Getting Help with Housekeeping

When your home runs smoothly, you run smoothly. However, most people are not very good at keeping up with their housework. With today's busy lifestyles and schedules, it can be almost impossible to keep up. Throw in a family that doesn't help out, and you've got yourself a recipe for disaster! Keeping up with everything really should be a group effort, and you deserve a little help. If motivating your family to clean is like motivating an elephant to jump in the air and spin around, then you need help. Use these tricks on your family and see which ones work for you.

1) Lead by example. You may be thinking, "Yeah, right, like that'll work" but just wait. Simply cleaning in front of everyone all day may not move them off the couch. However, if you go into your teenage daughter's room and start going through things, you'd better bet she'll be in there with a swiftness! Hand her something to put away and innocently ask, "Where do you want to put this?" By asking and putting it directly into her hands, you are passing on the power. Instead of being defensive, she should answer you and put it there herself. Immediately follow up with the next item and then make a statement like, "If we can finish this in time, we can go rent a movie tonight." Just give her a little something to think about without ever saying "You are going to clean your room."

2) Delegating is a parent's best friend. If you have some less than helpful family members in the house, you will have to tell them specifically what to do to make anything happen. Let them know that if they complain, you will give them another thing to do. This usually gets them in the habit of complying the first time every time!

3) Point out how fun it is to have everything clean. Make suggestions like, "If you could help me do this one thing for five minutes each day, then we could have more time to go out and do something fun." Don't make generalized final statements, like "I do everything around here and you never do anything!" This will only start trouble and defensive action. Make your non-motivated family member feel appreciated for the little thing that they did do. "Oh, you just don't know how much help that was when you took out the trash. I think I'll make you your favorite dessert tonight."

4) Planning ahead will save you the most time. Make a set schedule. Make a fifteen minute block for everyone to get something done. If you put the time limit there, it won't seem so bad. Reward whoever gets the most done in their fifteen minutes! Have them run a load of laundry and hang clean clothes on clothes hangers. Provide an easy to handle wood hanger or coat hanger for larger items. Hanging things on hangers is a lot easier than folding, so you are more likely to get some help in that department.

Keep at it and eventually you'll have a family that likes to help you out!