We bet you just read our headline and did a double take – woah, Maid Service Arlington, what are you talking about?! Teenagers and clean homes? No such thing, right?
Those of you who share a home with a teenager (or more than one) may well be familiar with the challenges of peaceful co-existence. Add cleanliness into the mix and it’s a recipe for rows, the stamping of feet and lots of screaming. And that’s just you…
But it doesn’t need to be so. There are ways you can involve and persuade your teenager to be part of your household cleanliness routine. Read on to find out more.
Maid Service Arlington – Tips for Teenagers and Clean Homes
Be realistic. If you give your teenager too many chores, chances are he or she won’t do them all. Decide what must be done and what isn’t essential, and then chase them up when they don’t do the “must” jobs.
Make cleaning a bargaining tool. If your teen wants to have friends over, then you make him or her responsible for clearing up afterwards. It can also be a condition for other privileges such as going out and staying out later at the weekend.
Negotiate the cleaning. Everyone has different standards. Yours might be higher (or even lower) than your teen’s. Talk to your teenagers and negotiate the cleaning standards. Your teen might think a clean bedroom is one with no clothes lying on the floor, while you might think polishing is necessary too. Talk, negotiate.
Set consequences and follow through. If your teenager knows there is a consequence for not doing as you ask and that it WILL happen, then you are more likely to get results. Consequences should be reasonable. If reasonable requests for you teenager to tidy his room aren’t met, you could tell him that you will be hiring local cleaners – such as the maid service Arlington – to do the job instead, and paying for them using his pocket money.
Be specific. Again, if you ask a teenager to tidy up, be clear what you expect. Clean the kitchen, for example, isn’t as clear as “Please wash the dishes, put them away and wipe down the surfaces”.
Set a good example. If your own bedroom is a chaotic mess, it’s not reasonable to expect teenagers to be clean and tidy themselves.
Here at Budget Maids we provide cleaning services in Oakton, a maid service Arlington or cleaning services in Potomac and surrounds, and more. Why not give us a call today and let us help you ensure your house spick and span, whether you have teenagers or not?
