Household Chores & Cleaning the Home

My Story:

Yes, I am actually excited about this topic. I really love a clean house. Open spaces with clean horizontal surfaces and clean floors… yes!! I like things to be clean so that I can mentally relax. I was always taught growing up that a clean house is the only standard that you can have. There are no other options. My grandfather started a standard in our family line of military level cleanliness, and we have all followed that example. He grew up in a home where there was chaos, disorder, and unhealthy conditions. I have always, since I was a little girl, worked to keep my spaces clean and organized. It’s in my DNA. 🙂

Way back when my oldest was 7, I had a new baby and the housework was the thing that seemed to never get done. I had 3 littles who would happily make messes but were not much help with the clean up. I remember sweeping the kitchen floors late at night, half asleep. My big goals included not stepping on Cheerios the next morning and maybe seeing the kitchen counters before bed.

When we moved into this house 5 years ago there was so much to do that I didn’t have time for planning or cleaning. I spent my days doing the most urgent tasks right in front of me. Moving has a way of upending routines and cleaning schedules. I had to relearn when to clean what and how fast things needed maintenance.

This house is bigger and the layout is very different from our old house. It was a steep learning curve. My youngest kid was learning how to walk, I was drowning in moving boxes, I was homeschooling in a mess, and constantly reorganizing every room. 

No matter what season you are in, household chores can be organized in a way that you have more time to do the things that matter to you. I encourage you to spend some time writing out cleaning tasks, choosing who does what, and being honest with what you want the house to look like.  It will take work, and usually some delegation to others, but you can create a rhythm that works for your space and your family.

Why We Clean:

The clean house is not the end result. It is making space for life to happen and more messes to be made.

Clear counters make space for making muffins in the morning with your little guy.

Living room floors that are freshly vacuumed become the place where the kids can lay out the train set and build a city.

Freshly folded laundry put away in drawers gives you inspiration for a new outfit combination vs. the same old sweatpants.

Clean sheets make you smile and snuggle in when you get in bed at night.

Cleaning brings sanity and gives you and the house a reset for what comes next.

We are not cleaning for some standard placed on us by a Pinterest picture or someone else’s ideas. We are clearing space for our people to live life well and be comfortable in our homes. We are showing love with our actions and with our servant hearts.

The more activity and people in my home, the more cleaning and upkeep my house requires. Homeschooling is messy, hosting gatherings with other families creates more housework, and letting the kids do creative projects creates spills and sticky floors.

But do I really want to live a life without all my people, without those vibrant relationships, without creativity?

Kid Responsibilities/ Chores:

I also include the kids in regular daily tasks that help with the basics. [See this article here.]

Most of the tasks fall on me but I do get help from my kids and teens.  Here is our big list of things we try to keep up with and what I teach my kids to do.

At different ages between 5 and 12 we work on teaching our kids to do these different things.  Each kid has been a bit different in timing. Our plan is that by the time they are 12 they are able to do most household chores. They can just refine their skills, get extra practice, and do what is needed around the house.

My littles would have “chores” to do also, but that was more work for me. I would be there next to them giving them small steps to follow and lots of encouragement. It was not about getting something clean, more about training the child to help out.

Chores:

These are taught one at a time and then they are expected to do that from now on. I take a layered approach. I pick the ones that are most needed for the family or that the kid is most capable of doing and then I layer on more tasks as they get older.

• morning routine completed by themselves
• unload and load the dishwasher
• wash/switch/fold their own laundry
• working in the yard
• feeding animals and scooping poop
• sweeping and mopping floors
• cleaning bathrooms
• scrubbing bathtubs
• vacuuming
• helping unload groceries
• taking the trash barrels to the curb
• getting the mail and sorting it
• helping clear the table after a meal and wiping the table down every single time
• bedtime routine completed by themselves

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Questions for you:

• So in what areas of Household Chores do you feel stuck?
• What is frustrating for you?  Is it the constant mess, the lack of help, or feeling overwhelmed?
• What can you do this week do change that frustration for the long term?
• Who can you delegate tasks to?  How can you get help?
• What household tasks get forgotten about but they still annoy you?
  • I always forget to clean the bathtubs and scrub my kitchen sink. Then they suddenly look disgusting and I am annoyed and surprised by it. If they are put on a list then I can remember and enjoy them being clean.
• What is the best time of day to add in one household task?
• In the week, what day works best for everyone working together on Household chores?
• If you turned on some music and speed cleaned for the next 15 minutes what would you clean? 
• What is bothering you right now? Start there!

No matter what season you are in, household chores can be organized in a way that works for you. I encourage you to spend some time writing out cleaning tasks, choosing how to delegate, and think about what you want your home to look like. Picture a clean hotel room or a nice resort. Those spaces are welcoming and inviting because it is a blank slate. Creativity and connection happen when the clutter is gone, the counters are cleaned off, and there is space for everyone to relax.

We want to teach our kids practical life skills of taking care of the home. But we also want to teach them how to serve each other, organize themselves and their environment.

I want my home to be a place where my family and guests feel welcomed, safe, and appreciated. The household tasks that I do communicate that love and care for my people. So I will serve with a servant’s heart and sweep floors, clean toilets, and remember to scrub the kitchen sink.

Happy Cleaning!  – April

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My favorite verses that I relate to household tasks:

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you.”  – 1 Thess. 4:11 (ESV)

“Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is clean, but an abundant harvest is produced by strong oxen.”  – Proverbs 14:4 (NET)

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