Share a household strategy/method you've found invaluable-besides assigning chores =)

[homeschoolally]

After reading the post about the mom who washes her sheets everyday, I've got this on my mind! :001_smile:

 

I'm one of those moms who is barely staying afloat with household responsibilities--cleaning, laundry, meals etc. I love the idea of FlyLady-type routines, but I'm not even able to stay on top of the daily messes to get to the routines at this point.

 

It would really help to hear some tried and true methods!

 

I only have a few to share myself but here goes, --

 

--I was finally able to get the laundry under control by keeping narrow bins for each family member near the dryer. I'm finally able to keep it moving since I have a fast way to unload and sort. Kids take their bin and empty it every few days.

 

--I use aluminum foil to line cookie sheets I bake everything on whenever I can so I just toss the foil instead of washing them

 

--I use paper plates (stock up when they're on sale) for food prep and kid meals and serve sandwiches on paper towels to cut down on the amt of dishes we dirty up

 

--I use cheap, large ziplock bags to mix up things like meatloaf, quiche ingredients etc. instead of a big mixing bowl to cut down on dirty dishes. (I can't ever seem to get the dishes under control!!!)

 

Thanks for sharing!:lurk5:

[neveryoumindthere]

I need advice too!! I hope you don't mind:)

[AK_Mom4]

I leave a big handful of garbage bags in the bottom of each trashcan. This makes it easy for whoever is taking out the garbage to put the new bag in right away (and not forget!).

[homeschoolally]

Once a week I brown a big package of ground beef.

 

When it cools, I put 1/3 in a big ziplock bag with Prego and save in the fridge for spaghetti.

 

1/3 goes in the crockpot for sloppy joes

 

I leave the last third in and prepare with taco mix for that night's dinner.

 

I have a similar method with roast and chicken that I'll post later when I have time.

[Supertechmom]

I keep only enough clothes to get us through a two weeks max. And only enough dishes for one large gathering. This keeps the sheer volume down and doesn't allow for much backup. Even if you do get backed up, the amount is still doable.

[mama2cntrykids]

I keep only enough clothes to get us through a two weeks max. And only enough dishes for one large gathering. This keeps the sheer volume down and doesn't allow for much backup. Even if you do get backed up, the amount is still doable.

 

:001_smile: I do both of these too!

 

Other than that, I can't think of anything right now. I'm tired and need to go to bed though!

[Chris in VA]

I taught my boys to do their own laundry when they were 9 and 11. I think far too many women don't teach their kids to do chores because they are too concerned with it being done perfectly and can't allow some "learning curve time." Let go of the control for a few weeks and teach those kids!

 

I set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes when faced with a task I can't stand to do, just to help me get started. It's particularly helpful with dishes.

 

I only make my bed when my mom comes. Or my mil.

 

I keep one room company-ready--well, most of the time.

[Amber in AUS]

One thing that has helped me is to peg some chores onto daily tasks.

 

When i get out of bed i pull the covers up, not made but better than just being left in a muddle.

 

When the little DD goes for a nap after lunch i do the dishes and the washing, that is a full cycle so i empty the dishwasher from yesterday, restack & turn on. I fold the laundry from yesterday, put away then hang the new stuff.

 

The kids set the table at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

The kids packaway 'everything that doesn't belong' before dinner in the evening. They are not very keen on this but we have a rule that no one comes to the table for dinner until the house is tidied away so they comply. I don't withhold food it is just that we don't start eating until it is clean.

 

I make freezer meals for the nights when we are out late.

 

Every Sunday night i clear off the kitchen table which seems to amass lots of newspapers from DH over the weekend.

[Plucky]

Get rid of as much as you can. How much stuff do you really need? If you don't have it in the house you don't have to clean it up.

 

But really the biggest difference for me has been the kids getting older. They don't scatter toys all over and can clean and pick up the house.

[KidsHappen]

Does harnessing the vacuum cleaner to the dog and getting him to chase the cat count? I haven't really done this but I have tried to figure out if I could make it work somehow. I am hopeless in the housekeeping dept.

[The Governess]

I try not to leave any dishes in the sink when I go to bed. And dh empties the dishwasher in the morning before he goes to work. This way the dishes don't pile up during the day.

 

Dh and I have a schedule now. He reads to the girls and puts them to bed while I clean up around the house or do some prep/baking in the kitchen for the next day. It's working well!

[CalicoKat]

I've got the laundry down to a week's worth of outfits for the kids and I. DH needs more. Still laundry's a big chore but there is a limit to how much can pile up

 

Similarily I cut down on the amount of toys. I culled the broken toys, pulled together the strewn sets, and donated outgrown toys majorly. Only one kid has complained about the change. But I think it's because she can actually see what she has now.

