6 Tips For Making Cleaning Fun – For You & The Kids

Another day & there's more cleaning to do!

I hate cleaning! Even though I do a little of it every day (I've got kids – need I say more?!), that's basic straightening. It's the more time-intensive housework that I can't stand. So here are some strategies I've found to make this hideous task bearable, if not downright fun, not only for me, but for the kids:

1. Make sure you have the right tools. Using the wrong tools makes cleaning harder and more frustrating. I wrote a few months ago about the life-changing vacuum we bought (read about that here) which makes vacuuming much, much easier. That tool in itself makes vacuuming the whole house a breeze. In addition, I use generic dusting cloths made for the Swiffer to dust the house. Just cut them in half and you're good to go. I also have a microfiber cloth that I purchased at 5 Below that I'll sometimes use to dust. The Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop makes mopping quick and easy since it has an attached bottle you can spray the floor with before mopping.  No more disgusting buckets filled with soap.  I fill the bottle with diluted white vinegar, give the handle a quick pull, and the mopping is easy as it gets my floors (linoleum and hard wood) clean in a breeze!
   
   

   

   The Rubbermaid Reveal makes cleaning easier.

    
   
   
2. Give yourself a time limit.  Dedicating a full day to cleaning just makes me dread the task even more, but being on a deadline motivates me to clean efficiently.   Sometimes I'll clean just before I have to pick my daughter up from school. I know how long I have until I have to leave, how long it takes to clean the house, and I know I have to get it done so that I'll be on time for pick-up. 
    
   
   
3. Make it a game – this is GREAT for motivating kids. Jot down how long it takes to clean the first time, then try to beat that time the second go around. You could even make it a competition between kids; whoever gets their room cleaned first gets a piece of chocolate.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Make your bed the first thing in the morning or make sure at least one room stays clean. Being tidy motivates me and my daughter, to be tidy and organized. I see how nice my bed looks and I want the rest of the room to look as good. Similarly, I recently spent a few hours cleaning her room and closet. Now, every morning, she makes her bed because she loves the way her room looks and wants it to stay that way. (Note: I'm mentioning my daughter and not my son because, being a teen, he honestly doesn't give a damn the way his room looks!)
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Plan a reward for yourself at the end. Since I'm always on a diet, I'll treat myself to a special brew of coffee, some “Me” time to read my book, or permission to watch a favorite TV show (I'm a huge fan of "Love It Or List It"). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Play music as you clean. Tunes are inspiring and dancing your way through the task burns calories (or so I've read). Here are some of my favorite tunes/artists to clean to:

• Almost anything by the BeeGees
• Viva La Vida by Coldplay
• R.O.C.K. In The USA by John Mellencamp
• The Story In Your Eyes by The Moody Blues
• I'm Just A Singer In A Rock And Roll Band by the Moody Blues
• It's Raining Men by the Weather Girls

          Oh, and basically anything Disco works, too.

For more great ideas on how to make cleaning fun, visit:

• http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Cleaning-Fun
• https://www.care.com/a/8-ways-to-have-fun-cleaning-1303130719
• http://www.bhg.com/homekeeping/house-cleaning/tips/make-cleaning-fun/
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  More cleaning!  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Now excuse me, please.  There's some mocha caramel coffee waiting for me if I can get my house cleaned within the next hour.  Thanks for reading! 

Happily Terminated

“You’re fired!”  Those were not the words of an employer.  In business, people usually have the good sense to cushion such announcements in euphemisms in the hopes that the employee doesn’t go postal.  No, those words were uttered by my fearless husband.

He was not, thank goodness, firing me as his wife.  He was terminating my services as his laundress.  After months of wearing pink socks and having clothes come out of the wash “dirtier than when they went in” he had decided to do his own laundry.  At least his own visible work-related laundry.  You know, shirts, socks, and pants.  I would still have the honor (yea me!) of washing his skanky underwear and stained, usually ancient, workout clothes.

Months later, I was also fired from mopping the kitchen floor.  Evidently I was not making the floors shine to his liking.  I thought wet-Swiffing was fine.  Not in hubby’s book.  Now, on Friday nights after work, he rolls up his sleeves and mops the kitchen.

I've also received a "Cease and Desist" or as it pertains to my dusting.  Sir Spotless (one of the cleaner  names I mutter underneath my breath when he criticizes my efforts at cleaning) said I “tickle” the dust.  Woe is me!  Once again, I’ve failed at something and he’s taken over.

Who’s the fool here?

I never intended to give him more work.  I’m just not as, um, fastidious as he is.  My sense of clean is a bit looser.  I may be a home-maker, but I am not a house cleaner.  I do, however, pick up around the house; if I didn’t, we’d be up to our tushies in dirt and clutter.

And, no, it’s not fair that the man valiantly works 50+ hours per week and then does much of the housekeeping, but remember:  in his opinion, I wasn’t doing it up to his standards.  He voluntarily took on the work; I did not ask him to.

I keep my living room quite clean and the bathrooms are tidy.  I pester the kids to keep their rooms orderly (the 8-year old is on board; the 13-year old is, predictably, not).  The kitchen is a constant struggle for me as is the den because those rooms are used more than any others.  The playroom is supposed to be messy, right?  I mean, it’s the kids’ domain.  And yeah, my bedroom could use some help, but I am certainly NOT the embodiment of Charles Schultz’s Pig Pen.

Nor is my husband Felix Unger.  The top of his bureau is cluttered and the front seat of his car is downright sloppy.  To his credit, in light of our kids, he has relaxed his standards a bit.

But, alack and alas, there are still things I don’t do well (sniffle, sniffle).  Of course when one of the kids vomits, I’m the one he calls.  He’ll admit I’m a pro at getting rid of vomit stains (Well, what the hell am I supposed to do?  Leave the vomit on the frickin’ wall?!).  And when there’s a bug to kill and clean up, I’m your woman.

I just don’t do laundry, mop, or dust well.  I could blame it on menopausal fatigue, but the truth is, I've always been this way.  So my husband has chosen to take over, to do what I, apparently cannot. Hmmmmm……sometimes, it’s good to be fired.




Note:  A version of this post originally appeared on Jersey Moms Blog on 7/17/10.