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A clean, neat home is a pleasant place to live. Keeping a home safe, clean and in good shape is the responsibility of the entire family.

Objectives:

At the completion of this unit the child will be able to:

1. Identify why keeping your environment tidy and clean is important.
2. Describe the process of decluttering.
3. Describe measures that can be used to prevent clutter from accumulating.
4. Demonstrate cooperation in completing an assigned task.
5. Classify chores according to daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.
6. Complete assigned chores without assistance.
7. Help in establishing the division of housework among family members.

Vocabulary List

clutter, environment, cooperation, assigned, organize, responsibility

Reasons For Keeping Your Home Clean

“People can get many good things by the words they say; the work of their hands also gives them many benefits.” (Proverbs 12:14)

1. Enjoyment of a clean, tidy area
2. Ease of finding things when you want them
3. Feeling good about being in your home
4. Feeling good about inviting friends into your home
5. Furniture and belongings last longer when proper care is given
6. Economical – don’t have to pay to replace things as often
7. Helps in staying healthy – eliminates germs
8. Helps keep insects and rodents away
9. Safer place to live

Organizing

“A place for everything and everything in its place.”

1. Decluttering – the single most important cleaning and organizational technique.
   1. Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (Especially the part about “A time to keep and a time to throw away.
   2. Two excellent books on decluttering are Clutter’s Last Stand by Don Aslett and The Messies Manual by Sandra Felton. I will mostly be using Clutter’s Last Stand as a “textbook” for this portion of the unit.
   3. Read 10 Minute Clutter Control for Kids.
   4. Discuss WHY decluttering is important. Don Aslett sums it up nicely in Clutter’s Last Stand, p. 269, when he says “Dejunking is the cheapest, fastest, and most effective way to become physically and financially sound, emotionally and intellectually happy.”
   5. Identify Junk and clutter. Read Chapter 15 of Clutter’s Last Stand, pp. 216-222. Photocopy p. 221 and give a copy to each child. As they begin to look at the clutter around them, have them evaluate it using the chart.
   6. Read Clutter’s Last Stand pp. 226-227 for a good view of when to declutter, and why.
   7. Discuss the techniques outlined in Clutter’s Last Stand, pp. 230-231, for decluttering, and put them to practical use.
   8. Read “Incendiary Clutter” on pp. 252-253 of Clutter’s Last Stand.
2. Organizers
   1. What do you do with all the stuff that’s left over after decluttering? First of all, make sure it’s worth organizing. Then use some techniques suggested by An Organized Home
   2. Decide what needs to be stored and where it can be stored. Decide if you need storage bins, boxes, or containers of any sort, and LABEL them.
   3. Help children organize their room with An Organized Home – Kid’s Room

Deciding Daily Chores – What To Clean When

She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. (Proverbs 31:15)

1. Discuss various chores and assign them according to frequency. This worksheet can help you in classifying them. You can find a nice list of age-appropriate chores to choose from here.
2. Decide who will do each chore. Classify chores according to level of difficulty. This worksheet can help you in classifying them.
3. April 7th is No Housework Day! Enjoy it while you can! This is a good opportunity to show the kids what happens when you DON’T take care of your daily chores, and how much work there is to do the next day!

Develop A Cleaning Routine

Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. (Galatians 6:4)

1. Read over this list of cleaning rules. Discuss why it is important to do things in this order. What would happen if we mixed up the order?
2. Select the best tools, machines, and/or cleaners for the chore. Make a cleaning basket that can be toted from room to room. Include in the basket cleaning cloths, lambswool dustmop, disinfectant cleaner, degreaser, window cleaner, green scouring pad, squeegie, and scouring powder. Other cleaning tools are broom and dustpan, hand broom, vacuum, toilet bowl scrub brush, and air freshener.
3. Timeline:
   1. Washing machine
      1. (electric) invented by Margaret Colvin in 1871
      2. (automatic) invented by Frederick L. Maytag, U.S., in 1948
   2. Vacuum Cleaner
      1. (manually operated) Ives W. McGaffey, 1869
      2. (electric) Hubert C. Booth, England, 1901
      3. (upright) J. Murray Spangler, U.S., 1907.

