Housekeeping 101: Simple Tips Your Mom Might Have Forgotten to Tell You
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There’s a lot to learn in this life. Reading, writing, arithmetic. How to balance a budget, book an airline flight, and change a tire. Cook a gourmet meal, plant a garden, sew a seam.
And sometimes, housekeeping skills fall by the wayside. Perhaps Mom was busy earning a wage and didn’t have time to pass on homemaking skills. Perhaps she didn’t know the ins and outs of housekeeping herself. Perhaps you really didn’t think you’d need to know those things and just ignored her.
You can still learn it.
Wherever you fall on the housekeeping continuum, there’s hope. Thanks to the information age, we can reclaim these skills and even improve on the ones we have. I have learned so much swapping ideas with other people and learning from wiser woman.
Here’s a peek at some of the housekeeping topics we’ve covered on LifeasMOM over the years:
Using Plastic Boxes for Organizing
I wish I learned how to care for appliances in the home, and when a professional is needed.
It took my awhile to figure out that you were suppose to pull out your dryer and clean the vent.
I wish my dad had let me actually help in the kitchen, instead of letting me “help” when I was little and then taking over.
I also wish my mom had shown me how to clean a bathroom. I can scrub a tub like nobody’s business, but the rest of it? Not so much.
At least I can make a bed with hospital corners!
I wish I knew how to iron properly. I can’t iron my husband’s dress shirts for my life. I would rather clean 100 toilets than iron.
@Jenny, Hah! That’s why we now purchase the Nordstrom brand “Smart Care” shirts! They are a little more $, but you literally pull them out of the dryer as soon as they are done and presto, perfect shirts. My husband is an attorney, so he’s always in suits. I refuse to iron or run to the dry cleaner. So I throw them in the laundry and tell him he needs to throw them in the dryer and he takes it from there! Works for me 🙂
Go to youtube and search for “How to Iron and get several tutorials on the subject
My mom had the same experience growing up as Michele’s. Her mom didn’t want her to spend her childhood doing housework like she did. Therefore, my mom isn’t a great housekeeper and she passed even few skills down to me. I’m definitely going to check out “how to fold a fitted sheet” since mine usually end up just being wadded up the best I can and stuffed into the linen closet.
I wish my mom had passed me all her great cooking, but she never allowed us to step into the kitchen when we were growing up….now I am married…I panic whenever there are guests visiting…because I do not know how to cook a decent meal!!!
Excellent tips and reminders!
I wish I knew how to sew. I see so many things I’d love to make for my girls. But truthfully, I probably would not have the patience for it. I enjoy quick results and would probably get bored if it took 5 days to make something. LOL!
@Amanda, OH me too. My grandma did teach me a little bit when I was younger, but I’ve forgotten most of the skills. And I do remember it taking a lot of patience. I have her old (read-antique) Singer Sewing Machine in my closet. No idea how to even set it up…
Go to a thrift store and buy a newer model. Some thread themselves and are not hard to thread. You might also use Youtube and learn the basics of sewing, I use facebook to learn so many things.
My mom is wonderful! When she was growing up she had to care for the house and siblings. She didn’t want us to miss our childhood like she did and taught us nothing. We had a lot of fun when we were young but we are all paying for it now.
I think I have most of the skills, now a bit more disciple in getting the housework done first would be great!
My mom was a terrible housekeeper/hoarder so, I had to learn EVERYTHING on my own. So, when I get the knowledge, I share…like yesterday:-)
http://susieshomemade.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-cleaning-part-1.html