives you a few minutes to clean without distraction. If everyone cleans together, assignments get done faster and that leaves more quality time. As kids get older, showing them how to do age-appropriate chores can actually be quality time, and it trains them for adulthood.
