Many people believe that if you’re feeling disorganised, chaotic, and overwhelmed cleaning your home will do wonders for your mental state. But rather than create a sense of control and accomplishment, household chores can sometimes be a significant bone of contention, especially between couples.
Research by fitted furniture specialists, Hammonds suggests that there is often a discrepancy between who takes on the largest share of cleaning in UK homes. 44% of those surveyed said they take care of all the housework while 17% admitted that the chores were left to the female member of the household.
Regardless of how household chores are split, there’s no denying that having a clean and tidy home can help restore order. And it seems that watching others clean has a similar effect with videos such as those featured on #CleanTok gaining upwards of 18 billion views.
If you’re keen to enhance the appeal of your home, our top tips will have your space sparkling in no time.
Create a schedule
With many short on time, it can be difficult to find the opportunity to organise your home. This is especially true as 41% of mothers now work full time, making it even more difficult to fit chores in around childcare and family commitments.
One way around this is to create a cleaning schedule based on what works for you and your family. Whether this is 30 minutes each evening tidying up and putting away the pots, or a few hours on a weekend morning, it’s a good idea to agree and set aside dedicated time.
This can also help stop any resentment towards the other partner and might prove particularly useful north of the border where, in Glasgow, 32% admitted that their female partner carries out all the chores. 22% of those surveyed also believe it’s a leading cause of arguments with their loved one, especially if one partner thinks the other is failing to pull their weight, so it might be wise to allocate set tasks to all involved.
Keep the clutter at bay
It’s easy to accumulate clutter but not easy to get rid of it. Decluttering can be a great way to restore order in your home, but you’ll need to be a little ruthless.
Sort through one room at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed. Create four piles to sort items into, one for charity or donations, one to sell, and one to keep. The remaining pile should be the last resort section for those items that will be thrown away. But always ensure you recycle where possible to prevent landfill waste.
Encourage other family members to do the same then allocate each person a task – take the recycling items, list them on online marketplaces, or complete a tip run.
Keep on top of laundry
It might be difficult, but keeping on top of washing can reduce the overall mess in the home. Limit the number of laundry baskets you have to prevent overfilling and aim to put each load away once it’s washed and dry.
You’ll need to get other members of the household to take responsibility for their clothes to make this a smoother process. But, come the weekend, you shouldn’t be faced with such a mountain of washing to tackle.
Finally, if you set a few ground rules each day, you might find there’s less to do overall. Wipe tables down after the evening meal, make the beds each morning, pick items up off the floor, and refrain from adding more clutter.
While there will still be times when the house becomes a little chaotic, following these steps should make it a bit easier to control and keep on top of.