This article is contributed by SUNNY MAID SERVICE.
In this article, we introduce ideas for streamlining household chores using existing cleaning tools or simple tweaks. Start by incorporating these ideas into routine work to reduce the time you spent on chores.
Balancing work, childcare, and the daily household chores can be extremely exhausting if you try to do everything perfectly. However, household chores are essential parts of your family's daily life and cannot be neglected.
The good news is that there are several efficient ways to manage household chores that reduces the burden. Making your housework easier and quicker, you can make your time more relaxed satisfied.
For busy full-time or part-time workers, following tips can save you time and effort.
Having too many items can make tidying up and finding things take forever. A tidy room with fewer items means less time and effort spent on managing them and you can take household chores easy. For instance, if there are no unnecessary items on the floor, you can quickly vacuum. With fewer items in your kitchen, you won’t waste time searching for seasonings while cooking. To handle household chores efficiently, only keep what’s necessary in each room and take out only when it is needed.
Making your daily chores routine can help your body memorize movement without having to think too much beforehand. This is crucial for efficiency. Plan to do thorough cleaning and shopping on weekends when you have more time. For busy weekdays, assign shorter tasks to evenly distribute the workload throughout the week. Setting rough schedules to manage your chores can help you establish and stick to routines effortlessly.
There are small, unnamed household chores that need to be done but are often overlooked. These tasks are usually taken care of by the person primarily responsible for household chores, often the homemaker. While each task seems insignificant, trying to do them all by alone can be physically and mentally exhausting.
Before these tasks become overwhelming, it is helpful to list them out, visualize and consider sharing these responsibilities with your family.
If you feel pressure doing the housework, it gets tough to be started. In such case, multitasking is key. For instance, you can do laundry while taking a bath, shop while picking up your child. Surprisingly, there are many chores that can be done easily while doing other daily activities. By combining multiple chores into one, you can efficiently tackle to-do list.
Here are 12 time-saving hacks for household chores for those busy with household chores, childcare, and work. These can help you to maintain clean home and reduce time for tasks such as cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping and laundry.
Cooking involves a wide range of tasks Here are three ideas for shortening cooking time.
1. Standardize Your Menus
Thinking about meals three times a day is tough. For homemaker, deciding on a menu is often one of the most burdensome aspects of cooking. It can be overwhelming to plan everyday meals while managing work, household chores, and childcare.
To prepare meals easier, what you can do is organize and standardize your menus. Plan meals for the week ahead, such as having fish dishes on Mondays and pasta for Sunday lunch, this definitely reduces the time you think about what you will cook for each day..
2. Utilize Convenient Cooking Utensils and Appliances
Utilization of convenient cooking utensils and appliances, though initially costly, can make cooking much effortless. For instance, you can cook dishes like curry or stewed hamburger steak by simply adding ingredients into an instant pot and heat them. This allows you to prepare other side dishes simultaneously, save your time in the kitchen.
3. Prepare Ingredients and Cook in Batches
Preparing ingredients ahead of time or cooking in batches can also help save time. For example, blanching and freezing vegetables or marinating meat in advance requires some effort upfront but can save time later on. By preparing ingredients in batches, you do not repeat cutting vegetables or washing dishes every time. This is especially helpful for having a meal ready to microwave on tired and busy days.
Shopping involves visiting different places and can surprisingly time consuming. Here are 3 ideas to shorten your shopping trips.
1. Plan Your Purchases and Buy in Bulk
Deciding what to buy before heading to the store is crucial important. If you decide what to buy while you're out, you might end up purchasing unnecessary items or visiting more stores to search what you need. Buying in bulk is also key to saving time. Put away groceries also take time. Deciding where to store them in the refrigerator or pantry ahead of time can also help save time.
2. Choose Your Stores Wisely
Shopping at familiar stores can save you time. Knowing the layout and where items are displayed allows you to quickly find and purchase what you need without wandering around the store.
Additionally, depending on your needs, it's efficient to use different stores. For example, buying fresh fish at a store that specializes in seafood and purchasing medicine at a store with a pharmacy attached can help you get what you need quickly and efficiently.
3. Utilize Grocery Delivery Services or Online Supermarkets
Using grocery delivery services or shopping online can significantly reduce the time for shopping.
You can order groceries online during work breaks, which will be delivered to your doorstep when you are back home. It makes a great option for working mothers to balance work and household chores.
It is also recommended for those who have recently given birth and need physical cares, or for those with infants who find it challenging to go shopping easily.
Cleaning the entire house can be time consuming, so it's important to incorporate time-saving ideas.
1. Keep Frequently Used Cleaning Tools Handy
Try to store cleaning tools you use regularly in a place where they are easily accessible. Placing them near place you often walk pass by like the hallway or living room allows you to quickly grab them and clean when you notice dirt or as part of your daily routine.
2. Clean Water Areas Immediately After Use
Cleaning water areas like the washbasin and bathroom right after use prevents dirt buildup and saves cleaning time. Wiping the mirror and faucet with a used towel before washing or using a squeegee to dry the walls after the last person bathes can prevent dirt, such as hand grease and mold, from accumulating, reducing the time needed for cleaning.
3. Spray Kitchen Bleach around the Kitchen Drain at Night
Spraying kitchen bleach around the kitchen drain after washing dishes in the evening can help prevents mold and slime buildup and eliminates odors. Keeping things clean regularly, you do not need to care about deep cleaning.
Laundry involves three stages: washing, drying, and folding.
1. Set a Timer for Laundry at Night
Since laundry machine takes at least 30 minutes to wash, it's helpful to set timer in advance. Set it after your evening bath allows you to hang your laundry at the best time, the morning. If you're on a time-of-use electricity plan with cheaper night rates, running the washing machine at night can also help you save on electricity cost. For indoor drying, laundry washed on a small load setting and left to dry in a well-ventilated area with the circulation fan running will dry quickly.
2. Plan Drying Methods Based on the Laundry
Using a net for flat drying small items like socks instead of hanging them individually can save time. This not only dries them faster but also reduces the time it takes to put them away. For shirts and T-shirts, hanging them on a hanger and storing them as they are after drying can reduce the time spent folding laundry. There are various methods to save time with drying, depending on your laundry and living environment. I It's worth trying different approaches.
3. Avoid Using Mats
Avoiding the use of kitchen mats, toilet mats, and entrance mats can also save time on laundry. Mats are bulky and challenging to dry when washed. Additionally, not having mats makes it easier to vacuum and mop, saving time on cleaning as well.
Handling all the household chores alone can be challenging and it's important to share them with your family, use convenient cooking utensils and cleaning products, and consider using external services such as food delivery.
Occasionally, hiring a housekeeping service can also help you free up yourself and your family. With SUNNY MAID – Each housecleaning session is carried by a pair of Filipino housekeeping experts. An English-speaking manager visit for the initial consultation and assess your needs and cleaning desires. By contracting a Regular plan, you may receive more flexible and tailored services that meet your exact needs., you can starting using service from just once a month package. By entrusting your regular household chores to Sunny Maid Service, you can spend more quality time with your family and enjoy your own free time, giving you more flexibility in your life. Click for the promotion details and reservation or directly call our English speaking office!
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