How to run a household

How to run a household

Congratulations, you made the step and moved out from home. Things might be a little bit overwhelming at first. You might be used to having everything done for you, and now you are on your own. But don't worry - running a household is not as complicated as it seems. This fact sheet gives some information about how to manage some of the daily stuff.

Washing dishes

• do these within 24 hours (cockroaches)
• use as much hot water as you can stand
• put all cutlery to the bottom to soak while you wash the rest (be aware of sharp knives)
• wash cleaner stuff first eg glasses > cups > cleanish plates > bowls > dirtyish plates > pots and pans
• once washed rinse each item in hot water, try to keep the water at a trickle to keep your water consumption down
• as for drying the dishes, air drying can actually be healthier than using a tea towel, as tea towels can harbour bacteria, so wash them and leave them.

Hoovering

This should be done once a week or more often when necessary. Once a month or so, move any heavy furniture and hoover underneath it. Recognise that a hoover bag can be full - if your hoover loses power, change the bag.

Wash non-carpeted floors

• this is a weekly job
• sweep or hoover first
• use a supermarket detergent for floors and other surfaces in a bottle of hot water
• wring out the mop as much as possible, otherwise it'll take hours to let the floor dry
• don't forget the corners.

Bathroom

• another weekly job
• the shower recess, bath, hand basin, mirror and all tiles should be scrubbed
• you can use a mildly abrasive detergent or bicarb soda for everything (except the mirror) - rinse after cleaning to avoid residues
• the mirror can be treated like a window, with methylated spirits and newspaper to wipe off
• TOILET - at least once a week, but more often might be a good idea, use any detergent or bicarb soda (there is no need for special antibacterial agent), then push your brush down to the s-bend, as far as it can go, then flush

Dusting

• dust when you notice or before your mum visits you!
• use a dampish wipe without detergent.

Windows

This should be done every season (if you smoke, more often). Put methylated spirits in a spray bottle (label it!) and wipe off with newspaper

Laundry

• 'always read the fine print' - lots of things don't fare too well in the washing machine!
• separate colours to light and dark, and maybe separate specific colours like red (otherwise your white shirt might be pink after the laundry)
• don't overfill the washing machine.
• rry to use an economy/ecological setting if available (less water, less energy - better for the environment and less expensive for you).
• use only a few detergents, maybe a different one for coloured clothes (a cheap one works as good as an expensive one)
• be careful with fabric softener - too much might leave stains.
• prefer to wash cold to safe energy
• if you have a tumble dryer, use it sparingly, it uses a lot of energy (bad for the environment and your wallet) and shortens the life of almost everything - a clothes line/horse is a cheap alternative, but watch the weather because during the night your clothes might get wet again
• if you have to deal with heavy stains, it might be a good idea to soak the clothes overnight in warm water with few detergent or to use a special stain remover spray (there is no need to buy the expensive stuff, a cheap one works as well).

Managing responsibilities within the household - getting things done

Now that you know what has to be done, the next step is actually deciding who's going to do what and getting it done. While for some people getting in there and doing your share of the household chores might seem obvious, others might have more relaxed attitudes to household chores - including doing none.

It might be a good idea to put together some sort of jobs timetable and stick it on the fridge, making it clear who has to do what when.

If someone doesn't do their jobs it's important to talk up sooner rather than later so that it doesn't become an ongoing issue. Read the Housemates -all you need to know fact sheet for more info.

Cooking

Frozen pizza and pasta plus a wide range of microwave meals, might seem to be delicious at first. But it's likely that after a while you'll probably get bored of it, and want something different, and perhaps even healthy.

To find some inspiration for cooking you might like to go online and Google some cheap and easy recipes. 

Don't despair if it tastes awful the first time, you'll get better every time you try - no one was born a chef.

It might be fun to cook with friends or housemates, and you can share the costs for the ingredients. Another option is that you invite some friends and everyone brings one dish. That way you can create a banquet.

It might be a good idea to cook more than one portion, then you can freeze the rest and reheat it easily.

 

Acknowledgements

Le Grelier, P 2005, How to do Everything (You Avoided While Living with the Folks) - A Guide for Young Adults Moving Out of Home.