So you’ve successfully managed to get your kids to school, and your home is reasonably clean and tidy. Job done, right? Well, not always.
It’s important to remain vigilant when it comes to domestic cleanliness during the school week. Just a little work every day can save you some very big cleaning jobs further down the line.
When it comes to back-to-school cleaning — after the kids have gone back to school — little and often is definitely the best course of action. Here are a few tips to help you during this challenging time.
Enforce a no-shoes policy
You can slash your floor and carpet cleaning burden immediately by banning shoes in your home. Insist that all footwear is removed at the door. Place a shoe rack or cupboard nearby to keep things looking tidy, and make sure it’s being used. Buy a “shoes off” sign from your local homeware store, just in case your children bring friends back. Keep shoes out of your home, and your hard floors and carpets won’t need vacuuming quite as often.
Enforce regular hand washing
It’s amazing what children can pick up on their hands during the course of a school day. As soon as they arrive home, make sure their first responsibility is to wash their hands. This should keep your surfaces clean and free from sticky messes. Get your kids to wash their hands before and after meals, and after finishing each task they take on. When hand washing becomes a habit, surfaces such as door handles and light switches will remain clean for longer.
Weekly bedroom cleaning
With a full day at school, homework and domestic duties, there isn’t usually much time for cleaning bedrooms during the week. But you can get the weekend off to a cleaner, more orderly start by insisting that your children’s first job is to clean their bedrooms. Do this every week, and you probably won’t have to worry too much about cleaning these often dirty, murky areas of your home.
Place antibacterial wipes everywhere
Cleaning during the back-to-school period should be an ongoing process, and it should also be a team effort. Ensure spillages and messes are wiped up the moment they happen by placing antibacterial wipes in every room of your home. If children have the means to clear up their mess close at hand, they’re far more likely to cooperate with your cleaning rules.
Wash dishes as you go
Don’t wait for dishes to collect before you wash them. If you have a dishwasher, rinse dirty dishes the moment they’re finished with, and stack them in the machine until you have a full load. If you’re washing dishes in the sink, you can do this throughout the course of the day — meaning you never have more than a meal’s worth to do.
Create a laundry schedule that works for you
Laundry can multiply during a school term, so it’s important to be organised and on top of things from day one. Put a load of towels in the wash at the same time every day — and make sure the time coincides with your ability to remove and dry them. Wash bedding once a week, along with school uniforms, PE kits and other school related garments.
Invest in the best vacuum cleaner for multiple surfaces
Ideally, everyone in your home should be taking responsibility for vacuuming floors — particularly during a stressful time like the back-to-school period. With this in mind, look for a vacuum cleaner that is versatile, adaptable and easy to use.
For instance, your vacuum cleaner should be reasonably lightweight and agile in order to make vacuuming relatively easy for your kids. You need something that is just as effective on deep carpet as it is on real wood floors. Look for models that can be reconfigured easily. After all, an upright vacuum cleaner that can be changed to a handheld system gives you cleaning options all over your home.
Plan the back-to-school cleaning routines in your home, and make sure you’re cleaning as you go. With a little cooperation from the rest of your family, keeping your home clean at this challenging time shouldn’t be too difficult.