 

I made Saturday chore cards one week for my kids on 3x5 index cards because dd complained that she'd start her chores earlier if I'd get up earlier one Saturday's. So we compromised. Their Sat. chore cards were a hit and now we're expanding them to the rest of the week. The idea is that there's 1-4 chores per card for each day of the week that they're responsible for. Haven't really thought about when we'd change those up and give other's a chance yet, but for now they're mostly happy about working on their chores from 6-7 a.m. (at least 3 of them are)

[2squared]

I keep only enough clothes to get us through a two weeks max. And only enough dishes for one large gathering. This keeps the sheer volume down and doesn't allow for much backup. Even if you do get backed up, the amount is still doable.

 

I do this too! We have to stretch to make our clothes last a week when we travel. I wash clothes every day so I never have a lot to wash or dry or fold. The kids can easily put away their clothes because their dressers are about 1/2 empty, and I can easily sort out outgrown, torn, and stained clothing.

 

We only have enough dishes (other than plates) for one meal. We have five bowls, six forks, etc. However, each kid does have a set of color coded plastic dishes so we can stretch the dishwasher running if we eat two smaller meals. I clean up the kitchen after EVERY meal or snack, and my cabinets are clutter free. It all adds up, ya know?

[2squared]

Similarily I cut down on the amount of toys. I culled the broken toys, pulled together the strewn sets, and donated outgrown toys majorly. Only one kid has complained about the change. But I think it's because she can actually see what she has now.

 

Me too! I just started rotating toys, and it is working fabulous. The toys stay upstairs in the bedrooms or toyroom and we only have a few out at a time. Also, we purposefully own few types of toys but a lot of that particular type. Like, we only own Thomas wooden trains, but we have a huge collection. Dds have baby dolls and the Fischer Price loving family playhouse. No polly pockets, barbies, strawberry shortcake, etc. It's easier for us to store and play with toys if there aren't onesies and twosies floating around the house.

[2squared]

Sigh. Three posts in a row.

 

My newest trick is wearing jeans with pockets during the day. As I see little things out of place, I put them in my pockets and put them away when I get to the right room.

[Ellie]

The rule: Don't put it down; put it away. Constantly repeating that helps keep down on clutter.

 

I make my bed *the instant* my feet hit the floor in the morning. It only takes a few minutes, and I just feel better when it's finished. :-) And I get dressed right away (I take my shower at night, wash my hair in the morning in the kitchen sink. No one ever died from my washing my hair in the kitchen sink.:D)

 

I clean the kitchen *the instant* we are finished with a meal, any meal. Kitchen cleaned, bed made. Makes my whole house seem clean, somehow. :-)

 

When dds were little, each had a plastic Tupperware glass they used for all beverages. Two dds, two glasses, the end.

[homeschoolally]

Does harnessing the vacuum cleaner to the dog and getting him to chase the cat count? I haven't really done this but I have tried to figure out if I could make it work somehow. I am hopeless in the housekeeping dept.

 

:lol:

Thanks everyone for the input! Great ideas!

[Nestof3]

I taught my boys to do their own laundry when they were 9 and 11. I think far too many women don't teach their kids to do chores because they are too concerned with it being done perfectly and can't allow some "learning curve time." Let go of the control for a few weeks and teach those kids!

 

 

 

The reason I don't do that here is that we don't have space in our house for every person to have a laundry basket, and we don't have room for a week or two worth of laundry. If I waited until Ben's laundry load was large enough to warrant using the water and energy, it would take two weeks. He's still wearing 5T and Boys XS (4-6) clothing.

 

All of my boys will learn to do the laundry, though, (Aaron already knows how and washes his paintball camo). The young ones have daily chores that they do, though.

[Wendy Inman]

I'm still working on this... and i've finally found a system that works for the dishes and laundry... still need help getting to bathrooms/floors/etc.. those just get done when they need it.

 

The laundry - I do laundry twice a week. Even though there are only 3 of us. I stayed with my grandparents for a while and watched my Grandma's routines (she is the master of housecleaning LOL). She did it twice a week even though there is only 2 of them. What i realized is that when the loads are smaller, it goes faster, it's not a huge chore and i don't dread doing it or put it off. I know people have different sized families and would need to do more than twice a week but this is what worked for us. I also got these collapsible laundry baskets that make it sooooo much easier to carry laundry up and down the stairs. For some reason that really helped.

 

The dishes - empty in the morning (my son helps), load it up throughout the day and run it before bed. It doesn't always stay in that routine, sometimes i have to run it earlier or later... but i found just staying on top of it is the key.

