Family life often results in little free time. And what free time you do have gets used for fun things rather than cleaning. However, weekends are typically when you can get more in-depth cleaning jobs done.
So, let’s look at some quick cleaning projects you can do at the weekend that make a big difference, which could even work for school cleaning.
Quick Weekend Cleaning Projects
1. Declutter Surfaces
We all have at least one surface that gets used as a dumping ground, whether this is a kitchen worktop, a side table, or just about any other flat area. A weekly build-up of posts, paper, bags and other stuff quickly makes it look messy.
A good weekend job is dealing with this clutter. Provided it’s standard stuff, you should be able to clean it up in about 10-15 minutes. Get a few boxes and have keep and bin piles and then just blitz through it.
2. Sort Out the Fridge
Sorting out the fridge is another big impact job, even if it’s not immediately visible. Ideally, do this before your weekly shop when the fridge is (theoretically) at its emptiest.
Throw away out of date food, tidy up leftovers, and give the fridge itself a good clean. This will give you a nice fresh space for the coming week’s food.
3. Work on Broad Categories
One of the best tips for cleaning jobs that make a big difference is to tackle big or noticeable areas. For example, rather than cleaning a specific room, look for an area-based job that’ll have a big impact. A good example is hoovering.
Decreasing overall mess in your home will, on the whole, make it look cleaner. So look for jobs that’ll create the appearance of clean if you’re short on time. These could be putting away toys, hoovering downstairs, dusting, and so on.
4. Do a 15-Minute Cleaning Blast
Importantly, you should involve the whole family in this. Give everyone a job or room and set a timer for 15 minutes. You don’t have to get a room spotless – just see how much you can do in that time.
Again, start with high-impact jobs and work down. For kids, this could be tidying toys away in their rooms. You and your partner could each tackle a downstairs room or larger job. Whatever you choose to do, having a race and offering rewards are good motivations.
5. Use Club Time to Deep Clean
This tip is quick in the sense that you’ll only have an hour or so to get it done. If your kids go to clubs at the weekend, use the spare time to deep clean your house. You won’t get the whole thing done, but it can be a useful way to focus on problem areas.
For example, this can be a good time to clean the bathroom or kitchen, as there won’t be anyone to use them. Spend some time working thoroughly on a room or two and it’ll make a big difference to how it looks for the rest of the week.
6. Write a Cleaning Schedule
If you don’t want to spend your whole weekend cleaning, it’s fair to assume you’ll need to do some during the week. Writing a schedule at the weekend can help you keep on top of this without having to think too hard.
Equally, don’t overwhelm yourself with cleaning tasks throughout the week. Set a specific job or room on each day, and stick to this. For example, you might dust on a Monday, hoover on a Tuesday, and so on. Breaking “cleaning the house” down into smaller jobs makes the whole task more manageable.
7. Set Up Clutter Capture Areas
This is another useful prep task to help during the week. Have a set of boxes or drawers that can be used as a dumping ground throughout the week, which you then sort at the weekend.
It can be helpful to have one near the front door for things like school-related stuff, post, and so on. While it won’t be foolproof, having a clearly designated area that begins to sort clutter as it’s dumped will then make the tidying process much easier.
Final Thoughts
Weekends shouldn’t be spent cleaning. Of course, this isn’t always possible considering our weekdays are taken up with general family life. By following these tips, you should at least be able to minimise the amount of time you spend cleaning at the weekends, so you can go do more interesting things!