#Collaborative post
Keeping a clean home while also working full time is a battle many of us face. When you’re working around 40 hours a week, and possibly have personal and family commitments too, it can be easy to push housework to one side.
So, how do you get housework done when you work full time? This is what we’ll discuss in this article, so read on to find out.
How Do You Get Housework Done When You Work Full Time?
1. Clean Up as You Go
Let’s start with one of the most helpful tips: clean up as you go along. This doesn’t mean whip out the hoover when you leave the room, though. Rather, it involves, for example, putting dishes in the dishwasher when you’re done with them or tidying up toys when they’re done with.
The advantages should be pretty clear. If there’s less clutter lying around the house, it’ll feel tidier and will be easier to properly clean when the time comes.
2. Write Lists and Set Up Routines
Write yourself cleaning lists that cover each room in turn, listing all the jobs it involves. For example, the living room might have:
· Tidying up toys
· Fluffing pillows
· Dusting
· Hoovering and mopping
· Cleaning mirrors and windows
It can help to write these as checklists because then you can check jobs off when they’re done.
Similarly, get other family members involved and have routines for what is done and when. Kids can help tidy up toys and deal with their own beds and laundry. Again, checklists are the best way to do this.
3. Deal in Manageable Chunks
We touched on this in the tip above, but break larger jobs down into smaller chunks because these are far more manageable. Small jobs can be done when you’ve got a bit of spare time, giving you the ability to chip away at the almost overwhelming job of “cleaning the house.”
Aim to break jobs down into the smallest (but still worthwhile) chunks possible. For example, dusting the living room is a small job that can make a noticeable difference, whereas just dusting a bookshelf isn’t really worth the time.
4. Multitask
You probably don’t need the idea of multitasking explaining, but it can be super useful for juggling cleaning jobs around the home. Ideally, you’ll want to fit some cleaning jobs around other household chores, such as cooking dinner. Doing so means you don’t lose out on your precious free time.
Of course, you might be slightly limited in what jobs you can do. But if you’re cooking something that only needs occasional stirring, load the dishwasher while you wait, or run the hoover around.
5. Prioritise Essential Jobs
Let’s be real, hoovering makes the house look nice but isn’t essential to its day-to-day use. Similarly, there are plenty of other jobs you can push to the side if you’re short on time.
Try to focus on essential jobs that keep your house hygienic. This includes washing up, cleaning the bathroom, and laundry. Provided you have a clean place to cook food and wash and clean clothes to wear, pretty much everything else can be ignored!
6. Have a Big Cleaning Day
The last thing you probably want to do at the weekend is catch up on housework, but it’ll need doing eventually. Set aside a morning to blast through all the bigger jobs you haven’t had time for during the week.
You can get other family members involved with relevant jobs, or kick them and your other half out of the house so they’re not in your way. It’ll depend on your style of cleaning and how helpful you think they’ll be.
The checklists you wrote earlier will be helpful here, as you can track the jobs you have left. Similarly, multitask by having laundry running in the background while you’re cleaning.
7. Try to Be Efficient
Along with breaking cleaning down into small chunks, aim to group jobs together that use the same products or equipment. For example, it’ll be far more efficient to do all the hoovering at once than to do each room individually. This won’t work for every job but will make more efficient use of your time.
Final Thoughts
Keeping your house cleaning when you work full time can be overwhelming but it is manageable. Break tasks down into small jobs and squeeze them in where possible. That said, don’t give up your precious free time for the sake of a tidier house!