Here are 6 tips for keeping your house clean while the kids are home over the summer
Summer is upon us all and as the heat turns up and the kids settle in for vacation every family faces a new set of challenges at the home front. This time of year brings major changes in the daily routines of most families. The cleaning and housekeeping during these months ramp up in a major way and it can sometimes seem like you are just trying to survive the short season till fall arrives. It is a nearly universal problem all across the country and many people just hunker down and do their best to handle the increased load and for the most part that can work. Fortunately, we uncovered some very helpful tips to make that process as easy as possible.
- Scheduling, Visuals
We found that the best first step is to organize, schedule, and chart. Getting a handle on the season’s new flow of events is an often-overlooked tool that makes a big impact. The visual nature of charts and schedules can help teach long lasting organizational habits to children. It can easily cut down on bickering and complaining about chores since everything is laid out, simple, and explained. Of course, as we all know nothing in parenting is full proof but the structure scheduling brings on is a great base tool. The main trick here is eliminating your need to memorize and make decisions on the fly and this frees up more time for you to enjoy the summer.
- Chore time!
The summer is also a great opportunity to increase your child’s sense of responsibility and domestic skills. Increasing responsibilities around the house during summer in incremental ways each season is one of those life lessons that gets ignored or missed during the traditional school year. With no school work to distract them, now is the time to assign more tasks and see what works and what does not. Getting your children involved in the general upkeep of the home is proven crucial in their positive development.
- SNAP CLEAN! Interval Cleaning With The Kids
One fun trick to try with the family is quick bursts of cleanup duty. These can be spontaneous or reactionary and a fun way to build cooperation and shared responsibility. Making it almost a game to tackle inadvertent or built up messes. The idea being everyone in the house takes 15 minutes to rapidly tidy up anything and everything they can. When everyone works together you can maximize efficiency and speed in a short time frame and set a nice typical standard for your home.
- Eat Out, Get Out
Summertime means, picnics, parks, and outdoor fun. One time-tested and prolific trick to keeping the house clean during summer is to encourage everyone to go outside the house as much as possible. Eating outside on the patio, going on picnics, encouraging activities and visits with family and friends are all classic methods of keeping the traffic down inside the home. Eating out on the patio reduces the mess inside the kitchen and grilling is a little bit easier than stovetop cooking, both of which are excellent time-savers.
- Simplification & Innovation
There are a ton of little tricks and time efficient alternative methods to common cleaning problems. The idea here is to just make things easier. For instance, summer is the best season for disposable utensils and dishes. With more meals being served during summer, spending a little extra on disposables can really help cut down on housekeeping time. Another example is using a leave-on spray cleaner for the shower or using the automatic toilet cleaners that are good for thousands of flushes. The key here is favoring speed and convenience over cost and breadth.
- Find That Summer Spot
Beaches, Lakes, Canoe trips, and sports; summer is filled with some of the dirtiest activities for kids. Designating a specific spot in the home for changing wet clothes, keeping sandy beach items, or a place for towels and camping gear is a great way to contain the mess before it spreads through the house. This can be a spot near the garage, back door, or laundry room, but what is important is that it is separate from your typical shoes and coat area at the front door.
The summer months are always filled with wonder and adventure, especially for your kids. That adventure and wonder brings with it a grand mess, but a mess that doesn’t have to be all that intimidating. With these little tips and tricks, you can save time, teach your children new things, and enjoy a little summer vacation yourself.
