Collaborative post
As a mum, it’s a given that you want a tidy house. But do you want to do it all yourself? Probably not. How do you get your family involved (willingly) in cleaning the house, so you can take a bit of a break?
Well this is exactly what we’ll discuss below. Read on to find out some of the best tips for getting your family involved in cleaning.
How Do I Get My Family Involved in Cleaning?
1. Make a Job Board
The best place to start is with clarity. Make a job board with everyone’s names and responsibilities on it. Doing this means each member knows what they need to do and when. For example, you could include:
· Husband hoovers the floors or loads the dishwasher
· Kids pick up their toys
· You dust and do the laundry
2. Set Rules
Provided you’re nice about it, there’s nothing wrong with setting rules about cleaning the house. Aside from giving people specific jobs, it can be things like everyone clears their own plate away after dinner, or the kids make their beds every morning.
You can combine this with the job board and give rewards that build up throughout the week (more on this below).
3. Foster a Positive Attitude
Many of you probably know it’s right to lead by example. Well this logic is true for cleaning as much as anything else. Try to avoid treating housework like a burden in front of your kids. In fact, go the complete opposite direction and show them how fun it is. Make games out of your chores, blast music while you clean – whatever you need to make it enjoyable.
Similarly, you should try to avoid using cleaning jobs as a punishment for bad behaviour. This can make them resent the idea of cleaning, which is the opposite of what you want. Instead, try to use positive rewards for helping and consider other options as punishments for bad behaviour.
4. Make it Fun for Your Kids
You should think about rewarding kids for their participation in cleaning jobs. As mentioned, you could give them a sticker every time they do their daily tasks well. At the end of the week or month, this could result in a reward of your choosing. Sure, you could try this with your husband as well, but he might not enjoy a sticker board as much!
5. Have a Set Time for Larger Jobs
Other than daily tasks, you could aim to complete bigger jobs at the same time every week. For most people, this’ll probably be a weekend. Whenever you decide to do it, aim to be as consistent as possible so your kids know it’s coming and everyone can be available.
Plus, if you’re all focused on cleaning, it makes the time go much quicker and means you can play some loud music and make it into a fun time.
6. Choose Age-Appropriate Jobs for Kids
Picking the right jobs for your kids can save a lot of hassle in the long run. If you pick something too complicated or time-consuming, they’ll easily get distracted and frustrated.
Generally, cleaning jobs for kids under 5 should involve 3 steps or less and take about 15 minutes to complete. Some examples include putting away their toys, emptying small bins, and putting their dirty washing in the basket.
From age 6 and above, they can handle more complex tasks, like loading the dishwasher, dusting, folding washing, etc. Spend some time figuring out the best jobs for your kids and stick to an appropriate pattern to stop them from getting bored.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, these tips will help you get your family involved in cleaning while also making it a bit more enjoyable for everyone. Kids might not enjoy it at first, but over time they should be more amenable to helping, and it’ll benefit them in the long run too.
Of course, if you’re still finding all the cleaning a bit overwhelming with everything else going on, consider hiring house cleaning services to help out. It’ll take some of the pressure off without you having to argue with your family about who does what!