I hear it and see it all the time. “I wish I had a cleaning fairy.” “I wish I had a housekeeper for a year.” “I wish everyone would keep this house clean and tidy.” We all wish for those things but unfortunately it doesn’t happen. It’s up to you and your family to do those things. But you can do this quite easily and learn how to love your job as a homemaker in your home. Here’s how.
Love the home you’re in
When we start thinking about wanting a different home, a larger home, one with more storage, one that faces north east, for example, we immediately build up negative thoughts towards our home.
Learning to love the home you’re in you will begin to see your home in another light. You’ll want to keep it clean and tidy. You’ll want to keep it to a standard you can manage.
Declutter and organise
You’ve heard that saying “can’t see the forest for the trees”? Well the same applies to your home. Maybe you’ve just got too much stuff. If it’s not being used or doesn’t serve a purpose, get rid of it. Donate or sell unwanted items and give yourself plenty of room to move.
There’ll be less to organise and keep clean. It doesn’t all have to be done yesterday. Tackle one room at a time, one shelf/drawer at a time. Once you have a clear view of every room in your house, you’ll want to keep it that way and it will be easier.
Create routines
Rather than scheduling days for washing the floors, dusting, vacuuming etc, set up routines as part of your normal day. I call this clean as you go. It won’t feel like you’re doing housework. It’s just a matter of a quick wipe of the vanity basin after you’ve brushed your teeth or a quick clean up of the kitchen after the evening meal’s dishes have been done.
Lower your expectations
Let’s be realistic. If you’ve got children, are working full time or just get too overwhelmed sometimes, lower your expectations. This is your home, your rules. You take care of yourself and your family first.
Just do the basics and try to turn a blind eye to those little jobs you know need doing. Being someone who was very OCD before children, it took me a lot of work to ‘let things go’. I knew that I had to take care of my children as a priority.
As they have become older, they are now doing their share of the housework and it gives me time to get on top of those little jobs I used to let go. The time will come again for you but while they’re little, focus on them, and you!
Define your values
If you really want your home to be kept to a certain standard, then define what that means to you.
When you say “I wish my home was always tidy” does that mean “I wish the beds were made, the floors were clean, the kid’s toys weren’t on the floor, there weren’t dirty dishes in the sink etc”.
If having a tidy home means these things, factor time in your day to just do that. Create a routine, for example, for the above:
- make the bed as soon as you get up in the morning
- after the kids are at school or at a time that’s convenient for you, vacuum and/or wash the floors (find products that will make light work of this if this is important to you)
- put appropriate storage options where your kids play with their toys and get them to tidy up before they move onto the next activity
- fill the sink with water at the start of your meal (ie breakfast, lunch or dinner) and wash the dishes as soon as you’ve finished eating, or alternatively, stack the dishwasher and run last thing at night.
Whatever your values or ‘expectations’ are, you’ll find a way to make those things happen and you won’t have to worry about wanting a “house cleaning fairy” to fix your home. You’ll be on top of it and will be loving your home, just the way it is.
Identifying hot spots in your home, ie areas that are likely to become messy quickly and proving storage solutions for those areas will give your home a tidy appearance at all times.
Be proud of your efforts
We’re all human. We all have things come up. We get sick, the children get sick, family members get sick, it’s too hot, it’s too cold, whatever the reason, be proud of the work you do in the home, no matter how big or small.
Be proud that you’re doing a fantastic job and know that everyone in your home is appreciative of the work you do. They may not tell you but if they’re happy, content and comfortable, you’ve done your job and you’ve done it well.
If you really want to have a tidy home, if that’s your priority and you’ve defined your level of cleanliness, prioritise those jobs that will keep your home this way. You are amazing. You’re doing a thankless job as the mother and homemaker of your home and you can only do so much. Love who is in the home over the state of your home and you’ll soon see that you’ll want to make more of an effort in keeping your home just the way you want.
