When school is out, the kids are home. Having kids in the house all day often generates a considerable mess. Disorder in the house can be stressful, and messes everywhere could even be unsafe. Most moms know how frustrating it is dealing with messes in the summer that always seem to accumulate underfoot. If you’re sick of nagging, use these four ideas to keep your house in order until school starts in the autumn.
Choose One Activity Per Day
If you have more than one child, each could be getting out different activities at different times. This could leave you with multiple messes around the house. Try to choose activities that appeal to more than one of your children. If your children are separated by many years, enforce a one activity at a time rule. When a child is ready for a new activity, require that the previous activity be cleaned up first. This applies to playing out in the hose or chalk and then cleaning that up before moving onto play-dough indoors.
Get Outside to Play
Get the kids outside to play whenever possible. By having the kids go outdoors for a few hours, there will not be as much disorder in the house. There are plenty of fun activities children of all ages could enjoy outdoors. A trip to the playground gets everyone outside, and the kids can get their energy out. Turn on the lawn sprinkler and have the kids run through it while wearing their swimsuits on a hot day. Encourage bike rides, chalk, and neighborhood playdates whenever possible.
Streamline Your Cleaning Process
When you find yourself going from one cleaning activity, leaving it halfway done, and starting something else, you are not being productive. Be sure to finish one task before moving on. This prevents you from having to do the same thing twice. A maid service could also make quick work of your housecleaning needs. Hiring maids to clean your home could reduce your stress and free up time to spend with your children, especially during the summer.
Remove Clutter from the Home
Fewer items in your home means less to clean and less clutter to work around. Work through each shelf, drawer, cabinet, and closet and remove items that are broken, out-of-date, or outgrown. Donate usable items to charity and toss or recycle what is broken. Putting things away will be easier when there is adequate space to do it.
Keeping your house in order is not a one-person job. Anyone who is a toddler or older could pitch in and help to keep the place tidy. Young children can put their toys in baskets, while teenagers can be put on dinner clean-up duty. Setting a cleaning schedule and removing clutter will also help.
