How to Save Time and Organize Household Chores?

Cleaning often seems like a never-ending task. Sweeping the floors, tidying up, doing the laundry, washing the dishes—it gets messy (way too) quickly, especially when you have children.

However, organizing your daily, weekly, and even yearly cleaning can help keep your house clean and even save time. 

Here are a few helpful and practical tips to make your life easier every day. 

Get Organized

Having a clean and tidy home is good for your health and morale. 

Less dust means fewer dust mites, germs, and viruses lurking throughout the house. Which is why it's so important to air your rooms daily…

A 2019 study by UCL (University College London) also found that doing at least 20 minutes of housework was good for morale. A tidy home helps to clear the mind and reduces stress, anxiety, and even irritability.

According to a report published in the American Journal of Public Health, cleaning, tidying, and sorting also increase life expectancy

Before getting started, ask yourself the right questions: How much time per week can you commit to it? Can you do a little cleaning or tidying every day? Which room would you prioritize? What tasks can you delegate? Do you need to hire a professional? Anticipating and planning your household chores will save time and increase efficiency.

Finally, organizing your housework in advance means getting the right supplies. With the right tools and products, it will be easier to get the job done! 

Must-haves include:

• microfiber cloths, 
• a broom, 
• a mop, 
• a toothbrush (for hard-to-reach places), 
• and, of course, a vacuum cleaner. 

As for cleaning products, keep some natural products handy, such as white vinegar, baking soda, or a vegetable oil-based soap like Marseille or black soap. 

Some mass-market cleaning products are also very effective; you’ll only need one or two to clean any surface. 

Cleaning and Organizing Tips for Your Home

Cleaning is not a fun activity for many a family, but it is important. Our best tip is to clean regularly.

For instance, avoid leaving dishes lying around or piling up laundry to fold. 

It is also preferable to clean up right away when things get a little dirty or to sweep up the crumbs after each meal. 

You can also set some house rules—for kids and parents alike—such as putting things back where they belong when you're done using them (books, toys, shoes, the toolbox, beauty products...). Having a place for each thing will make it easier to clean your home and tidy up as you go all year long. 

For those items that don't have their own place, don't forget that you can also tidy OUT. 

It is indeed necessary to limit clutter to have an organized home. There are several methods to declutter your home, such as Marie Kondo's (get rid of superfluous items by category after having "evaluated" them), the Zen to Done method (empty an area, clean it, and then put back only the items that need to be kept), or even FlyLady's (focus on a specific room or shelf, one at a time).

If you need motivation to get started, set yourself a goal... and a reward! This works great with kids: "If you finish cleaning your room in less than 3 minutes, you can watch 3 more minutes of cartoons!" It works for parents on the verge of a nervous cleaning breakdown, too: "If I finish sorting out the kitchen cabinets in less than an hour, I get to chill for an hour in a bubble bath!"

As with sports, household chores release endorphins... so if you're up for a big clean, it's best to start with the most challenging part. In the beginning, your energy and desire to do well are at their highest, which is why you're better off starting with the "dirtiest"/"messiest" rooms or those that require the most effort, like the kitchen or the bathroom. You'll feel great after you've done it!

How to Make Housework Easy-Room by Room

What is the best way to organize your house cleaning when you lack time and interest? Tackling the whole task in one go may seem daunting. In this case, try working on one area at a time.

Here are our cleaning tips for room-by-room cleaning. 

Cleaning the Bedrooms

We sleep in them, play, relax and get dressed in them—our bedrooms are much more than just a room. And our bedroom’s cleanliness affects how well we sleep. 

A tidy room makes for more peace of mind. Clean and dust-free air is also safer and healthier, which is why it is necessary to get rid of all that dust hiding everywhere, including in the closets (which, of course, are all neat and tidy, thanks to the methods mentioned above!). 

For an even healthier sleep, don't forget to turn and vacuum your mattress several times a year. Clean all sheets, duvet covers, and other linens in your home at least once a month. Cleaning your pillows and comforters occasionally is also a good idea—machine wash at 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) when permitted, or use a laundry service.

Cleaning the Bathroom

Humidity and limescale are your greatest enemies in the fight against dirt and grime in the bathroom. 

To clean this room quickly while fighting against these invisible enemies, do as follows, regularly and repeatedly: air the room thoroughly and regularly use a sponge or wipe soaked in vinegar or lemon juice on the areas at risk (faucet, toilet seat, bathtub, etc.). These two tips will help you save time on the weekly cleaning of this room that is used daily. 

Also, remember to regularly wash your bathroom linens, including bathrobes, towels, washcloths...

Cleaning the Kitchen

Arguably the most challenging place in the house, kitchens require daily maintenance (tidying up countertops and cabinets), a deep clean once or twice a month (cabinets, oven...), and spring cleaning at least once a year. 

You don't necessarily need overpowering chemicals. Vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda will eliminate all kinds of stains—in the sink, on plates, walls, tiles, and more. Another natural cleaning trick for marble or granite surfaces is diluted Marseille or black soap.

Refrigerators also need a good cleaning from time to time. Waiting for your fridge to be empty—the day before you go on vacation, for example—will make cleaning even quicker! And when you get back, all you'll have to do is go shopping to fill it up again. 

Divide the Chores Using Shared To-Do Lists

Staying organized makes for a more fulfilled, less stressful family life. Dusting, doing the dishes, the laundry, the vacuuming: share the work!

If you used to manage everything alone, it's time to consider sharing the household chores. Parents and children can pitch in. For the younger ones, turn each task into a game by setting up goals and a reward system (adapted to their age). You will save time and give your children a sense of responsibility, and they will learn to be much less inclined to mess up their rooms! 

You can use a chore schedule to plan who is responsible for what each week or assign an area to each person during family cleaning time. 

Splitting household chores can be a point of friction for many families, but it's important to talk—not fight—about it! Remind other family members that household chores are not the sole responsibility of one person by making To-Do Lists as a family or as a couple, like on Share(d), a family organizer app. This way, you can easily share your household chores with fully customizable To-Do Lists (for vacuuming, dishes, laundry, and other tasks such as emptying the trash, mowing the lawn, changing the living room light bulb, and more). 

With Share(d), you share more than tasks. You also share happy memories and your day-to-day. Find out more about all the application's features and get your family organized!