Parenting and running a household often means balancing many roles and experiencing very full days. While these full days are overflowing with goodness, it can also mean a home that looks like it is overwhelmed by chaos. It is important to maintain order in the home. Read on for some helpful suggestions.
Use Incoming and Outgoing Boxes
Sometimes mail and papers aren’t gone through immediately and end up strewn about the house. This leads to messiness and confusion and things getting lost. Simply designate two boxes, baskets or bins and get everyone on board with which one is for incoming items and which one is for outgoing items. It is a simple and tidy way to keep paperwork in check. The system can even be used for non-paper items that need to be returned to someone. Think of items such as library books, borrowed dishes, and the like.
Use a Shoe Bin or Mudroom Organizer
If family members do not have a designated area to place shoes or hang jackets, they will most likely end up draped on chairs or even the floor. Use a coat rack, hooks on the wall, and a shoe bin or basket specifically for items needed when entering and exiting the home. Consider placing a receptacle for umbrellas right by the main door as well. This simple addition to the home keeps loose items in check and streamlines getting out the door to go somewhere.
Clean Windows
Let’s face it, window cleaning often falls low on the list of home keeping priorities. Professionals, like those at A-Plus Window Cleaning, know how nice it is to have a great view of your surroundings from the inside of your home. Breathe a sigh of relief when looking out of clean, shiny windows. It gives a nice impression to both the inside and outside of the home, and gives you more time to focus on other tasks.
Involve the Kids
Another way to keep a satisfactory amount of order in the home is to enlist the help of the kiddos. Set one or two cleanup times per day and involve each person, regardless of age. An impressive amount of tidying and cleaning can take place in as little as ten to thirty minutes when everyone pitches in. Also involve the entire family in any purging efforts and in daily habits such as bed-making and laundry maintenance. Small children often enjoy matching socks and helping in a variety of ways.
Stay realistic about the level of orderliness achievable in a home with kids and or pets. Also stay positive and creative about ways to make your living space clean and welcoming. Think about ways to streamline daily activities and share ideas with friends and family members. Life with the family is much more pleasant when some order is involved.