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Fall in Line: 3 Ways to Get the Family Involved in Cleaning
September 7th, 2016 byNo one wants to do all the housework alone, so enlist in-home help to complete your chore list. Soon, you’ll have a cleaning process that involves everyone and takes much less time than it would take one person to clean the whole house. These tips will make your family dread cleaning less.
Offer an Incentive
While we’d all like to think that our family members are contributing to the cleaning process because they want to, the reality is that everyone has something they’d rather be doing. An incentive can be something as simple as going to see a movie together or using family time to make homemade desserts. Another form of incentive is designating a dollar amount for each chore the kids do. They’ll earn a small allowance and learn the value of a dollar. Eventually, the incentive of having a clean house will be enough to keep family members motivated, but it takes some time to establish the habit of cleaning and maintaining a tidy house.
Make It a Competition
To make the chores go by more quickly, frame chores as a cleaning competition. Whoever can finish their chore list first will get to choose what to eat for dinner or what television show to watch after all the chores are done. It doesn’t hurt to add a bit of a challenge to the task either. When a family member has completed a chore successfully, encourage them to add a step to get the job done faster, better, or more effectively. While this tip usually works best with younger members of the family, it might help older members of the family who haven’t had to clean up after themselves for most of their lives, too.
Cater to Varying Skillsets
Everyone will be good at different tasks, and as a general rule, people enjoy doing things they’re good at more than things they aren’t good at. Assign chores based on what people can do most efficiently. The bathroom will still probably be the least enjoyable room to clean, but at least everyone can take some comfort in the fact that their chores are suited to their skills.
The next time a household chore needs to be done, think about sharing that responsibility with another family member. You might have to make the chore look more appealing through an incentive or a competitive aspect, but cleaning is easier when everyone pitches in to help.