It happens every year. First there are the New Year’s resolutions to get more organized and lose weight. Next is the flurry of activity as people begin spring cleaning. Many adults wonder how to get the whole family involved in spring cleaning the house rather than having to do all the work themselves.
Let’s face it, spring cleaning isn’t a one-person job. If you share a house with family members, you want them to pitch in, too. Using these tips to get everyone involved, this may be your chance to get your house cleaned up.
* Make a plan. Start by deciding when your family will do spring cleaning. This will give everyone fair warning to clear their calendar for the time you’ll be busy and let them know you expect them to help. How quickly everyone can do other activities will depend upon how quickly everyone works.
* Decide how much spring cleaning needs to be done. This may mean going through each room in your house and making a list of everything you think needs attention. Post the list of items to be done and the person responsible for each one, on a wall in the room. Create instructions of how each task is to be completed and a place to mark off each one as it’s done.
* Divide the chores up into activities which are in line with their abilities. There’s no sense in asking a 4-year-old to move furniture, but they can wash baseboards which are at their level. Plan for smaller children to work in 20 to 30 minute intervals; older children can work for longer periods of time.
* Put together a cleaning kit for each room. This will ensure there’s no dilly-dallying because someone can’t find cleansers, rags, or towels which are needed. This also means everything that’s needed will be where it’s needed, which could make the process that much quicker.
* Have all of your organizing supplies available. If you know you’ll be putting up most of the winter clothes for the season, have plastic totes, boxes, or other storage containers ready.
* Sort and purge as you go along. Set aside particular boxes or areas in your home to place items which are no longer used, wanted, or needed. Box them up and put the boxes into the car so you can take them to a location which accepts charity.
* Make it fun. Even though cleaning is not a favorite activity, it has to be done. Play favorite music to give people energy while they’re working. Instead of using spray bottles to clean with, use squirt guns to clean windows. Not only will the children have fun, but they may not mind helping you clean so much after all. The less like work you can make the process for the children (and some adults) in the family, the more likely they’ll be willing to help.
Get everyone started on cleaning day with a healthy, hearty breakfast. You’ll know the family is well-fed and should have the required energy to accomplish the day’s tasks. However, you may also want to plan breaks with snacks throughout the day to replenish their energy.
When you’re wondering how to get the whole family involved in spring cleaning the house, you may want to use some of the ideas above. Will these ideas guarantee your family will help with a good attitude? No. However, it may make the process easier and the job less painful for all.