Fast Housekeeping For Busy Parents

A woman's work is never done. If that fact is true, then consider it even truer for the workload of the working woman. Perfect working moms have perfect homes, spouses, and children. Their homes and families are pristine and nothing is out of place. We may pretend that we don't want to be that perfect working mom, but all of us try to keep up with a household that never stops needing our attention.

War Plan

It can help to have a war plan that you follow that helps to keep things under control or at least somewhat manageable. Here are some tips for keeping things neat and clean.

The clean sweep--Set a timer for ten minutes and then have everyone go through the house tidying things up. It's good to do this once a day, just before supper. All those shoes that are made for tripping over will be put in their rightful place while books and toys will be returned to bookshelves and toy boxes.

Laundry inboxes--Set up four laundry baskets-lights, darks, whites, brights, and teach the kids to throw their dirty clothes into the proper receptacles. When a basket is full, just dump it into the washer and start a load.

All-purpose cleaner spray--Walk around the house with some spray and paper towels, cleaning as needed (handles, doors, phones, washable walls). You'll be amazed at how good things will look in a few short minutes.

Clean up as you go--Don't leave all the washing up for after you've finished cooking. Clean up as you go along so the chaos never gets out of control. You'll save time and spare frazzled nerves.

Burner covers--Buy and use disposable burner covers to make cleaning up that yucky stove top a breeze.

Labeling--Label kids' drawers so that kids can find their things in a hurry. This is also helpful for laundry helpers who need to know the exact spot for putting away each item they fold. Buy stick-on labels for this purpose.

Save old cotton socks--Old socks make wonderful dusting rags. Slip one over your hand, spray with dusting spray, and run your hand over furniture and other dusty items.

Work with gravity--Teach your family that the law of gravity applies to housecleaning. Dirt falls, so clean from top to bottom. That means that things have a proper order--dust the highest items first and lower items last. Even a very young child can cover a broom with a rag and wipe down the ceilings and walls, bringing down both dust and spider webs before you tackle the rest.