Family Spring Cleaning: Getting the Whole Family Onboard
One thing that comes to mind when the weather starts to transition to spring is the thought of cleaning up the house. This is perhaps in keeping up with the notion that things are made all anew as the first flower bud pops up.
Whatever it is, you will want to make the challenging task of spring cleaning a lot less stressful for yourself, and this is by enlisting the help of the entire family.
While it might be tempting to book an appointment for a spring cleaning service instead of rallying the troops to your cause, take a chance first.
You would probably be surprised at how much traction in your family spring cleaning routine you can make when everyone pitches in, and by the end, there will be surprisingly less work for you to do in your regular house cleaning.
Here are some tips for making it happen.
Delegation is Key
Delegate the chores to make your Family Spring Cleaning more organised and enjoyable. There are many ways to do this, for example:
- Delegate the chores according to age. Research spring cleaning tasks for developmental appropriateness and make a match between those that are closest to each family member’s age. For example, younger children can be tasked with sorting through their toys and placing those that they do not like in a big box for donation. Teenage children and young adults can do spring cleaning tasks like packing everyone’s winter clothes and vacuum sealing them before returning them to storage.
- Delegate the chores according to capability. Zero in on what each family member is particularly good at with spring cleaning, and assign tasks that would maximise that. Have the girls decide what goes and what stays, and have the boys haul out those items to be donated to the local op shop.
Make a Schedule for Family Spring Cleaning
There’s no need to surprise the entire family by waking them up one day and announcing that everyone will participate in a 24-hour-long spring cleaning marathon.
You can begin slowly by making a schedule of what needs to be cleared out weeks before you finally call your local house cleaning services.
- Three weeks before- have everyone go through paper clutter to determine what needs to be kept, donated, or recycled (this includes books and magazines).
- Two weeks before- ensure everyone goes through their clothes, shoes, and bags and follows the same pattern of the keep, donate, or throw out.
- One week before- use this week for each family member's odds and ends and have them determine what stays and what goes.
As you go through your belongings, you can also heed these cleaning tips to keep dust and dirt to a minimum.
Have a Tangible Cleaning Checklist
Spring cleaning becomes much easier now that many things have been chucked out or stored correctly.
Type up a list of cleaning chores for each family member (again, following the delegation guideline as much as possible) and have them tick off each item as they accomplish it.
You can also do it per area basis or assignment, like this room-by-room spring cleaning guide.
A note on making the checklist: Have a family meeting before the tasks are carried out to ensure that everyone agrees on the assigned tasks. Please keep an open mind to suggestions others may have, but be firm when you need them.
Above all, make an effort to balance things between family members so nobody feels resentful over what could be perceived as a list longer than the others.
Don’t Forget: Rewards for a Job Well Done
And finally, don’t forget to recognise your family’s efforts at cleaning the house by treating everyone to a pizza dinner or taking a memorable trip to the supermarket so they can stock up on a few of their favourite munchies for an at-home movie night.
Sure, you could have just booked an appointment with a local house cleaning service and left it to the experts. Still, something undeniably character forms about rounding up everybody to accomplish something important like spring cleaning.
Making them feel valued and recognising their contributions should solidify your family bond, and having a nice, clean home by the end is a fantastic result!
