How to Be a Better Housekeeper

Be a better housekeeper without wearing yourself out by using these smart strategies to keep a cleaner home.

Instructions

Step 1: Schedule chores Schedule chores, dividing tasks into daily, weekly, and monthly categories to maintain order and cleanliness, and to avoid overwhelming tasks.
TIP: Create cleaning checklists for each room.
Step 2: Use gravity Use gravity to be a better housekeeper by cleaning from the top down and avoid cleaning fixtures, shelves and other surfaces more than once.
TIP: Recycle old towels into cleaning rags.
Step 3: Be efficient Be efficient by keeping handy a supply cart or caddy that you can easily move from room to room, and seek out new time-saving cleaning tools and products.
Step 4: Organize Organize your home with storage systems for everything from food to toys and make sure each family member puts things in their place.
TIP: Establish the expectation that children put their things away before going to bed.
Step 5: Delegate Delegate cleaning tasks to family members according to age and ability, making sure they understand how to complete a job.
Step 6: Relax Relax and avoid obsessing over perfection so that everyone in the household can pitch in without you re-cleaning what they've already cleaned.
Step 7: Prioritize Prioritize tasks in accordance with your time and energy, and you'll not only become a better housekeeper by addressing the essentials, you'll be a happier person with more time to spend doing what you love.
FACT: A 2009 study showed that on an average day that same year, 85 percent of women and 67 percent of men spent time doing housework.