Mother’s Day is coming up this weekend and with everything going on in the world right now, we’d venture a guess that moms needs some pampering and celebration now more than ever. If you’re feeling stuck and not sure how you can show your appreciation – we’ve got a few ideas!
…after all, everyone enjoys a clean and fresh-smelling home. That’s right, our winning idea is treating the mama in your life to some unsolicited cleaning labour…keyword being unsolicited.
It’s free, it’s accessible, and we’d bet it will even leave you feeling better as well.
We’ve outlined 5 simple tasks below to go above-and-beyond the regular household chores and create a clean, healthy space that the whole family will enjoy.
Here are 5 things you can do in 30 minutes or less for your mom!
**O&C Hot Tip: Do this on Saturday so that you can all spend Sunday hanging out as a family in a nice clean house!
1. Change the bedding
The scent of clean sheets is intoxicating, and walking into a room where the bed is neatly made with pillows placed in an organized fashion (it doesn’t have to be pretty, neat and tidy is what really counts here) is like a little slice of Heaven!
Make sure you wash, dry, and fold the old sheets, or just strip the bed in the AM and put them straight from the dryer back onto the bed once they’re done!
O&C’s hot tip: Spray an essential oil blend such as this one onto her pillow and place a pretty spring flower from the yard on her side of the bed. Tidy & wipe down the night tables for extra creds.
Total Time Spent – 15 minutes
2. Clean the microwave
That little appliance that sits on top of or just under the counter is often ignored while the really important things in your family goes on. If it’s like most family microwaves, there are splatters everywhere, and they are stuck on hard!
O&C’s hot tip: Fill a microwave-safe bowl half-full of water and heat in microwave for 3 minutes. Leave inside to steam for an additional 5 minutes, then wipe gently with a clean microfibre cloth (the ones you use to detail your car work best). Use these 8 minutes to move onto tip #3. Once the steam has done the heavy-lifting, finish with a white bar rag or tea towel to remove all evidence of yesterday’s use. Voila!
Total time spent: 1 minute
3. Empty ALL the garbage cans
This may seem like a no-brainer, but honestly guys, there’s more than 1 garbage can in the house, and they all need to be emptied, sanitized and set up for the next round of sweepings and swills of family life. Moms usually take care of the ones that aren’t the obvious kitchen trash, so what a treat to have someone else do that lovely little chore. You’ll find them in bathrooms, laundry rooms, bedrooms, and possibly even closets, it’s like a treasure hunt!
O&C’s hot tip: Wash the inside of each with dish soap and water, dry it well and then put a thin cotton rag or kleenex with a few drops of scented oil in the bottom before you line it with your garbage bag. It will retain its clean, fresh smell until the next change-over is due.
Total Time Spent – 5 minutes
4. Dust surfaces & shine stainless steel & chrome
A lot of people think that cleaning is the same as tidying. We’re here to tell you that this is not true! When it comes to keeping a sanitary house, surfaces need to be wiped down regularly.
Take a microfiber cloth & run it under hot water. Grab a clean white cloth to dry. Wipe down coffee and end tables, tv stands, window ledges, and stainless using first the hot wet cloth, and then drying with the clean white cloth. You can use a cleaner of some sort for this step as well. Water and vinegar with some essential oils works well, just make sure if you’re using something store bought that you read the label and follow the instructions.
O&C Hot Tip: Don’t forget about baseboards and window & door casings. Dust loves to accumulate on these, and it makes a world of difference to wipe them down!
Total Time Spent – 10 minutes
5. Tackle laundry mountain
Call in the troops for this one! Depending on your kids’ age, they might already have something planned, but if they’re really young then you as the dad may need to be the supervisor.
Here’s what you do:
- Ask the kids to grab their dirty laundry and bring it to the laundry room, where you’ll be in charge of washing, drying, and folding it. We highly recommend starting this early in the day as laundry takes time.
- When the laundry’s done, have the kids help put it away. One of the best ways you can help mom out is to help encourage your kids to become active participants in household chores from a young age.
O&C’s hot tip: Make this a game! Have a race to see who can fold their laundry neatly and put it away first. Whoever wins gets a special treat!
Total Time Spent – 25 minutes
Those are just a few ideas that would excite us. We really hope you have fun doing them, and maybe even come up with a few creative ideas of your own as well. We’d love to hear them!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! Feel free to share this with your hubbies and kids – tag them in it, print it out and set it on their side of the bed. Whatever works for ya. ;)
And dads & kids – these simple cleaning tips take you less than an hour and don’t cost a thing. Whatever you do – try not to bug mom by asking millions of questions as that defeats the purpose! Do the best you can and she’ll love it!