Responsibility and Teamwork

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

1. Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Surely he has more satisfaction in life, who labours hard to maintain those he loves, than the miser has in his toil. In all things union tends to success and safety, but above all, the union of Christians. They assist each other by encouragement, or friendly reproof. They warm each other’s hearts while they converse together of the love of Christ, or join in singing his praises. Then let us improve our opportunities of Christian fellowship. In these things all is not vanity, though there will be some alloy as long as we are under the sun. Where two are closely joined in holy love and fellowship, Christ will by his Spirit come to them; then there is a threefold cord.
2. Discuss the importance of doing your chore when you are supposed to do it. What if Timmy was supposed to empty the dishwasher, and Janet was supposed to fill it? Jan can’t do her job until Timmy does. If he hasn’t done his chore, he wastes his time and Janet’s.
3. Working in teams of two or three greatly reduces the time it takes to finish the chores.
4. Family members who help clean up are less likely to mess up!

Practicing safety techniques.

When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you! When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax! Such are the risks of life. (Ecclesiastes 10:9)

1. Make a poster prominently displaying emergency phone numbers to hang near the telephone. This is a cute printable worksheet. You can usually find these numbers in the front of your local phone book.
   1. Police
   2. Ambulance or Rescue Squad
   3. Fire Department
   4. Poison Control Center
      Watch Poison Tips for Children Video (Poison Tips for Teens)
      Color a Poisons Coloring Book.
2. Use good posture and keep good body balance, e.g. be aware how you bend over so as not to injure your back, or not to stand on unbalanced stools, tables, etc.
3. Be careful not to mix certain cleaners, such as ammonia and bleach.
4. Always follow the instructions on the bottle. Read and make sure you understand the instructions before using any product.
5. Store chemical products properly. Non-food products should be stored tightly closed in their original containers so you can always identify the contents of each container and how to properly use the product.
6. It is also important to dispose of products properly to preserve our environment and protect wildlife. Plus, some products can be recycled and further protect our environment. Many household chemicals can be taken to your local household hazardous waste collection facility. Many facilities accept pesticides, fertilizers, household cleaners, oil-based paints, drain and pool cleaners, antifreeze, and brake fluid. If you have questions about how to dispose of a chemical, call the facility or the environmental or recycling agency to learn the proper method of disposal. ~ American Red Cross Disaster Services

Motivation

On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. (Genesis 2:2)

1. Moses inspected all their work and blessed them because it had been done as the LORD had commanded him. (Exodus 39:43) We all like praise for a job well done. It can be the most influential motivator of all!
2. Make a list of things you can do immediately after finishing the housework to congratulate yourself for a job well done. Or make index cards with one fun thing to do and put them in a box. Draw one when the work is complete.
3. Stickers work well for younger kids. Especially when there is a prize attached to a certain number of stickers collected.

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Related Books:

• Clutter’s Last Stand by Don Aslett
• 10-Minute Clutter Control For Kids: Hundreds of Proven Tips Even Kids Can Do! (10 Minute) by Rose Kennedy
• The Three Faces of Love by Paul Hauck
• Confessions of an Organized Homemaker by Denice Schofield
• Is There Life After Housework? by Don Aslett
• Chore Wars by James Thornton
• The Cleaning Encyclopedia by Don Aslett
• The Messies Manual by Sandra Felton
• Sidetracked Home Executives by Pam Young and Peggy Jones
• What to Do When Your Mom or Dad Says ‘Clean Your Room!’ (Survival Series for Kids) by Joy Wilt Berry
• The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• Mr. Messy by Roger Hargreaves
• Franklin Is Messy by Paulette Bourgeois
• Housework (Turn of the Century) by Gill Tanner
• Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon! by Pat Cummings
• Keeping House by Margaret Mahy
• Clean It! by Henry PluckRose
• Amelia Bedilia (helps out) by Peggy Parish
• The Man Who Kept House by Peter C. Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe
• The Man Who Kept House by Kathleen and Michael Hague
• The Day Hans Got His Way by David L. Atwell

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Websites:

• Children and Chores
• Tips for Not Getting Sidetracked
• Mailing List and Support Group Resources
• A Long List of Cleaning and Organizing Links
• Cleaning Rules
• Cleaning Problems Searchable Database
• SHE Basics List
• An Organized Home
• No Housecleaning Day

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Software:

• Chore Busters: Organise your household or flat’s chores; easily create a fair schedule to share the workload.

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Can you believe this article has been floating around in one form or another since 1999! It has been updated as of this post.