For many working parents, the idea of a clean and efficient household seems like something you would only see on the TV in one of those shows that seem like they’ve only been made to mock you. Somehow, these people manage to Do It All, and you wonder if they’ve unlocked the secret to finding more hours in the day.
However, while The Perfect Home™ seems unattainable, it is easier to find than you think it is. While it’s not something that will happen overnight, you can create an efficient home as long as you know where to begin.
Create a Cleaning Rota
It’s easy to let the cleaning pile up throughout your home, and this often means you put everything off until it becomes too overwhelming to even begin. But, making a cleaning rota by using a template will make it easier to manage. A decent rota may mean that you deal with one little thing every day, but it’s much better than saving everything for a Saturday where you’d much rather just relax or do something fun. Assigning different days to different rooms will help you stay on top of things, and they will usually take just an hour at the most.
Get Your Kids Involved
You shouldn’t expect to do everything yourself, though. As the messy home is not all your doing, getting your kids (and your partner) involved will speed up the process and means you don’t need to worry about spending every evening cleaning or tidying up. Get your kids to clean their rooms at the bare minimum, and you can also assign different rooms for them each week so everyone gets a chance to do something different. They may resist at first, but this is a crucial life skill they must learn.
Stay Up-to-Date With Maintenance
Small nicks or chips around the home don’t seem like a big deal at the time, but these can cause bigger issues as the years go by. You might not feel you have the chance to fix problems around the home, but this means they get ignored, and you may have to deal with something more expensive later. So, it’s important to stay up to date with any home maintenance to prevent significant problems. Take the time to go around the house once a month to look for possible problems, such as boiler problems, leaking taps, or gaps in the roof.
Rethink Your Energy Needs
Creating an efficient home is not just about ensuring it is clean and tidy. You also need to consider the financial impact that the wrong energy source can cause. Many homes are switching to cleaner energy sources such as propane. You can click here to learn about the benefits of propane compared to other energy sources. As everyone has different energy needs, it’s important to do your homework to find a source that works best for you and your budget.
Take Care Of the Big Things
When you have a lot of things to do around the home, it’s almost impossible to get started as everything feels so overwhelming. The bigger things are usually what causes this, so you need to bite the bullet and just get on with them. Some people will go for the easier option first, but this isn’t always the best approach as they can take longer than you expect, by tackling the tougher tasks before anything else, you’ll be able to manage your chores and timer better.
Make Meal Plans
Meal planning is not just something for fitness buffs or people counting calories. They can make your kitchen the most efficient room in your house. If you know what you make every day of the week, you can defrost and prepare the meal so you aren’t rushing when you get home from work. Furthermore, you’ll save money as you don’t waste food, and you’ll not rely on takeout as often as you usually do. Even so, you can treat your family to a pizza every Friday if you feel like it.
Don’t Put Things Aside For the Time Being
Whether letters, shoes or small items you’ve found under the sofa, too many people will put them to the side for the time being. The problem here is that they forget about them far too easily, and this place becomes the home for everything that doesn’t have a place. Eventually, this will clutter up the home and make it a mess that you can’t escape. Instead of putting things to the side ‘for now’ put them back where they belong every time.
Use a To-Do List
No matter how good you think your memory is, you are only human, and you’re bound to forget about something. Most of the time, this something is not a big deal, but there’s always the risk that you forget something important. A to-do list can help you remember to take the garbage out, pay bills, and pick the kids up from football practice. You also get a motivational rush when you tick something off.
Give Rooms a Purpose
The most efficient households achieve this by giving every room a purpose. You already have your living room, bedroom, kitchen, and dining room, but what about any spare rooms? These can quickly become makeshift storerooms that are clutter magnets, so you must think about how to make them useful. If you are helping your child learn a musical instrument, turn these rooms into practice areas. If you need a quiet place to read or work, create a study.
Make The Most of the Night Before
There comes the point every day where you want to get into bed and get some well-earned rest. But, before you do this, you must prepare for tomorrow. This nightly routine will benefit your morning routine and ensure you’re not in as much of a rush. You will be more organized and more confident, and you’ll never misplace your keys or forget your lunch ever again.
Working For You
Every homeowner wants to unlock the secret that makes their housework for them. But, rather than search for extra hours in the day, the answer is often right in front of you, so think about how these ideas can make your home a lean, mean, and clean efficiency machine.
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