ShareThisThe thermometer is finally reading "somewhat tolerable with a jacket" instead of "wear your parka, scarf and gloves." And that means it's (drum roll, please) Spring Cleaning Season. Hurray!
OK, spring cleaning is probably the last thing you want to think about or do, but this year we think you can get it done faster and more efficiently with one of our favorite principles: delegation.
This year you can cross over into family-workload allocation by sending your cleaning troops into battle with an age-appropriate arsenal.
Alicia and Sarah on "Tips for delegation":
When you ask your children, husband and live-in grandmother for spring-cleaning help, suppress the urge to re-do the tasks that aren't done "perfectly" or even right. In doing so, you're sending a message that it doesn't matter if they do the task or not because you're going to do it anyway. Worse, you are wasting even more of your scarce time. When you delegate, you have to relinquish control of the task and be satisfied with the outcome, even if the DVDs are not in alphabetical order.
Trust us: As Type A personalities, we know it can be hard not to want to reorganize the dresser when your 7-year-old puts away her clothes in poorly folded order. But if you can show her how to put her clothes away nicely once and let her on her own, you'll both feel less overwhelmed when cleaning.
We've broken out spring-cleaning tasks that any family member age 2 and up can tackle.
Ages 2-5
Dusting. Put a feather duster in a child's hand and he or she will have a blast. Keep the child's range of dusting limited to items he or she can reach but can't break.
Watering and weeding outdoor plants. Many times spring cleaning also includes spring gardening, and children flock to dirt. It's also a great way to teach them about plants and how they grow.
Washing the car. Sarah's 2-year-old son, Will, demonstrated an affinity for cleaning the snow off the car this winter, which now translates to cleaning the dirt off the car. We like to let him scrub the tires with a giant sponge, and he's also a big fan of spraying the hose.
Under the bed/couches. Make it a scavenger-hunt challenge to have the kids gather all of the loose toys from underneath beds, couches, tables, etc., and place the items they find in a bin in the center of the room.
Ages 6-10
More capable and focused when given directions, those in this age group can handle larger and more difficult tasks. Just remember that their attention spans will only be able to handle one or two tasks a day.
Closet cleanout. Take all toys out of the closet and place them on the bed or floor. Then have the kids organize these items into piles of "Keep," "Donate" and "Throw Out."
Laundry duty. Spring cleaning is the perfect opportunity to teach your grade-school-age children how to fold towels and clothing, and possibly even how to run the dryer. If you feel they aren't as coordinated with folding, try a Debbie Flip-N-Fold (www.hsn.com), which basically does all of the folding for you.
Cleaning out the pantry. As long as your kids can read dates, this one is ideal for getting rid of any food that has expired. Make sure when you put the items back into the pantry you use the FIFO (First In First Out) method and put the items close to expiring in the front.
Washing out pet dishes, cages, etc. Your kids probably begged you to get a pet and it's an important part of being a pet owner for the children to learn to be responsible "pet siblings."
Age 11 and Up
By age 11, most children are able to do a large amount of cleaning tasks. Just keep them away from any tasks that require strong chemicals and be sure they wear gloves if scrubbing floors, walls or the bathroom.
Floor, Wall, and Bathroom Scrubbing. The shower, the bathtub, the sinks, the windows, wood floors -- whatever needs scrubbed, they can handle.
Closet cleaning. Just like the younger group, a closet cleanout of clothing is important and they are old enough to organize their whole closet alone.
Vacuuming. Vacuuming can be fun. Give a child in this age bracket the responsibility of vacuuming "special" places such as the car, between the couch cushions and under tables and couches.
The refrigerator. Help them take everything out of the entire fridge and wipe down every shelf they can reach.
Your spouse
Whoever in your home is the strongest should be in charge of the majority of heavy-lifting tasks -- such as relocating heavy boxes. And the tallest should be in charge of chores like changing light bulbs or batteries in smoke/carbon-monoxide detectors.
Any Older Relatives Living with You
If these relatives are still functioning well, have them help you with easier tasks. They can save you time and energy and will feel great contributing to the family:
Putting photos into albums.
Organizing books, DVDs, magazines and CDs/records.
Going through all "under sink" areas.
(The writers are co-founders of Buttoned Up, a company dedicated to helping stressed women get organized. Send ideas and questions to yourlife(at)getbuttonedup.com. For more columns, go to scrippsnews.com.)
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