For the last three months, you’ve either had extra helpers to keep the house clean or lumps of flesh interested more in Fortnight than laundry.

Either way, you’re left with an empty house and whole new schedule. Summer sports are over and now school meetings, homework and everything else that comes with school is taking up your time…really, another fundraiser?  What do you do now?

Day One: Enjoy It

The first day without children in the house is quiet. You’ve spent the last three months being a referee over arguments that you didn’t even understand. “Mom, Steve stole my kill on Fortnight.” “I did not; I killed him fair and square.” Huh? Do we need to dispose of a body?

You have the whole rest of the school year to take advantage of the empty house for cleaning, but the first day should be all yours. Don’t clean, don’t think about plans. Relax and watch some television. Read a book. Have lunch at your favorite restaurant and invite your friends.

They’ll be back around 3 and life gets back to normal. In a few weeks, routine takes over and things start running on autopilot. Don’t let that first day go by without you enjoying it for all it’s worth.

Develop a Cleaning Plan

If you had helpers, then your house could be cleaner than normal and if you had…I’ll just come right out and say it…teenagers, then the house could look far worse. It’s time to get a handle on things and that requires a plan for the whole school year.

Get a year planner and start filling out the daily chores and things you need to do. Daily chores could be picking up clothes, laundry, dishes, etc. Once that’s done, hit the weekly chores, monthly, and so on. The goal is for you have a handle on the entire school year when it comes to cleaning. They’ll have to be some changes for holidays, illnesses, etc., but overall the plan should help you keep on track.

School Doesn’t Mean No Housework

Many children, I’m not specifically talking about teens (yes, I am), tend to take a more lackadaisical approach to cleaning and life in general. They may think because they’re in school and have homework, etc. they should be excused from housework.

Sure, you may have a job, chair the PTA, volunteer at the animal rescue, shuttle them everywhere, clean the house and fix the meals, but they’ve got school. Once they’ve got their homework done, they’re ready to go for chores. They don’t have to do it every day and you can even only focus on weekends, but the kids need to learn responsibility and how to clean the house.

It may be hard to admit, but it won’t be long before they’re out on their own and you don’t want the college kid who can’t figure out macaroni and cheese or laundry.

If your children have turned your home into a disaster area and you can’t imagine getting caught up, then call IV Clean Team and let us catch up for you. We’ll give you a head start on cleaning and you can still enjoy that first day.