Housekeeping tips for managing stress: A parent's guide

Here are some housekeeping tips for managing stress and reducing the time you spend on home chores.

Put the kids to work

Even if your child is too young to be an effective housekeeper, encourage him to participate when you are cleaning up. Your child will learn attitudes towards housework from you. So be pleasant. Make it fun. Play motivational music. Give him a tool and allow him some independence. For example, when you are cleaning up the kitchen, give your toddler a hand-held broom and show him how to sweep the floor. Or give your child a clean diaper wipe and let her clean the walls.

Such “baby” housekeeping duties introduce your child to the concept of teamwork. And they keep your toddler out of trouble (as much as anything can!) while you work.

As your children get older, they can handle more substantial chores. Young children can pick up their toys, put their dirty clothes in the hamper, and make their beds. Older kids can wash dishes, run vacuum cleaners, mop floors, and do yard work.

But remember that enlisting young housekeepers means relaxing your standards. A bed made by a three year old doesn’t look like a bed made by Martha Stewart. Also, you’ll have more success if you make tasks easy. Get cleaning supplies that are child-safe and child-friendly. Provide ample, easy-to-use storage. Forget complicated bedding—some sheets and a duvet are all your child needs.

Cook more than one meal at a time

Get the most mileage out of your cooking by making dishes that will feed the family more than once. Obviously, this means cooking in larger batches. But it also means choosing the right foods. Many foods lose their appeal after a few hours in the refrigerator. Yesterday’s fried chicken is a pale shadow of its fresh-cooked self. But some dishes actually improve over time. Good examples include:

• Bean or pasta salads

• Stroganoff

• Chili

• Quiche

• Lasagna

• Stews

• Curries

• Soups

Keep a supply of ready-to-eat foods

Stock your kitchen with meals that require little or no preparation. These are handy during emergencies. They are also useful as “training meals” for children who are just learning to cook or prepare food for themselves. Some suggestions to consider:

• Omelets are fast and easy to make. They are also a great way to use up those odds and ends—-bits of cheese, vegetables, or meats leftover from previous meals. Keep your refrigerator stocked with fresh eggs.

• Frozen vegetables retain lots of vitamins and are easily steamed in the microwave.

• Boiled noodles will keep for several days if they are sealed in a container. If you have a microwave and some prepared sauces in the cupboard, you can get together a meal in minutes.

• You can save cooking and cleanup time with an electric “contact” grill (the kind that sandwiches food between two hot plates, so food is cooked from both sides). Such grills allow for all sorts of fast, spontaneous meals, ranging from the cozy (grilled cheese sandwiches) to the gourmet (stuffed portobello mushrooms). However, the grill is a timesaver ONLY if you enough counter space to leave it out all the time. If you have to dig it out of the cupboard every time you use it, you probably won’t want to.

Spare the nice clothes and get more play clothes

You can get away with doing the laundry less frequently if your family has lots of play-clothes they can get dirty. Such clothes shouldn’t be expensive. Buy extra tee shirts or sweatshirts at thrift shops or discount stores. Get your kids into the habit of changing into their play clothes whenever they go outside or plan to get messy (cooking or doing arts and crafts).

Invest in good cleaning supplies

You will save time (and frustration) cleaning if you have the right tools for the job.

For instance, bathroom clean-up is easier if you have several different tools for scrubbing. In addition to a toilet brush and some sponges or scouring pads, consider a few specialty items. Long-handed brushes make it easier to clean the bath tub. An old toothbrush is best for cleaning the sink hardware. A short-handled mop is can be useful for both wall tiles and the floor. A plastic bucket is useful for mopping and for storing brushes when chores are finished.

Save money by shopping at janitorial supply stores. When you choose your supplies, consider the whole family. Are there supplies that might make it easier for certain members of the family to participate in cleaning? Do your children have easy access to a laundry hamper? Find one that is safe and child-friendly. Is that old vacuum too unwieldy for the kids to control? Consider investing in something that everyone can use.

Turn chores into preschool activities

If you have little kids, it can be a challenge to get your work done AND provide your children with stimulating activities. With a little planning ahead, you can accomplish both at the same time. Some chores are easily transformed into preschool activities—you just have to change your attitude. Save up chores that are “child-friendly” until your child is ready to participate. And be prepared to work at your child’s slower pace. Good examples of child-friendly chores include:

• Sorting the laundry

• Packaging and wrapping gifts

• Sorting papers, old magazines, and catalogs for recycling

• Identifying old clothes that can be given away or put into storage

• Cleaning out the closets (but keep hazardous items away from your child)

• Writing letters (your child can draw pictures to be mailed to friends and relatives)

• Doing yardwork (let your child get really dirty—but watch out for molds and allergens)

• Cleaning and mending old toys

• Shelving or organizing books

Make sure you have enough storage

If there are clothes, books, or toys everywhere, ask yourself if you can add shelving, boxes, baskets, or other storage. Help kids put things away by labeling their storage—with pictures if they can’t read. Storage is more effective when kids can see what they have at a glance, so consider keeping toys on open shelves or in transparent boxes. If wall space or closet space is tight, try to exploit hidden spaces—for instance, keep a plastic bin under your child’s bed.

Reduce clutter

Organization is important, but there’s little point in trying to organize if you have too much stuff. The more stuff you have, the more quickly your home can descend into chaos. Eliminate things you don’t use. For items you desperately want to keep, but have little space for, try the storage-rotation method. Keep only a subset of your possessions on display, and rotate your collection regularly.

Use a "staircase basket"

If your home has more than one floor, you might find yourself spending a lot of time running up and down to put misplaced items away. Or—worse—these misplaced items might just stay put, contributing to the mess. To keep the mess in check, keep basket(s) on the landings. These can be used as temporary containers for items (like toys) that need to go up- (or down-) stairs. Choose baskets that are easy for everyone in the family to carry.

Pay for help

If you can afford it, consider hiring some help. For instance, in most US cities, you can hire people to perform the following services on a regular or part-time basis:

• Online grocery ordering and delivery

• Prepared foods

• Laundry services

• Housekeeper services

• Child care

• Yard care

• Taxes and finances

• Carpool

• Airport shuttle service