15 Sparkling Cleaning Hacks for Busy Families

Imagine waking up on Saturday.

You’ve got your list of to-dos for the day - getting the kids to activities, going to the grocery store, checking your errands off your list as you go from place to place.

Then, you come home and realize…you still have the house to clean.

It’s THE WORST!

But what if you could come home and realize that your home is already clean thanks to a few handy cleaning hacks you and your family have already mastered? What if coming home so you could just relax if only for a few hours, was a possibility in your busy world?

Keeping your home clean and organized can be a great bonding activity that involves your whole family, making the cleaning process more manageable and, dare we say it, enjoyable! Below are 15 cleaning hacks so you and your family can have more time for each other during the busyness of your everyday living.

Set Clear Expectations

First thing’s first - make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to what’s expected of a clean house. It’s easier to be consistent in your cleaning when everyone knows what is expected of them. Have a family meeting to discuss who’s responsible for what cleaning, setting clear expectations of what “clean” means. For example, if someone is responsible for doing the dishes, does this mean simply washing them and putting them in the drying rack OR washing them, drying them, and then putting them back in the cupboards?

Create a Cleaning Schedule

Building cleaning habits is the same as building any other habit. It’s easier when there’s a schedule and you know what needs to be done on what day. Develop a weekly cleaning schedule that assigns specific tasks to different family members on different days. For instance, Tuesdays could be dedicated to stripping the beds and putting on new sheets, and Wednesdays could be laundry day for the dirty sheets.

We recommend building a weekly schedule for items that should be cleaned each week, such as the bathrooms, kitchens, and other well-used areas (e.g., family rooms). We also recommend setting a monthly and six-month schedule for items that don’t need to be cleaned as regularly. Think once a month vacuuming of the entire house, and Spring/Fall cleaning.

Use Chore Charts

To support your cleaning schedule, create a chore chart to help visualize what chores need to be completed when and by whom. This is a great way to track what tasks need to be completed on what day and what tasks have been completed, while also providing a sense of accomplishment when you and your family can check off a completed chore.

You can DOWNLOAD a free copy of our Chore Champion Checklist here.

Make It a Game

Who can forget how Mary Poppins turned cleaning a room into a treat with the unforgettable song, A Spoonful of Sugar? It turned a traditionally “boring” task into a game. Turn your cleaning into family fun by setting a timer to see how quickly everyone can complete their tasks. To make it even more fun, offer small rewards or incentives for motivation. Family game night just got a whole lot more interesting.

The real winner? You are since you’re now living it up in a freshly clean home!

Remember: Many Hands Make Light Work

When it comes to housework, learn to divide and conquer. Split larger tasks into smaller ones and have family members work in pairs or groups to get things done faster. Plus, it’s always more fun when doing a chore alongside someone instead of doing it alone.

Assign Age-Appropriate Tasks

At Clean Club Calgary, we believe that teaching children to clean is really preparing them for life. Many of our clients specifically ask us to not clean their kids’ rooms because this is their responsibility. This includes your younger children too. Assign tasks that are suitable for each family member’s age and abilities. Younger children can handle simpler tasks like picking up toys, while older kids can help with vacuuming or dusting.

For more child-friendly chores, visit this post dedicated to Children and Chores.

Listen to Music or Audiobooks to Pump Up Your Energy

Personally, I love to put my headphones on and play some music while I groove with some tunes. Dusting is no longer simply dusting. It’s dusting with a bit of dancing attitude! Other times, I listen to an audiobook so I can stay on top of my reading/learning. The key here is that listening to something while cleaning makes the process more enjoyable.

Provide the Right Tools

Cleaning is a whole lot easier to do when everyone has access to the appropriate cleaning supplies and tools needed to complete their assigned tasks. A few of our favourite cleaning tools that we recommend can be found here.

Family Cleaning Kit

Just as we recommend that you have the right cleaning tools available, we recommend that you create a portable cleaning kit with supplies, such as wipes, a handheld vacuum, and microfiber cloths so it’s easy to bring these items in one trip TO the areas that need to be cleaned. This makes it easier to store and find your cleaning supplies so your family’s not frantically searching the house for the right cleaning item.

Regularly Declutter

Clutter can so easily get out of control. Not only can this become an eyesore, but it can also impact our mental health without us even knowing it. Simply seeing clutter pile up can quickly turn into overwhelm. So, to not let clutter take over your life, set aside time each month to declutter and organize your communal spaces. Encourage everyone to pitch in and donate or discard items that are no longer used and/or needed. To implement a few easy “how tos” for decluttering, check out this blog on how to reduce clutter.

Clean as You Go

Rather than waiting for “cleaning time” to happen, encourage family members to clean up after themselves as they go. For example, instead of simply putting their dish in the sink when done, have them rinse it and put it directly in the dishwasher. For children, encourage them to put away a toy that they’ve finished playing with before they get a new one to play with. For many with glass shower doors, keep a squeegee in the shower so that when you turn off the water, do a quick squeegee of the doors to remove water droplets, avoiding water stains. This helps when your deeper shower cleaning happens because you don’t have to work so hard to wipe off watermarks.

Zone Cleaning

To keep cleaning fresh and fun, assign specific zones of the house to different family members to clean thoroughly. Rotate the zones regularly so everyone feels invested in keeping the whole house clean.

Lead By Example

Many of us learn our cleaning habits and our cleaning attitudes from our parents. If we want a clean house where our children are also contributing, then it’s up to us to lead the way, demonstrating a positive attitude toward cleaning and actively participating in household tasks.

Plan for Busy Days

Some days are simply busier than others - there are more activities, more chores, more places to be, more errands to run, more, more, more. Fortunately, many of these we can plan for thanks to schedules. When these days (sometimes weeks) happen, focus on quick, high-impact tasks that can make a noticeable difference in your home’s cleanliness. A few of these tasks that we find take minimal effort, but make a huge difference can be found here, here, and, for those ultra-busy weeks, here.

Celebrate Achievements

Cleaning can feel like a thankless, never-ending chore. Take time to acknowledge and celebrate your family’s collective efforts and accomplishments in maintaining a clean and organized home. Perhaps it’s a special night out for dinner. Perhaps it’s finally investing in that new vacuum you’ve all been eyeing that will FINALLY suck up all the fur and hair in your home. Each family celebrates their own unique way - find out what’s yours.

When we can make cleaning a family habit that’s built into our schedule, we will find more time for each other, time to do the things that matter, and, yes, even time to relax. The goal is to create a clean and comfortable home environment while also fostering a sense of teamwork and responsibility within the family. Adapt these life hacks to suit your family’s needs, dynamics, and preferences so you can start enjoying your home again.