 

Anyway i'm no expert and i'm still trying to figure most things out. :)

[Ferdie]

I keep flushable wipes in the children's bathrooms so they can wipe out their sink, and wipe down the toilet seat each morning. This keeps their bathrooms presentable even on the weeks we get behind in our chores.

 

Ditto the suggestion above to rotate the children's toys. We keep the extra toys in the attic under lock and key and let the kids exchange them every few weeks.

 

I use a menu planning service, (e-mealz.com) so I don't have to figure out what is for dinner every day.

[2squared]

I keep a magnetic dry erase board on my fridge, and I use it for my lists: to-dos, weekly menus, groceries, etc. It's easy to jot things down, easy to erase items, easy to see the reminders, and never gets lost. :)

[5KidzRUs]

 

• Kids do 20 minutes of chores (other than their own personal messes) per day - with 5 children, this helps a lot.
  
• EVERYTHING needs to have a "home" - this is amazingly helpful.
  
• Get up early - 5-6 A.M. - you will get so much more done.
  
• White board and To-Do List.
  
• Keep out (accessible) only enough dishes for one meal.
  
• Keep out (accessible) only enough clothes, linen & towels for one week.
  
• Invite someone over, at least once a week - my house is always so much cleaner when I am expecting company :)
  
• Do one 'non-daily' chore a day. For example, wipe out frig., clean out all cupboards, wipe walls, vacuum under cushions, wipe window sills, dust, clean around floorboards, windex stuff ... pedicure.
  
• Get dressed each day - try to read something that is inspiring ... even if it is for 10 minutes.
  
• cook several meals ahead - this frees up a lot of time for other stuff and less daily mess to clean up.
  
• Keep children busy in a productive way. My children seem to leave messes behind when they are bored. We have a rule that they must take something with them (and put it in its home) when they leave a room.
  

 

Hope this helps - I do not come by domestic skills naturally and struggle daily. Would love to turn it around so that it is a blessing and a talent to be enjoyed ... one day ... maybe :)

[WTMCassandra]

Here's a few:

 

--I do the handful of trash bags in the bottom of the trash can too. When the bags are gone, it's time to wash the trash can.

 

--I try to do all dishes before bed. Sometimes that's ghastly, but I ALWAYS feel better the next morning if I push through. I also let God dry my dishes--he does a good job if I give him plenty of time. So if any dishes are out, they are clean ones, and then I put them away when they are dry.

 

--We unload the car IMMEDIATELY after getting home from somewhere, and then we immediately put everything away that we just brought in.

 

--We try to clean up clutter at the end of an activity so it doesn't build up over the day.

 

--We have a set "family cleaning night" where the major chores get done. Everyone works.

[creekmom]

This is a trick I learned from my favorite restaurant- never walk anywhere with your hands empty! Every time I leave a room, I look around for something that needs to go to the room where I'm headed. There are always glasses in the living room that I take to the kitchen, or things upstairs that need to go down and vice versa. By always having something in my hands, the house stays pretty picked up rather effortlessly. Now, if I could just get the kids in the same habit!!

[Guest janainaz]

I pick up at night before bed. I also start laundry first thing in the morning.

 

My ds9 unloads the dishwasher before he starts school at 9:00am. He also has to fold and put away his clothes and all the towels and sheets. My ds4 has to fold and put away all his clothes and the dish towels (I got rid of paper towels and we have oodles of plain white hand towels). The only laundry I have to put away is mine and dh's. That is easy. So, laundry is under control.

 

I load the dishwasher during the day as I go and both of my kids and dh are on board with rinsing their dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. DS4 has to put his in the sink (I need a stepstool). He is almost 5 and perfectly capable of rinsing a dish.

 

I vacuum every morning before school. I do my floors on my hands and knees once a week, minus spot mopping and sweeping - it takes five minutes for upkeep. I keep a bottle of cleaner in the bathroom to spray it all down quickly every day (toilet, mirrors, sink, and around the toilet area). My master bathroom stays pretty clean, so I do it once a week.

 

My kids help me a lot. Just their little chores are a burden lifted. Kids are fully capable of pitching in.

 

As for cooking meals..... I plan meals one week at a time. It makes it easier for me. I use my crockpot as much as possible and get dinner going in the early afternoon.

 

It is work all day long, but I'm able to keep up.

[Daisy]

I keep 3 laundry baskets (small from the dollar store) near the hallway. As we find stuff that belongs in the kid's bedrooms or our bedroom, we chuck it into the basket. Baskets are emptied before lunch and before bedtime. This really keeps down the household clutter.