How to Get Siblings to Assist in House Cleaning?

How to Get Siblings to Assist in House Cleaning?

Sometimes I wonder, “How do people make it through life without a sibling?” I’ve heard someone once saying that, “A sibling is someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves –a special kind of double.” In other words, it’s like having a copy of you; a copy who’s in front of you everyday and who tortures the hell out of you.

Just kidding! (Nah)

Jokes apart, I have a younger sister who is just 3 years younger than me and despite our huge differences, we’ve always been like buddies (maybe even more than that). I’ve shared almost all of my secrets with her and she does the same and we’ve been doing this since we were little girls. And, we even have our little sessions at night where we discuss about literally every single thing that happened around us (trust me, it’s great to have a gossiping partner). And, she might be younger than me but I do take life advices from her (she’s what you’d call the typical overachiever type). It’s like we are a team, no matter what! And, that’s why I could trust her with my life.

However, despite this unity and sisterly love that makes me believe that having siblings is wonderful and truly a blessing, there are times when I wished I could be an only child; times, for example, when we fought over cleaning.

When you come home after a long day at work, you want to see your house clean and tidy –and that applies to everyone. Having a clean and neat house does not necessarily mean that all surfaces should be cleaned and all doorknobs and windows should be dust-free. You just need to keep the main living areas like the kitchen, the bathroom and your bedroom clean. However, sometimes you need to put in some extra effort and during that time, it would have been great to have your sibling assist you in the cleaning.

Don’t Order, Ask!

Don’t Order, Ask!One of the main reasons why siblings fight with each other is because they tend to order each other too much. You being the eldest or the tallest doesn’t give you the right to just order your sibling around.

So, if you want your sibling to help you in cleaning the house, don’t order them around and instead ask them politely.

Create a Chore List

Create a Chore ListSetting goals and planning how to reach them is essential in nearly every task and the same goes for cleaning. If you start cleaning without a proper plan or checklist, you will have a tendency to start new tasks and leave previous ones unfinished. And, in the process, you might end up fighting with your sibling. This is why I strongly recommend creating a chore list.

Once you are clear with your goals and priorities, you can establish a clear path to reaching them, along with your sibling.

Schedule Cleaning Times

Schedule Cleaning TimesIf you want to prevent sibling squabbles, one thing you need to do is to schedule your cleaning times. When you have to clean the house by your own, you take your free time to do so. However, you need to remember that now there’ll be two of you –you and your sibling. So, before you decide when to clean, it is important to consult your sibling and set cleaning days.

For instance, at home, I planned to clean the house every Monday morning (given my flexible work schedule) while my sister gets to clean the house every Friday afternoon. If both are you are not free during weekdays, you can try to adjust and fit the cleaning process during the weekend.

 

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