5 Ways to Spend Less Time Cleaning and More Time with the Kids

• Have the Right Tools:

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One of the easiest ways to spend less time cleaning is to invest in a few key essentials. We recommend a solid vacuum, micro fiber clothes, rubber gloves, a feather duster and specific cleaning products for the various surfaces in your home (bathroom, wood, all-purpose, granite, etc.). It’s often easy to fall back on a roll of paper towels and some Windex but building up a complete cleaning toolkit will allow you to tackle the job more quickly and efficiently.

• Make Decluttering a Habit:

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Which takes longer? Vacuuming a floor covered with toys or an empty room? Wiping down a counter top covered with pots, pans and cookie jars or an empty counter? Sticking to a minimalist approach and holding the entire family accountable for putting away their belongings can cut down on cleaning time dramatically. Make it easy for everyone by incorporating organizational fixtures like shelves, cabinet, and baskets into your home décor. As an added bonus, cleaning up after themselves is a good opportunity for the kids to show they are taking responsibility for themselves and their belongings.

• Split Chores Evenly and Work Together:

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Recent research has shown that working women, stay at home moms and working moms still end up spending more of their time cleaning than other members of their households. Not only is this unfair, but it wastes valuable family time that would be better spent on family activities. If everyone in the family works together to clean the house, you can finish the job in a fraction of the time. As an added benefit, teaming up allows you to rotate everyone’s least favorite tasks like cleaning the toilet. To really maximize your family time, set aside an hour or two during the week when everyone tackles a few cleaning tasks after dinner. This will eliminate a big chunk of your to-do list before the weekend so you can make the most of those precious days off.

• Work Smarter Not Harder with Google:

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Before you tackle your next messy microwave, sticky floor or burnt pot make sure you check online for any cleaning tricks or hacks that can make your life easier. Did you know that dryer sheets can help save burnt pots? How about that Coca Cola can eliminate rust and unwanted deposits that other cleaners aren’t tough enough to handle? There are a lot of resources on the internet (like the All Set Blog) that are full of helpful tips and tricks for tackling just about any mess. Whether you just moved into your own home for the first time or have been cleaning your home decades, there are always new and surprising tricks that can help you tackle the toughest messes more easily and in less time.

• Choose Function over Form:

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We know that having a pile of shoes and a laundry basket in plain sight can drag down the aesthetic of a room but keeping messes from outside contained by the door is one of the easiest ways to eliminate cleaning tasks. Enforcing a strict no shoes policy is a great first step, but to really eliminate unnecessary messes before they start add a basket for laundry and a bucket for toys and equipment that goes outside. You will get used to the build-up at the door and can probably find some creative ways to hide the clutter. Keeping sandy beach towels, grass stained sweat-shirts and muddy boots from ever crossing your floors will let you stretch out the time between cleanings.

• Bonus Tip! Let Someone Else Handle the Mess and Take Back Your Free Time:

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A recent study came to the conclusion that while there is truth to the saying “money can’t buy happiness”, it’s not 100% accurate. The study found that money spent to reclaim free time led to higher levels of happiness. As one of our most time-consuming chores, house cleaning is the perfect example of a task that can be outsourced to make our lives a little less hectic and a lot more enjoyable. The trick is to find a trusted house cleaning professional who you can work with to meet all of your family’s needs. If you need house cleaning in Boston or an apartment cleaning in San Francisco, we would recommend checking out All Set. All Set lets you choose the Pro you work with, negotiate pricing, schedule and pay electronically all through their convenient mobile app or website.