Work around the home: Do it smarter, not harder

Does it feel like you never get a chance to sit down and relax? Being busy can be taxing at times and negatively affect family time. That includes all the time and effort it takes to clean and maintain a tidy house. Thankfully, there are ways to do chores around the home faster and more effectively, so you have more time to rest or spend with loved ones. Here are some tips to help you do exactly that as you work around the home smarter.

Clean in a clever way

Have you ever cleaned something only to realize the next thing to wipe down is going to dirty what you just did? I’ve done that.

Here’s an example. Recently, I cleaned the kitchen floor and then proceeded to sanitize the countertops. Well, some of the crumbs from the counter fell to the floor, and then I had to sweep the floor again.

Avoid redoing cleaning tasks like that by thinking ahead. Debbie Sardone recommends beginning at the top of the space. For instance, dust a ceiling fan and work your way down to the floor. Similarly, cleaning from left to right helps you cover the entire room rather than hopping from one spot to another.

Most people clean what they see before looking up to clean something else, which causes the previously cleaned item to get soiled again. You won’t be cleaning places you’ve just cleaned if you move from top to bottom and left to right.

Getting dinner ready

A healthy, home-cooked supper might take a while to prepare, which means you might be in the kitchen while your family unwinds and has fun. Or, dinner could be late and the kids get cranky.

To avoid these scenarios, take a few steps to spend less time in the kitchen during the week and more time with the family instead. You’re likely busy with work or school (or both) Monday through Friday, so plan meals in advance and do batch cooking on the weekends.

Plan your meals for the week accordingly, and see what you can do to prepare ahead of time. It might be as easy as chopping and peeling the vegetables before putting them back in the fridge. Also, get your partner and kids to help out.

If you’re making a meat pie, prepare it in advance and bake it afterward. So, all you have to do to prepare dinner when you get home is toss it in the oven and wait for it to cook. In the meantime, cover the pie and place it in the fridge.

Try new recipes too, like learning how to cook tanghulu. It could become a family favorite. Don’t forget to include the classics your little ones love, and if it won’t take long to prepare, get the family involved so you can continue to bond.

You can still have treats and luxuries to mix things up. Even try to make restaurant favorites at home, such as homemade lobster bisque.

Divide the work around the home

Most of the time, one person in the household is responsible for keeping the house clean and organized. That might fall on your shoulders and be stressful. If so, a quick and efficient solution is to divide the workload.

To do this, make a list of chores for the children to complete, and then reward them at the end of the week when they have finished all of their jobs. Ensure your partner helps out too if you have one.

Also, think about spending some additional money on a professional cleaner one day a week or once every few weeks. That can give you time to relax.

Pare down your belongings

Having too much stuff can make for more work around the home. People frequently have too much stuff in their houses. Furthermore, a bunch of it they no longer need or want.

Having too much stuff can make the space appear cluttered. It also creates additional trash and dust to clean up.

By decluttering, you can completely get rid of some tasks. There’s less to organize and tidy.

Consider breaking the decluttering process into manageable chunks so that it doesn’t seem like such a massive task and overwhelm you. Also, ask the rest of the household to chip in with deciding what to toss, donate, or sell.

Small steps are the way forward. To help you maintain a tidy home, try these minimalist life hacks.

Work around the home: You don’t need expensive cleaners

You might find rust stains on patios, porches, garage floors, and other places around the home. Thankfully, you may get rid of them without using expensive cleaning products. The acid in lemon juice, for example, can remove rust.

Usually, the easiest approach is to cut the lemon in half and squeeze it. After applying the juice to the stain, let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Then, scrub the concrete with a strong bristle brush to remove stains that have been there for weeks, months, or longer. After that, use clean water to rinse out the lemon juice and debris.

What are some other ways to work smarter, not harder, around the home?